IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

tiitTB 12.5

■tt 1^ 12.2

S? 144 "^

li£ IIIII2.0

L25 i 1.4

1.6

'/a

^>'

^^^*
•%

^5.

'<^

CIHM/ICMH

Microfiche

Series.

CIHM/ICMH
Collection de
microfiches.

Canadian institute for Historical IVIicroreproductions institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques

1980

Technical Notes / Notes techniques

The Institute has attempted to obtain the best
original copy available for filming. Physical
features of this copy which may alter any of the
images in the reproduction are checked below.

D
D

Coloured covers/
Couvertures de couleur

Coloured maps/

Cartes gdographiques en couleur

L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire
qu'il lui a 6tA possible de se procurer. Certains
dAfauts susceptlbles de nuire A la quality de la
reproduction sont notte ci-dessous.

D
D

Coloured pages/
Pages de couleur

Coloured plates/
Planches en couleur

P<
o1

fil

Tl
C(

oi
ar

Tl
fil
in

Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/
Pages d6color6es, tacheties ou piqu6es

Tight binding (may cause Shadows or
distortion along interior margin)/
Reliure serrd (peut causer de I'ombre ou
de la distortion le long de la marge
intdrieure)

Show through/
Transparence

Pages damaged/
Pages endommagies

M
in

uj
be
fo

Additional comments/
Commentaires suppldmentaires

Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc.,
are refilmed to ensure the best possible image.

Bibliographic Notes / Notes bibliographiques

D
D

Only edition available/
Seule Edition disponible

Bound with other material/
Reli6 avec d'autres documents

□

Pagination incorrect/
Erreurs de pagination

Pages missing/
Des pages manquent

Cover title missing/

Le titre de couverture manque

Maps missing/

Des cartes gdographiques manquent

Plates missing/

Des planches manquent

Additional comments/
Commentaires suppldmentaires

The images appearing here are the beet quaiity
possible considering the condition and iegibiiity
of the original copy and in Iceeping with the
filming contract specifications.

Las images suivantes ont 4tA reproduites avec le
plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et
de la nettet* de I'exempiaire film*, et en
conformity avec les conditions du contrat de
filmage.

The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall
contain the symbol —►(meaning CONTINUED"),
or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever
applies.

Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la der-
nidre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas:
le symbols -► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols
V signifie "FIN".

The original copy was borrowed from, and
filmed with, the Itind consent of the following
institution:

National Library of Canada

L'exemplaire film* fut reproduit grflce d la
g6n6rosit6 de i'dtablissement prAteur
suivant :

BibliothAque nationale du Canada

Maps or plates too large to be entirely included
in one exposure are filmed beginning in the
upper tuft hand corner, left to right and top to
bottom, as many frames as required. The
following diagrams illustrate the method:

Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour 6tre
reproduites en un seul cllch6 sont filmdes d
partir de Tangle supAriaure gauche, de gauche A
droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre
d'images n6cessaire. Le diagramme suivant
iilustre la methods :

1 2 3

LIFE

SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN, Kt.

■t

■■*

rj!..-

s^J

A_l

liFE

M E. LiHiAX, Kt

Kr-'v|l' ■■■'■ ^.1* '■■ V *'; > A;<:;..

', ■>^<f '■)

■".»«JA<, ;-,t!K\ i,v

'■^> HJ> IjR/irR. IfHKXM* ANI. Klur.KIS

.^»^'''

IS ■■•;

"t:*-T-r . T.J*'

i. ■ '' /

.;»■

Ph 1)!

':,-^v

««*(tW^

f^'

I 1 UK i^p>-^^i|«| ■

— '^

-^•i'.v.

Chiri

* V

ritoKE

..V

X-'

>'.■'? ^^..>'

LIFE

;^1

SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN, Kt..

LL.U., F.R.S., F.G.S., &t..

FIRST DFRFXTOK f)K THK GKOLOGICAL SURVEV
OF CANADA.

Chiefly Compiled from his Letters, Journals and Reports.

^ i

* ■^■

^/.

BERNAKI) J. HARRINGTON, B.A, Ph. D.,

raoKEHSOR OK Mmm IS M'0,LL UN,VKR.SrrV ; LATK CHEMIST A.N„ M.NB,UL0.M8T
TO TUB OKOLOOICAL SURVEY O*" CANADA.

mr/J STEEL PORTRAIT AND NUMEROUS WOOD-CUTS

^1-

MONTREAL
DAWSON BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS.

1883

L 7i^

2008'63

Entered according fo Act of Parliament by Piiwson Bnithcrs in the year 1883 in the
office of the Minister of Agriculture-

PRINTED BY TUG UAZKITiC f KUITUIQ 00MFAN7, MONTREAU

PREFACE.

rrniE task of proparin*^ a ])iofrrai>hy of Sir William
-^ Logan was not a self-imposed one, and was only
undertaken vvilh feelings of great delicacy. Then' are
those who knew him hmger and more intimately, and
who might have done far better justice lo his memory.
But the work having l)een entrusted lo me, I have
endeavoured lo discharg.; it faithfully. My aim has
not been to write a eulogium or yet a lengthy criti-
cism of Sir William, but rather to bring together such
of his own words as will rei all him to the minds and
hearts of old friends, or ciiabU' (host; who were not
privileged with his acquaintance to form for them-
selves an estimate of his character and work.

Canadians cmnot aiford to forget the name of one
who laboured so long and so earnestly to i)romot(; the
interests of this his native land, and if the following
pages in any way serve to keep green the memory of
Sir William Logan, their compiler will feel more than
repaid. We have plenty of Canadians able and w^illing

VI.

PRE fact: .

,.)

to work for thomsolvos, but too few who, like Logan,
are willing to work for Canada.

My grateful acknowledgments are due to Professor
Geikie, now Director-deneral of the British Geological
Survey, for information incorporated in the text ; to
Alexander Murray, Esq., C.M.O,, Director of the Geo-
logical Survey of Newfoundland, for reminiscences of
Sir William ; to Dr. John Percy, F.R.S., of London, for
his estimate of Sir William's work ; to Mr. J. Gwyn
Jeffreys, F.R.S., for the reminiscences given on page
388 ; and to Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, who has kindly given
me the bencllt of his adviie on a number of points
about which I was in doubt. I would also express
my 'indebtedness to Dr. Dawson, for notes on the ori-
gin of coal, for the use of a number of wood-cuts, and
for his article on the Quebec trroup. The latter was
kindly prepared by him to serve for my assistance and
guidance ; but I was unwilling to mutilate it, and
with his permission have given it in full as an Api)en-
dix (A). My sincere thanks are due to Dr. Selwyn,
Sir William's successor, for the use of note-books and
of a number of wood-cuts ; to Mr. G. K. Grant, one of
Sir William's executors, for his unvarying courtesy
and kindness in placing at my disposal letters, jour-
nals, etc. ; and, among others, to my friend Professor C.
E. Moyse, of McGill College, for advice and assistance
in revising the proof sheets of the earlier chapters

PREFACE.

vn.

The information concerninc^ the origin of the Greolo-
gical Survey of Canada is chiefly derived from Scobie's'
Almanac. Most of the illustrations scattered throuo-h
the volume are copies of pen-and-ink sketches with
Vi'hich the pages of Sir William's note-books and jour-
nals abound. They have been reproduced on wood by
Mr. W. H. Walker, of Montreal. The steel portrait
forming the frontispiece is from a photograph by
Notman, taken in 1869. It represents Sir William in
his graver moments, and fails to give an idea of the
humour and brightness which so often pervaded his
countenance.

. 's

BIRTH

LIFE I]

LIFE E

COPPER

STIGMA

CANADi"

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

PAGE

BIRTH AND BOYHOOD, I

CHAPTER II.
LIFE IN LONDON, 12

CHAPTER III.
LIFE IN LONDON (Continued), 32

CHAPTER IV.
COPPER-SMELTING AND COAL- MINING, .... 62

CHAPTER V.
STIGMARIA, . . 62

CHAPTER VI.
CANADA REVISITED, 72

[r t

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VII.
PENNSYLVANIA AND NOVA SCOTIA,

* •

PAGE
. 101

CHAPTER VIII.

ORIGIN OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, . 122

CHAPTER IX.
GASP^. EXPLORATIONS, 1843,

143

CHAPTER X.
GASP^ EXi 1.0RATI0NS, 1844,

• •

177

CHAPTER XI.
EVENTS IN 1845 AND 1846,

227

CHAPTER XII.

EVENTS OF 1846-63,

. 254

CHAPTER XIII.
THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, 282

CHAPTER XIV.
THE PARIS EXPOSITION OF 1855, AND ITS FRUITS, . 297

CHAPTER XV.

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. — LAURENTIAN.
GROUP,

QUEBEC

.324

CON^TLWTS.

xt.

177

227

254

282

297

CIIAPTKR XVI.

EXHIBITION OF 1862 —PRECARIOUS EXISTENCE OF THE

PAOK

SURVEV.—EOZOON CANADENSE.

. 346

122

CHAPTER XVir.

CLOSING YEARS,

382

143

APPENDIX A.— THE QUEBEC GROUP. By Pkincipal Dawson,

C.M.G, F.R.S., 403

APPENDIX B— LIST OF PAPERS, REPORTS, &c.

419

324

\:h>

. I. H

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PORTRAIT OF SIR W. E. LOGAN, from a Photograph

by Notman, taken in 1869, Frontispiece.

WOODCUTS.

ST. GABRIEL STREET CHURCH IN 1839,

PAGE

CLARKSTONE, from a Sepia Drawing by Logan,

to /ace 27

STIGMARIA ROOTS OF ERECT SIGILLARIA. After Dawson, 63
SIGILLARIA, WITH STIGMARIA ROOTS. After R. Brown, . fio

ISLE PERCEE, eketched from the Steamer " Unicorn." (Logans

Journal, 1840), ••...,. 77

INCLINED PLANE ON THE PHILADELPHIA AND BALTI-
MORE RAILWAY, LOOKING DOWN TOWARDS PHILA-
DELPHIA. (Logan's Journal, 1841) lOr,

AMPHIBIAN FOOTPRINTS, DISCOVERED BY LOGAN AT

HORTON BLUFF, NOVA SCOTIA. After Dawson, . . 117

MY TENT. (Logan's Journal, 1843),

152

LITTLE BON AMI COVE, SHOWING CLIFFS OF THE GABPfi

LIMESTONE, 700 FEET HIGH. (Logan's Journal, 184;!), . 157

i.i

XIV. LIST OF iLLrsTiiirioys.

PA(iK

SUl'POSEn WORM-TRACKS FROM GASPfi SANDSTONE. After

Logan, 161

SECTION NKAR MOUTH OF GRAND RIVER, GASPI^. After

Logan, J 68

I<KETCII AT CAPE MAQUEREAU, NEAR JUNCTION OF

LOWKIl AND UPPER SILURIAN. (Note Book, 184.!), . 160

NEAR CAPE CHATTE, LOWER ST. LAWRENCE. ( Logan s

Journal, 1844), 187

VIEW ON THE CHATTE. (Logan's Journal, 1844), . . 195

PORTRAIT OF LOUIS. (Logan's Journal, 1844), . . .207

PILLAR SANDSTONES OF TOURELLE, LOWER ST. LAW-
RENCE. (Note Book, 1844), 217

BEDS OF CORRUGATED LIMESTONE IN SHALE, CAPE

GASPft. (Geology of Canada, p. 392), , . . .220

RESTORATION BY DR. DAWSON OF PSILOPHYTON

PRINCEPS, 225

COLUMNAR TRAP IN UPPER COPPER-REARING SERIES.

(Note Book, 1846), . . 248

TRACKS FROM BEAU HARNOIS. (Geology of Canada, p. 104), 273

VIEW ON THE ST. LAWRENCE, NEAR QUEBEC. (Note

Book, 1854), 277

PITCHER PLANT. (Logan's Journal), 280

HAMILTON'S FARM, ON THE RIVER ROUGE. (Note Book,

1858), 330

AN ERRAriC, sketched by Logan, 337

CONTORTED GNEISS BANDS IN LIMESTONE. (Geology of

Canada, p. 27), 340

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS,

XV.

GRAPTOLITKS FROM THI': QUEBEC GROUP . . , ''342

EOZOON CANADENSE. (Diiwaon-The " /^au;,, 0/ X«/e,") . 366

EOZOON CANADENSE. After Dawson, 307

ROCKFIELD, SIR WFLELVMS RESIDENCE AT "LOGAN'S

FARM."' From 11 rUotograph by Henderson, . to face 3Sn

i't'l

lilll

TN th
1 ol

centui

Miss 1

betwe

(laugh

house]

from

remaii

was b

of Sei

family

Accor<

father

"baxt(

he th(

and, t

Ameri

Montr

wise J

CHATTETl I.

BIRTH AND UOYIIOOD.

IN the Couiily jiiid Parish of Stirling, not far from tlie
old Castle of that nam**, there lived, more than a
century ago, one James Logan. He was married to
Miss Margaret Edmond of the same neighbourhood, and
between 1756 and 1772 she bore him six sons and three
daughters. But death made sad inroads upon his
household, taking one after another of his little ones
from him, until but two sons and two daughters
remained. AVilliam, the elder of the surviving sons,
was born in the Parish of Stirling on the twenty-fourth
of September, 1759, while Hart, the youngest of the
family, was born on the twelfth of January, 1772.
According to the records of the Parish of Stirling, the
father was a burgess, and followed the calling of
"baxter," or baker. But, like many other Scotchmen,
he thought to better his fortunes in the New World,
and, taking his wife and two sons with him, sailed for
America, probably about 1784. He found his way to
Montreal, established a large bakery there, and, with
wise forethought, purchased considerable property in

PARENTAGE A yn f^IHTir.

[1704-98.

ii!

ri'i

the vi<inily ol' tho rity. In Iho last docnd*' of tho
century \v« find him <'omi()rta')ly setth'd on his larm,
his eldor hou managing tho bakery, while the younger
was carrying on a prosperous importing trade.*

In the spring of 17'.M, Miss .lanei !<]. PMmond, o(
•'Conniehill," near Stirling, niece of Mrs. James Logan,
left her Scottish home, and more than one admiring
suitor, for Canada. Hither she came to be married lo
her cousin. Mr. AVilliam Logan. Years before they had
been more than friends in the old country, and now
were to be more than lovers in the new. Husband and
wife, father and mother, the time-honoured sequence
was theirs, and, a« years rolled on, they became the
parents of nine children, five sons and four daughters.
The third <hild, the subject of the present memoir, was
born at Montreal on the 20th. of Ai)ril, ItOS, duly
"inoi'ulated for small-pox," and <hristened as William
Edmond l^ogan on the 16th. of the following month, in
the quaint little Presbyterian church which still stands
on St. Gabriel Street.

The father seems to have fully appreciated the value

• It has been frequently stated that Sir William Logan's grandfather was
one of the Loyalists who, at the time of the American Revolution, retained
their allegiance to the British Crown, and that he then removed from the
neighbourhood of Schenectady, New Yorli, to Montreal. Of this, however,
wo have not been able to find any good evidence. Sir William's
grandfather and father were both born in Scotland, and we know that the
family still resided there in 1772, and also that thoy were living in
Montreal in 1785. Shortly after returning to Scotland in 1815, Sir
William's father wrote to Mr. John Catanach, of Montreal, as follows: —
"It is vain for me to attempt to describe with what emotions I first set
foot on my native shores after an absence of more than thirty-one ycar.s.
It would require a long winter night to tell you all the ideas that rushed
upon my mind at that moment, and I must decline the task." From this
it would appear that he bad left his '< native shores" about 17^4.

