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a n d n a tu re o f th e ra n g e s , a n d th e d ire c tio n o f th e s h o r e s : th e
h ills a re ir r e g u la r ly h e a p e d to g e tlie r ; th e so u n d s a re in tr ic a te an d
to rtu o u s in th e ir c ourse, a n d th e shores a re fo rm ed b y d e ep
sinuosities a n d p rom in e n tly p ro je c tin g h e a d la n d s : th e cliannels,
also, a re s tu d d e d w ith in n um e ra b le is la n d s a n d ro c k s exti-emely
d a n g e ro u s fo r n a v ig a tio n . I n th is p o rtio n th e ro c k is, fo r th e
m o s t p a r t, g ra n ite a n d g re en sto n e .
N e a r th e c en tre o f th e S tr a it, th e ro c k b e in g c lay -slate , th e
m o u n ta in s a re h ig h e r, a n d m o re p re c ip ito u s a n d ru g g e d in th e ir
o u tlin e ; a n d co n se q u en tly n o t e asily to b e a sc e n d ed . T h e y a re in
g e n e ra l th re e th o u s a n d fe e t, b u t some a re fo u n d to b e fo u r th o u sa
n d fe e t, in h e ig h t ; a n d one. M o u n t Sa rm ien to , is u pw a rd s o f
six th o u s a n d fe e t h ig h , a n d is co v ered th ro u g h o u t th e y e a r w ith
snow. T h e lin e o f p e rp e tu a l snow in th e S tr a it seems to b e a b o u t
th r e e th o u s a n d five h u n d r e d fe e t above th e s e a : th e m o u n ta in s ,
w h o se h e ig h t does n o t ex ce ed th re e th o u s a n d , are , d u r in g th e
sum m e r, fr e q u e n tly fre e from a n y , e x c e p tin g in holes, w h e re a
la rg e q u a n tity is a c c um u la te d b y d rif tin g , a n d p ro te c te d from th e
su n . T h e Sti-ait h e r e is q u ite fre e from islands, a n d i t is a r em a rk ab
le fa c t, th a t w h e re th e g re e n sto n e fo rm a tio n te rm in a te s, th e re
th e islan d s cease to ap p e a r.
T h e slate fo rm atio n co n tin u e s as f a r as F r e s hw a te r B ay, w h e re
th e s tra tified ro c k s le av e th e coast a n d e x te n d in a n o rth -w e s t
d ire c tio n . T h e soil th e n becomes a p p a r e n tly a m ix tu r e o f d ecomp
o s ed slate a n d c l a y ; th e slate g ra d u a lly d is ap p e a rin g on ap p ro a ch in
g to C ap e N e g ro , w h e re th e ro c k p a rta k e s o f th e c h a ra c te r o f
th e e a s t coast. H e re a g a in w e o b serve, a lo n g w ith th e ch an g e o f
g eologic al c h a r a c te r, th e re -a p p e a ra n c e o f is lan d s, th e soil o f
w h ic h is c lay ey , b u t w ith masses o f g ra n ite , h o rn b le n d e ro c k
a n d c la y slate p ro tr u d in g in m a n y pla c es th ro u g h th e superfic
ia l soil, w h ic h , a lth o u g h i t y ie ld s a p o o r g ra ss, is e n tire ly d e s titu
te o f tre e s.
