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 ^0VASC0TI4 
 
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LECTURE 
 
 ON 
 
 MINERALOGY. 
 
 DELIVERED BY MR. TITUS SMITH, ON MARCH 5, 1831. 
 
 BEFORE THE 
 
 Halil'ax ]VIechanic«' Institute. 
 
 PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE INSTITUTE, 
 
 miNTED BY J. S. CUNNABELL, AHGYLK STREET. 
 
 1834. 
 

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 LECTURE 
 
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 i^lnera¥o0|i4 
 
 Is Ibriniiig a collection of Fossils designed ra- 
 iher to throw some Jight upon the Mineralogy of this 
 couirsy, than as a • cabinet of curiosities, I have thought 
 n lesf tc commence viith cur most common rocks. 
 1 hey are an.iouhtvdly the most ancient, and probably 
 il im ihe basis upon which the others rest : In learning 
 something of their relative situations, and of the mate- 
 rials which compose their external parts, we shall ne- 
 cessarily acquire some geological knowledge, and may 
 also learn some things that will be of use to us. In 
 giving the reasons for which these specimens have been 
 collected, I have found it necessary to state, noi only 
 what I have seen, but also what I have thought.— -To 
 state the consequences that seemed to me to follow 
 from the facts I had observed. I am sensible that some 
 of these opinions will appear strange to many persons, 
 who bemg in the habit of employing their minds in 
 more profitable speculations have paid little attention 
 to this subject. I have adduced several facts to shew 
 the probability of these opinions, but do not expect they 
 will strike the minds of others with the same degree of 
 evidence that they do my own ; for a multitude of slight 
 proofs derived from facts observed during many years' 
 attention to a favorite study, will leave an impression 
 on the mind which is not easily conveyed to others. 
 In a society like the Mechanics' Institute, designed 
 
/ 
 
 for diffusing useful knowledge, our stores must neces- 
 sarily, and ought to, be drawn principally from the 
 treasures already accumulated in Europe ; but it there 
 is any subject upon which we can add something to the 
 common stock, and repay a little for the much we re- 
 ceive, it is perhaps Natural History, for we here pos- 
 sess the advantage of viewing a part of the earth more 
 in its natural state than any country which has been 
 long possessed by a civilized race. 
 
 Geologists generally appear to be divided mto two 
 parties, one of which supposes that the large masses ot 
 rock were formed by the agency of fire, while their op- 
 penents maintain that they were crystalized from a fluid 
 which held them in solution. That tliere are in this 
 Province rocks which have been formed in both these 
 ways, there is no doubt, but it appears to me that the 
 greater part of the large masses which compose the 
 basis of this province, have acquired their present form 
 in a somewhat different manner. He that dares to be- 
 lieve the evidence of his own senses, in opposition to 
 such authority as can be adduced in support of the com- 
 mon theories, has no right to expect that his opinions 
 shall be regarded any farther than he supports them 
 with sufficient evidence. It is certain that m the great 
 volume of nature there are records not written by the 
 hands of man which throw some light upon the geolo- 
 gical history of remote periods, and give us some know- 
 ledge of the operations of the Former of all things. If 
 these records are obscure, their authority is undoubted. 
 To decypher them has afforded the writer much plea- 
 sure in many a lonely and wearisome walk, for it is 
 only by attending to the w ork that we can learn the de- 
 sign of the workman, and it is with a view of throwing 
 some light on this subject, that a part of these speci- 
 mens have been collected. Nova Scotia may be con- 
 sidered as a low portion of a mountain range, a large 
 proportion of it being a solid rock covered with a shal- 
 low soil mixed with broken stone. Of this rock the 
 eater part is granite. It composes most of the high- 
 
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 est, steepest, and most abrupt and irregular hills in the 
 province. It is divided into three distinct masses. One 
 of which forms the basis of the greater part of the town- 
 ship of Halifax, commencing near the mouth of the 
 Northwest Arm and passing about two miles west of the 
 Dutch Village, continues upon an average within five 
 miles af the Windsor road on the southwest side, and 
 swelling into lofty hills on the south of the townships of 
 Windsor, Falmouth, and Horton, extends under the 
 name of the South Mountain, beyond Annapolis: then 
 crossing Sissiboo River, and in some places approach- 
 ing the sea, in others at eight or ten miles distance from 
 It, bends to the left round the great barren plain of whin- 
 stone, which forms the centre of the south west part of 
 the province, and ends a considerable distance on this 
 side of Shelburne. The second, the least, but the most 
 naked and mountainous, commencing near the north 
 end of Lake Major in Preston, passes by the head of 
 Chizzetcook harbour, and crossing the Musquodoboit 
 ends a few miles beyond it upon the elevated plain of 
 broken whmstone, which skirting the granite ridge on 
 the north side nearly its whole length, extends beyond 
 It betvveen Musquodoboit and the sea shore almost to 
 fet. Marys. The third commencing a little east of 
 Farrsboro' stretches across to within five miles of the 
 Oult shoro at Tatmagouche, and forming the high land 
 between Cobiquid and Pictou extends as far as Anti- 
 gonish river, from whence, though the hills continue 
 the rocks changr to greywacke and coarse limestone. 
 
 Uesides these three large masses, there are some 
 other small portions of granite, but they are of inconsi- 
 derable extent. In some parts of the province very good 
 land covers a rock of this kind, but a large proportion 
 ot the hills are nearly or quite naked. Upon these lie 
 scattered innumerable blocks of granite, varying from 
 jive to forty feet m diameter, and resting frequent- 
 ly upon a few small rolled stones. They are also al- 
 ways found m abundance upon hills of other kinds of 
 rock which arc near to and south of masses of granite. 
 
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 And a TtiW, .;ome of which are large, are found at a «;reat 
 difrtance, but always rounded, or in the I'orm called 
 rolled stones. The granite hills always shew abun- 
 dance of irregular fissures, nor ir it easy to find a place 
 where a line could be stretched a hundred feet without 
 crossing a crack. Besides these open fissures there 
 are many seams which appear like fissures united, the 
 small ones with quartz, those that are three or four in- 
 ches broad with fels spar. Rarely a fine grained varie- 
 ty will be found extending for a mile or two, which se- 
 liarates vvliere it is exposed to the air into pioces of a 
 good form and size for building stones. Within ten or 
 fifteen miles of Shelburne, there are some ledges com- 
 posed of layers 6 or 8 inches thick, which stand vertical- 
 ly, and are separated from each other by clefts about 
 two inches broad rilled with scales of mica. Gra.iite 
 varies very much in the size of its grains and 'n tne co- 
 lour and quantity of mica it contains. There are also 
 large masses vvhirh have their fels spar stained with red 
 or yellow oxyde cf iron. This variety is not fit for 
 building stone, as it is subject to decay when exposed 
 
 to the air. 
 
 Whinstone (Trapj is. next to granite, the most abun- 
 dant rock. As it generally alternates with slate, except 
 upon the great devated plains above mentioned, it is 
 necessary hi describing its locality also to give that of 
 slate. Some idea of the proportion which these rocks 
 bear to each other, may be obtained from the following 
 extract from the journal of a walk of 580 miles in that 
 part of the province, which is southwest of the road from 
 Halifax to Windsor. In travelling this distance I pas- 
 sed 350 miles of granite, 173 whinstone, eleven 
 whinstone and greywacke, and forty seven slate. As 
 the slate always runs in a direction a little north of 
 east, and south of west, and I travelled in every di- 
 rection, this although the best approximation that I 
 can give, will be an imperfect representation of the 
 proportions of slate and whin To this it should be 
 added that I travelled little within ten miles of the sea 
 
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 shore, where slate would ha\c been found in a greater 
 proportion. The wluMstonc is generally of a hght blue 
 within, and of a greyish wliite on the surface: its frac- 
 ture mmna6/»/ splintery. It is deprived of i*s iron and 
 partially decomposed by lying under peat earth or the 
 turf of woods, and forms those beds of hght dusty sand 
 which are frequent on the shores of lakes. This sand 
 f^hcws no particles of quartz, is easily rubbed into fine 
 powder, and fuses at a heat little exceeding tha*. requir. 
 ed to melf, brass. In a few places the whinstonc is c|eft 
 mto layers, which have a verr' ->! position and east 
 and west direction like slate. M ,,y portions of it have 
 separated in straight lines, leaving pieces with one, two, 
 or more plain surfaces ; and in a few instaiices, ill 
 the surfaces are plain, and the nieces have .six laces, 
 which are sometimes nearly square, but far more fio- 
 quently trapezoidal. It may be observed that the stones 
 which have one plain surface, can frequently be broken 
 by the hammer at right angles with, but never in a 
 line parallel to the plain surface, although they some- 
 times break in that direction when exposed to fire. Con- 
 sequently a stone which has the form of a cube or pa- 
 rallelopipedon is spoiled for a building stone bv at- 
 tempting to break it in the middle, as it is sure to sepa- 
 rate in a diagonal direction. It is not easy to find a 
 block of whinstone three feet in diamei«r which does 
 not contain a number of fragments, (for the most nart 
 of an angular form) which are distinguishable by a dif- 
 ferent shade of blue, a coarser or finer grain and a dif- 
 ler-nt directioii of their fracture. In many instances 
 these fragments compose the greater part of tbc stone. 
 As every variety of our whinstonc shivers to pieces when 
 exposed to fire, and the blocks which are exposed to the 
 air all show a disposition to separate, sornetimes in 
 straight lines, but far more frequently into irregular 
 tragmems, I conceive that the greater part of the 
 masses of this rock were at someYormer period bro- 
 ken pieces thrown together without order, with their 
 intersuccs filled by the sand which it forms as it da^ 
 
 
cays, (a stotc in f^;[^S^;SJ^ ' 
 ces under ,eat and ^^^^f^^^^^ZuA rocks, .vhich 
 of the sand, "'«y J^^™" ^"feption of the part new- 
 