. I'Ki-

SKAKKVS SCHOOL.

of education, and sent "William and his Ijrothors to an
excellent sc^hool kept by Mr. Alexander Skakel, after-
wards head-master of the Uoyal Crrammar School, on
Little St. James Street. Skakel and his school are still
remembered by not a few of the citizens of Montreal.
He was a determined Scotchman, and, Mko many a
schoolmaster of his day and j^eneration, was thoroughly
acquainted w^ith the art of Hogging. But he was also a

I I

BT. OABRIED STREET CHCIICH, IN 1839.

good classical scholar, and trained his pupils well.
Under him young Logan seems to have progressed
satisfactorily, and to have acquired among other things
a capacity for thrashing boys bigger than himself.
"Whether he had learned all that his Montreal master
had to teach him we are not told, but, at any rate, in

I 'tM

EDINBURGH HIGH SCHOOL.

[l814.

W-

ill!'.

;l 'ir

iif

l^'iil^

!■ lill

I/::

1814, the father determined to send both him and his
brother Hart to the High School at Edinburgh, in order
that they might have opportunities for acquiring more
varied knowledge.

The Edinburgh High School was then in the zenith
of its reputation. There w^ere no great public schools
in Scotland answering to the English type of Eton,
Harrow, or Kugby ; but the Edinburgh Seminary stood
forth above all the other schools of the country with a
kind of natural character. Many of the most distin-
guished Scotsmen of the day had been educated within
its walls — Sir Walter Scott, Lord Brougham, Lord
Jeffrey, Dugald Stewart, Francis Horner, and others.
One of its distinguishing features was the wide social
range from which its pupils were drawn. Side by side
on the same forms sat the sons of noblemen and of
tradesmen. Future lawyers destined to rise to the
highest legal offices in the country, soldiers whose
names are now household words among us, clergymen
who have since become leaders of thought among their
fellow-men, were on terms of the closest daily intimacy
and friendship with those for whom fate had reserved
no more ambitious career than that of humble shop-
keepers. The position of the school, in the heart of the
Old Town, likewise favoured a less friendly intercourse
with the boys of the poorer part of the population. In
near neighbourhood lay the Cowgate and other densely
inhabited thoroughfares, always ready to furnish plenty
of idle lads, with whom the High School boys could
wage the "Bickers," so graphically described by Sir
Walter Scott in his autobiography. The training given

1! !,;

JAMES PILLANS.

at the school was mainly classical, and was placed in
the hands of four masters and a rector. When a boy-
entered he ])egan in what was termed the first class.
He was carried by the same master onward in successive
years into the second, third and fourth classes, after
which he passed under the care of the rector for two
years. Accordingly a complete curriculum lasted six
years, after which the pupils were ready for the
University.

It was in the autumn of 1814 that young William and
his brother Hart were taken over to Edinburgh by their
uncle, Mr. Hart Logan, whose business required him to
make frequent voyages across the Atlantic. On presenting
themselves at the High School they were found to be
sufficiently well grounded to enter the rector's class at
once, without passing through the preliminary years
The rector at that time was James Pillans, afterwards
Professor of Latin in the University, and one of the most
advanced teachers of his day. He was a man of elegant
literary taste, full of enthusiasm in the cause of education,
and gifted with a power of kindling some of his own
fire in the In-easts of his pupils. His class at the time
numbered over two hundred boys, and the Logans were
not long members of it before William gained the
enviable position of dux. The rector soon became fond
of him, and sometimes invited him to his house, an
honour which was fully appreciated. Learning on one
occasion that his pupil's great ambition was causing
him to burn the midnight oil, he took occasion to
admonish him on the foUy of sacrificing health even to
learning.

A FAMILY MIGRATION.

[1815.

i ;l!fii

!■■:: ;

But the sending' of two of his boys to Edinburgh was
only the beginning of a more general migration which
the father had been meditating for years. The old
people at the farm had gone to their rest;=^ business
had prospered, and wealth accumulated; the brother,
too, having been most successful as a Montreal merchant,
had transferred the headquarters of his business to
London, and established a large counting-house at 44
Cross Street, Finsbury Square. What more natural,
then, than that he should return to the land of his
early associations, live at ease, and give his family the
advantages, social and educational, which a new country
could not afford ! Leaving his eldest son, James, to look
after his interests in Montreal he sailed from Quebec,
with his wife and remaining children, on the 14th. of
August, 1815, and reaching Grreenock on the 17th. of the
following month, proceeded at once to Edinburgh.

Soon after his arrival there he purchased from Lord
Napier a handsome residence on Queen Street (No. 71),
the situation of which had greatly pleased him. " There
are," he writes, " no houses on the opposite side of the
street, and from it there is possibly one of the finest
views in the country. The West Lothians, the Port of
Leith, the Firth, with the shipping at anchor, and the
coast of Fife, are in full view, and form a most beautiful
and interesting panorama." French and music masters
were obtained to instruct the daughters, while the two
youngest sons, Edmond and Henry, joined their brothers
at the High School, where they also soon took high

* Mr. James Logan died on the 15th. of January, 1806, in the 80th. year
of his age ; his wife on the 28tb. of August, 1803, in her 72nd. year.

1815-16.]

EDUCATION.

high

places. Education was, in fact, at once made the order
of the day. " The boys," writes the father to a friend,
in December, 1815, " are all at the High School, and I
feel proud in giving you an account of their progress.
Willie is frequently dux of the rector's class, in which
there are upwards of two hundred boys, and at last
examination he obtained two prizes. Hart is within a
few places of Willie in the same class, and obtained one
prize. Edmond is in the third class of 130, and only
two from the top. Your little friend Henry is in the
iirst or lowest class of 200, and has been dux for some
time. The masters are highly pleased with them all."

In the following August young William wrote to his
brother in Montreal as follows : —

" The examination of the High School took place on
the 9th. instant, and we were all pretty successful.
At the writing class Edmond was presented by the
Lord Provost with a beaut ^ful silver medal, gilt, with
the following inscription engraved on it : ' Presented
by Alexander Smellie, College Baillie, to Edmond Logan,
for eminent proficiency in penmanship.' He came off
dux in his Latin class also, after remaining in that
honourable place for no less than six months, without
once coming down. He received as a reward for his
good scholarship ' Cfoldsmith's Animated Nature,' in
4 vols., with plates. Hart's prize was a book called
' Constellation,' being a collection of select passages in
prose from different authors. And as to myself, for the
Ureek, and more particularly for the geography, at
which I was second dux, I received 'Bell's Travels'
i'rom the Rector. For Latin, I was presented by the Lord

> i-

VISIT TO ABBOTSFORD.

[1816-17.

1817.]

I '■' "I'l;.

I'.'iiii'!;

.IP

I'.i:

'I
iiii

Provost with ' Bourne's Poems,' in 2 vols. The books
are all most elegantly bound, and have the Edinburgh
coat of arms stamped on their covers. The vacation
continues till the first of October.

" To make this long reprieve from hard labour pass
pleasantly, I have accepted the invitation of one of my
school-fellows, Archibald Boyd, to spend a few days
with him at his father's estate, near Selkirk, on the
Tweed ; and I intend, at the same time, to pay a visit
to the son of the great poet, Walter Scott, who has
an estate only a few miles distant from the former
gentleman's."

Scott's estate alluded to here was, of course, Abbotsf id,
which, beginning in 1811 with the purchase of a farm
of one hundred acres on the banks of the Tweed,
was now rapidly extending its boundaries. As yet
Scott was not a baronet, nor was his baronial residence
erected ; but he had already made important collections
of historical curiosities, which he took much pleasure in
showing to his guests. During Logan's stay at the home
of his school-fellow, Boyd, in the autumn of 1816, the
two young men paid a visit to Abbotsford, where they
were received with great kindness by the poet, who not
only exhibited his curiosities to their wondering gaze,
but also, with his wonted hospitality, invited them to
dinner.

On his return to Edinburgh, Logan became a student
in the University, and during the session of 1816-17
attended the classes in logic, chemistry and mathematics.
Among the professors in the University at that time
were John Play fair, the friend and illustrator of Huttou,

1817.]

AT THE UNIVERSITY.

and Robert Jamieson, who, as the exponent of Werner's
views in Britain, did so much to excite an interest in
geological speculation. But the teaching of these
probably had notliingto do with Logan's future devotion
to geology. During his one session at college he studied
with great diligence, and obtained the first prize in
mathematics, " with the good- will of all the competitors "
His success he announced to his brother in Canada in
the following letter : —

•'Edinburoh, 9th. May, 1817.

" My Dear Jamik, — If I were to shape out an apology
proportioned to the magnitude of my fault, four pages
would be scarcely suificient to contain all that ought to
be said in extenuation of my negligence in not writing
to you before this ; but, indeed, I have not the shadow
of an excuse to offer. It would not do to say that my
classes and studies engaged the whole of my time. No ;
for had I been ever so much occupied by them, I might
still have stolen a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday
to write to you. It would not do to say that I had
forgotten you — no, no, that would be making bad worse.
It would be wronging myself; and besides, my mother
has been no way remiss in desiring me to 'write to
Jamie.' In fact, the best thing I can do is to say nothing
more about the matter, but to show by my future
regularity how sincerely penitent I am for my past
delinquency.

"It is perhaps unnecessary for me to tell you that I
obtained the highest prize at Mr. Nichol's first geometry
class, that my name was inserted in the new^spapers, &c. ;
for, if I mistake not, my mother, or Agnes, has told you

DITJGENCE REWARDED.

!:l

already, and it is not for me to speak my own praise.
However, as you are a friend, and as it is probable that
you will derive the information from no other source, I
may A^enture to let you know the inscription engraved
on the quadrant. It is in Latin, as you will see, and
runs thus : —

GULIELMO P:. log an,

QDI KLEM. MATH. STUDEBAT, ANNO 1816-17,

ET &VM CLASSia PACILK PIUNCEH3 KliAT, A PKAICKPTORB,

GUALTERO NICHOL, A.M., KDIN.

I will not speak of the logic class, for all that I got there
is a certificate ; and as to the chemistry, at it prizes are
never given.

" It is my intention to send to Mr. Skakel, by the first
convenient opportunity, all the geometrical propositions
that were done at Mr. Nichol's class during the winter,
together with those given to us at the competition.
The number of them is not very great, and most of them
are simple, but it is to be hoped that Mr. Skakel will be
pleased. Perhaps I may also send an edition of Leslie's
Greometry, and an essay which I attempted at the
logic class. . . .

" All hands here are busily employed in preparing for
my departure for London. . . . Ten days is all the
time that I have now got to spend in Edinburgh, and
this I shall employ in walking about and seeing all
the remarkable buildings in and near the city. For
although I have been three years here, yet I have not
gone through one of them, not even Holyrood House ;
and it would appear somewhat strange if at any time I
were asked what I thought of them, to answer that it

OFF TO LONDON.

had never entered into my head to examine them. I
know not yet whether I am to go to London by sea or
land ; but, at any rate, when I do go, Agnes is to
accompany me, and no doubt we will both of us be
much surprised and delighted with the wonders and
amusements of that mighty city. My regret on leaving
Edinburgh will be sincere, and although I carry along
with me so pleasing a companion to beguile the journey,
yet my thoughts will often recur to the dear friends
that I have left behind. . . .

" I remain yours, very sincerely and affectionately,

"W. E. Logan."

;|p!i::i'

j]';:

CHAPTETl II.

LIFE IN U)NDON.

IT appears strange that with such prospects for success,
Logan's University career should have been brought
to a close so early. He seems, however, to have made up
his mind to enter upon commercial pursuits, and in this
he was probably encouraged by his uncle, Mr. Hart
Logan. The uncle, as we have seen, had taken up his
residence in London, and established a large counting*
house at 44 Cross Street, Fiusbury Square. Fond to a
degree of his nephew, he now received him into his
London office, and gave him every opportunity of
acquainting himself with commercial life. Nor had he
cause to regret it ; for the nephew soon mastered the
details of the business, and released him from many
responsibilities.

For about ten years the great and busy metropolis
was Logan's home, and it is to this period that we must
look if we would obtain a view of many of his traits of
character, which in later life only came to the surface at
intervals. If, like his four brothers, he never married,
and if for years he lived much in the seclusion of his
study, or far away from the busy haunts of men, often

Llliiiilii

CLABKSTONE PUBrHASET).

with Indians as his sole companions, it was not from
any want of appreciation of domestic comfort or happi-
ness, not that to him society was devoid of charms. He
was no misanthrope. But as he advanced in life, the
cause of science, which he had espoused, became more
and more a ruling passion, and often masked his true
nature and disposition.

When he left Edinburgh in the spring of 181V the
family still resided in Queen Street, but the father,
whose increasing deafness must have interfered with
his enjoyment of society, soon tired of city life with no
special employment, and in 1820 purchased a small
estate in the country. It was beautifully situated near
the Avon, about twenty miles from Edinburgh, and was
known as Clarkstone. On account of the young people
the town residence was kept up for a time, but it was
finally sold in 1822. At school and college the three
sons continued to be " an honour to all connected with
them." Hart eventually studied law, and made his first
speech at the Bar in 1829 Edmond became a "Writer to
the Signet; while Henry, having chosen commerce as
"the road by which he wished to jog thro-^gh life,"
went to London in 1825, and entered the counting-
house of Messrs. A. Stewart and Westmoreland. James,
the eldest son, remained in Canada, and one and another
of the daughters married and left the parental roof. But
ever and anon Clarkstone became the scene of joyous
family reunions.

In his younger days Logan was an excellent corres-
pondent, and not a few of his letters to other members
of the family have been preserved. As we shall see, they

A FOND SON AND BROTHER.

Ifll7.]

m,'

are full of all the warmth of family atfection and of the
little details of every-day life, so gratifying to those who
have once daily gathered round the same fireside. But
not satisfied with writing often himself, he frequently
urges his brothers or sisters to do likewise, and sometimes,
by way of encouragement, praises the letters which he
receives : " Let me tell you, without joking," he says to
one of his sisters, " you write a very good letter. You
judge well what topics will please, and you express
them in a lively and agreeable manner. And now that
you have broken the ice that bound the spring of your
correspondence, and its waters are found to be so sweet
and pleasant that he who tastes once will ever thirst
after more, I hope you will not pour them out with a
niggard hand."

To his brother he says, on one occasion : " Do, my
dear James, send us just a line now and then. You
cannot think how it would gratify us, and of how much
anxiety it would sometimes relieve our good father and
mother " And at another time : " When I was in
Scotland in August, there was a universal complaint at
Clarkstone that you never wrote. I really believe that
the reason of your not doing so is because you conceive
it necessary to take a great deal of pains in putting your
videas on paper, and thus, making an unnecessary labour
of the matter, you are unwilling to enter upon it, and
defer from day to 'day But really you need not mind
what you say, if you only say something Nobody
there is disposed to criticise, and if anyone were, I am
sure they would have nothing to find fault with." In
this way, and by regularly causing the letters which he

1817.]

BOYS OF rnoMrsE.

himself received to circulate among other members of
the family he aided in keeping alive that union and
interest in family ailairs which so often ceases when the
children grow up and become scattered.

Portions of some of the lett(^rs written to his brother
.Tamos during this period are here transcribed as serving
to give a better idea of the man than could any narrative
based upon them : —

" London, 2'^rd. August^ 1817.

"My Dear Jamie, — Agnes and uncle left on the
5th. instant, and got down to Edinburgh safe and sound,
and little fatigued, on the Hth. On the 11th. my father
and uncle set out for Crawford Moors, but owing to the
continual bad weather and incesssant rain, they have
not as yet been able to fire a shot All the rest of the
family have gone to spend a few months at Kincardine
House, a delightful place which my father has hired for
half a year, near Auchtcrader, about twelve miles from
Perth.

" It gives mo very great pleasure to inform you that all
the boys, I mean Hart, Edmond and Henry, obtained
prizes at the examination of the High School, which
took place on the 8th. inst. Hart was fifteenth of the
Rector's class, and got as his prize Allen's Demosthenes.
Edmond, of course, was dux of the fourth class, and got
Melmoth's Cicero, in three vols., 8vo., most superbly
and expensively bound. Upon my word I think that
Edmond is a most astonishing fellow. He has been at
the head of his class, consisting of 180 scholars, ever
since you left England, '^enry, poor fellow, was
twenty-fifth of the second class, which, for a boy of

MA TIONA L A MUSKMENTS.