I n th a t p o rtio n o f th e S tr a it to th e e a s tw a rd o f C ap e N e g ro th e
h ills a re rem a rk a b le fo r th e r e g u la rity a n d p a ra lle lism o f th e ir
d ire c tio n , a n d th e ir g e n e r a l re sem b lan c e to e ach o th e r. O n th e
n o r th shore , n e a r C ap e G re g o ry , a r a n g e o f h ig h la n d commences
s u d d e n ly , w ith r a th e r a p re c ip ito u s a sc en t, a n d e x te n d s fo r fo rty
m ile s to th e n o rth -e a s t, w h e re i t te rm in a te s in d e ta ch e d ro c k y
hills. T h e so u th -w e s te rn en d o f th e r a n g e is a rid g e o f fla t-to p p ed
la n d co v e red w ith soil, b u t w ith h e re a n d th e re a p ro tr u a in g m ass
o f p rim itiv e r o c k : one o f th e se a p p e a re d to b e o f s ien ite or g ra n ite -
T h e n o rth -e a s te rn e n d o f th is ra n g e is p e rh a p s m o re b a re o f soil,
an d , th e re fo re , exposes th e ro c k , w h ic h shows Its e lf in d e ta ch e d
h ills. P r e c is e ly s im ila r in ap p e a ra n c e a n d d ire c tio n is a r a n g e on
th e so u th shore, a b o u t fifty miles in le n g th , c om m en cin g a t C ap e
M o nm o u th a n d te rm in a tin g in d e ta c h e d h ills in th e v ic in ity o f th e
s o u th sid e o f th e F i r s t N a rrow . T h e co u rses, a lso, o f b o th th e
F ir s t a n d S e co n d N a rrow , w h ic h a re ju s t w ith in th e e a s te rn
e n tra n c e o f th e S tr a it, a re n e a r ly p a ra lle l w ith th e se h i l l s ; a n d
th e sm aller ran g e s o f eminences, E liz a b e th Is la n d a n d th e cliffy
la n d o f Cape N e g ro , w h e re th e c lay fo rm a tio n commences, a ll
tr e n d to th e N .N .E ., p re s e rv in g a g e n e ra l re s em b lan c e o f fo rm
a n d c h a ra c te r to th e tw o r a n g e s above m en tio n ed .
T h e ir r e g u la r ity o f th e to p o g ra p h ic fe a tu re s o f th e w e s te rn p o r tio
n o f th e S tr a it, c om b in ed w ith its co n fu sed a ssemblage a n d im mense
n um b e r o f is la n d s a n d ro c k s ;— th e re g u la r ity o f th e s tra ta
— th e co in c id in g p a ra lle lism o f a ll th e bay s, ch an n e ls, a n d so unds,
— a n d th e to ta l ab sence o f islan d s in th e c en tra l p o rtio n o r slate
fo rm a tio n ;— to g e th e r w ith th e rem a rk a b le s im ila rity o f th e d ire c tio
n o f th e h ills a n d co ast lin e , a n d th e stra tific a tio n o f th e n o r th e
a s te rn tra c t, w h ich is v e ry d ifferen t from th a t o f th e c e n t r e ;—
a re v e ry s tr ik in g fa c ts, an d , g eo lo g ic ally co n sid e red , a re o f g r e a t
in te re s t.
N o less rem a rk a b le , h ow e v e r, a n d eq u a lly in te re s tin g , is th e
c h a ra c te r o f th e v e g e ta tio n ; n o t so m u c h in th e v a rie ty o f p la n ts ,
as in th e ir s tu n te d g row th to th e w e s tw a rd , th e ir lu x u ria n c e in th e
c en tre , a n d th e to ta l ab sence o f tre e s to th e e a s tw a rd . F o r th is m o dification
th e fo llowin g rea so n s seem to m e to a cc o u n t sufficiently.
T o th e w e s tw a rd th e decom p o sitio n o f g r a n ite , a n d th e o th e r p r i m
itiv e ro c k s w h ich a re fo u n d th e re , fo rm s b u t a po o r, u n p ro d u c tiv e
s o il; so th a t, a lth o u g h th e la n d is th ic k ly covered w ith sh ru b s , th e y
a re a ll small a n d s tu n te d : th e to rr e n ts o f w a te r also th a t p o u r
d ow n th e s te e p sides o f th e hiUs, w a sh aw ay th e p a r tia l a c cum u la tio
n s o f soil th a t a re occasionally d ep o sited ; c o n seq u en tly , few
tre e s a re to b e fo u n d , e x c e p tin g in clefts a n d recesses o f th e ro c k ,
w h e re d e com p o sed v e g etab le m a tte r collects a n d n o u rish e s th e ir
g r o w th ; b u t ev en th e re th e y a re low a n d s tu n te d , fo r th e m o s t
lu x u r ia n t seldom a tta in a la rg e r d iam e te r th a n n in e or te n in ches.
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