 Iv procured from whinstone, in those siiuai 
 
 tL^reatest P™P7'-V'X:t:n^hat whfch ^as k 
 smooth faces are found. ^Y'fpnrpntlv contains rolled 
 regular fracture not excepted, f^n fast broken, can- 
 pieces of blue limestone, ^^h'f ^^^"inhich it is im- 
 U be distinguished from he «h'n m wn 
 
 bedded, «X^%'p'linLrb ' fte'r a feJ. days' expo- 
 granular than splintery . " brown, and finally 
 
 lure to the atmospher^ it becomes brown y^ 
 
 changes to a black '<>«« stone, tha* « ^j.^^^, ,„d 
 
 whinstone -^ich aUo som~ holds^^J^Tn those 
 ^e^^^foL'/nhlcrlhfter^n. o^f Marcasites has 
 ' Wher'e Mils of whinstone are nearly bare, perpendi- 
 
 yards, when -^ »«j';-*j^,ter rf a ml r farther, 
 they continue often for a quarter o alternates 
 
 In describing the situation of thejhmwhicn^^^^^ .^ ^ 
 
 with slate, it IS necessary '" J"A;;':f "F„„dy, com- 
 n of land on the shore of the Bay ol J;.»""J' , . 
 ?cing near St. Mary's Bay and c.Mcndmg to Cobi- 
 
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pla- 
 ition 
 hich 
 nevv- 
 frac- 
 inca- 
 mder 
 lOUgh 
 ^ em- 
 3per- 
 easi- 
 ;^here 
 ailed, 
 has a 
 rolled 
 I, can- 
 is im- 
 ubico- 
 expo- 
 finally 
 ambles 
 al and 
 pved on 
 I pieces 
 ided in 
 y small 
 m those 
 ites has 
 
 erpendi- 
 an eas- 
 Lth. Up- 
 a gentle 
 hundred 
 3 manner 
 r farther. 
 Iternates 
 lere is a 
 ly, com- 
 to Cobi- 
 
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 quid, varymgfrom five to twenty miles in breadth, which 
 has a deep soil with but little stone on the surface, and 
 whjch generally rests upon rocks that I have not yet 
 mentioned. With the exception of this strip of ground, 
 and the granite and whinstone districts already noticed, 
 nearly the whole of the land southwest of a line from 
 the middle of the Township of Rawdon, to the middle 
 ot the great Shubenaccadie lake, and from thence to 
 l^awrence Town, and the greater part of the land 
 within ten miles of the shore from Lawrence Town, 
 to Manchester, rests upon a rock which is alternately 
 slate and whinstone. The surface of ground that rests 
 upon slate is usually covered with broken whinstone 
 or half a mile southward from the line of junction of a 
 band of it with whinstone. Where either of these kinds 
 ot rock he south of a Mass of Granite, the surface 
 stones tor a considerable distance are granite When 
 the soil IS removed from these rocks, the slate frequent- 
 ly: and the whinstone in some places, appear to have a 
 smooth surface marked with lines which seem to have 
 been formed by the attrition of some hard substance mo- 
 viug in a north and south direction; son e of these lines 
 are near an inch in depth, others only slight scratches. 
 Mr. Whiteman, whose business has given him many 
 opportunities of observing them, informs me, that he 
 has sometimes observed them upon granite, and that 
 he has always found them to bear nearly a north and 
 south direction in every part of the Province. 
 
 1 hat curiosity which the Author of our being has 
 miplantedm the mind of man, undoubtedly with a view 
 ot stimulating him to the acquisition of knowledge 
 which must ultimately be beneficial to him, will not 
 permit him to rest when he observes that great and ex- 
 trr^ordinary changes have taken place in the world 
 Which he inhabits, without attempting to learn how 
 these changes have been effected. When he has discc • 
 yered a considerable number of facts which bear upon 
 N.i..}^Ct, aHu lias Hu lamiiiariseu Jus mind to them, 
 that he can take them all in view at once, he will per- 
 
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 ccive that there are other facts which are necessarily 
 implied by hose he has discovered, and a greater num- 
 be? which he will think are rendered probable by those 
 vThirh he knows to be certain, and in this manner be- 
 for'heTs well aware that he has such a design he «.l 
 have framed a theory of the whole subject rhes. ob 
 servations are introduced as some apology for the lol 
 SrHypothesis which I should almost believe, did 
 I Zw that the rocky parts of the earth generally re- 
 sembled the little that I have seen. 
 
 The tradition of a " Golden Age," of a VJ^^^J^ 
 which there was no change of seasons, s° g^''^^ 
 «nread through all ancient nations, is in some degree 
 SpportedT/the fossil remains of anted iluvuinan.mas 
 and vegetables, which give "''•"d'^ati^n of a difference 
 of climates. The Mosiac account of the c-eation and 
 dehise favours the same opinion. The Lord na« 
 not Caused it to rain on the earth," " A mist went up 
 S Tatld the ground"--Vegetables alone w^re 
 
 mven to man for food.-" Fourteen cubits of wate. 
 wire suffic"ent to cover all the hills.-" It mned for 
 for y days and forty nights." " The Fountains of the 
 grel:. delp were brokin up," After the deluge the 
 ?ainbow is mentioned as a new thinff,-a P™of that >t 
 had never rained before. Permission is given to man 
 to eat'nimal food, without which he could not inhabt 
 the nolar regions. Summer and Winter, cold and Heal, 
 are now first mentioned.-The life of man is rcmarka- 
 
 ^' VKemendous showers of rain that attend the erup- 
 tions of Vesuvius are stated to o^cf^'n violence, ami 
 in the immense quantity of water which lalls, a«y " "S 
 observed upon any other occasion, and the floods "'ch 
 they have produced appear on some occasions to have 
 doife more damage than all the other accidents attend- 
 in" the eruption Undoubted volcanic remains prove 
 thatat som^ period prior to the date of hi-tory, sub^ter- 
 Veaii fires must have prevaileu m a grfciuo, "-b^^- 
 n they have been known to Oo smce. II these erup 
 
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 «e.- 
 
IMW^«' 
 
 isarily 
 rnum- 
 I those 
 ler be- 
 he will 
 2Sv) ob- 
 ihe fol- 
 !ve, did 
 ally re- 
 
 eriod in 
 enerally 
 ; degree 
 animals 
 fference 
 Ltion and 
 ord bad 
 went up 
 ne were 
 ' water" 
 rined for 
 ins of the 
 leluge the 
 of that it 
 n to man 
 ,ot inhabit 
 and heat, 
 remarka- 
 
 1 the eriip- 
 lence, and 
 , any thing 
 3ods which 
 )ns to have 
 nts attend - 
 lains prove 
 )ry, subter- 
 iter degree 
 these erup- 
 
 I 
 
 « 
 
 ^ 
 
 tions were siinuhaneous with the deluge, and what is 
 meant by the " breaking up of the fountains of the 
 great deep," they would be sufficient to account for the 
 shock given to the earth by which the parallelism of its 
 poles with those of the equator was destroyed, and a ro- 
 tation of seasons necessarily introduced. Such a shock 
 must have caused all the water of the ocean to roll over 
 the earth with a force sufficient to have produced our 
 present mountains by removing the soil that covered 
 them, and for a time presented an appearance resem- 
 bling the allusion of the prophet to this event. " The 
 Avmdows from on high are open, and the found? tions of 
 the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down. 
 The earth is clean dissolved. The earth is moved ex- 
 ceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunk- 
 ard, and shall be removed like a cottage." 
 
 I have seen a piece of shallow plowiand resting on a 
 sloping rock which had the earth parHy washed off in a 
 heavy shower. The most elevated parts of therock were 
 naked, with a few large stones upon them, often resting 
 on pebbles. The hollows of the rock filled with loose 
 stones which covered a portion of the gravel. Here 
 and there where a whirling eddy had been formed, by 
 the position of the stones, small hillocks of the earth for- 
 med. The e-^-rth which had been carried off disposed in 
 layers, varying in fineness and in the proportion of 
 small stones which they contained. Such is the ge- 
 neral appearance of our mountainous districts upon a 
 larger scale. The rounded form of the stratified gravel 
 every where, indicates that these fragments of stone 
 have been subjected to a violent motion. Thousands of 
 boulders of granite* lying on hills of naked rock rest 
 
 *As the supposition that these blocks of granite have lasted for so long 
 n time in then- present position, may seem to border too much upon the 
 inarvollous; it should bo observed that they can not have been complete- 
 ly exposed to the open air for any consi '-rable time. Naked rocks are 
 soon covered with the crustaceous Licho... The minute leafy kinds are 
 attaclied thickly to this crust, and soon followed by the larger kinds com- 
 monly called paper mosses. As they are bad conductors of heat, they 
 pr;-.(.rvr^ tuetn iT. soiiio degree from the elTect.s of sudden chanses of the 
 temperatiire ot the air, as well as from the mechanical action of rain and 
 wina. 1 hey answer the same useful purposes upon the stems of trees, 
 