[1817

i;]!jii!i;i^

ili||;i:l:'

hiH age, w extrem»»ly good, coiisidoring that the class
contains 230 scholars. For his diligence he got Hunter's
Livy in one volume ; as well as a fishing rod from his
father. . . .

" I find myself very lonesome at present, and have been
so ever since the departure of my uncle and sister. My
time, however, with one thing and another, is pretty
well filled up. Part of the day 1 read Italian and
French, write versions in those languages, and generally
in the evening translate Gil Bias, with Alex. Gillespie,
Jnr., who, by-the-by, is the greatest companion I have
here. Now and then 1 have a look at Homer and Cicero,
and mathematics is not neglected. Indeed, I carry
on a correspondence with one of my fellow-collegians,
Mr. Cockayne, who resides in the north of England.
He sends me propositions, which, after having solved, I
return to him with the demonstrations, annexing at the
same time propositions to exercise his knowledge of
geom ry. This, in my opinion, is a rational and useful
means of keeping up an acquaintance. Sometimes the
flute amuses me, and I hope you have not given up
playing on that instrument. When we meet we must
have some duets together. On Sunday, of course, I go to
church. Uncle has taken two seats in London Wall
Church, where once a week I have the pleasure of
listening to one of the worst preachers that ever wagged
his head in a pulpit.

" In my uncle's absence I act as his agent. When
letters come to hand, I send him copies of them ; when
bills arrive, I carry them to be accepted ; when drafts
on him from H. L. & Co. make their appearance, I

1«17]

A r LEASING UNION.

act o|>l them, &c. • . Brlit'vo mo to bf, dour Jamie,

yours truly and alloctioiuitoly,

"Wm. K. Logan."

"London, 8/A. Sept., 181".

"My Dear IUiotiikii, — . . I began this letter
yesterday, fully determined to coutiuuo it in French to
the end ; but behold the muta})ility and uncertainty of
human resolves ! — the vessel by which it goes departs
immediately, and as I can write English a little faster
than French, I must finish in the former language to be
in time.

" You will, I dare say, before long receive a letter from
Agnes (if you have not already), giving you information
of an event which is to take place soon, that greatly
concerns her future comfort and happiness, and which
is of course deeply interesting to the whole of our
family. The long and short of it is this : While she
was in London, a gentleman w^ho used to A'isit the
house frequently, struck with the beauties of her mind
and person, fell desperately in love with the fair lady.
A short time ago he made proposals. The proposals
were accepted, and the marriage is to take jilace in
January next. This favoured and fortunate gentleman's
name is Alexander Stewart, of No. 5 Finsbury Square.
He is an excellent, good-tempered fellow, and a perfect
gentleman; a very particular friend of uncle's, and, if
this can add anything to his merits, is worth about
.£100,000. Uncle is quite elated with the match, our
father and mother are very much pleased with it, and so
jare all the rest of us. But not a w^ord of this to the
I good people in Montreal. They will know it soon

LESSOA'S FROM A LINGUIST. [i8i7-i8.

enough, if they know it after the affair takes place. It
will be a great comfort to me to have so dear a friend ko
near to me, and many of my evenings will be passed
pleasantly in her company, which now hang heavy on
my hands. Indeed, if it were not for French, Italian,
and particularly geometry, I really b lieve I would
cut my throat, or do some ol her foolish thing ; for I
sometimes find myself very lonesome in the evening. I
take lessons in geometry from Mr. Robert Burns, a son
of the celebrated Robert Burns, the Ayrshire poet. This
gentleman, besides being perfectly acquainted with
mathematics, is an excellent Latin and Greek scholar,
understands French, Italian, and almost all the European
bTiguages, as well as a little Chinese and some other
Oriental languages. He is very short-sighted, like myself,
but uses no glass. I wear spectacles almost continually.
" When friends at a distance write to one another
they generally contrive to fill their pages ; but this I
find it impossible to do, even although I have so very
little more to fill up, because I am so much hurried,
as you may perceive from ray writing. — Yours very

^^^^^^^1^' "Wm. E. Logan."

<< London, \1th. Aug., 1818.

" My Dear Jamie, — With painful confusion have I to
look ba-ck upon a long lapse of time during which I
have been so neglectful as not to address to you a single I
epistle. But, by the dead waters of the Styx, I swear—
an oath which immortal Jove himself dare not violate
— I swear that for the future the regularity of myj
correspondence shall be eminently remarkable.

1818-19.]

FAMIL y AFFAIRS.

"Tis nearly a whole year— I blush to think of it —
since the date of my last letter to you. Half of it was
scrawled in bad French, the rest in indifferent English ;
but though the style of expression may have been poor
the matter was interesting. It concerned the marriage
of a dear and amiable member of our family to Mr.
Stewart. The event took place, as I mentioned, in
January. At the ceremony I was not present (being in
London at the time) ; otherwise I would, according to
your request, relate with the minutest accuracy all the
circumstances of the case. But these I fancy you
have already had in detail from my mother, or Agnes
herself, or some other member of the family. It remains
for me to tell you of the happiness and comfort of the
married pair. To descant on the merits of the lady were
unnecessary, — we know them already ; and to enumerate
the good qualities of the gentleman would fill all my
paper. . . .

"There is another event shortly to take place in our
family, which, though not of such deep concern as the
marriage of a sister, is still sufficiently interesting to us
all. The matter in question is no less than the marriage
of our affectionate uncle, Hart Logan. , . .

" I shall write to you again shortly, and in the
meantime remain, yours very sincerely, but in very

S'^^*^^*^' "W. E. Logan."

" London, 23rrf. August, 1819.

" My Dear Jamie, — I have made oaths innumerable to
become a regular correspondent, but oaths, you see, are
as weak as straws, and even that last dread one which

>20

A VISIT TO IRELAND.

[1819.

I swore, binding to immortals, has not been binding

to me :

' My promise is broken,

My vow is betrayed.'

Therefore, I'll no more of promises and vows, but show
you by my future deeds that I can keep a resolution,
The fact is that having a superabundance of employment
in reading, &c.,&c., for every instant that I am unoccu-
pied by the business of the counting-house, I have daily
deferred the grateful duty of writing to you until whole
months have slipped away, and the duty still remains
unperformed. It was my full determination to send
you a letter in the beginning of April last ; but just
at that period I was despatched over to Ireland to
superintend the shipment of some provisions on account
of a contract which my uncle, conjointly with Mr.
Stewart and Mr. Usborne, has had with Government.
I visited Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, and Cork, and
was much pleased with my trip, with the country, and
with the hospitality of its inhabitants.

" You will perceive by one of the Edinburgh news-
papers sent to you by this opportunity, that Edmond
and Henry, particularly the former, have been distin-
guishing themselves at the High School. Henry has
obtained a medal for excellent penmanship, and Edmond
has carried off the highest prize that can be obtained at
the school. Hart last winter attended college, and in
his Grreek class was presented with a prize for his Latin
verses ; and his name glittered in the newspapers. He
has lately, also, been rewarded with the highest prize
in a French class which he attended. We have now

!9!

-J

AUTTSTia TENDENCIES.

been all gazetted ; three golden medals have been
obtained, a quadrant, and forty-one volumes of books.
Edmond's exercises and verses have always borne the
highest character, and deservedly.

" Henry's verses, too, have been much admired, and
when you come home thi? fall you shall be loaded with
copies of his, Edmond's, and Hart's exercises to take out
to Mr. Skakel, who, 1 am sure, will be much pleased in
reading them.

" We all heard with inexpressible delight of your
intended visit to us this ensuing autumn, and shall
expect your arrival with the most impatient eagerness.
It is therefore to be hoped that you will use every
exertion to let us see you as soon as possible. You ought
to inform uncle officially that you intend to visit this
country ; for although he has heard of it indirectly, yet
he might deem it rather strange were you to come
without writing to himself directly.

" Since I wrote to you last I have been drawing, and,
under the instruction of an old school-fellow, Mr.
Cockayne, who has particularly fine taste, I have made
considerable progress ; so much so that a chalk drawing
which T have sent dow^n to Edinburgh has been much
admired by my friends there.

" About a month ago, Agnes left this with her little son
for Scotland, and is now pleasantly passing her time
with her friends and relations at Parkhall. There she
intends to remain until October next, when Mr. Stewart
will go to Edinburgh to bring her back. She went
down by a Leith smack, and had a very boisterous
passage of five days All the family are now at

t! ■

■ ii

! !

t
i
i

■

FAMILY DETAILS.

[1320

Parkhall, and quite well. Mary and Eliza have become
great musicians, and you will be delighted next winter
with their dulcet and harmonious notes. My father has
been very successful at the Moors this season, as usual.
I have as yet had no particular account of the number
of birds he has slaughtered, but doubt not that he has
been pretty sanguinary. . . . Yours most truly and
affectionately. ,. ^ j^^ ^ogan "

||i:i'!'' ■:

"London, 29th. March, 1820.

" My Dear Jamie, — . . It was a grievous disap-
pointment to us all, as you may suppose, that you
were so unpleasantly prevented from paying us a visit
last fall. I would often have written to you since the
date of my last epistle, had I not daily flattered myself
with the prospect of your making your appearance. But
all the family rest in the agreeable hope that you will
not fail to do so the coming winter. You must set out
from Montreal as soon as possible, and make your stay
among us as long as you can.

" All your relations here and in Scotland are well. Our
young nephew in the Square is a very fine little fellow.
He can now walk, and begins to articulate a few words.
Among others he has been taught to say 'uncle.' . . .
Hart, Edmond and Henry are still pursuing a successful
career in their studies at Edinburgh. ... It was
extremely gratifying to see such honourable mention
made of them at the place of their birth, in some of
the newspapers which we got from you last year
They deserved it, and I think (perhaps I judge partially)
that they do credit to their first instructor, Mr. Skakel.

1821.]

THE USUAL APOLOGY.

' My father, as you have perhaps already heard, has
purchased the small estate at which the family have for
these two years past been spending the summer months.
. , . When I was down in Scotland a year ago I paid it
a visit of a few hours, and my admiration was excited
by its situation. ... It will be a source of employment
and amusement to my father, who has already commenced
the cultivation of it, and the first ridge of the first field of
wheat was sown by his own hand. Excuse my careless-
ness, and believe me, my dear Jamie, yours most truly
and affectionately, ,. ^^_ Y.y^uony, Logan."

"London, 29/A. March, 1821.

" My Dear Jamie, — T must not permit the Clarkstone
to depart from London without sending by her my
annual epistle to you (so I may call it, for I shame
to say it has been nothing more for these two or
three years past) ; and I must commence it with my
usual tribute of apology for so long a silence as may
almost induce you to suppose that my tongue has
dropped out of its place, or rather that my fingers, like
those of poor Niobe, have ' hardened into stone.' I
know not precisely what to say for myself To tell you
that I had for such a length of time submitted myself
to the dominion of the evil spirit procrastination, would
only be to swell out my fault — large enough already.
There appears not, however, within ken, any other true
cause why the whole four seasons should have inter-
vened since last I scribbled to you. Therefore, I must
just throw myself upon your mercy ; and you ought to
be merciful, for you yourself stand in need of pardon.

AN ABYSS OF SORROW.

[l821.

I :\i>li:

I ■i:';(

Look at the groat ])lots that dye your own epistolary
character so darkly, and you will then scarcely perceive
the stain that tinges mine. But we must really ronse
our correspondence from this vile repose in which it
lies resting. I shall write oftener to you, as you must
to me.

" Since I last did so, we have all, both here and in
Edinburgh, been quite well, and the only cloud that
has during the interval darkened the sunshine of our
happiness, was the death of poor Agnes' little boy, of
which you were informed about ten months ago. That
was, indeed, a sad and heartbreaking catastrophe. It
threw us all into an abyss of sorrow ; and you, I make
no doubt, when you heard of it, felt in common with us.
He had just arrived at the most interesting period of
childhood ; could run about, and was beginning to prattle
most amusingly. Agnes was wrapt up in him, and
almost all her time was spent in doing something for
him. . . . She used often to picture to herself the
pleasure you would take in him when you came to
Britain, little imagining that before then Death, cruel
Death, would lay his cold and relentless hand upon
such an angel. . . . You may conceive what a pang
it gave her to part w^ith him. But she sustained the
loss with a greater degree of fortitude and heroism than
I thought she possessed. Mr. Stewart felt it like a
father, yet gave to Agnes all the consolation in his
power. The society and sympathy of Margaret, too,
who was then here, served to soften in some measure
the agony of her sorrow. But what more than anything
else tended to wear away its poignancy, was the birth

1821.]

TIME WORKS CHANGES.

2ft

of a little daughter, to whom she has given the name of
Agnos. A bouncing young lady she is — now nine
months old. She cannot yet speak or walk, but is in
training, and will have arrived at that point of profi-
ciency in her education by the time you see her next
winter. . . .

" You must make us an early visit next fall, and pray
do not try how lato you can remain in Canada before
you start, but how soon you can bo here. You will find
us all strangely altered from what we were four years
ago. Some of us, you perhaps will say, are not improved,
and among this awkward squad your humble servant
will have the honour of being placed. . . If you
think of them as they were when they last met your
view, you would call Edmond Hart now, Henry
Edmond, and for little Henry himself you would look
in vain through the family. But their improvement
has been mental as well as corporeaL ...

" Captain Service is waiting for my letter, and I have
only time to tell you further that I am, my dear Jamie,
most affectionately yours, " W F Logan "

i i

i' ■ !l

"FiNSBUUY Square, Zlst. Aug., 1821.

" My Dear Jamie, — ... I was at Clarkstone when
the intelligence of your confi<rmed resolution to spend
the ensuing winter here arrived. It filled us all
with gladness, and the very idea of you conjured up
tears of affection into the aged eyes of my father and
mother. They are all well at Clarkstone. My father is
busily engaged in the affairs of the estate, my mother in
those of the household and of the family. . . . Hart

LIFB AT CLARKSrOXK.

[l821.

I ;

is a mighty equestrian, and an elegant rider ; and
horsemanship is his favourite amusement. Hedges he
leaps, and ditches he leaps ; a iive-bar gate he reckons a
mere skip lildmond is an astonishing sportsman for
his years — a dead-shot. Woe to the grouse that come
within the range of his gun ! Woe to the partridges
when he is nigh ! — for down they come like rattling
hail. Hares have no chance with him ; rabbits can't
bear the sight of him ; wood-pigeons execrate him ; and
crows, blackbirds, magpies, sparrows and all the birds
that wing the air, have not had a holiday since he came
into the neighbourhood. Henry likes play and amuse-
ments of every description, but he is too timid to mount
a horse or lire a gun — Hold ! hold ! my words wrong
the valiant gentleman. These eyes beheld him. He is
indeed endued with a spirit of bravery sufficiently
daring to ascend the back of a fiery steed — when the
steed is tied up in his stall. Aye, and to pull the trigger
of the largest gun — when there is no powder in the
barrel. Again my offending pen wrongs him ; for,
really, I beheld him mortally wound a sparrow. But he
usually expresses a thorough contempt for 'those vile
guns,' and holds in utter detestation pistol and bullet,
powder and shot. These are of too modern invention
to please his taste, which delights more in the venerable
bow and arrow. He is a very expert archer, belongs to
an archery club, and has acquired much renown among
the members by his dexterity at one of their trials of
skill, where he won a prize arrow. He is ' a good, tali
fellow ' now. And, indeed, almost all those of the family
that you left saplings have grown into considerable trees.

^,iii

1821.

111(1

he
IS a

for
>me
ges
ing
iii't
md
rds
me
Lse-
mt
ing
5 is
tly
;he
^er
he
or,
he
ile
et,
on
>le
to

ig
of

ill

;s.

1 ,
■ i

■ill

1821.]

'/,

^ \

< <
<

"Th(
what i
was wi
naked,
clothed
The gr
on the
certain
ancient
style, af
lower t
is no e

lllli:

1821.]

