Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 17.djvu/391

Rh NEW BRUNSWICK Orr Plate IV. NEW BRUNSWICK, a province of Canada, in British North America, lying between 45 5 and 48 40 N. lat. and 63 50 and 68 W. long. It is bounded on the N.W. by Quebec; N. by the Bay of Chaleur; E. by the Gulf of St Lawrence and Northumberland Strait, which separates it from Prince Edward Island ; S. by a portion of Nova Scotia, Chignecto Bay, and the Bay of Fundy; and on the W. by the State of Maine. Its length from north to south is 230 miles, its greatest breadth 190 miles, and it has a seaboard of some 545 miles, interrupted only by the isthmus of Chignecto, which joins the province to Nova Scotia. In shape it is very compact, resembling an irregular quadrangle. Its area is 27,177 square miles. _ Physical Features. The surface is generally undulating, but in the northern and north-western sections there are many ranges of hills which rise to a height of from 1200 to 2000 feet, while individual peaks are to be found of even greater altitude. These elevations are an extension of the Appalachian Mountains, and traverse the province from the State of Maine. The scenery is most picturesque and varied, and vast forests abound all through this section of country. The southern region embraces the district along the Bay of Fundy. Its coast is rocky and bold, and interrupted by great ravines. West of the river St John the soil is fertile and rich, and, though towards the east it is not so deep, there is still a good agricultural country, with many beautiful valleys, grain fields, and forests. Along the shores on the east coast, and for 20 miles inland, the country is flat, and composed of mosses and marshes, but beyond that distance it rises into .gently sloping hills, which extend as far as St John. The whole of New Brunswick is well watered. Rivers, bays, and lakes are numerous, and several are navigable for vessels of large tonnage. The principal rivers are the St John, Miramichi, Restigouche, Saint Croix, Petitcodiac, Richibucto, and Nepisiguit. The St John, which is famous for its scenery, rises in the State of Maine, and is over 450 miles in length. It is navigable for vessels of moderate tonnage from St John on the Bay of Fundy to Fredericton, a distance of about 88 miles, but steamers of light draught ply as far as Woodstock, 65 miles farther, and during the rainy season boats may pro ceed to Grand Falls, a cataract 70 or 80 feet high, 225 miles from the sea. Above the falls the St John has been navigated by a steamer to the mouth of the Madawaska, 40 miles. The river is an important highway, especially of the lumber traffic. About 9,000,000 acres of New Brunswick, 2,000,000 acres of Quebec, and 6,000,000 acres of Maine lands are drained by it. Among the many lakes communicating with the St John is Grand Lake, 30 miles long, and varying from 3 to 9 miles in breadth. The Miramichi rises in the county of Carleton, and flows in a north-easterly direction into a bay of the same name. It is 225 miles long, 7 miles wide at its mouth, and navigable for large vessels as far as Nelson (46 miles). In the spring and autumn, when full freshets prevail, small steamers and tow-boats can ply a much greater distance. The branches of the Miramichi drain a fourth of the entire province. An extensive lumber trade is done in this district, and many sawmills are driven by the river. Its fisheries are specially valuable, including salmon, trout, bass, smelt, and lobster. The Restigouche forms the north-east boundary of the province, is 100 miles in length, and discharges into the Bay of Chaleur. It is composed of five main branches, from which fact it derives its name, signifying in Indian &quot; the river which divides like the hand.&quot; It is a consider able waterway, 3 miles in width at its mouth, and 9 fathoms in depth. Large vessels may safely navigate it 18 miles from the bay. The main river and its tributaries drain over 4000 square miles of fertile and well- wooded country. A good deal of lumber is carried on it, and the harbour is secure and safe for ships of ordinary tonnage. The St Croix separates the State of Maine from New Brunswick at its south-west part. Its source is a chain of lakes called the Chiputneticook. The Petitcodiac is navigable for 25 miles for ships, and schooners of 80 tons burden may proceed to the head of the tide, 12 miles farther; it empties into Shepody Bay. The Richibucto discharges into the Gulf of St Lawrence. The Nepisiguit and Tobique (a tributary of the St John) in the north are in much repute among anglers. The coast-line of New Brunswick is indented with numerous fine bays and harbours. There are few islands. The Bay of Fundy is a huge arm of the sea extending into the land between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and terminating in two smaller bays, Chignecto Bay and the Basin of Minas. Its length up to Chignecto Bay is 140 miles, and its extreme breadth 45 miles. It is noted for its high tides, which are influenced by the Gulf Stream, and rise about 30 feet at St John and 60 feet at the head of Chignecto Bay, rushing into the latter with remarkable force. At Bay Verte, 14 miles distant, the tide rises little more than 4 or 5 feet. The Bay of Chaleur, which pre sents no impediment to navigation, and has several excel lent harbours, is over 90 miles in length, and from 20 to 25 miles in breadth. On its southern side the shores are low, and on the northern bold and precipitous. The other inlets of consequence on the east coast are Miramichi, Richibucto, Buctouche, Cocagne, and Shediac Bays; on the south coast are Passamaquoddy Bay, St John Harbour, and Chignecto Bay. Geology. The northern divisions of the province are occupied by metamorphic slates and rocks of Silurian age. The area of the Carboniferous system includes the greater part of the counties of Westmoreland, Queen s, Sunbury, and Gloucester, a considerable portion of York and North umberland, and the whole of the county of Kent. The Lower Carboniferous and Devonian systems prevail in the western portion about the head of the Grand Lake and on the river Canaan. Grey sandstone, shales, and conglo merates predominate. Along the southern coast, from the head of the Bay of Fundy to the State of Maine, there is a belt comprising Laurentian, Huronian, Cambrian, and Silurian rocks. Dr J. W. Dawson says, &quot; the Carboniferous plain of New Brunswick corresponds to and at its eastern extremity is connected with that of Nova Scotia; and its hilly ranges of altered and igneous rocks form, with those of Nova Scotia, outlying ridges rudely parallel to the great Appalachian breastbone of America, and, like it, descend ing under the level of newer deposits and of the sea at their north-eastern extremities.&quot; The Newer Red Sand stone and Middle Cambrian formations are also to be found in New Brunswick, with trap, limestones, porphyry,, granite, syenite, felsites, and gneiss. Many of the strata are rich in fossil remains. The coal-fields of the province occupy an area of over 11,000 square miles. Iron and plumbago or graphite occur in workable quantities, the deposits of the former being extensive and valuable. Man ganese abounds and forms an article of export. Gold, in small quantities, is found on the banks of the Shiktehawk, a tributary of the St John. Professor Bailey has dis covered drift gold on the headwaters of the Tobique and the Miramichi, and at the Grand Falls of the St John. At St Stephen, in Charlotte county, it occurs in quartz veins in micaceous schist, and in the same neighbourhood in a black plumbaginous slate. Copper, lead, nickel, and zinc, with important deposits of antimony, complete the list of minerals. Climate. The climate of New Brunswick is somewhat similar to that of the more southern parts of Quebec. It