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 1 
 
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 12 
 
 unon rounded pebbles. The vallies between these 
 hflls covered with broken stones. The gravel where 
 de p, Hes near the lower parts of the hills. The who e 
 suggests the idea that an immense volume of watei 
 rollir'over these rocky districts has carried off the 
 so I wh°ch once covered them. The charcoal so fre- 
 auertly tobe found in the sand-stone proves tha it was 
 Tee onSie surface of the earth, and stems of trees m 
 ^position at right angles with the layers, -d sometime 
 nassin" through many of them, indicate that the layers 
 ?vere leposite^d nearly at the same time, and ProbaMy 
 prevented from adhering together by fght depositions 
 of vegetable matter not susceptib'e »/ P«'"ff *=* ,^*.f ,k:. 
 None of our rocks can be called "primitvej if this 
 term designate such as have lasted from " the begm- 
 ;!n"'' foHhcy all contain rolled and angular fragmens 
 of olher stlnes. The township of Halifax rests cmefly 
 Ion granite, and is the only place that I have seen in 
 The province where a considerable plain can be found 
 Zol this kmd of Rock. Near Dover and Prospect 
 the granite contains a very large proportion of rolled 
 stones, of iron stone slate, and whmstone, yarying m 
 s ze from four feet to two inches in diameter. The 
 Zportl of these imbedded fragments increases a 
 le approach the sea shore, where they are so abun ant 
 as to impress the idea that this mass was originally a 
 port^Jof disintegrated granite mixed with roUed s'ones 
 which was deposited in its present situation at the time 
 ,Ihen the innumerable boulders of granite which rest 
 
 there are some which Y'»J?\f"»»^ ^fnw nr^Es pay for exportation. 
 Ineturing country, and which may "?^J P', ^^P'tSd to this paper is 
 The Licheti vvith which \he p.ece ot flannd ^^^^^^^^ ^j^^ 
 
 dyetJ, would it is conceived, if I^'OVS*^ .'"^°,^,""'!^-"is ^ liable to fade 
 in'digo used by our «o"»"T wotrien .n dym^^^^^^^ .^ .,^.^,^^ ,he 
 
 like logwood colours, nor dooB the opeiation ?» ay'"S . „Ueapest ma- 
 .lr,th.° A hriffhtcr colour might have been given, but the cneapcs^ 
 
 als, (Urine and a little lime) were puipos-Jy "^'--^ ^^ ^■^^''"'^ *=- 
 
 r. 
 
 ^ 
 
 I 
 
 

 \ 
 
 13 
 
 I these 
 [ where 
 } whole 
 ' water 
 [ oiF ihe 
 [ so fre- 
 l it was 
 trees in 
 [netimes 
 e layers 
 Tobably 
 jositions 
 ior. 
 
 ' if this 
 »e begin- 
 ragments 
 ts chiefly 
 e seen in 
 be found 
 Prospect 
 of rolled 
 varying in 
 er. The 
 reases as 
 abundant 
 'iginally a 
 led stones 
 Lt the time 
 ^hich rest 
 
 jichens which 
 ees, of which 
 
 ir hills of rock 
 )iTie9 a manu- 
 r exportation. 
 this paper is 
 , save half the 
 t liable to fade 
 h it injure the 
 cheapest ma- 
 extract the CQ- 
 
 on our hills of naked rock were fixed in their present 
 position. The time v/hen the surface stones of every 
 kind were throw southward of the mass from which 
 they were broken. The time when so many large 
 portions of the surface of the solid hills of slate and 
 whinstone were ground smooth and marked with north 
 and south lines by the attrition of the stones which the 
 current of the delrge rolled over them. From ihe gra- 
 nite of this plain having its fals-spar very frequently 
 stained with yellow oxyde of iron, as well as from its 
 forming a 'lain, so very uncommon in a granite dis- 
 trict, I have been led to believe that it is but of incon- 
 siderable depth, and that it rests upon slate. It should 
 be observed that this imbedded stone differs much from 
 the masses of iron stone slate which are at a distance 
 from granite, but very little from that which is contigu- 
 ous to it. It contains a larger proportion of mica, and 
 sometimes a few grains of fels-spar. I have often ob- 
 served that a piece of ironstone slate of ten pounds 
 weight has communicated a yellow stain to the fels- 
 spar of the rock in which it is imbedded for the distance 
 of half a yard. Wherever granite is much broken, 
 rounded and angular pieces of a finer-grained granite 
 may be observed, holding a greater than common pro- 
 portion of mica, I conceive that these imbedded frag- 
 ments were not originally granite, but that by means of 
 an internal motion in the rock the material which forms 
 mica and fels-spar has been introduced from the adjoin- 
 ing granite, and that the period may arrive when they 
 will be no longer perceptible. 
 
 I am aware that this supposition must appear absurd 
 to many, as the growth and changes of rocks are so 
 slow that we have not the same kind of evidence of 
 their certainty that we hav*^ of those in the vegetable 
 kingdom. But all our large masses of rock are in some 
 degree pervious to water, and must be more so to sei ial 
 fluids, and that the elements of rocks can readily as- 
 sume an rerial state, any person may convince himself 
 by rubbing two pieces of quartz, hornblende, or foetid 
 
 I 
 
I 
 
 w 
 
 limestone smartly together for a few seconds, when he 
 will not only perceive a strong smell, but also that he 
 can distinguish the different kinds by their peculiar 
 
 smell. 
 
 We all know that the external parts of stones are lia- 
 ble to decay and change from an exposure to the wea- 
 ther, but have generally, it is believed, an idea that the 
 internal part is a dead inert substance in which there is 
 no motion, being at present in exactly the same state 
 that it will be at a future period. Closer observation 
 will convince us that this idea is not always correct. 
 Blocks of whinstone are often met with containing 
 veins of quartz, varying from two inches in thickness to 
 an eighth of an inch and less : they have the appearance 
 of having been cleft and again united by the seam of 
 quartz. It appears to be necessary to the forniation of 
 the quartz that the external air should be partially v?x- 
 cluded. In the woods when the mossy turf is removed 
 from a cloven whinstone rock, if the fissure should not 
 be more than two inches broad, the opposite faces of the 
 rock will often be found covered with quartz. Some- 
 times with very small, glittering, sharp-pointed crystals 
 often with larger, more opaque, and less perfectly for- 
 med crystals, often both faces are covered with solid 
 quartz, and in some places united by it, while in others 
 a small space remains, and points of crystals cover the 
 opposite faces of the quartz. The first crystals that 
 are formed are nearly at right angles with the face of 
 the rock, but before the fissure is entirely filled up, some 
 are often found in other directions. This circumstance 
 may be caused by the fires which occasionally destroy 
 the turf with which the rocks are covered. When the 
 fissures being exposed, the crystals become opaque and 
 sometimes shivered ; and being on their surfaces in a 
 state of decay, are not continued when a new coat of 
 turf is formed, but new crystals grow from their sur- 
 face, some of which being attached to the bevelling 
 fes of the points, they form a mass of prisms which 
 |ot parallel to each other. 
 
y 
 
 k^hen he 
 
 that he 
 
 pecuHar 
 
 s are lia- 
 the wea- 
 that the 
 there is 
 me state 
 ervation 
 correct. 
 )ntaining 
 jkness to 
 pearance 
 seam of 
 nation of 
 :ially v?x- 
 removed 
 lould not 
 ses of the 
 Some- 
 crystals 
 3ctly for- 
 ith soHd 
 in others 
 jover the 
 stals that 
 e face of 
 up, some 
 umstance 
 y destroy 
 ^Vhen the 
 >aque and 
 faces in a 
 ,v coat of 
 their sur- 
 hevelHng 
 ms which 
 
 15 
 
 These veins of quartz occur also in granite and slafe. 
 When the veins are six inches or more in width in this 
 latter rock they usually contain imbedded broken pieces 
 of slate. There are several other minerals which oc- 
 casionally fill up veins and cavities in rocks: but it 
 should be observed that these minerals are always 
 component parts of the rock in which they are formed. 
 Thus common slate has its fissures united by pyrites. 
 Broad veins of fels-spar are found in granite. Calca- 
 reous spar forms veins in lime stone, sometimes so nu- 
 merous as to give the idea that it has formerly been cleft 
 into minute pieces like half-slacked lime. There is u 
 pebble approaching to jasper, rarely met with, com- 
 posed of concentric layers of alternate yellow and brown 
 which has thesame appearance being very thickly veined 
 with quartz. Near akin to this pebble are those rounded 
 depressed lumps of yellowish claystone sometimes found 
 imbedded in sand stone, which always contain a black- 
 ish nucleus in the centre, at times so much resembling 
 a piece of iron rust as almost to give the impression that 
 we may be surveying the remains of an antediluvian 
 implement which changing to rust had petrified the sur- 
 rounding clay, in the same manner that I have seen a 
 somewhat similar stone formed about the head of an old 
 axe which had been long buried in the ground. 
 
 The black lime stone on the Cape-Breton side of the 
 Gut of Canso contains veins of beautiful violet pur- 
 ple spar. 
 
 The precipitous ledge of Cap dore' which contains 
 native copper has some of its fissures united by veins of 
 Jasper and Charcedony. The amygdaloid of which 
 some fragments are found imbedded in the ground near 
 Halifax, and large blocks on the bason of Mines, ap- 
 pear to the eye to be the same stone as the lava of Te- 
 nerifife, but this last contains empty vesicles like black- 
 smiths' cinders, while in our amygdaloid the vesicles 
 are filled either with earthly chlorite (painter's moun- 
 tain green) or with balls of opaque lime spar (steatites) 
 composed of crystahzations which radiate from a com- 
 
IG 
 
 i 
 
 mon centre, and generally coated slightly with moun- 
 tain green. 
 
 This amygdaloid appears to be very ancient lava, the 
 vesicles of which have been filled up by the cyrstali- 
 zation of a portion of its material. 
 
 There are in this Province masses of coarse gritty 
 calcareous rock, which contain abundance of cockle 
 shells in their natural situation. Upon breaking this 
 rock most of the pairs will be found to have the space 
 which was formerly occupied by the animal, partly 
 filled with transparent glittering crystals of lime-spar. 
 A very small number are empty, and a small number 
 filled completely with an opaque stone, finer-grained 
 and lighter coloured than the external rock. The shell 
 itself having changed its pppearance and become more 
 like the rock in which it is enclosed. The appearance 
 of the whole indicates that these shells will finally dis- 
 appear, and the rock appear, and be a homogeneous 
 stone. On the barren part of the southern coast of the 
 province, masses of conglomerate rock occur composed 
 of the common slatey gravel cemented by yellow oxyde 
 of iron derived from the slate. In other places may be 
 seen similar conglomerates, but the yellow oxyde has 
 bf^come red. The v/hinstone gravel and smallest pieces 
 of slate are also red. The large pieces of slate still 
 retain their colour. Another stone is all red, the form 
 of a few large pieces of slate are visible, the small 
 pieces are no longer to be seen, but a few very trans- 
 parent specks of quartz appear, occupying inierstices 
 between some of the fragments of stone contained in 
 the original mass. 
 