CLARKSTOXI'J DP.SCniBPJ).

'It

"Tho beauty of Clarkstone is greatly superior now to
what it was when I saw it two years ago ; for then it
was winter, and everything was wet, and withered, and
naked, and black, and cold. But now the trees are
clothed with loliag(», and the parks thatched with grass.
The grain waves in the iields, and heather blooms
on the mountains. The scenery about Clarkstone is
certainly very fine. The house itself is of a curious
ancient appearance, mid hii« a front built in the Uothic
style, after the manner of a priory. It stands on ground
lower than the land immediately about it, so that there
is no extraordinary extent of view from it, nor even
any very great Ijeauty of prospect. . . . But walk a
little distance, and ascend any of the green knolls that
are near, and you are repaid for your step by a prospect
magnificent indeed. For the lofty mountains that run
along the northern side of the Forth — theOchill Hills —
and Ben Lomond and Ben Ledi, with their cloud-capt
tops, lend their blue and distant sublimity ; the wide
waters of the f'orth lend their majestic motion, and the
low, level and fat land of the carse, which lies along
the southern side of the river, its luxuriance, to form
as admirable a view as can be conceived or desired by
the heart of man. — Yours truly, "WE Logan"

On the 22nd, of August, 1822, Logan wrote his annual
letter to "Jamie"; but this time, instead of beginning
with the usual excuses tor his own remissness, he
commences by scoldmg his brother tor not writing more
frequently. After venting his pretended wrath in a
closely'written page and a half, he continues :

CITE MIC AL LA NO IT A K.

[l822.

"If you havo imbibotl all tho heat I have radiated
upon this all'air, and do not find yoursolf in a profuso
perspiration, why I can only say, in the language of
chemistry, that you havo a 'gnnit capacity for caloric'
When you havo read my letter, touch the first person
you meet, and o})sorvo wh«^ther your tact sets his clothes
on lire, or raises a blister on his skin. If it does not,
why then you may conclude that the heat which is in
you is 'latent heat.' But this is all stuff See what
you compel me to. Your silence preventing a community
of topics upon which to descant, I am reduced to talking
nonsense.

" There is, however, one subject which draws equally
our affections to it, and upon which I may write for a
good while without proving tiresome — I moan that of
' our family. . , . My father, as you havo perhaps been
informed by some of the northern branches of the
family, has sold his house in Queen Street, and now
resides altogether at Clarkstone. My mother, with
Margaret, Mary and Eliza, resides there too. Hart,
Edmond and Henry live in Edinburgh, comfortable
lodgings having been hired for them in George Street,
where they are accommodated with two or three rooms
and have attendance from the woman of the house.
Here they remain during the greater part of the year,
and here they vigorously pursue their studies. Hart
has determined, finally, to pursue the profession of the
law, and is devoting himself to the acquirement of that
knowledge necessary to fit him for the Bar ; not exclu-
sively, however, for he is, too, a general reader, and is
now pretty well versed in English literature. Edmond,

liiiiilii I!

1H22.]

FAMILY DETAILS,

after much uncertainty, und much anxiety on his part,
and p^reat pondcrin*? on that of his parents, as to the
profession for which he was best calrulattKl, has at
length fixed upon that of Writer to the Sigr.et, a profes-
sion of lirst-rate respectability, and one in which, I
doubt not, he will, by his unrelenting diligence and
porseveranc^e, at least acquire high <nninence. Henry
adorns the University with his presence. His young
mind seems at present to aspire to commt!rce.

"My father, as usual, plows, digs, plants, sows, reaps ;
ill fine weather looks like the sun, and in bad weather
like the thunder-cloud. He subjects himself to all
the pleasures and anxieties of the farmer's life, and
I do not think that time hangs heavy on his hands.
Margaret, Mary, and Eliza occupy themselves with
those employments and amusements that become ladies.

"All our friends here are well. Agnes, as was
announced to you, has had a son, now l)etween two and
three months old, who is thriving excellently. Her
daughter and namesake now walks and runs and talks,
and seems very intelligent. Mr. Stewart has removed
from Finsbury Square, and now resides at a very
commodious and elegant country-house, about seven
miles from town. It lies near the village of Woodford,
on the confines of Essex. . . .

"It is superfluous for me to say that we are all
extremely anxious to see you here this winter. Pray
do not balk us as you have so cruelly done these two or
three or four seasons past. Do not sink our hearts and
sicken our expectations with any more disappointments ,
but come, and come quickly. "What inducements shall

•^

\^-'}' :'4'

m'''f

1 :i;::-:' ' .1

!h'i '

SENTIMENTALITY.

[1822.

I enumerate to draw you to us ? . . . When you
were last here did you find England and Scotland two
such bad countriw> that it would be painful to revisit
them ? Did you experience no pleasures ? Did you
meet with no society that make you cast back i,pon that
period a look at once of satisfaction and regret ? Alas !
— one from whom you felt it hard to part, who made
you caoi many a longing, lingering look behind, has
^ - wer to charm no more — Jessie is married. The eyes
that beamed so kindly on you have beamed more kindly
on another ; the fair hand that you pressed so warmly
in token of farewell, which waved to you so affectionate
an adieu, has been bestowed upon a rival. The gentle-
man whom she man led is a captain in the navy. His

name is . He is of a high family ; noble blood

flows in his veins. He has a genealogical tree whose
root, for aught I know, is planted in William the

Conqueror. He is a nephew to Lord E , grandson

to my Lord this, and cousin to my Lord that. But, above
all, he is, I hear, a man of gentle manners and good
disposition, and will make a good husband. Methinks
I hear you cry out upon the hardness of your fate. But
never despair — there are more fish in the sea. "When
you are here you must bait well your hook, and try
to catch some of them. ... I know several very j^^Iea-
sant ladies to whom 1 shall introduce you. One will
charm you with her conversation, another will enchant
you with her music; this one will kill you with her
beauty, and that one with her kindness. Somi are
gentle, some romantic. Lito this vortex of delight will
I throw you, and then, woe betide your senses and your

CAJVADA VISITED.

I'l

heart. . . . Believe me, my dear Jamie, very affec-
tionately yours, "W.E.Logan."

Although he says little about the matter, it would
appear from some of his letters that Logan paid a visit
to his native country some time in 1823. " I am very
anxious," he wrote to his brother James, in August,
1824, "to know how the farm thrives this year. Pray
what do you think of the improvements made by me
about the yard and house ? Does the farm account
begin to smile, or does it still bear its frowning aspect?"
And in 1825 he again writes: "1 have not been to
Scotland since I returned from Canada, nor shall I be
there this year."

WW::

.:?'it

■I, :,#.

Mii;; i'\.

n::!il !■

CHAPTER TIL

LIFE IN LONDON — (Continued.)

NOT long after Logan came to London his uncle
purchased an estate called Kentwell, at Long
Milford, in Suffolk, a county which he subsequently
represented in Parliament. Hither he commonly
resorted during the shooting season, often accompanied
by some of his numerous friends. At such times it was
usually necessary for the nephew to remain at the
counting-house in London ; but now and then he was
vouchsafed a visit to Kentwell, which he greatly
enjoyed. One of these occasions, in the summer of
1824, was a particularly happy one ; for he was accom-
panied by his father and brother Edmond, who had
come from Scotland to spend a short time with him in
London. Of the manner in which they enjoyed them-
selves at Kentwell. we can best judge from Logan's
own words : " We had," he says, " shooting by day,
and music by night, making the corners of the old Hall
ring with our flutes and piano, and causing the fields
to re-echo with the reports of our guns. In the way of
shooting, my father was more successful than any of us,

1824.]

A MOTHERS VISIT.

and killed more than all of us put together. My uncle,
agitated by a desire to show how well he could shoot,
shot very ill , Edmond killed right and left, and I, poor
wight ! was obliged to hide my diminished head, for I
wasted a great deal of powder and lead."

In the summer of 1825, his mother came to visit her
married daughter near London. Her coming had long
been looked forward to with delight, and the occasion
of her arrival was enthusiastically described by Logan
in one of his long letters to Clarkstone. The letter
shows not only his fondness lor his mother, but also the
interest which he took in the sayings and doings of
children : " It gives me great pleasure," he writes, " to
announce to you the safe arrival of our good mother.

. . I found that the steamboat was expected about
noon on Monday ; so all was prepared to receive our
mother at that time. Agnes sent the carriage from
Woodford, and I went down to meet the boat, which
got up to her anchorage about three o'clock. I was in
a small boat on the river, and was the first person who
put foot on board the steam packet ; so that while my
mother was looking towards the shore and straining
her eyes to see if she could distinguish there anyone
she knew, I surprised her by taking hold of her hand.
We soon got ashore and into the carriage, and made a
short journey of it to "Woodford, I asking and she
answering many questions, in which you were not
forgotten." Then follows a description of the meeting
at Woodford, and the delight of the children, particu-
larly when they found that their grandmother had " no
loss than half a dozen parcels " of the good things which

JUVENILE DISPUTANTS.

lfi2C.]

grandmothers are wont to carry with them when they
" go visiting." "The little ones hung to her, and called
her all sorts of honeyed names — ' Dear Grandmamma,'
' Sweet Grandmamma,' ' Pretty Grandmamma,' &('.
So that she looked like the Goddess of Fortune, and
they her votaries, upon whom she bestowed her excel-
lent gifts. And as it happens with the big children of
the world, so it happened with them — the one became
envious of the goods which fortune dispensed to another :
'Your sugar-plum is bir. ' r than mine,' and 'you have
got an almond more than I have,' said Alexander to
Agnes Then replied Agnes, ' But you have got three
cara^ iy seeds, and I have not got any.' Then came
clamour : ' Grandmamma, give me three caraway
seeds ;' ' Grandmamma, give n.ie an almond ;' ' Mamma,
make Grandmamma give me one of the big ones.'
' Agnes, you're a very naughty girl ;' ' Alexander, I'll
send you upstairs.' Then came crying ; so that it was
not more than half an hour after Grandmamma's arrival
before she heard how nicely they could tune their
pipes."

In 1826, his uncle having given him a short leave of
absence, Logan visited Paris for the first time. Passing
through Normandy on his way to the great French
capital, he was much struck by the numerous points
of resemblance between the people of that Province
and the French-Canadian i)easants, or habitants, with
whose appearance, manners and customs he had of
course been familiar as a boy in Montreal. Of the
Parisians he shortly after wrote to his brother James as
follows : —

«'Th
of— coi
all the
of houi
Champ
places
crowds

going

1S2C.]

PARIS AND THE PARISIANS.

•/ )

" They are the gayest of beings that can be conceived
of— constantly in search of amusement. In the summer
all the world seems to live in the open air, making use
of houses merely as dormitories. The Boulevards, the
Champs Elysees, the public gardens, the theatre, and all
places of entertainment, are continually frequented by
crowds, eager to participate in such diversions as are
going on. The male part of the population dresses ill,
and cuts but a sorry figure ; but the females put on
their clothes to perfection — much better than the ladies
of this country. Fine rotundity of form, however, is so
universally met with, that I cannot but imagine that
part of it is occasionally derived from the cork-cutter or
the milliner. Indeed, a milliner is thought nothing of
who cannot artificially supply the greatest defect or
remedy the greatest deformity. The ladies all affect an
air mignon, and with the head a little on one side, a
smirk on the face, and a pretty little trip in the walk,
they go about all day as if they had studied an attitude
before the glass in the morning, and meant to carry it
to bed with them at night. But it is only when dressed
for show that a French lady looks well ; take her at any
other time and she is a slattern. So great is the contrast
])etween her deshabille and her toilette, that, seeing her
in the one and in the other, brings to mind the change
a caterpillar undergoes in becoming a butterfly."

Logan was always fond of music, and not only sang
himself, but also played the flute. London, during the
time of his residence there, being, as now, the great
centre to which the most celebrated musicians of Europe
resorted, he had ample opportunity for gratifying his

I i :

MUSICAL TASTES.

[1827.

1827.]

i;ir!vi:

musical tastes, and was frequently to be found at the
opera, at concerts, or at musical parties. At this time,
also, it happened that there were numbers of Spaniards
in London, who, driven from their own country, had
taken refuge there. With their foreign manners, their
language, and their peculiar music, he was greatly
charmed, and being often thrown into their society, hu
soon acquired such a knowledge of Spanish as to be
able to converse with them in their own tongue. In
the winter of 1827 a private concert was given at the
house of one of his friends, at which many of these
Spaniards were present, and in one of his letters he
describes it in the following amusing manner : —

" Before the concert there was a dinner party, at
which it was not my lot to be j)resent, the beckoning
finger of good fortune not having invited me, perhaps
because there was no room. It is, therefore, out of my
power to describe that part of the ceremony, the only
good thing of which that came to my knowledge, with
the exception of the many good things that made their
re-appearance at supper, was one that came out of the
mouth of a celebrated wit of our acquaintance, better
than anything that went into the mouths of all the

rest ; for he, upon the all-devouring G-eneral Y

complaining that he had lost his stomach and could not
eat, replied that, judging from the quantity sent down
his throat, he was inclined to believe that if he had lost
any part of his stomach it must be the bottom. . . .

"Being a fashionable man, I did not attend until
half-past ten o'clock, and when I ascended the staircase
and entered the small drawing-room, a dead silence

deligh

1827.]

SPANISH ACQUAINT ANOES.

was prevailing. Madame V was about to sing.

There was no passing into the front room. The folding-
door was completely blocked up by a crowd of
Spaniards and other foreigners, all of distinction, w^ho
clustered round like bees at the mouth of a hive.

There was Mr. G- , with his wide-swelling nostril ;

General V , with his nose for four, and Mr. S ,

with his w^hiskers to match ; Mr. L , with his

mouth shut, and Mr. B , with his mouth open ;

Mr. D , Mr. De la T , &c., &c.

" Not without a world of difficulty, I squeezed myself
through this w^orld of men, j ust so far fbrward as to get
a peep at what was going on. The musicians were
collected about the piano, the fascinating little syren

in the midst, L seated at the instrument. All were

preparing to listen — the Miss De la T s with envy,

the Miss G s with pleasure, the M s with apathy,

and our friend L (seated on the sofa, the beautiful

Miss M on one side, and the beautiful Madame de

L , magnificent in a black velvet Parisian hat and

plume of w^hite feathers, on the other), with ecstacy and
delight. Onibra adorata was the song, and how exqui-
sitely the little woman sang it ! Mr. B was, as

usual, overflowing with high spirits. He constituted
himself master of ceremonies, and unceremoniously
made enough noise for the whole party. After favouring
us with one of his best songs, in the execution of which,
to his wife's accompaniment on the piano, he showed
himself to be in capital voice, he allowed no intermis-
sion to take place in the performances that succeeded.
More than once again Spanish and Portuguese airs.

SPANTSH MUSIC.

[l827.

'^'

many of which I had never heard before, flowed in the
richest perfection of melody from the soul of La de

Y . The De la T s sang solos, duets and trios,

sometimes accompanied by the piano, sometimes by
the guitar, and there was a trio to the latter instru-
ment, which I mention in particular, because the
words are the production of the fertile brain which
lodges in the head of their great brother, the renowned

scholar, Sr. Don Manuel de la T . L dashed

out a grand fantasia on the piano, and Mr. B ,

a Spaniard, a professor and divine performer on the
guitar, astonished and enraptured our ears by some
most beautiful and peculiar music, such as I had no
idea the instrument was susceptible of, and such as
certainly cannot be played on any other. I did myself
the honour of tripping it on the light fantastic toe with
Miss Monica de la T , who in the course of conver-
sation told me that the Duke of Wellington had heagte's
het/es, and that she had a few days before attended a
juvenile party, where she had seen a child that was
quite an Eeb (meaning a Hebe)."

The same G-eneral de V and his wife subse-
quently gave a concert at the residence of Sir Francis
Burdett, the noble baronet placing at their disposal
a suite of brilliantly-lighted rooms, and supplying
refreshments for the entire company — the condition,
however, being that the tickets should not be less
than a guinea each. Logan, who was at the concert,
tells us that altogether about a thousand tickets were
disposed of, putting about .£800 in the pocket of the
Spaniard.

