blende and chlorite schists of Paradise, belong to the Silurian 
period but others probably are as ancient as the Archaean. The 
total thickness is from 8,250'—13,200' which must represent a 
vast course of time. 
But such a section not only enables us to arrive at the probable 
chronological order of the beds, but throws light upon the physical 
geography of the region in ancient geological times enabling us to 
conceive of the changes it has undergone and even to determine, 
with some approximation, the immediate causes of the present 
configuration of the bay. And these, the most interesting por¬ 
tions of our subject, we are now prepared to consider. 
As I stated before, the lowest and oldest rocks in this part of 
the state are of sedimentary origin. The first geological fact in 
the history of the region indicates the presence of water, the sea 
probably, which formed the calcareous, aluminous, siliceous and 
magnesian deposits which, under metamorphism, became gneiss, 
protogine, mica, epidote, chlorite, hornblende and serpentine 
schist—that is beds Nos. 1-5. It is difficult to determine how 
far, if at all, these older strata had assumed a crystalline structure 
prior to the carboniferous period, as the whole series, including 
the carboniferous, evidently suffered metamorphism and flexure in 
late or past carboniferous times. It is also uncertain how far these 
older rocks had been disturbed when the carboniferous rocks were 
deposited, but from several indications it seems probable that the 
folds indicated in the section began to be formed in pre-carbon- 
iferous times, and that the chief outlines of our bay were de¬ 
termined at that remote period. 
We may therefore conjecture that the nearest elevations on 
either side of the carboniferous deposits formed the shore of the 
swamps and estuaries of the carboniferous time. Such elevations 
occur at Barber’s Height and Tower Hill, in North and South 
Kingstown and on the other side of the bay, in Tiverton and Lit¬ 
tle Compton. These southward trending ranges of protogine, 
gneiss, mica schist and chlorite slate bounded a bay or arm of 
the sea some 15 miles wide. In about the centre of the section 
you observe these masses of protogine and other pre-carboniferous 
rocks. While it is possible that they may once have been covered 
by carboniferous deposits which subsequent erosion may have 