 In the eastern part of the Province large masses of 
 pudding stone are frequently met with. They are com- 
 posed of rounded pebbles of white, red, and blue stone, 
 mostly siliceous, cemented generally by quartz which 
 fill the interstices [in a few instaaces the cement is sand 
 stone.] As these pebbles are the same m appearance 
 as those in the beds of many rivers, it is probable that 
 they were rolled by the action of water into their pre- 
 
 ■«flSVIP%:., 
 
lB*»..^.. - 
 
 I monn- 
 
 ava, the 
 ;yrstali- 
 
 }e gritty 
 cockle 
 ing this 
 e space 
 , partly 
 ne-spar. 
 number 
 -grained 
 ^he shell 
 ne more 
 ►earance 
 ally dis- 
 igeneous 
 Lst of the 
 imposed 
 w oxyde 
 ) may be 
 xyde has 
 St pieces 
 ate still 
 the form 
 lie small 
 fy trans- 
 lierstices 
 tained in 
 
 nassts of 
 are com- 
 lue stone, 
 tz which 
 litis sand 
 pearance 
 ►able that 
 their pre- 
 
 17 
 
 sent situation, where the external air being excluded 
 by a covering of earth, they were united by the crys- 
 tahzation of a portion of the siliceous earth they con- 
 tained. 
 
 A large collection of conglomerates, that is to say, 
 of stones composed of earth and broken stone cement- 
 ed by quartz, lime, oxydes or carbonate of iron, &,c. 
 would go far towards proving that many masses of rock 
 were at some former period collections of the debris of 
 various kinds of stone thrown together promiscuously, 
 vyhich, petrified either by oxyde of iron from some con- 
 tiguous mass of pyrites, or by the crystal ization of i 
 small portion of the silica or lime contained in thw 
 mass, had since gone through certain changes (by 
 means of an internal motion in the mass) which haa 
 made most of their peculiar distinguishing marks dis- 
 appear, and changed a considerable portion of the mass 
 mto a homogenous stone. Fragments of fels-spar ap- 
 pear to be never affected by these combinations any far- 
 ther than taking the colour of oxydes of iron, and mica 
 usually retains its natural appearance. The cavities 
 which abound in conglomerates at first, are by degrees 
 occupied by a growth of transparent crystals which are 
 either siliceous or calcareous in proportion as these 
 earths predominate in the mass. It is most probable 
 that the matter which forms these crystals is dissolved 
 m an aBrial fluid. For it is proved by the appearance 
 of those which are of several colours, that they increase 
 like trees by additional layers formed upon their sur- 
 faces, and it is inconceivable that the small quantity of 
 watery fluid borne by capillary attraction to the cavi- 
 ties could be distributed over their surface in such a re- 
 gular manner in any other than a gaseous state. Many 
 appearances in stones render it probable that a part of 
 these transparent crystalizations finally become opaque 
 and by degrees acquire the nature of the rock in which 
 they are imbedded. Among the fragments of Porphy- 
 ries and Porphyroids which are generally spread ovqr 
 tuv piovmce, some specimens occur containing small 
 
M 
 
 epherical nodules of reddish brown jasper, or a stone 
 approaching to jasper ; which are generally solid, but 
 there are some which have a cavity in the centre lined 
 with pellucid spar. Nodules containing similar cavi- 
 ties are sometimes foimd in the common foetid lime- 
 stone, which are liable to produce dangerous explo- 
 sions when thrown into the fire. 
 
 During the decomposition of pyrites, a portion of the 
 rock in which it is imbedded is frequently decomposed, 
 when this rock holds a considerable proportion of sili- 
 ca, crystals appear to form with great rapidity. I have 
 seen in the front of a perpendicular rock a cavity, equal 
 perhaps to six cubic feet, which appeared to have been 
 exposed to the air for several years, by the falling off 
 of a part of the rock which had covered it. This cavi- 
 ty appeared to have been not long before occupied by 
 a mass of pyrites. The greater part was decomposed, 
 and lay r,t the bottom, a blackish grey powder strongly 
 impregnated with vitriol. Mixed with this powder there 
 were several pieces of the weight of a pound or two, of 
 the common granular pyrites, which is generclly com- 
 pletely decomposed by an exposure of twenty years to 
 the air: yet the roof of this cavern, and the sides as far 
 down as the pyrites had fallen otf, were completely 
 covered v;ith crystals some of which were half an inch 
 long. Collections of crystals generally seem to be con- 
 nected with stones in a state of decay. In the granite 
 district of the township of Halifax, there is a tract 
 where specimens of crystalized quartz are frequently 
 found, part of which is of a light purple colour. It is 
 ■generally attached either to a kind of conglomerate 
 formed of granite partially decomposed, cemented by 
 quartz, or to a mixture of quartz with fels-spar in a 
 state of decay, containing small cavities filled with 
 China clay. 
 
 The appearance of the large masses of rock seems . o 
 
 '•"'^cate that the veins of every kind found in them were 
 
 e fissures, and have since been filled by metallic 
 
 t or some other mineral substance which formed a 
 
a stone 
 olid, but 
 itre lined 
 lar cavi- 
 tid lime- 
 Lis explo- 
 
 ion of the 
 omposed, 
 m of sili- 
 y. I have 
 ity, equal 
 lave been 
 falling off 
 rhis cavi- 
 3upied by 
 omposed, 
 r strongly 
 vder there 
 or two, of 
 •clly com- 
 / years to 
 ides as far 
 ompletcly 
 ilf an inch 
 to be con- 
 he granite 
 is a tract 
 frequently 
 >ur. It is 
 iglomerate 
 mented by 
 5-spar in a 
 filled with 
 
 k seems -o 
 them were 
 y metallic 
 I formed a 
 
 19 
 
 part of the general mass, and which dissolved in ailuid, 
 or in a gaseous state, end impelled by that kind of at- 
 traction which causes the union of particles of matter 
 which are all of one kind, have filled up these vacant 
 spaces ; thus forming collections of many substances 
 useful to man by drawing their materials from a mixed 
 mass. 
 
 In referring to "attraction" for the explanation of 
 certain combinations, I wWa it to be understood that the 
 term is used not to covdr, but to avow my ignorance. 
 It might be defined to be a law which governs cer- 
 tain physicial actions of which we do not know the 
 causes. All kinds of attraction are doubtless effects 
 as well as causes, but they are mostly the effects of 
 causes which man has not discovered. Thus a ley made 
 from the ashes of wood which grows near Halifax or 
 on any other vitriolic soil, will be found to contain 
 potash and another salt now called sulphate of potash. 
 This last cannot be dissolved in less than sixteen times 
 its weight of cold water ; the potash will dissoir ;n less 
 than its weight of water. Consequently by evaporating 
 the ley the sulphate of potash may be crystalized and 
 separated, while the potash remains dissolved. This 
 might be explained by saying, " That when this salt 
 formed the seventeenth part of a solution the attraction 
 of its particles for each other was stronger than their 
 attraction for water," but this would convey no moro 
 information than saying in plain words : " We know 
 that this salt will crystalize when it forms a seventeenth 
 part of a solution, but we do not know the cause any 
 more than we do why potash will not crystaHze until it 
 forms more than half of a solution."— Thus it is in 
 every scientific pursuit, we presently come to bounds 
 which prove that our mental powers are very much 
 limited. We may learn that there is a necessary con- 
 nection between the mineral, vegetable, and animal 
 kingdoms, that many things which we had viewed as 
 nuisances, were in their proper place, and answered use- 
 ful purposes, and that the care and wisdom displayed in 
 
 ^?"^® 
 
I 
 
 ir 
 
 preserving and continuing what are accounted the mos^ 
 insignificant plants and animals are so manifest, that we 
 6hall not be disturbed by dreams of the soil of our con- 
 tinents being washed into the ocean, or our planet dis- 
 placed by the shock of a cornet. But we shall learn 
 at the same time that the number of things of which 
 we have little or nr knowledge is much greater than we 
 were aware when we commenced our studies. 
 
 In traversing the dreary barren shore which extends 
 from the mouth of the northwest Arm nearly to Mar- 
 garet's Bay, some persons of good sense who have 
 thought little upon the subject, are tempted to exclaim, 
 " Why were those barren wastes created?" This ques- 
 tion will be answered by referring them to the quanti- 
 ties of fish caught on the barren shores of Newfound- 
 land and Labrador ; while on the shores of the ocean 
 no place is found where fish are caught in abundance, 
 upon ihe coast of a very fertile district ; and the inha- 
 bitants of Halifax would be poorly compensated for the 
 loss of their fish market by having their townships co- 
 "'ered with a fertile soil. 
 
 During the season of vegetation, a very fertile soil, 
 whether in a state of nature or of cultivation strikes 
 every eye as a beautiful object : but a rusty slate soil 
 where the spaces between the stunted spruces and hac- 
 metacs are occupied by trailing Juniper, Kalmia, May- 
 flower, and a attle starved grass, is so associated in our 
 minds with the ideas of sterility and poverty ^ that the 
 first sensation it produces is far from pleasing, yet the 
 naturalist wh ' or^t for knowledge compels him to 
 search a littlp d( ,. ^ will ev -nhere find sources of in- 
 formation aiiii akiiusement. He will learn that this de- 
 spised soil contains stores which may be useful to fu- 
 ture generations, and that it must have been as valua- 
 ble to the aboriginjil inhabitants as the more tertile dis- 
 tricts, during that unknown number of ages which pre- 
 ff'^^A, the (to them) fatal period, when, " their times 
 g fulfilled," that power was guided to the Ameri- 
 
 gz\-- - — - 
 
 -■r rkirari 
 
 
 ir^-viv>vAkf n 
 
 ipeth the residue with its feet." 
 