1827.]

HOLIDAYS.

The artificial life of a city has with some the eft'ect
of diminishing appreciation of the beauties of nature,
while with others it only makes that appreciation more
keen. With Logan the latter was the case, and the
longer he lived in London the more did he sigh for the
freedom of the country. Fond as he was, too, of home
and its associations, it is not to be wondered at that in
the coniinement of the counting-house a visit to the
country home at Clarkstone was long looked forward
to with pleasure. Four years have elapsed since he
was last there, in 1823, and now he expects to go again.
In anticipation of the happy event, and also of meeting
his brothers from Edinburgh, he writes to one of his
sisters : " It is to be hoped that Edmond will have it
in his power to make our stay the season of his annual
holiday, and then, as it will be vacation time with
Hart, we shall have glorious fun, and make the welkin
ring again with our songs and merriment." On this
occasion he was accompanied to Clarkstone by a
friend, Mr. A. L. Gower, who subsequently became his
brother-in-law. His hopes of meeting his brothers
were also realized, and, after a short stay at Clarkstone,
the four young men left together for a tour through
the Highlands. This was afterwards described in a
letter to his brother James (London, May 9th., 1828,)
from which we transcribe the following : —

" We set out from Clarkstone on foot one morning
early, and got to Stirling about noon, well ducked by a
thunder-storm which overtook us before we had paced
many miles of the journey. At Stirling we paid our
respects to Mrs. Irvine, and the same afternoon pro-

A SCOTTTSH TOUR

[1827.

ceeded in a stage-coach to Callandor, where we slept
that night, after taking an up-hill promenade, with
half a dozen Highland boys and girls as guides, to see
the beautil'iil cascade at Bracklinn Bridge, distant a])out
throe miles from the village. Next day, after taking a
peep at the Pass ol' Lony, we w^alked along the shores
of Loch Vonnachar and Loch Achray, to the Trosachs,
winding, as we went, round the base of Ben Ledi ; and,
having refreshed ourselves at Stewart's Lin, which we
reached about twelve o'clock, we visited all the remark-
able and beautiful scenery of the neighbourhood, and
then ascended to t».e top of Ben venue — about 3,500
feet high — whence we had a magnificent prospect of
mountain and flood. Our eyes commanded the whole
of the scene of Sir Walter Scott's ' Lady of the Lake.'
We beheld five Lochs immediately under our feet,
three of which, Vennachar, Achray, and Katrine, joined
in succession by a small stream flowing from one to the
other, bound the ])ase of the mountain like so many
links of a chain ; and there arose up round us a
thousand gigantic hills. Fatigued with our exertions,
we slept that night at Stewart's Lin, which w^as filled
with visitors, even to the very barns and stables, and,
among others, the Duchess of Gordon honoured the
place with her presence. The following morning we
took to a boat, and were rowed by a couple of High-
landers to the upper extremity of Loch Katrine, and
then crossed the country on foot to Loch Lomond,
visiting on our way the dirty, smoky, mud-hut (very
much resembling a pig-sty), in which th-e celebrated
Helen McG-regor was born, and where is still preserved

1827.]

A SCOTTISH TOUR.

a tromcndous long gun, onco the property of Rob Roy,
to whom the old Highland wife, who reigns the blear-
eyed queen of the i)lace, is related. We came upon
Loch Lomond at Inversnaid, where we were in time
lor a passing steamboat, which conveyed us to Rowar-
(loiinan, at the foot of Ben Lomond. There wo
waited twenty-four hours, with an intention to ascend
iho mountain should the weather prove favourable.
But it rained all the time, and clouds upon clouds
capped the summit, without even seeing which,
much less touching it, we embarked again on board
the steamboat, and sailed to the lower extremity of
the lake, where it flow^s into the Leven, a stream
celebrated by the pen of SmoUet, who had, and
whose family (some of the members of which were
companions of mine at the High School) still have
a small property on its banks. Here we got into a
coach, and proceeded to Dumbarton, thence to Dunglas
(the termination of the wall built by the Romans
between the Forth and the Clyde), where we boarded
one of the thousand steamboats that ply on the river,
and from it we soon landed on the pier at Greenock.
Mr. Lewis Gower having some friends there, we were
on his account obliged to remain in that dirty, disagree-
able place for two days ; and I have to reproach myself
with not having written to you thence. There was
plenty of opportunity ; for the ' Cherub,' and one or two
other vessels sailed at the time. But I hate writing at
all times, and I was then particularly lazy.

"Again resuming our tour, a steamboat took us to
Holy Loch, our legs to Loch Eck, to the upper extremity

A SCOTTISH TOUR.

[1827. H 1837.]

ill '

I'll'

« Ml

1 i.

iiii

of which wo were convoyed ))y an iron steamboat. "Wo
were again indebted to our legs for carrying us to
Strachur, where we onco more took to a steamer, and,
sailing along the beautiful banks of Loch Fyne (famous
for its herrings), landed at Invorary, a very neat and
commodious village, mui;h frequented by bathers and
all those gadding people who cannot stay at home
during a line summer. The Duke of Argyll has a fine
castle in the neighbourhood, which, of course, W(! saw.
The park about it is very i)retty, and is adorned with
some of the most beautiful lime-trees I have soon any-
where. We supped at one of the inns, of which there
are two, large and convenient; but, strange to say,
notwithstanding the celebrity of the place for herrings,
we were served with some so offensive to our olfactory
nerves that we were obliged to send them from the
table. From Invorary we took a moonlight ramble to
Dalmally, about twelve miles distant, which we reached
about two hours after midnight. In the course of our
walk we saw tvA^o beautiful lunar rainbows. The day's
journey had fatigued us most completely, and, being
accommodated with comfortable c^uarters, we slept like
so many tops. Next day, notwithstanding it was Sun
day and we were in Scotland, we started like giants
refreshed, and walked through the uncultivated valley
of Grlenorchy, along the stream which gives to the valley
its name. We disembogued upon Inverouran, where
we took dinner, which, by the by, consisted of tea, with
oat-cakes and other things lit to choke any man of|
sensibility ; but hunger enabled us to get them down
We had walked about sixteen miles, and there were!

1827.]

A SCOTTTSIT TOUR.

^•^

about twnnty-fivo more to get over })ofore wo should
, o-ot to Ballahulieh, where we meant to rest for tlie
night. Some of our feet were blistered, and all our
legs were tired, and it was unanimously resolved that
wo should drive the rest of the way, provided we
could get a cart — the only carriage, fit for a gentleman,
to bo found in that part of the world. The inn-keei)er
had a cart, which had been used to carry manure the
day before, and, therefore, jmssessed a most savoury
smell, as you may suppose. This we applied for. But
Iraino host, a fellow with a huge purple nose and
Iscarlet face, studded with carbuncles, who was, I dare
say, scarcely evtn* sober, whether Sunday or Monday,
forsooth could not let us have the fragrant vehicle,
)ecause it was the 'Lord's Day.' But we saw through
lis drift, which was no other than to get a little more
)f our money, by causing us to sleep at his inn ; and,
leeting his ruse by one in return, we informed him
IQ should walk on. Then, fearing to lose the oppor-
tunity of letting his cart, he said we might have
(t, although it went much * agin his conscience.'
'he bottom of the cart was forthwith covered with
leather, the horse 'put to,' and, packed in like four
fogs, we set out. After passing along on a most
)eautiful military road, through some of the most
lesolate and solitary country that, I daresay, is to be
found on the face of the globe, where not a mud hut, or
creature, or a tree, is to be seen for miles and miles,
,'0 reached King's House, and while the horse was
Raiting, ascended a hill called the Devil's Staircase.
'^e again got into the cart, and entered the Valley of

\ I

A SCOTTISH TOUR.

I. ; .

I ' :, i
1 ^:!i

Glencoe, famous as the birthplace of Ossian. and noted
for the horrible massacre perpetrated on the unsus-
pecting inhabitants by the Government troops in 1691,
in the reign of William and Mary. The valley is v^^ildly
romantic. It is very narrow, and in the bottom of
it runs the small stream of Cona, from which the
mountains rise upon eac^i side, rugged, broken, and
precipitous, to the very great height of 3,000 feet. They
overhang the road, and stand out in some of the most
striking and terrific attitudes; sometimes approaching
so near to each other from the opposite sides as to shut
out the light of heaven. They threaten to fall upoii|
the passenger, and bury him in a tremendous ruin;
and it is not without a feeling of secret dread that one I
beholds this awful scenery, which in its character is
not equalled by anything in the British Isles. AVe!
reached Ballahulish about midnight, after a fine moon-
light drive along the shore of Loch Leven. But it was!
too obscure to see the slate-quarry, for which the place
is famous. The subsequent day we walked to Fort
William, about fourteen miles, and then ascended to
the summit of Ben Nevis, seven miles more, where we
found ourselves on the highest land in Britain, being J
4,500=^ feet above the level of the sea. We had a most
exteiisive prospect from this position. We could seel
the Islt of Skye, the Isles of Mull ond of Rum, about
sixty miles off', and the Atlantic beyond them ; on the
other side, the Grampian Hills. The commencement
of the Caledonian Canal was almost under our feetj
Never did I endure such dreadful fatigue as I experi-

• 4,406, according to the Trigonometri ;al Survey.

1827.]

A SCOTTISH TOUR.

enced in ascending and descending this great mountain,
the summit of which is a barren, naked rock, without
a single particle of earth on it, but here and there
I covered with snow all the year round. . . . About
3,000 feet above the level of the sea there is a spring of
very line water, which I made a point of tasting, as it
lis the highest water in the island.

" Completely knocked up with our exertions, we slept

[that night at Fort William. Next morning we took

the steamboat, and coasting along Argyleshire, and

passing through the Crinan Canal into Loch Fyne

ao-ain, we threaded the Kyles of Bute, and returned to

Greenock the following morning, in company with

about 300 Highlanders, male and female, who at 3s. a

head had made this descent on the Lowlands for the

[purpose of getting employment as reapers during the

[harvest. Leaving Greenock, we soon got to Glasgow,

land there taking coach, again sho *ved our faces, some-

Iwhat sunburnt, at Clarkstone, just at dinner-time, after

jan absence of ten days, during which we had walked

)ue hundred and twenty miles, coached fifty miles,

carted twenty-live, boated twelve, and steamboated

three hundred and fifty ; climbed one hill of 3,600 feet

[ill height, and another of 4,500 feet."

After his return to London, he wrote the following
fetter to Clarkstone, giving further details of his tour in
Scotland : —

"London, 2nd. September, 1827.

"My Bear Mary, — Ever since my return to this
?reat bustling and noisy place, what with making up
the lee-way my absence has occasioned in the counting-

SCOTTISH FPTENDS.

[1827. H 1837.]

'■'M

1 ¥■]

house, what v- ith the hurry-skurry produced by my
uncle's departure from town in time to get to Kentwell
to shoot on the first, and my aunt and Mrs. Parker's
preparations for their final removal to the country, I
have not had a moment's leisure to put pen to paper on
any other subject than business. Just at the instant of
Dr. Dickson's departure for Scotland I was particularly
engrossed, and could not write by him to give you an
account of my journey hither, and a few of the various
adventures that befell Lewis and myself on the road.
By the boy that drove us to Lanark, I returned a. note
to Edmond, to let him know that we had got that far.
I told him that we had seen the Falls of the Clyde,
which are very beautiful, and that we intended to
proceed southward the next day. But next day we
did not proceed; and it was altogether the fault of
Lewis, who broke through an agreement we had made
to prevent delay either at Lanark, where I had friends,
or at Newton Stewart, where he b . ^ friends. I knew
that if I called on the Grillespies at Sunnyside, I should
be pressed to stay another day ; and he knew that at the
Manse of Kirkowan he would be pressed to stay a week
instead of a day, the time we had set down as all we
could spend there. So we agreed that among my friends
he should pretend a great hurry to be up to town, and
that among his friends the hurry should be mine. ...
Having satisfactorily arranged this plan while we were
at dinner at the Clydesdale Inn, towards evening we
went with Mr. Menzies to pay our respects to Mrs.
Gillespie, at her beautiful villa on the banks of the
Clyde. But on our way thither we visited that romantic

1827.]

A BROKEN COMPACT.

4*7

o-len, the Cartlaiid Crags, through which the River
Mouse runs, between lofty, rugged and precipitous,
but thickly wooded sides, to join the Clyde, passing, as
it flows along, under a new bridge, built of freestone,
and consisting of three arches, of which the middle
one is 150 feet high.=^ It was rather late when we
reached the glen, and in the obscurity of the evening
we had but an imperfect view. But it appeared to my
companion so romantic a place that, wishing to observe
it by a more jierfect light, he silently determined to
break through our settled plan of proceeding on our
journey in the morning. This I found out when, after
spending the evening very agreeably at Sunnyside, and
being on the point of returning to our inn, Mr. trillespie,
as had been anticipated, most urgently pressed me to
remain next day in the neighbourhood, where there
was a great deal worth seeing, and to dine with him in
the evening. Agreeably to arrangement, I said that
nothing would give me greater pleasure, were not my
r. id, Mr. Gower, pressed for time to such a degree
that it would be out of our power. Mr. Gillespie then
turned the battery of his eloquence to Ivcwis, who,
at once, and to my utter astonishment, said that he
could and would with pleasure spend all next day in
visiting the beautiful scenery about Lanark, and dine at
Sunnyside in the afternoon. Our concerted plan thus
IVustrated, I could, of course, be nothing less than very
hap])y to do the same.
" Next morning we got up very early, breakfasted at

* Black says : — << About thirty years ago a liridgo was thrown across
tliis ravine, consisting of three arches, 128 feet in height."— 1861, p. 391.

I ■

I !

INCREASED RESPONSIBILITIES.

[l827.

VI;

^'1

; 'Hi

;!:iii

the Manse, wh^re tea was made for us by the fair hand

of Miss Menzics, and thence proceeded in Mr. Gillespie's

gig, first five miles along the banks of the Clyde, above

Lanark, and then ten miles by the same beautiful

stream, below Lanark, visiting all that was worthy of a

stranger'^ attention, not omitting Tillytoodlem Castle,

and taking another peep at the Cartland Crags. "We

dined with Mr. Grillespie in the afternoon, and met

Mr. Patterson and Mr. Grreenshields at his table. Next

morning we proceeded in a hired gig round the base of

Tinto to Chester Hall Inn, a distance of about ten miles.

There we met an Edinburgh coach, which took us by

the stupendous A'ale of Dalven, and the wooded vale of

Nith (where we had a glimpse of Douglas Castle, the

seat of the l)uke of Buccleugh), to Dumfries. . .

Believe me very affectionately yours,

"W.E.Logan."

Logan's uncle seems to have given up his London
residence in 1827, and gone to reside all the year round
at his country-seat in Suffolk, leaving to his nephew
the responsibility of managing the business in the
metropolis. The change, on the whole, appears to have
been pleasing to the latter, who was beginning to tire
of the many parties and dinners to which he was
subjected while living with his uncle on Wimpole
Street.

" I shall not," he says, " much lament the change, for
then I shall get lodgings in the city, and thus be
nearer to the scene of business, and save the time 1
now daily lose in walking to and from the counting-
house — two hours, at least. Besides, I shall be able to

183031.]

SCIENTIFIC TENDENCIES,

lead a more quiet life. . . . Much company, rich food,
and rich wines, are things disgusting to my taste and
prejudicial to my health. Henry and I will lodge
together, and those evenings that are not taken up
with business we shall occupy, sometimes with a little
music, sometimes with a little drawing, and very often
with much reading.'

Writing to Montreal in the spring of 1830, he says : —
" I do not think I have ever informed you that Henry
and I have taken up our quarters in Finsbury Square,
number 47. We reside with a young gentleman who
is an old school-fellow of Henry's, and who, having
spent many a day at Clarkstone, is well acquainted
with all of us. Eobert Dickson is his name, and Doctor
is his title."