 K12. ■GtxoM'iAi Hi pxwv;r'' 
 
 A 
 
 '4 UiiVi 
 
 J 
 
**-*^^' -•*•" 
 
 ■■f-ry.A, 
 
 21 
 
 % 
 
 he moB* 
 that we 
 3ur con- 
 met dis- 
 ill learn 
 »f which 
 than we 
 
 I extends 
 to Mar- 
 lio have 
 exclaim, 
 his ques- 
 e quanti- 
 3wfound- 
 he ocean 
 undance, 
 the inha- 
 Bd for the 
 ships CO- 
 
 'tile soil) 
 1 strikes 
 slate soil 
 and hac- 
 lia, May- 
 ed in our 
 ; that the 
 h yet the 
 sis him to 
 ce.^ of in- 
 itthis de- 
 iful to fu- 
 as valua- 
 3rtile dis- 
 hich pre- 
 »eir times 
 3 Ameri- 
 
 i 
 
 Upon turning our attention to the sla:es, we shall 
 with the little knowledge we po«*.ess, be able to per- 
 ceive that they are useful to man and that they have not 
 been " created in vain." 
 
 To render the purpose for which the specimens of 
 this stone are collected intelligible to those wlio have 
 paid no attention to chemistry, it is necessary to observe, 
 that all slate which is covered with a coating of rust, 
 (technically called brown or yellow oxyde of iron) ci- 
 ther contains, or has contained pyrites, a mineral which 
 has a metallic lustre, and which variep 'a colour from 
 white to yellow. That the pyrites in the co-^imon slate 
 is principally composed of sulphur and iron That, 
 (with the exc^Mition of the species called marcafites 
 which is crystalized in regular figures,) it is alwa\ s de- 
 composed by exposing it to the action of the air lor a 
 fe V years. The sulphur by attracting oxygen from the 
 atmospheric air becoming- sulphuric arid, dissolving the 
 iron, and forming the salt called salphrte of iron," (the 
 common green copperas of commerce). The pyrites 
 during this process losing its lustre, and either faUing 
 to a powder, or beconiing a soft blackish stone. 
 
 This salt dissol' ed by the water absorbed by the 
 rock, somcii^nes forms chalybeate springs, but more 
 frequently rises in small fissure?; to the surface of the 
 rock by tlie power of capillary attraction, where it forms 
 those white lines which may always be observed upon 
 slate rocks after a few fair days in summer. 
 
 When a solution of copperas is exposed to the air 
 it is soon decomposed by new combinations. This 
 decomposition is accelerated by its coming in contact 
 with vegetable mould or peat earth. The oxyde of iron 
 separates in ? . light bulky state giving the water a thick 
 oily appearance and ochery colour, a state in which it 
 may often hij observed in ditches on the per insula. This 
 substance on poor soils soon hardens, encrusting the 
 stones, and often cemonting the gravel and forming large 
 masses of conglomerate rock, such as composes the 
 
 bnnt r.Ti th 
 
 
 et ant 
 
22 
 
 t i 
 
 fjeveral places on the shore of Dartmouth. Even on fer- 
 tile soils fragments of slate may be found, which have 
 doubled their bulk by petrifying a portion of the con- 
 tiguous soil. 
 
 Slate stones therefore which have a strong brown 
 crust, make an excellent material for roads, as the cop- 
 peras they form, is slowly changing a portion of the soft 
 soil to stone. 
 
 The vitriolic slate which lies under peat earth, is ne- 
 ver encrusted with oxyde of iron, or petrified earth. On 
 the contrary, the stones frequently have a worm-eaten 
 appearance, the spaces near the surface which were 
 once occupied by pyrites being empty. 
 
 Whinstone in the same situation appears to be in a 
 state of slow decomposition, the surface resembling a 
 soft white sand stone. The same effect is produced upon 
 these stones by remaining for a considerable time under 
 heaps of stable manure, and also in some degree by a 
 covering of the turf of old woods. This proves the ab- 
 surdity of the practice, still too frequent near Halifax, 
 of repairing roads occasionally with soil from the ditch- 
 es ; as a material is introduced in the rich mould form- 
 ed from the manure washed from the road, which not 
 only serves to make dust in summer, and mud in the 
 spring and autumn, but also to dissolve a portion of the 
 stoney part of the road. 
 
 It appears therefore, that peat earth must be useful 
 to the agriculturist upon vitriolic soils, which are too 
 gravelly, as it will change a part of the stone to earth, 
 although it will not, like carbonates of lime, change it 
 to a fertile soil. The beds of bog ore found under peat 
 swamps, have probably originated from the vitriol of 
 the slate. Small beds of this ore, ' ». a quantity too in- 
 considerable to be worth working, may row be found 
 near Halifax, but as it appears t/j be necessary to its 
 rapid formation that the ground should be exposed to 
 the sun, I conceive that it will be more abundant here- 
 
 a 
 
 iere a barren slatey soil is covered by a growth of 
 
2S 
 
 1 on fer- 
 ch have 
 he con- 
 brown 
 the cop- 
 the soft 
 
 1, isne- 
 ith. On 
 m-eaten 
 jh were 
 
 in a 
 
 be 
 ibling a 
 ed upon 
 le under 
 •ee by a 
 the ab- 
 Halifax, 
 3 ditch- 
 d form- 
 lich not 
 i in the 
 n of the 
 
 e useful 
 are too 
 Q earth, 
 nange it 
 rler peat 
 itriol of 
 ' too in- 
 le found 
 ry to its 
 )osed to 
 nt here- 
 
 owth of 
 
 firs two or three hundred years old, the surface is usu- 
 ally overspread with a layer of turf from six to twelve 
 inches in thickness. Beneath this turf which excludes 
 the external air, the slate appears more free from rust, 
 more solid, and holding more bright pyrites near its 
 surface, than that which has been for a considerable 
 time exposed to the air. Yet there is always at the bot- 
 tom of the turf a considerable quantity of charcoal, 
 which together with an abundance of raspberry seeds, 
 proves t.iat the ground was open previous to the growth 
 of the firs. It seems therefore, that the pyrites is re- 
 produced after the turf becomes so thick as to exclude 
 the external air in a considerable degree. 
 
 The oxygen of the oxyde of iron, and sulphate of 
 potash proliably unites with the charcoal, while the 
 iron and sulphur again form pyrites in the cavities 
 where it forir.erlv existed. It would follow from this 
 supposition, that while a country is inhabited by a 
 race of savages who carefully preserve the forest, 
 the formation of iron ores (useless to them) is re- 
 tarded. But that when they are replaced by a civiHz- 
 ed race, whose habits lead them to destroy the forest, 
 the ores of this, (to them) most useful of metals, are 
 rapidly accumulated. As many of our hills of com- 
 mon conglomerate contain a very considerable propor- 
 tion of iron, some of them might be worth the trouble 
 of an assay imitating the manner in which they must 
 be smelted in large furnaces. It is to be observed that 
 iron ore is valuable rather for the good quality than the 
 large qu ,ntity of metal which it gives. For as iron is 
 a combustible metal, it is always found necessary to 
 add to rich ores a large quantity of some kind of stone 
 or sand, partly for the purpose of forming a covering of 
 glassy cinders to protect it from burning by excluding 
 the air. The late Mr. Pernette shewed me a piece of 
 cast iron which he had melted from the common con- 
 glomerate. By his assay it had yielded a fourth part, 
 or twenty five per cent. 
 
 sJlate usually stands vertically^ and runs in a direc- 
 
tion a little 
 
 fi 
 
 Pi 
 
 ~-^. » .....^ north of east and south of west. Jti<,r,] 
 
 ral the difference between th™.^tt:^Vhluhe" 
 
 roS'sTafe 'J^'" "'^'"■, "'^''"•^ '^'""h '-i" ^P"' like 
 
 shew no di^Sr.0 ^ ^e ll^e sTaT;. fc ''f'' 
 markable of these are, a kmd of i J:^o„e b v^ tW,; 
 layers, which usually are of smaM ,v.„„( r.^ 
 .rcmely hard and hea^y; std;rfit\;,rsLl'-1s'of 
 a slate colour; generally contains pyrites and'Tnm! 
 times gurnets of the colour of rosin T ito ^ T' 
 
 kinds of limestone, it decayf XLxJ;tdrtLlr 
 forming a black rotten stonl It burnsTo a darl sanTy 
 
 fori ,M h""? "''"•'' P°'''o" "f th« material wh"ch 
 forms slate has been nitroduced into this stone since 
 
 h11 '?f ^"troduced into them since they were imbed 
 
 S^ rZkT^^:?; zf "' ^'"^^ *^ '"« — °^"'«''- 
 
 ers'rffZ''/"'^.';'""'' ^"' "»' "'ea^" often forms lay. 
 
It is al- 
 
 le depth, 
 al iine of 
 re united 
 ite faces 
 be found 
 in gene- 
 ^lien the 
 e layers 
 L fQW of 
 instone. 
 pHt like 
 1 which 
 
 though 
 
 which 
 (lost re- 
 317 thin 
 t is ex- 
 — is of 
 
 some- 
 y other 
 he air, 
 
 sandy 
 
 wliich 
 3 since 
 as ori- 
 gle in- 
 1 com- 
 
 origi- 
 rolied 
 und in 
 \>hin, 
 )lende 
 nbed- 
 r their 
 
 s lay- 
 ained 
 rites, 
 
 I 
 
 . •• . 25 
 
 but will not burn to lime, and is usually encrusted tvith 
 rust. Upon working a few feet into the rock, this va- 
 riety sometimes changes into a stone resembling the 
 Norway rag with an undulating grain like that of wood, 
 and coated on one side with a thin layer of fine allum 
 slate. I have seen a single instance in which a cylin- 
 der of this slate composed of concentric layers of grit 
 about as thick as the grains of Ash, and surrounded 
 with a thm bark of allum-slate, formed such an exact 
 representation of a log of wood that it might have been 
 niistaken for a petrifaction, had no more of the same va- 
 riety m a different form been seen. The specimen 
 marked allum-slate is taken from the cylindrical block 
 above described. Although fine grained allum-slate like 
 tins specimen is very common in Halifax, I have not 
 seen a vein more than an inch in thickness. When first 
 broken from the rock it will mark paper like black lead, 
 but It soon becomes hard by exposing it to the air. But 
 there are other varieties in very broad veins which will 
 yi{3ld allum. One rule may be given to distinguish them 
 all. Every slate which gives a blue mark when rubbed 
 upon apiece of the same kind, will by skilful manao-e- 
 ment yield considerable allum. The property of ma?k- 
 mg blue seems to originate from a partial decomposi- 
 tion of the slate its 'If that occurs during the decorapo- 
 silion of the pyrites. In most situations where peat 
 bogs rest upon slate, shallow beds of blue clay occur, 
 apparently formed from slate decomposed by the peat. 
 1 ius IS a very tenacious clay, dries hard in the sun, but 
 ci-umbles to dust if burnt or long ex.posed to the air. 
 l^rom this clay, allum can be made vvith less cxpence 
 than It can from slate. Should ary one be disposed to 
 try the experiment, it would belieccGsary to observe 
 that the substances which yieK allum will also gener- 
 ally yield Copperas. That Copperas is composed of 
 iron, dissolved in sulphuric acid.— That al/um is com- 
 posed of pure clay or aMmine dissolved in sulphuric 
 acid mixed with a porti<jn of fixed or volatile Alkali, (in 
 most specimens of a/lum, with both) That if alkaline 
 
 D 
 
 X 
 
il: 
 
 salt, should be added to a solution of iron in sulphuric 
 acid, a portion of the iron would be instantly separated^ 
 but that the acid dissolves clay most readily when mix- 
 ed with a certain proportion of alkali. Were allum-slaie 
 from uncultivated ground or clay from the common to 
 be exposed to the air for a year under a shed which 
 protected it from the rain, and frequently turned, it 
 would upon lixiviation yield copperas, but clay from 
 
 ru i-^r**^^^^^*^^ ^^^^^ ^^ allum-slate from the streets 
 ot Halifax m the same situation would form allum, be ' 
 cause It would have imbibed a portion of alkali from 
 the wash of the yards. As these clays differ in quality, 
 being formed from different varieties of slate, it is cus- 
 tomary previous .o establishing allum works, to ascer- 
 tain by experiments the kind, and the exact quantity of 
 a kali, that will make the clav most productive. Some 
 clays are mixed with peat, dried, and burnt: Others 
 are placed under sheds and frequentl;^ turned, sprink- 
 ling them with urine till the proper quantity has been 
 added—Both wood ashes and urine are found neces- 
 sary for some. It is also necessary to pay attention to 
 the seas >i in which the clay is lixiviated, for allum forms 
 most rej ily in the hottest season, while other sahs arc 
 termed fi om the same materials in the cooler part of the 
 summer. 
 
 Some of the clay near Halifax that 1 have tried, has 
 become so lughly impregnated with allum as to present 
 a glittering appearance by candle light, or in the sun, 
 the surface being half covered with crystals of allum. 
 As our barren soils contain the materials in abundance, 
 It IS probable thm at a future period there wiP be ex- 
 tensive allum works in this province. 
 
 Resides the Slatesthere are other Matrices of Allum 
 int le Frovmce. I havt observed allum formed from the 
 sou 01 some of the meadows on the Souiac which con- 
 tain sal springs, and lie contiguous to gypsum: It is 
 formed also m the de, , ed portions of the fine grained, 
 ftard, grey rock which alternates with the sandstone at 
 tlie Joggms, near the Cumberland coal mines. The 
 
 > 
 
 far 
 
 m 
 
27 
 
 ulphuFic 
 paratedy 
 len mix- 
 um-slate 
 Bmon to 
 id which 
 urned, it 
 lay from 
 e streets 
 lum, be,] 
 ali from 
 quality, 
 t is cus- 
 
 ascer- 
 antity of 
 . Some 
 
 Others 
 sprink- 
 as been 
 :l neccs- 
 ntion to 
 m forms 
 sahs arc 
 rt of the 
 
 ied, has 
 present 
 the sun, 
 r allum. 
 ndance, 
 
 1 be ex- 
 
 f Allum 
 >om the 
 ch con- 
 K It is 
 grained, 
 stone at 
 s. The 
 
 > 
 
 band of slate upon which the town of HaJifax is built 
 after running westward five or six miles, meets a mass 
 of granite where it ends. Eastward it may be traced as 
 far as Petpiswick, varying from one to two miles in 
 ',. .-^dth. Upon the north side of this band there is a 
 i>i' dth of about a hundred yards of pale siliceous slate, 
 part of which is harder and heavier than whinsione. 
 South of the Halifax slate the band of whinstonc ex- 
 tends in breadth southward five or six miles : part of a 
 band of slate appearing again near the point on the west 
 side of the entrance of Cole Harbour. Northward the 
 band of whin extends from the three mile house at the 
 Basin, where it commences, to the sixteenth mile on the 
 Windsor road, where a considerable band of slate oc- 
 curs. Where these bands of slate join the granite on 
 the west, they become ironstone slate, a singular vari- 
 ety, of which the distinguishing marks are. That it is 
 heavier than any other stone in the province. That it is 
 harder than common slate, and some portions of it har- 
 der than granite, and that it generally contains a large 
 proportion of small oval grains, so exactly resembling 
 the gravel formed from the debris of coral rock in figure 
 and size, that I have conceived it to have been origi- 
 nally a shell gravel like that of Bermuda, Florida, <fec. 
 which had since it was imbedded in its present position 
 by the introduction of a portion of the iron and horn- 
 blende of the rock changed its colour, and in some de- 
 gree its nature without losing its original figure. Al- 
 though from its resemblence to the stone in which it is 
 imbedded, it is scarcely perceptible in some specimens 
 when first broken, yet it is often perfectly visible upon 
 the surfaces of the same specimens, for as it frequently 
 decays when exposed to the air, cither with greater or 
 less rapidity than the stone in ^^hich it is contained, the 
 surfaces will sometimes appear eroded with small oval 
 cavities, while in other specimens they are overspread 
 ^vith the gravel in the form of the roe of fishes. 
 
 The hardest and heaviest ironstone is frequently se- 
 parated into flags which shew no disposition to separate 
 
28 
 
 hard, branchingThrouJhii^ "/'■''?'*'''"'*«' «*'™mely 
 
 dark coloured, andhaf the sml^f ,''■'"';?"• ^''^ ^<"-y 
 haps it ou"I,t to hpT.»n!,i u "'',' °^ '>ornbl«nde._Per. 
 
 the granite, it differs liMrff™ ^ ^" whmstone joins 
 
 gravel. In the few2°Jt 2u ff containing jra! 
 naked at tl,e line of' i^ne,i„„''T ^- '""" '"^" "■« ™ck 
 dip under the granUe-* and t^Jl uT^"""" ^PP^''^^ '» 
 dreds of frattments of ,V^„ f ""^S? ^ '"'^« ^^en hun- 
 have not as^t wi hT^i^"' 'f'^'^"^ '" S^""""^' ^ 
 Those i,„bedd" Smenff/^'"''"','' *" ironstone, 
 tion of the rocks neirfh'-.? '^°T ^° '"'•§« « P^opor- 
 
 Sambroandltla "Tet'sBoT' """ "'"'''""' '"^'^^^«» 
 pt.-6ons who supn\ Haij?;/ '"/.'■'g'-.^C'^lour, and the 
 
 cessary to go fhftlfer wetvard Th ' T"^ ''""^ '' "^■ 
 the southern shore of tCZ, ■ *"* '^'""''^ opposite 
 Their southern sides exn„ ^^."''1^ ^™ granite'roeks. 
 
 away and sliew ]%e 4 ofZrl " ■'''7''"" ^^''' «™ ^^«™ 
 forced from fine "rinife !rn/ n'""^ """« (apparently 
 black shori. 'fhShvefr.? '* '"',?'' ^^i"' common 
 'i^ickncss, and like those of 4!,;!"?"^ "^^"' " '■"°' '" 
 somewhat analo.rousVo ,I?if ),f '".^rP"' '^™ curves 
 Is it not probable tntt'^''" '"'I =''"'^« 'hem. 
 
 <han n,ost of our ^ra?el?Th".'?f '•'"*'■ '''''•'"''♦'°» 
 '■■e clebris of granite "n.^d'^,^'^^^,"/';''^ a ma^s of 
 since It v.'os denosited in i,l . *'°"CS) wh ch 
 
 cemanted by a nor on of i , ^'T"* T' 'l'^''"" ''^^ been 
 habiy, assuLd a"aseoX n- !''^' "'"'''> ''«<'' P^o- 
 c^^rtaiiily dc^cnstr'ted U ^^.fu"' '""'■ I^^is vtere 
 -"'t o.; granite general t ,1 1 "PPcar very probable 
 in n simi ar state unon I £ /' »» «a'-icr period been 
 ''«i i;ie=es l^^dten li! /"f"'^''',''"''.'''^' "'e imbed- 
 ^^>"ce bocomegSe r h,-' '"""""• '''"'' ^'"ch have 
 fondor it probllbl ,1 a, ± : /Teir ™""^ ''f'^ "'''"'^'' 
 ■« some cases rapidly fTrme,? t.W,', •"?' •'"'•^'' "« 
 r.icar.3 Droved (liat -vrL fl ' "' ^ """'' '« hy no 
 
 . «.l. ,v jLOuilU Jfl It. 
 