To what extent, during his life in London, Logan
devoted himself to pursuits or amusements of a scientific
nature, we do not know ; but the study of geology was
apparently not begun until after he went to live in
Wales. Shortly after his arrival there, in the spring of
1831, he wrote to his brother Henry, asking him to
send him some of his " goods and chattels," which had
been left in London. " In the first place, put into my
trunk as many of my old clothes as I have left behind.
This will be a famous place to wear them out, and,
indeed, at the works it would be a sin and shame to
wear anything else than old clothes. In the next
place, put into it as many of my scientific books as you
can, particularly such as are connected with mechanics
and chemistry ; and I will thank you to purchase and
add to such as you find, the 3rd edition of Turner's

i I

MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY.

[1833

:,x]

Chemistry, and some good work on mineralogy and!
geology. Dr. Dickson will be able to tell you which
are the best. In the third place, stuff into it my
pencils, drawing-boards and drawing-paper, and my
case of instruments ; and if it will hold any more, puij
in some of my flute-music." In a letter written to his I
brother James two years after this (June, ld33,) hei
says : " The study of the ores of copper has gradually
led me to that of mineralogy and geology, and oil
specimens in both departments I have become a bit of a
collector. Now, if you could assist me to a few of
Canadian origin, 1 should be obliged. Any steamer
coming to Swansea or Neath would bring them almost
to the door. ... At first you need not be very parti-
cular in your choice ; even a collection of the pebbles I
of various kinds to be found in the river would be
welcome, and so would small fragments broken off
from any of the strata near or far from you, such as
from the mountain, from Cape Diamond, Quebec, &c,,
&c. Specimens having the appearance of shells, or
organic remains of any kind, would be preferred. Let |
me know where they come from as exactly as possible,
and you can say, also, what you consider them to be,
By the way, I am informed by our good cousin, William i
Edmond, who, you are, I take it for granted, aware, is
here with me, that his brother James has provided him
with a collection of whatever he meets with that is
curious. If, therefore, he has been practising, he will]
assist you.

" Did you eve) hear of any copper ore in Canada, or I
anywhere near it I If any were discovered it might

Ibecome a
lit, and it
ivoop the
recently
L'onncctic
[ova Sec
some wer
Lawrence

1833.]

COPPER IN CANADA.

)ecome a matter of profit to us, if we could get hold of
lit, and it proved of good quality. Kecollect this, and
cet'p the matter before you. I understand there has
recently been a mine of it discovered in the State of
Connecticut, and I am told, also, that there is copper in
[ova Scotia. It would be no matter of surprise if
some were found in Canada within reach of the St.
iljawrence."

CIIArXER IV.

viii;

'IP
i'.

III

COrPER-SMELTING AND COAL-MINING.

ABOUT the year 1828, a process having been discov-
ered in Wales for extracting copper from the slags I
which had j^revioiisly been abandoned as useless, the
inventor communicated the secret, for a consideration,!
to certain gentlemen, who soon bought up, at very little i
cost, millions of tons of slag, and began smeltiii!;
operations in the neighbourhood of Swansea.^ In
securing the necessary capital for their enterprise they
were greatly assisted by Logan's uncle, to whom, in
return for his services, they afterwards gave an eightli
share in the business, on the condition, however, that
he should contribute ,£10,000 in money. In the terms
of co-partnership, the uncle, who was desirous that his

* From information kimily supplied by Dr. Percy, of London, il|
appears that the process mentioned here, for the extraction of copper fro
ore-furnace slag, did not prove a success. Dr. Percy says : " I liavtl
visited the works where the process was to be conducted (^near Neath)!
and remember seeing some of the very slag accumulated there. Biil
certainly the process came to nothing." The smelting operations supwj
intended by Logan were, therefore, probably carried oa in accordancil
with the ordinary Welsh process,

1831.]

A NEW LINE OF LIFE.

nephew should represent his interests in the business,
reserved the right of giving him part of his own
share. But the young man preferred accepting a salary
"Hiiving," he says, "nothing to lose, I am unwilling to
hecome responsible as a i>artner, and have stated to our
uncle that I will not accept a share until I have become
aicjuainled with the business, and am able to satisfy
myself from experience and personal observation that it
is of the profitable nature his friends rei)resent and he
thinks. In the meantime I shall require a salary,
which, he said, should be jG 1,000 ; but, for my part, I
shall be content with less. When I was in Scotland in
August (1830), I spoke to our father on the subject, and
he thinks with me, that a salary would, at first, be
preferable to a share. If, when the business is ulti-
mately proved to be so prolitable, those concerned will
not give me a share, why I cannot help it ; but I hope
to make myself so useful that they will not refuse.''
In this we have a glim])se of the characteristic caution
"■^'hic'i afterwards proved so valuable to him in his
professional career. Though less sanguine than his
uncle with regard to the enterprise, he was nevertheless
pleased with the prospect of a new line of life in Wales.
"It has," he writes, "been arranged that I shall go
down to Wales, where it is intended that the chief part
of my duty will be to attend to the accounts of the
establishment ; but you may be assured I shall spare no
pains to make myself master of every branch of the
business, and as it is of a scientific nature, I am pretty
sure I shall like it." The difiiculty, however, was to
get some one to assume the management of affairs

WORK IJS WALES.

[1831-33

;tii

in London. At first it was planned that his brother
James should leave the Canada branch of the ])nKine8s,
and go to London ; but this was afterwards found
inexpedient. Other arrangements having linally been
made, Logan left for his Welsh home in the spring of
1831, and began his labours at the Forest Copi)or
Works, Morriston, near Swansea. For a time he was
chiefly engaged in the counting-house, where, he tells
us, he toiled from six or seven o'clock in the morning
until midnight, in order to establish a proper and
regular system of accounts. But eventually he had to
attend both to the smelting of copper and mining of
coal.=^ " Here I am," he writes to his brother, in June,
1833, "out of the world altogether, and attending to
nothing else but the making of copper and digging of
coal from morning till night." From the digging of coal,
however, he was led not only to thoroughly investigate
the question of its origin, but also to study the structure
of the Grlamorganshire coal-field, in which his uncle's
mines were situated. A theodolite, compass, and other
instruments, were purchased at his omhi expense, and
all the spare time which he could command enthusias-
tically devoted to the production of a geological map
of the district.! His measurements, as they were
obtained, were laid down upon the one-inch sheets of
the Ordnance Survey, and with a minuteness of detail

♦ Owing to his close application to office-work, his eyesight was for a
time seriously affected.

f Writing in 1832, to his brother in London, about the purchase of a
theodolite, he jokingly says : " If a pound or two more would make the
theodolite much better, I should be disposed to give it. I'll live on milk
diet, and save the money in a short time. But do not let ornament have
anything to do with the additional expense."

1833.]

GEO LOG TO A L CONSO LATJOK.

r>r)

which had probably not boen obsorved before in any of
tho geological maps of the country. When Sir Henry
(Ic la Bechc^ began his geological survey of that region,
he must have been not a little surprised at the extent and
thoroughness of Logan's work, and when the modest
amateur generously handed over to him his maps, l)e la
Boche not only accepted them, but adopted them for the
Crovernment Survey, on the early sheets of whic^h
Logan's name is engraved, together with those of De la
Beche, Ramsay, Phillips, and Aveline. In the capacity
of a volunteer on the staff of the Survey in South Wales,
Logan also proved of great assistance, and, among other
services, introduced horizontal sections on a true scale
of six inches to a mile, which served as models for the
large sections of the Survey.

In the spring of 1833 he was obliged to go to
London to attend to some of the affairs of the " Copper
Company," and was greatly annoyed at being detained
there awaiting certain legal decisions. " Here I am,"
he writes to his brother Hart, " tied by the leg until the
lawyers have brought to a con<!lusion the arrangement

that is on foot to push Mr. out of the Forest

Copper Company ; and when I think of the work that
is accumulating for me at Swansea against my return, I
feel as sick of London as possibly can be. If it were
not for the consolation of a little geology, a leap from
London Bridge would be my only care."

By way of obtaining the desired consolation, he went
to the Island of Sheppey on a geological excursion, the
incidents of which alToided him much amusement.
Possessed of that rare faculty of adapting himself to his

A GEO LOGICAL KAVURSION.

[l833.

■| , '

\' ,v' I

surrou)i<lings, and of hoiirlily cnleriug into \vhai(»vor
most interested those into whose company he happened
to be thrown, he everywhere made I'riends, and at ihc
same time ae(|uired — often IVom the most unlettered — u
great deal of valuable information. Gifted, too, with u
keen sense of humour, and supplied with a never-failing
fund of anecdotes suitable for various occasions, he was
erpially welcome in the drawing-room, the country inn,
the farm-house, or the stage-coach. Some of these charac-
teristics appear in the following account of his excursion
to Sheppey, taken from a letter to his brother Hart : —
" I had a very satisfactory excursion on Saturday and
Sunday last down to the Island of Sheppey, to examine
the London Clay formation. Starting at two o'clock on
the first-mentioned day, I got to Chatham about six,
and put up at the inn where the coach stopped — not
the very best in the w^orld, but good enough for the
occasion. I was put into the only sitting-room in the
house, had my tea, bespoke a bod, and intended to take
mine ease in mine inn till bed-time, sitting at the fire,
with ' Phillips and Conybeare ' in my hand. But about
eight o'clock my studies were broken in upon by a
smoking club, which had met in that room every
Saturday night for the last forty years. The members
were ushered in with all the insignia of their solemn
duties : pipes, tobacco, spitting-boxes, and each a glass
of brandy and water — some hot, some cold with, and
some cold loithout. There was the Mayor oi Rochester
among them, the parish clerk, a political tradesman or
two, a few ship breakers-up, and mine host himself I
called for a glass of negus, and joining in the conversa-

1833.]

PARTY POL FT res.

tion, which was fiomoiimos political, und sometimes
trado-ical, I was a j^ood deal entertained. One of the
political tradesmen read us occasional (extracts from a
iiewsi)aper, always makinLf vs w's and if/s v\s, puttinj^ in
h's where there were none - >d leaving- them out where
they ought to be ; and these said readini^s universally
led to discussion. The reach^r, as you may imagine from
his style, showed himself a Whig and a Itadical ; but
we had our Tories and Conservatives too, and they
were represented by the Mayor, who seemed the only
one approaching to a gentleman among the whole set.
After filling the house with the vapours of their argu-
ments, pipes and T)randy, these my friends paid their
scores and turned out about eleven o'clock ; so 1 went
to bed. But I was wyt again at three in the morning, to
start for Sheerness })y a forty-ton vessel, half boat, half
smack, which goes every tide. In the cabin, where it
was impossible to stand upright, 1 found myself among
another queer set, sailors and their wives, &(^, drunk
and sober, some going on board merchantmen, some of
men-of-war, and all as noisy as the devil. I selected
for my especial companion an elderly Irishman, who
happened to !)e a tailor in Rochester, and was on a
voyage to pay a visit to a son, bandmaster on board the
'Donegal 74', just arrived at Sheerness. 1 was much
entertained with the man's stories, for he had been a
regimental tailor in the 39th Inftintry, and had seen a
good deal of service in the Peninsula and in Canada.

"I got to Sheerness and to breakfast about seven
o'clock, and then started forth geologizing along the
northern coast of the island, and having the good

A JOURNEY TO FRANCE AND SPAIN. [i83i.

fortune in the course of my walk to meet with another
Irishman, and to fall into conversation with him, I
found he was what was called the curiosity-man in
Sheern(;ss, from his occasionally walking* forth in search
of such things as I was looking for, when he was out of
work. I could not have got into better hands, for he
showed me all that was curious, and where to get
the best fossils. I got several fossil crabs, lobsters,
shells, wood, seed-vessels, &c., &c. The coast is very
well described in 'Phillips and Conybeare,' and I saw
plajes where there had been slips of huge masses of the
soft clifi' that stretches for miles along the shore, and in
one spot there appeared about lour acres of a wheat-
field, which was cracked in various directions, and only
awaited very wet weather to be precipitated into the
sea."

In 1834 Logan went on a jouri. ?y to France and
Spain, and was absent for several months. The journey
was probably undertaken in the xnterests of the Forest
Copper Companj s he visited a number of the Spanish
copper mines, and made notes with regard to the cost
of mining, price ot" ores, &c. The knowledge of the
Spanish language which he had acquired while in
London, now stood him in good stead, as did also the
many letters of introduction which he carried with him
from some of his old Spanish friends. In those days
travelling was a slow process. From London to Dover
by coach occupied ten hours , from Calais to Paris, by
diligence, from noon one day until (sight p.m. on the
next. From Paris to Bordeaux, again, was a journey of
tv«ro days and three nights. Logan spent several dnys

1837.]

ELECTED F. G. S.

in Paris, and while there saw the i'uneral of Lafayette,
which, he says, was " not vin-y imposing." lie had
his sketch-book with him, and took views of Calais,
Bordeaux, and many other places in both France and
Spain. He also made notes on the geology of the
country through which he passed. Notwithstanding
the danger of travelling through the mining regions of
Spain at that time, owing to the numerous robbers who
constantly prowled about in search of the unwary, he
seems to have escaped molestation.

During his residence in Wales, Logan's fondness for
geology daily increased, and it was not long before his
work began to attract the attention of some of the
loading British geologists of the day. In 1837 he was
elected a Fellow of the Greological Society, and the same
year was present at the meeting of the British Associa-
tion, at Liverpool, where he exhibited his map of the
South Wales coal-district. It was greatly admired, as
no such work had previously been executed, unless by
the Ordnance Survey. Early in the same year he
wrote to his brother in Montreal as follows : " If I
mistake not, I have more th once asked you to send
me a collection of Canadian in.nerals, which, however,
have never made their appear .nee. I am anxious to
have them, because w^e have set up a museum here, of
which I have the honour to be Secretary . You have
a museum in Montreal, have you not ? Now, if
exchanges corM be effected, it would bo a capital
thing We have here ill the ores of copper and iron
in great abundance, and are located in the midst of a
coal-basin, which abounds in vegetable remains, i am

CURATOR OF A MUSEUM.

anxious to know what you have in your neighbour-
hood. You must know that I have become a bit
of a geologist of late years, and am now entitled to
write after my name F. G-. S. — being a Fellow of the
Greological Society. I take a great interest in the
science, and some day or other I may appear in print.
The locality to which I have especially directed my
attention is this immediate neighbourhood, of which,
during leisure hours, I am gradually getting up a
geological survey and sections. If ever I return to
Canada again I shall geologize there." This was only
six years before he became Director of the Canada
Survey. The museum to which he alludes in his
letter was that of the Royal Institution of South Wales,
for the interests of which he was an active worker
during his stay near Swansea. Not only was he
Honorary Secretary, but Curator of the Geological
Department, and the Institution is indebted to him
for valuable collections of minerals and metallurgical
products, books, drawings, laboratory apparatus, and
a fine collection of the indigenous and migratory birds
of Canada. The birds he himself both shot and stuffed
when on a visit to Canada, and among them several
previously unknown or undescribed species were disco-
vered. Subsequently, it is stated, Mr. Logan was
appealed to by Audubon, the ornithologist, foi aid in
the accomplishment of his great work upon the birds of
North America.=^

In 1838, his uncle, who had ever taken a lively

* The above statements with regard to Logan's ornithological proclivi-
ties are given on the authority of Alexander Murray, Esq., C. M. G., of Ht.
Johns, Newfoundland.

1838.]

FiE SIGNS POSIT J ON IN WALES.

interest in his welfare, died, and not long after Logan
resigned his position in AVales — a position in which
he had enjoyed the best of opportunities for the deve-
lopment of his eminent talents as a stratigraphical
geologist. Then, as afterwards, he had a keenly obser-
vant eye for all the phenomena presented to him in the
l)rogress of his researches, and the question of the origin
of coal happening to engage his attention, he devoted
himself to it with great enthusiasm. His work in
connection with this subject will be considered in the
next chapter.