 
 ■■«»' 
 
29 
 
 no 
 
 On slatey soils the magnetic needle is very frequent- 
 ly turned from its proper direction. The error does not 
 often exceed two or three degrees, but has been some- 
 times observed to amount to ten. This magnetism is 
 probably caused by iron lately precipitated from a solu- 
 tion of vitriol in the state of an imperfect oxyde, for the 
 bright pyrites is not magnetic, nor are those ores in 
 which the iron is in the state of a perfect oxyde, but the 
 iron in vitriol is in the state of an imperfect oxyde like 
 the scales from the blacksmith's anvil. 
 
 As peat earth decompose vitriol depositing the iron in 
 the state of a perfect oxyde, the true direction of the nee- 
 dle may generally be found by setting the compass in 
 the middle of a swamp, but this rule is not without ex- 
 ception, for I have seen a swamp, more than twenty rods 
 wide in which the needle is considerable affected. Small 
 springs of chalybeate water are always running into this 
 swamp upon one side, and on the lower part of the hill 
 on the opposite side are large masses of allum-slate, 
 upon which the compass has been observed to change its 
 direction four degrees upon removing it twenty feet. In 
 winter the true course may often be taken from a fro- 
 zen lake. This magnetism is sometimes observed on 
 soils which rest on whinstone, but I have never obser- 
 ved it upon granite. I have however observed a remark- 
 able affection of the needle where the surface stones 
 were all granite, there being a mass of that rock half a 
 mile to the northwufd. The bands of slate more fre- 
 quently swell into lofty hills than those of Whinstone, 
 and are 'therefore the worst situation for roads, except 
 the road runs in the direction of the hills. The road 
 through Preston to Chezzetcook follows the band of 
 slate upon which Halifax stands most of this distance. 
 It crosses so many high and steep hills that it can never 
 be made a good road; but had it been bent a little south- 
 ward at Lake Loon at the distance of three miles from 
 the ferry, and following that direction as far as neces- 
 sary, continued to the other side of Lawrence town ri- 
 ver about a mile farther south than the nresent tracks it 
 
 '^^spr- 
 
30 
 
 would have beeu an easy road Whoro «ji„# 
 
 My hills it frequently l^;'^;, of a pa e o^T^ea; 
 their summits, and containing but a ver, !m^ii 
 <.on of pjriics seldom acquires a rust?r^». '^™'""" 
 sure. Most of the best liiilf in V ^ *' ^^ ^"P"' 
 
 ;oekof,his.i„d;Vur:po';'r^^^^^^^ 
 
 J-ardwood hills is a slate rocTt^ta^nfng a n^trTof 
 ilirisTrtire ir ■"'""r'i ™'r"'' ^^ 'hToiUn' tse 
 
 yii^ii uiocKs ot tins slate are exposed to fh^ niv tu^ 
 aTrC rorrr""^"*^ ^ '' deel;tdlrt^ 
 
 «.;X^;jrartLlftirsttreS^^^ 
 
 are now muddy, and of smooth roads at aH Time, o^r 
 
 lunJstthun readily shiver into thin pieces The thin 
 «at shmgles of slato, always incline toMse o the su 
 
 Ser ;i' sir" ^"^ ^'^"'"^ !•-- "'■--e '- 
 
 Tlicse observations are not founded upon theory I 
 h, esecnsomesmall-specimensofsuchro^ad. McTdam! 
 
 R < . i' '"'^ ""'""S ■•oa''« fi™ in raoistsituations 
 
 of it^y%l^e ""'"T" T^^o"""'^^" with a mixture 
 
 a very Irm ronlTT'' "'" '" '""'^' ^""'"'""^ '^^^^ 
 La i «wTn ^ r "'''' ^°''" =* '•<""' ™a<'« across a 
 Sets wi7^ / '^''' ;?'"""« the remains of the old 
 which ir • ''^'"" "{ ";" "■■ '«'<''''<■ "•'''les of stone 
 ru ty s . te T'" .r^'^^'"' jit-o."' ten inchesin depth with a 
 1 usty slate-gravelly earth, mixed with about a third part 
 
51 
 
 of fragments of common conglomerate. For ten years 
 this road though considerably travelled, scarcely shew- 
 ed the impression of a wheel, and it is still a tolerable 
 road though it has not been repaired for twenty years. 
 Besides the slates already noticed, there is another 
 kind always connected with the whinstone, of which it 
 seems to be a variety. It is of a pale colour, never con- 
 tains pyrites, and is consequently never of a rusty co- 
 lour, it may be cleft like slate but not easily. It has 
 formerly beeh used in Halifax for hearthstonp:. and 
 tombstones. Small veins of it are almost invariably at- 
 tached to those masses of whmstone, which are of a 
 good quality for building stone. 
 
 The reddish-brown Porphyries and Porphyroids, 
 which in small fragments are generally scattered over 
 nearly the whole province, most plentifully m clayey 
 soils, were probably originally all conglomerates, form- 
 ed from fragments of stones of various kinds thrown 
 promiscuously together, which have by menus of an in- 
 ternal motion .«o mingled the materials of which they 
 v/ere composed that they have now become a homo- 
 geneous mass, with the exception of the fels-spar and 
 quart . The sandstones appear generally to differ little 
 from the sandy soil which covers them. If the one con- 
 tains rolled stones, they are found of the same kind, and 
 in the same proportion in the other, and they always 
 alternate with about an equal proportion of a hard fine- 
 grained stone, as sand upon digging deeply into it is 
 found to do with clay. The three components of gra- 
 nite never shew any tendency to unite as a homogene- 
 ous mass. It is therefore probable that our granite re- 
 sembles that of former periods. Yet is there good rea- 
 son to believe that it has been, on the surface at least, 
 in a state of disintegration, and also that it has a tenden- 
 cy to penetrate and change to granite some portion ot 
 those rocks, wl * :h are in contact with it. Mica during 
 this process always preceding the quartz and fels-spar. 
 Thecc amon slate has clefts which admit some air for 
 many feet in depth, and it appears to have sufiered con- 
 
it:\ 
 
 a2f 
 
 slderable changes caused by the decomposition and 
 growth of pyrites and also of a portion of the stone, for 
 m breaking some kinds of slate small cavities are foun d 
 containing an earth differing little from Magnesia, and 
 many fissures filled with the same earth ui^ted with a 
 little oxyde of iron, and assuming a degree of hardness 
 approaching to stoney, and in calcareous vitriolic slate, 
 which IS m a state of decay, thin veins of selenite may 
 
 wi.l''"2 '.?f''^'r''^^'l'"^>^ be ground with the teeth 
 when first taken from the stone : indications that during 
 
 the decomposition of pyrites a portion of the stone iS 
 'it ^^^'l.^^cl^sed is also decomposed. 
 1 he Whmstone also bears strong marks of having 
 once been ma broken decayed state, and of having a^ain 
 become a solid rock. While these' changes have b^een 
 going on near the surface, it is probable'that metallic 
 oies and other homogeneous minerals have by degrees 
 oeai collected m the deeper cavities and fissures of 
 rocks which contained a small proportion of them dif- 
 fused through their mass. Sulphur so generally con- 
 tamed m most rocks appears to be the principal agent 
 mmany of these operatioiis, and particularly in the for- 
 mation of veins of minerals. It often renders the oxydes 
 o. metals solub e m water, and as it very frequently as- 
 sumes an aerial state; it undoubtedly, like othpr vola- 
 tile ^ubstance^ renders a portion of the earth. J metals 
 volatile also ; as lead is rendered volatile by a mixture 
 of oil of turpentine There are many springs near to 
 gypsum from which sulphurated hydrogen'is always 
 rising (they also generally contain .nuriate of lime) 
 and the general trouble experienced in almost all mines 
 .rom firedamp, proves that there are always processes 
 going on m the bowels of the earth by which water is 
 decomposed, and hydrogen, the lightest known aerial 
 fluid set free Carbonic acid also S^ists in the earth in 
 great quantities as a component of limestone, this al- 
 ways assumes an aerial state when it comes i- contact 
 with other acids. As there are therefore su .onst 
 derable quantities of elastic fluids container i the 
 ^ai 111, una as it i^ a known property of volatile sub- 
 
 
33 
 
 stances to bear with them, whv^n they assume a gase- 
 ous form, a certain portion of any fixed substance with 
 which they were combined ; it cannot appear improba- 
 ble that mineral substances may in an aerial st ate 
 change their situations in masses of rock, and that 
 crystalization particularly, have been formed from 
 the materials dissolved in an elastic fluid. 
 
 From all I ha\ e observed, I am compelled to believe 
 that we have no proof that any mass of rocks in this 
 provinc^^ has existed in its present state from the crea- 
 tion. I believe that we have fertile lands formed from 
 materials which once were rock— that we have masses 
 of rock which once were earth. That there have been 
 changes within the rocks as well as on the surface. — 
 And that these changes will continue till they are- 
 brought to a cor/clusion by the last great Change. 
 
 SPECIMENS, 
 tw describing these specimens the term " rolled" is applied to worn 
 fragments of which there is no mass nerr to tho place in which they are 
 found, and there are several of which I have seen no mass in the pro- 
 vince. 
 
 Those specimens whose locality ia not named, from the township 
 
 of Halifax 
 
 Slate 1. Mica Slate, rolled piece, not common. . 
 