CITArTEE, V.

STIGMARIA.

AT the time of which we write, the questions
relating to the origin of coal were in a somewhat
unsettled state. It was generally admitted that coal is
of vegetable origin, and many species of Carboniferous
plants from the shales and sandstones accompanying
the coal-beds had been described and figured. But the
precise circumstances under which the coal accumu-
lation had taken place still remained an open question.
On the one hand, the coal-seams had been likened to
the accumulations of drift-wood, which lake place in
certain lakes and at the mouths of great rivers draining
wooded countries. On the other, they had been sup-
posed to have grown in the manner of peaty swamps.
These theories of growth and driftage were warmly
agitated, and objections of various kinds arising from
the supposed climate of ihe Coal-period, the character
of its vegetation, the diificulty of accounting for the
regularity, purity, and uniformly-bedded conditions of
the coal-seams, could be urged against both theories.

STir.MARM lif

UNDERCLAYS AND ST Id MARIA.

In these circumstances, Logan had the sagacity to
observe and turn to account a fact which has settled
forever the question of the origin of coal in favour of
the theory of growth in situ. Under eighty or more
(oal-seams which occur in the Welsh coal-field, the
niniers had observed the invariable presence of a bed of
more or less tenacious and bleached clay, which they
called the "underclay" of the coal, and w^liich was
often of practical importance as aflording facilities for
undercutting the coal. The constancy of this fact
Logan confirmed by his own observations, and added to
it the further and important discovery that in all these

STIOMAHU UOOT.S OF ERECT BIOILLARIA, SEEN FROM ABOVE AFTER REMOVAL OF

TiiK TRUNK (PORT HOOD, NOVA SCOTIA..)— Dawsoti, "Acadian Geolofftj."

undorclays there occurred abundance of remains of the
peculiar plant known as Stig-viaria, in such circum-
stances as to show that the plant v/as in situ, and not
drifted. The conclusion to be deduced from this was
obvious. The constant occurrence of an underclay
• ontainiug a particular plant was altogether adverse to

PAPER ON UNDERCLAYS.

the theory of drift, while it gave the strongest support to
that of growth, with the additional indication that the
plant which had been mainly instrumental in promoting
the growth of coal was that known as Stigmaria.

Mr. Logan laid the results of his researches in this
matter before the Geological Society of London, in
February, 1840, in a paper entitled, " On the Characters
ol the Beds of Clay immediately below the Coal-Seams
of South Wales." As this paper is interesting in itself,
and affords a good example of Logan's style at this
early period of his career, a considerable portion of it is
reproduced here : —

" In South Wales, immediately below every regular
seam of coal, and co-extensive with it, lies a bed of clay,
which is commonly called underclay, undershift, under-
stone, bottomstone, or pouncing. It is of so peculiar a
character, and the miners are so well acquainted with
it, that there is scarcely one who would not immediately
recognize a specimen of it, and state its position in
relation to the coal.

" From several sections made with care in various
places, it has been clearly ascertained that the coal-
measures of South Wales, from the mountain limestone
upwards, attain in the deepest part the great geological
thickness of 12,000 to 13,000 feet. They contain nearly
100 thick and thin seams of coal, about one-half of
which, measuring a foot and upwards in thickness,
have in various places been more or less worked, and I
am not aware of a single instance of a seam unaccom-
panied in any part by this subjacent bed ; indeed, so
thoroughly is the Welsh miner persuaded that the two

PAPER ON UNDEUCLA YH.

things are essentially conjoined, that he would as soon
expi'ct to live in a house without a foundation as to
work in a coal-seam which did not rest U})on underclay.
It is very necessary that he should bo familiar with the
material, as it oc^casionally serves a most important
purpose in i^rosecuting- the work of a coal-mine ; for,
though there is never coal without a subjacent bed
of underclay, there is sometimes underclay without
superincumbent coal. A seam of coal which becomes
thinner l)y degrees will occasionally vanish altogether ;
but, after a short distance, it will appear in increased
thickness, and ultimately regain its original dimensions.
When a collier, meeting with an irregularity of this
description, perceives the coal disappear, he might lind
it difiicjult to know whether he had not suddenly come
upon a fault completely dislocating the measures if he
had not the underclay to guide his course ; and it is
only when this fails that he feels assured the direction
of his search must be changed.

"This underclay, as its name imports, is generally
more or less argillaceous, but is never without a consid-
erable admixture of sand ; and it is always of a fine
texture, yielding, in most cases, a very good fire-clay.
In many parts of the coal-deposit of South Wales it is
tough, though not very hard, when fresh cut ; Imt on
exposure to the weather it slacks, splits, and crumbles
into a greyish mass. It is occasionally quite black
from an admixture of carbonaceous matter, and is then
sometimes sufficiently consistent to resist the effects of
weather ; and under some of the lowest seams of coal
between Swansea and the Bury Eiver, it yields a hard,

PAPER ON UNDERCLA YS.

durahlo, fine-grainod, siliceous stone, very much roscm-
bliug quartz rock.

" It is not, howovor, by the miuoralogical composition
that these beds are so thoroughly marked, lor tht^y not
only vary considerably, but many strata oticurring in
other parts of the coal-measures, are precisely identical
in mineral contents. The grand distinguishing feature
of the underclays is the- peculiar character of the vege-
table or«nini(^Y^n ins: these an> always of one kind
/^yyA^il^l^^^BLj^^ilLl '^)')' diilused throughout
every parto^i?c^l^^^g|^^^'^^^nl()i m clfect alone
the clay is readily recognized hy tne ey«?^^'^ii*ni^iev.

"The beds, varying in thickness from six inches to
more than ten feet, and averaging about three, arc
crossed and penetrated vertically, horizontally and
obliquely, by a confused and tangled collection of long,
slender, Jibrous casts, with a thin coating of carbon-
aceous matter. These fibres are sometimes cylindrical,
though generally flat, and are usually about a quartor
of an inch in breadth ; but they are very often traceable
to a junction with a stem or branch, sometimes flattened,
sometimes not, and varying in diameter from about two
inches to half a foot. From this stem or branch, which
is usually of considerable length, and always lies in the
plane of the bed, but rather nearer the top than the
bottom, the fibres radiate in all directions, and take
such a tortuous, irregular course that it is impossible to
follow any one of them to the natural termination,
though it is easy to see that the range is very consider-
able. This fossil, the Sligmaria Ficotdes, taking for
granted that the slender, fibrous impressions belong

always t

that it is

not coiiti

of remai

from tlu

tlie undi

"It is

even if t

become (

extensive

making \

;i coal-sea

permit tl

of Nome p

superior s

the requi

or when

a ' creep '

pared do^

amount c

j^oinetimei

floor of ai

were on i

specimens

above stat^

attentive i

the truth <

maria hav

doubt — in(

such instai

were the :

PAPER ON UNDEIICLAYS.

always to it, so completely fills every bod of nnderolay,
that it is not possi})le to cut out a cubic foot which does
not <ontaiii i)ortious of the plant. It is always worthy
of remark that specimens with the li})res emanating
from the stem or branch, are to be discovered only in
tlie nnderclay

" It is proper, however, to state that such specimens,
oven if they did exist in other beds, are not so likely to
become exposed in them ; whereas the operations of
extensive colleries naturally afford the opportunity of
making vast collections from the underclays ; for when
a coal-seam is either throughout or partially too thin to
permit the excavation of the coal without the removal
of some portion of the ground in juxtaposition to it, the
tiuperior softness of the floor induces the miner to make
the required cuttings in it, rather than in the ceiling ;
or when it becomes necessary to obviate the elTects of
a ' creep ' in any of the roads, it is again the floor that is
pared down, and in these and other ways a large
amount of specimens in the underclays is exposed.
Sometimes, however, the ceiling of one coal-seam is the
floor of another, and in such instances, if the collector
were on the lower bed, he might discover above him
specimens that would appear to contradict what is
above stated to be a general rule, while it is obvious an
attentive examination of the case would only confirm
the truth of it. That bare stems or branches of Stig-
maria have been found in other beds there can be }io
doubt — indeed, it would be very surprising if many
such instances did not occur ; for even if the underclay
were the natural and original site of the plant, speci-

PAPER ON UNDERCLA VS.

mens must have boon occasionally washed out of their
first position, and deposited in some superior ])ed at the
time of formiiiq-. . . .

" "When it is coiisidenHl that, in so wide a districit of
country al»ouiidinj^ in toal, there is not a seam which is
not immediately underlaid l>y a bed wholly monopolized
by these peculiar vegetable organic remains, it is imi)os-
sible to avoid the inference that some essential and
necessary connection exists between the production of
the one and the existence of the other. To account for
the unfailing combination by drift, seems an unsatisfac-
tory hypothesis; but whatever may be the mutual
dependence of the phenomena, they give us reasonable
grounds to suppose that in the Sligmaria Ficuides we
have the plant to which the earth is mainly indebted
for those vast stores of fossil fuel which are now so
indispensable to the comfort and prosperity of its inha-
bitants."''^

At the time when Logan's paper on underclays was
written, the plant known as Sligmaria was little under-
stood as to its precise nature and affinities. Its branches,
which are among the most abundant fossils of the coal-
measures, present round depressed spots, or areolos,
arranged in spiral order, and when the interior structure
is preserved, they show a central axis of fibrous textnro
(scolariform fibres), surrounded by a thick cellular bark,
and this enclosed in a dense rind or outer bark. The
organs attached to the areoles of the surface are very
long, cylindrical, soft bodies, about a quarter of an inch
in thickness, whether roots or leaves, radiating in all

* Transactions of the Geological Society of London, VI., p. 491.

(liroctioi

articulat

removed

presente

from wh

hifurcati

the delii

organs a

of their

tendency

vented tl

low orga

thus to ]

organizat

lagoons, 1

to form a

kinds of \

ill Europi

SIOILLA

Was funci
trunks of

STTGMARTA.

directions, an attached to the bran(,'h by a distinct
iirtitulation, leaving a clean S(^n,r where they have ])een
removed. When complete specimens were found th«^y
l)resented a central cylindrical or dome-shaped mass,
IVoni which the branches were given olF by a regular
l)ifurcation. At lirst the regularity of these bodies and
the definite arrangement and true articulation of the
organs attached to them seemed to negative the idea
of their being roots, while the fibrous structures and
tendency to exogenous growth in the branches pre-
vented them from being regarded as aquatic plants of
low organization. The tendency among botanists was
thus to regard Stigmaria as an aquatic i)lant of high
organization, which had established itself in jionds or
lagoons, filling these up with its growth, so as ultimately
to form a vegetable deposit which might support other
kinds of vegetation. Later observations, however, both
in Europe and America,=^ have shown that Stigmaria

SIOILLARIA, WITH STIOMARIA ROOTS (SYDNEY), APTEE R. BROWN.

From "Acadian Geology y

Was functionally a root, and that it supported the
trunks of trees known as Sigillarice and Lepidodendra,

* By Biuaey, Brown and Dawson.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1.25

121

■so

2.2

1.4 11 1.5

<>^

Iff ORTGTN OF COAL.

and their allies, which are the most common trees of the
coal period, and out of whose debris the greater part of
the coal was formed. Under the microscope the coal
itself has revealed the structures of Sigillaricc and other
trees having Sligmaria roots^^, while the leaves and
other aerial parts of such trees have been found in
abundance in the shales forming the roofs of the coal-
beds. Numbers of erect trees occur with their roots
fixed in the coal-beds, and other beds of sandstone or
shale have been found to contain erect trees of the
Sigillaria type, with their roots fixed in Sligmaria
underclays, which thus not only support coal-beds, but
sometimes fossil forests, which did not exist sufficiently
long, or in sufficiently favourable circumstances to
produce beds of coal.

Thus the theory of the growth of coal in situ is now
firmly established, and in connection with this we are
in a position to assign due importance to the extensive
swampy flats of the coal-period as favouring its deposit ;
to the protection of these areas from the inroad of sand
and mud by the fringes of Calamites and other reed-
like plants growing along their borders, and to the
character of the dense Sigillaria forests as affording
abundance of fallen trunks, of leaves and fruits,
and of smaller herbaceous vegetation, to promote the
accumulation of beds of vegetable matter more exten-
sive and important than those of any other geological
period.

* Goeppert haa observed these facts in Germany, and Dr. Dawson ha«
described the structures found in about eighty distinct coal-beds of the
coal-field of Nova Scotia in the Journal of the Geological Society, and in
his <' Acadian Geology."

ORIGIN OF COAL.

Some points still remain open to discussion. Accord-
ing to Dr. Dawson, an undue importance has been
attached by certain observers to the spore-cases found in
cortain layers of coal, whereas cortical or bark tissues in
general, including those of spores or spore-cases, should
bo credited with the greater part of the material of coal.
The exact botanical affinities of the Sigillari(c are still
in some doubt, and though these trees have borne the
principal part in coal accumulation, there is also much
to be attributed to Catamites, Lepidodendra, furns and
other plants of the period.

All these subjects have been fully discussed by Dr.
Dawson in his various papers, and in his " Acadian
Geology," to which the reader is referred.

CIIArTETl VI

CANADA REVISITED.

THOUGH for so many years resident in Great
Britain, I^ogan never lost his interest in lii.s
native country. While in London he was Vice-
President of the Canada Club, and he always kept
himself informed with regard to the political move-
ments and commerce of tlic colony. Now that geology
had become his favourite i)ursuit, he longed to scan
with critical eye the rocks over which he had climbed
as a boy ; and accordingly, being free from business
engagements, he set sail from Liverpool in August.
1840. Among his fellow-passengers on the steamship
" Acadia " were Sir George Seymour, Sir Joseph Copley,
Lt.-Colonel Balfour of the Guards, and several other
military men ; also, the late Mr. John Greenshields, of
Montreal.

The daily incidents of the voyage were duly chron-
icled by Logan in his journal ; but as nothing of
special interest occurred, we extract only what is said
of the 15th. of August, the day on which the vessel
arrived at Halifax : —

1840.]

ON SHIPBOARD.

" Up at six. I got a sight of the land. The place is
supposed to be Garsons Point [?]. But now, after break-
fast, the weather has got as thick as mustard, and
we cannot see 100 yards from the ship. We are firing
guns and ringing our bell, the lirst to attract a pilot, if
there is one within hearing, and the other to keep off
a vessel which we approached rather closely a few
minutes ago.

" At 10 i\.m. we supposed ourselves to be off Halifax
Harbour, and Kept firing occasional guns until dinner
time, the fog continuing very thick, and damping the
spirits of us all, as well as our clothes. When the
clergyman commenced asking a blessing at dinner, a
shot was iired on deck from a twelve-pounder, which
rather disconcerted him. He, however, did not forget
to pray, among other things, for the removal of the
impediment offered to the termination of our voyage ;
and no sooner had he uttered the request than our shot
was replied to by two from the shore. When the
clergyman sat down he instanced the fact as exhibiting
the influence of prayer.

" Before we had finished dinner another shot from us
was replied to, and shortly afterwards we heard the
sound of a pilot's horn. The boatswain then got a
musket, and fired away in reply to the horn, and the
horn sounded in replication to the musket, gradually
approaching all the while, until at length a couple of
small sails emerged from the mist and showed us the
boat, dimly visible at first, but at length sufficiently
distinct to exhibit two men. The boat soon got along-
side, and the pilot sprang on deck. I never saw such

ARRIVAL AT HALIFAX.

[1840.

a regular built Dutch figure that did not speak the
language of Holland. The first thing he did was to
tell us our head was pointing the right way, and that
all we had to do was to paddle on. In live minutes wo
got out of the fog, which we found to be, after all, but a
partial one, extending across the mouth of the harbour
like a wall ; and when we had done so we found our-
selves close to Sam])ro Lighthouse, not more than two
miles from the land, and about fifteen from Halifax.