 Slate 2. Ironstone Slate, with oolite (supposed coral gravel^projecting. 
 Slate 3. The same with the oolite decayed. 
 Slate 4. Allum Slate. , j,, ui j 
 
 Slate 5. Ironstone with crystals of hornblende. 
 
 Slate 6. Ironstone containing pyrites. kt .u _• ♦« r™» 
 
 Slate?. Hard calcareous slate contammg pyrites. Not burnmg to lime. 
 Slate 8. Calcareous slate containing pvrites. Burnmg to "me. 
 Slate 9. Slate without pyrites, contamu.g vemsof linriestone. rreston. 
 Slate 10. Calcareous slate, containing garnets. Burnmg to lime. 
 Slate 11. Siliceous slate. ., , ^ •. - i.«^>. 
 
 Slate i% From under peat, shewing the caYUies where pyrites aa* 
 
 been. ' ' ^ 
 
 y 
 
34 
 
 nk 
 
 I J: 
 
 S*»** ;5- l':?."^**''® »»?«e contigooua tt» ibt coronon date. 
 
 aiate M. iniiceoua, with herborizalion». 
 
 Hornblende 1. Shubenacadie, rolled piece 
 
 Komblende 2. Approaoling to WbinstoB«,'pref,tof>, l&rw rolfej aImm 
 
 irr"/?'^'-rea'4'Cn? ^""'^' '"'' '''''' ''^^^ ^--^ 
 CrystaJized Quartz. 
 Quartz passing into Jasper. 
 Quartz with iron ore. 
 Amethystine ^nd crystalized Quartz. Fromth« granite 
 
 Quartz 3. 
 Quartz 3. 
 Quartz 4. 
 Qaartz 5^ 
 district. 
 Quartz C. 
 Quartz 7 
 
 Quartz and slate, 
 
 Whinstone veined with quartz. 
 
 Ironl. Ore formed mostly within thirty years, from decomoospd vi 
 tno^ dropping frotn a slato rock, near the head -.f \le North-w^S^Arm 
 PlS^. ^^^"•«°«^«»«' P^t'y crystalized, rolled piece. Hummond 
 te 5' S''l"^V'' '!:o» ore, rolled piece. Shubenacadie. 
 
 * els-spar 1. Common. 
 
 Fels-spar 2. Semi transparent and opaque Fels-spar mixed 
 ihorlT Froii l^'^^'^^of pellucid p'ole-spar cltaining .horJ. 
 %lr!\ a E "" ^^"^ I'"? .'^'''''■^ ^he iron stone and granite unite 
 Shorl 2. From south side of a granite island worn" by the sea 
 Wh ; .,?o"gJo'nerates cemented by quartz, lime, or a mixture of one or 
 both wuh oxyde or caruona^e of iron!* Massesof most kinds In Ihe pro' 
 
 Co. 1. Conglomerate passing into jasper porphyry. 
 . Co. 2- Common Conglomerate composed of siatey soil cemented W 
 
 large masses of haerogcneous maleiial, li.Sh Ut7?o,o Ser ,hu 
 Co. 3 Composed of grains of quartz in concentric layers 
 
 fb^^/s?ofti;;«-;r^;^i^±^^ •^-n 
 
 small size. A good stone for tonchSone.. "^^''"^^ '" "^^^^^ ?'«««« °^ 
 
 «r,„n r. '^ ^^"^'^^ \"/' Po^iPhyroids. Scattered all ovwthe province in 
 snwll fragments Most plenUfuJiy in clayey soils. P^ovmce in 
 
 "0. I. rornnvrv fnnfninjn™ .,«i,«.- i _Ai ■ 
 
 , -- ■- r'.'";"'«"'J' "' v;jayfcy sous. 
 
 Forphyry containing spke/Ical pebbles. 
 
 V 
 
 Tr. I. Ironstone slate near the Dne of granite. 
 
 •Tr* f wt^"^''* *'^'' '^'"^ P^««« of ironstone imbedded in granite 
 Tr. 3. Whinstone Dorphyroid adjoining grajiite, ^ 
 
 ™o^nVanh^eTn?ordfa':^gt^^^^^^^^ -^^^'^ - '^^ 
 
 Tr. 5. Granite stained with oxyde of iron, restiae on - insfnn« 
 
 Lime 3. Porous limestone, rolled stone. The nearest mass that I have 
 
 V 
 
 ''!*■• 
 
 f 
 
35 
 
 f 
 
 scfln of this Bpecres h on the west eWe of Marf oret'B Bay, in g'anke. It 
 
 appears to be about one hundred yards in breadth, and is the only inswnce 
 that I have met with of a large mass or vein of any other stone m (HfTB- 
 nite. On the eastern shore of the Bay some limestone appears opposite 
 to this, ami a few fragments are thrown by the sea on Law rence town 
 beach. Limestone resembling this may be found beyol^*'Ardoi8e hill, 
 but the fujlid limestone is most common there. 
 
 Lime 3. A fragment of marble, susceptible of a fine polish. North 
 end of great Shubenacadie Lake. 
 
 Liino 4. Granular limestone, composed of oolite resembling that in 
 ironstone slate. By heating it the cementing part assumes a diiferent 
 colour and shews the oval grains. 
 
 Carbonate of iron. Where small brooks run from swamps of pent 
 earth over a soil that contains any vitriol, they usually deposit this sub- 
 stance for a distance of thirty or forty yardbs below the swampy and 
 sometimes much farther. Many persons' have mistaken it for coal or 
 iron ore. It appears to be a part of the carbonaceous and extractive 
 matter of the peat dissolved in water, which uniting with the oxyde 
 of iron in the vitriol that it meets with, precipitates with it, and arso ge- 
 nerally gives a similar coat to the stones it passes. It contains very va- 
 riable proportions of iron; for some specimens when dried will float, and 
 burn without flame. Others are heavier and incombustible lill red hot. 
 There are some fertile soils half covered with broken whinstone which 
 has a worm-eaten appearance. This stone containe* limestone gravel 
 diffused through it, which is decomposed where it is exposed to the air. 
 A brook running from a swamp with water of a brown colour will upon 
 passing this whinstone, deposit a considerable quantity of this carbonate, 
 and become perfectly clear. 
 
 It appears that a certain portion of; itriol is useful in freeing water from* 
 the peat, as that is in separating the vitriol, for on granite barrens where 
 there is generally no vitriolic mineral, the water is invariably brov n, and 
 upon the granite islands where there is very little soil except turf, it is 
 nearly hlack, and seems lo be poisonous to cows and sheep. So far be- 
 lo - where a brook issues from a swamp, as this substance is deposited, 
 tho water has a fertilizing quality, producing florin grass and crow-foot. 
 But when if has deposited all thti carbonaceous matter, the herbage 
 changes to the common plants of moist barren soils. As whinstone soils 
 generally hold but a small quantity of vitriol, the water from swamps re- 
 tains a portion of this substance for a greater distance in running upon 
 them, and way be often profitably employed as a manure foi grass, by 
 turning the brook along the side of a hill. On a rusty slate soil the vi- 
 triol will so quickly change it to a stoney substance, and nrecipitate it, 
 that it is there of little value. 
 
 This substance has been used as a paint. It is a very dark brown. To 
 prepare it for a pa,.ntit ought to be heated red hot in a covered crucible, 
 or other vessel that \\?^ bear the fire; then ground, and mixed with wa* 
 ter. which should be aho-.cd to stand for a few seconds that the sand 
 may fall, from which it should be poured oflT into another vessel, and 
 when it has all subsided, the water may be carefully drained ofl". It >vill 
 then, when dried, be in a proper state to grind with oil. [The box which 
 contains the Specimens is stained with it.] Agate. Lawrence town 
 
 Fliiits. Fl. 1. A fragment of a piece of transparent quartz encrusted , 
 with flint, from Mr. G. White, Cornwallis. 
 
 Fl. 2. Flint and Chalcedony from Mr.Scot'i farm, Ballynan river, be- 
 ing part of a stone of more than 100 weight. 
 
36 
 
 k t 
 
 !}■■■ 
 
 m 
 
 P 
 
 Fl. 5. Clements farm, Ballynan, about nine miles north of Shubena- 
 oadie. In both places found near foetid limestone. 
 
 Fl. 4. Rolled jpiece, Twenty miles up Windsor Road. Properly 
 Jasper. 
 
 Crystal. Fragment of ; Granite hills north of Preston. 
 
 Marie. Clements farm, Ballynan river. It is a mixture of decayed 
 fresh water snail shells, and the white earth commonly found at the bot-. 
 torn of peat eaah, that is under cold spring water. It appears to be a 
 valuable manure. 
 
 Garnets, separated from a portion of Slata 10, that had fallen to dust 
 by exposure to the air. 
 
 L. w. The two specimens with this mark are pieces of a West India 
 limestone. One of them is manifestly the soil of the sea shore petrified 
 by water dripping from lime stone. The condition of the shells proves 
 that they were inhabited by living animals at no very remote period, and 
 the petrifaction is of recent formation. The other, (a fragment of the 
 same stone,) differs little from the Steatites which by cementing together 
 fragments of quartz forms the Burr millstone. Could not these millstones 
 ba made by arranging fragments of Quartz within hoops in situations 
 where they would be exposed to | the drip of water which strains from 
 the fissures of shivered limestone, and partially excluding the air? For 
 water usually dissolves a portion of most kinds of limestone that contain 
 but a small portion of other earths, and this water generally forms petri- 
 factions whet) it falls into Caverns from which the exttraal air is partly 
 excluded. 
 
 Lapis ollaris. A rolled stone containing specks of soap-stone. 
 
 Fragments of Selenite from slate. 
 
 Micaceous and semi-crystalized iron or© from Cobcquid. Thig last 
 approaches to plumbago, and would probably make pencils. 
 
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 J 
 
 FINIS. 
 
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 Ml i' I III' 1 1 II II iiiiiiw aimiiiiifi' 
 
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