"All our steam was put on, and we shot up the
harbour like a dart, passing rocks of granite on each
side, and fortification after fortification. At length,
approaching the lower end of the town, we were
saluted by cheers from assembled thousands, and from
every wharf in succession, until we swung round to the
wharf of our destination, alongside of which we were
soon placed, after smashing our figure-head against a
wooden building, which was very nearly carried away
by the shock.

" I suppose it was about half-past seven or eight
o'clock when we became stationary, but I forgot to look
at my watch for the purpose of ascertaining. Then
came a great bustle, as we heard the vessel was to start
again for Boston in two hours, and that the mail for
Pictou and Quebec would be ofT in less time still.
Where the coach-office was, or what was to be done to
get a place, or whether there were any places, or places
enough for those who wished to go the Pictou way,
were questions to which we could get no satisfactory
answers, and I began to debate whether it would not
be safer to go by way of Boston. Having, however, in

1840.]

HALIFAX TO PICTOU.

a short time, thanks to Mr. ])obloi.s, and his nephew,
who came on board to see him, obtained the requisite
information, I secured a phice to go by Pictou. I put
my baggage into a truck, loft the ship, and proceeded to
the coach-office, where 1 paid je2 5s. for my seat, and 7s.
for my baggage, over forty pounds weight. "

Forty years have elapsed since the occurrences of
which we write, and now great ocean steamers ply up
and down the beautiful harbour of Halifax almost
unnoticed. There are no cheering thousands on the
piers, for steamers have ceased to be a novelty; no
eager multitude looking for the monthly mails from
Europe. Now there are almost daily mails from conti-
nent to continent, and silent messages pass and repass
along the Atlantic Cable, telling of far-otf events almost
as soon as they have transpired.

At nine o'clock on the evening of his arrival at
Halifax, Logan left for Pictou. Crossing the harbour in
a small boat, he found the coach-and-four in readiness
at Dartmouth, and soon began his drive of 100 miles.
"As it was a bright moonlight night," he says, "I
determined to remain outside, in order that I might see
something of the country ; while my companion (Col.
Balfour) determined to stay inside, in order that he might
shut his eyes and have a view of the Land of Nod."
In the morning, shortly before reaching the nllage of
Truro, they met Sir Charles 7itzroy, Governor of Prince
Edward Island, who stopped them in order to obtain
the news. Logan informed him of the death of Lord
Durham, late Governor of Canada, the elevation of
Poulett Thompson to the Peeras^e, and other events in
which he was likely to be interested. A son of Sir

PICTOU TO MONTREAL.

[1840.

George Seymour aocomi>anied the Governor, and was
gratified by hearing of hi.s father's safe arrival at
Halifax.

From Pictou to Quebec, I^ogan's journey was con-
tinued on board the steamer "TTnicorn," which he
recognized as one which had formerly plied between
Liverpool and Glasgow. Arriving at Quebec on the
afternoon of the 19th., he remained there but a few
hours, and then left by the steamer "Canada" for
Montreal, which was reached at five o'clock on th«
afternoon of the following day. Those who are familiar
with the journey from Quebec to Montreal, and with
the swift and commodious steamers by which it is now
performed, will read with interest the following extract
from Logan's journal of 1840 : —

*'Aug. 19//t. ... At 7 pm. embarked on board the
" Canada," which is said to be one of the best steamboats
on the river. It has a boiler and cylinder for each
wheel, and there is no connecting spindle between the
wheels ; so that they revolve independently of each
othero The beam of each engine is above the deck, and
the two bob up and down in the most independent
style, without any regard to regularity. One was
going twenty strokes, while the other did not exceed
eighteen per minute. We took a large barge in tow,
and stopped alongside of a couple of brigs for the
purpose of taking on board a lot of Irish and Scotch
emigrants. I understand that 20,000 have come out
this year. "Wo got fairly away at nine o'clock, just as
the evening gun was fired from the sloop-of-war, which
is in port. The engines being on each side of the boat,

l^^-^

■^ I

Sj^V

AURIVAL AT MOJ^TREAL,

[l840

the centro i>art is loft froo for ('ii]>iiis for passengers, and
for spare to hold rargo.

"Just as the boat pfot under way a most beautiful
aurora borealis wjik <lisi>layed. The coruscations iirst
shot uj) vertically from one point, and then spread in
the form of a broad, irregular arch across the sky. One
extremily of the arch afterwards folding round, it
assumed the shape of a magnificent ostrich plume ;
and from this as a base there ultimately shot up into
the zenith a multitude of vertical lines, fading as th^y
rose. The whole mass at length diffused into a volumi-
nous cloud, and by degrees vanished.

"ilwi,'-. 10th. . . . We went down to dinner at four
o'clock, and when I returned on deck, lo and behold!
there we were just by the ship-yard (at Montreal), with
a brewery on one side of it and a foundry on the other.
The current ran as fast as it used to ; but the town
appeared to me shorter and more crowded than of yore
T took the Bonsecours Church for some new one, which
I fancied had been built in the middle of the Quebec
Suburbs. The grand new Catholic Church produced a
magnificent effect, towering as it did above all the
houses of the town. . . .

"The first person I saw on the wharf was John
Molson — looking just the same as ever. There were
multitudes of calashes (the hackney coaches of the
district) on the wharf, and Molson got one for me, in
w^hich I drove to Miss Dupircr's to look for James.
When I got there I found that he had gone to look for
me ; so I sallied forth again to look for him, but did not
proceed twenty yards from the door when I met him

1840.]

A JOl^RNEY TO MAINE.

7»

turning the corner of the street, and looking as thin
am a \vhipping-i>ost."

On thiH his return to his native city, there were many
old friends and many old haunts to be visited. The
stores of ] [art Logan & Co., on St. vSacrament Street and
at Pointe a Calliere, the old farm, where a new house=^^
of stone was now being erected in the place of the
old one of wood, the Natural History Museum, on
St. James Street, the mineralogical collection of Dr.
Holmes, the Lachine Canal — these and many other
places he wished to sec. But more important still,
there were many rocks to be examined. Accompanied
})y his l)roth<;r James, frequent geological excursions
wore made to various points in the vicinity of the city,
and the relations of the stratified and eruptive rocks of
the region studied. In this way a fortnight was plea-
santly spent, and then he set out on a journey to the
State of Maine, the object of which appears to have
been to examine lands in which some of his friends
were interested. The journey occupied several w^eeks,
and was indeed a rough one, giving him a foretaste of
the kind of life through which he was subsequently to
pass for many years.

There was then no Victoria Bridge, and not even a
steam-ferry to Longueuil. A steam-ferry had, it is true,
been tried, but had not proved a success, and now the
river was crossed by a horse-boat, which, owing to the
swiftness of the current, required fifteen horses for
its propulsion. From Longueuil Logan proceeded to

* This house subsequently became Sir William'i) residence, and was
known as " fiockfield,"

A SEARCH FOR TIN.

[1841).

Sherbrooko })y coach, and learning hern I hat at a moun-
tain known jis the Carhunch?, not very far oil', a vein of
tin ore had been discovered, he determined to visit the
locality, in order to awcertain whether there was any
truth in the reports. " I left Sherbrooke," says his
journal, " in a sinj^le-waggon at twelve, and pasM'd
over an undulating country of slate to Hops' tavern, at
the upper end of Brompton Lake, where we arrived at
two p.m. . . .

"About four p.m. we started, Hops, the driver, and
myself, in a canoe made out of the trunk of a tree, and
wont down a small stream, still and deep, for five or six
miles, and then came upon a lake, along the shore of
which we continued our course. As we proceeded
down the brook we raised a couple of dut'ks, but the
driver, who had brought with him a long single-
barrelled gun, could not get a shot at them. On the
lake we heard the cry of an aquatit* bird, which my
friends informed me was a loon, and we came in
sight of two of them ; but they seemed A^ery shy, as
they dived and made off the moment they saw us
approaching, while yet a long way off and wholly out
of reach of shot. Their cry was very like a laugh, and
it seemed to be a laugh at my friend the driver's gun.

" Just as it was getting dusk, we reached the shore of
the lake at the point most convenient to make our
ascent of the silver mountain, and, after securing the
canoe, we hastened to find a spot convenient for
camping on. This we discovered at a few rods from
the shore, and immediately Hops proceeded to cut
down some dry timber to get up a fire. Log after log

184".]

ALL NOT TIN THAT (i LITTERS.

wiw lieapcd iip; and vt;ry shortly we had u blaze Kiiffi-
ciiMit to roaHt not one ox, but a dozen of them. Hops
(oiitinuod to ply his axe, at whi«h ho seemed very
expert, and, having secured a sulHcient quantity of soft
vvoml, he cut down also a supply of maple and other
hard woods to give the lire durability. This done, a
quantity of hemlock boughs were sti'ewn upon the
moss near the lire, and we then quickly made ourselves
a home for the night. We had no ceiling but the
branches of the trees above us and the canopy of
heaven; and as this canopy was a clear, bright blue,
i.pangled with many stars, and illumijied by the moon,
without a cloud to show a chance of rain, we were
content. Hops had brought some buckwheat cake, and
when work was done his basket was produced, but I
could not manage the cake. It seeme<i to me a cake of
sand. So I rolled myself up in my mackintosh, and
tried to sleep. But the wolves liowled about us in all
directions ; so we sat up again, and began a set of
stories and anecdotes about wolves and bears, which
was quite enlivening. However, we became quiet by
degrees, and dropjjed off to sleep, one after another. . . .
The wolves howled all night long, but I slept pretty
well notwithstanding, and when I awoke felt myself
quite ready for our ascent. We started from our camp,
and came upon a sort of path among the trees, which
led us over fallen trunks and stones, and all kinds of
entanglement and confusion, to the Carbuncle. No
sooner did I put my eyes on some small pieces of the
ore, than the tin turned out to be copper. Grreen
carbonate and yellowish sulphuret are the kinds of

A QUEBEC HOTEL.

[l840.

ore, but the lode does not seem worth working. . . .
After examining all we could at the loot of the rock, we
went round and attained its summit, clambering over
mosr grown prostrate trunks, and moss-grown frag-
ments of the rock itself; and from thence we had a
magnificent view of the lake and the surrounding
forest-covered hills. A mist was rising from the lake,
but gradually cleared off, and we saw that other mists
were rising from other lakes in the distance. One
hovered over Massawippi, and one over Magog. 1 laving
supplied myself with specimens of the ore and of the
rock of the mountain, we returned the way we came,
visiting on the route a couple of small islands in the
lake, one of which consisted almost wholly of serpen-
tine, studded with oxydulated iron in crystals. Both
were covered with a most delicious blueberry, on which
I made my breakfast."

Fromi Sherbrooke Logan continued his journey in
gigs, carts, and waggons of every description ; or
where no vehicles were obtainable, on horseback, or
even on foot. Having finally reached his destination
in Maine, about the 20th. of September, and examined
the lands which he had gone to see there, he returned
by a different route, which brought him out to the St.
Lawrence at Point Levis, opposite Quebec Not know-
ing the hotels at the latter place, he requested the
boatman with whom he crossed the river to conduct
him to a good one, and was taken to the " Montreal, '
w^hich the boatman said was " the best auherge in
Quebec." In this opinion he did not long share ; for,
on entering, he sa\7 that the guests were chiefly pilots

1840-11.] INTEUESTING INVESTIGATIONS.

and tiailors from srhooners. On wishing to retire for
the night, he was shown into a room in which there
were five beds, all of which, except one, which had
been reserved for him, already had two occupants,
sufficiently drunk to be in a mood for fighting. So
noisy were they, in fact, that the people of the house
soon threatened to call in the police, and Logan began
to fear that he might be lodged in Quebec jail as one of
the brawlers. " On getting up in the morning," he
says, " daylight showed me a rare pig-sty of a house,
which I made all haste to quit."=^

Having returned to Montreal, he went in the follow-
ing month to examine the effects of a land-slide, which
had occurred a few months before on the River
Maskinonge, below Montreal. The winter of 1840-41
was spent in Canada, and it was then that he made a
study of the j)henomena connected with the annual
freezing over of the St. Lawrence. The facts obtained
with reference to this subject and the landslide were
afterwards embodied in an admirable paper which he
read before the Geological Society of London in 1842,
and much of which we reproduce here, as few have
ready access to the original paper. It shows that he
had become not only a careful and accurate observer,
but also knew how to state clearly the results of
his observations. Some years after, when George
Stephenson, the engineer, undertook the construction

* It was during tliis trip to Maine that Logan's attention was first drawn
to the serpentines of the Eastern Townships. While at Quebec, also, he
went over to Point Levis, and made his first examiuatioa of the rocks
there.

LOGAN ON FACKINO OF ICE.

[l841.

of Victoria Bridge across tho St. Lawrence, he is
said to have obtained many useful hints from Logan's
investigations, to which his attention was probably
drawn through the Report of Mr. Thomas Kccfer
on the Bridging of the St. Lawrence (1853). In
recommending what he considered as the best site
for a bridge, Keefer supported his arguments by the
observations of Logan, and Stephenson seems to have
fully recognized the force of what they had both
written on the subject.

■ V ;■■;!

On the Packing of Ice in the St. Lawrence,
AND ON A Landslide in the Valley of the
Maskinonge.^

[Read June 1 5th., 1842.]

" The island of Montreal stands at the confluence of
the Rivers Ottawa and St. Lawrence, and is the largest
of several islands splitting up these mighty streams,
which cannot bo said to be thoroughly mingled until
they have descended some miles below the whole
cluster. The rivers first come in contact in a consid-
erable sheet of water called Lake St. Louis, which
separates the upper part of the island of Montreal
from the southern main. But though the streams here
touch, they do not mingle. The waters of the St
Lawrence, which are beautifully clear and transparent |
keep along the southern shore, while those of the

♦Quart. Journal of the Geological {Society of Loudon, Vol. ii. )846,
p. 422.

LOGAN ON PACKING OF ICE.

Ottawa, of a darker aspect, though by no means turbid,
wash the banks of the island ; and the contrast of
colour they present strongly marks their line of contact
for many miles.

"Lake St. Louis is, at the widest part, about six miles
broad, with a length of twelve miles. It gradually
narrows towards the lower end, and the river, as it
issues from it, becoming compressed into the space of
half a mile, rushes with great violence down the
Rapids of Lachine, and, although the stream is known
to be upwards of eight feet deep, it is thrown into
huge surges of nearly as many feet high as it passes
over its rocky bottom, which at this spot is composed
of layers of trap extending into floors that lie in succes-
sive steps.

"At the termination of this cascade the river expands
to a breadth of four miles, and flows gently on, until it
becomes cramped up by islands and shallows opposite
the city of Montreal. . From Windmill Point and Point
St. Charles, above the town, several ledges of rock,
composed of trap, lying in floors, which in seasons of
low water are not much below the surface, shoot out
into the stream about 1,000 yards ; and similar layers,
pointing to these, come out from Longueuil on the
opposite shore. In the narrow channel between them,
the water, rushing with much force, produces the
Sault Normand, and cooped up a little lower down by
the island of St. Helen and several projecting patches
of trap, it forms St. Mary's Current.

" The interval between St. Helen and the south shore
is greater than that between it and Montreal ; but the

LOGAN ON PACKING OF ICE.

former is so floored and crossed by hard trap .ocks that
the St. Lawrence has as yet produced but little effect
in wearing them down, while in the latter it has cut
out a channel between thirty and forty feet deep,
through which the chief part of its waters rush with a
velocity equal to six miles per hour. It is computed
that by this channel alone upwards of a million of tons
flow past the town every minute.

" Between this point and Lake St. Peter, about fifty
miles down, the river has an average breadth of two
miles, and, proceeding in its course with a moderate
current, accelerated or retarded a little according to the
presence or absence of shoals, it enters the lake hy a
multitude of channels cut through its delta, and form-
ing a group of low, flat, alluvial islands.

" The frosts commence about the end of November, and
a margin of ice of some strength soon forms along the
shores of the river, and around every island and project-
ing rock in it ; and wherever there is still water it is
immediately cased over. The wind, acting on this
glacial fringe, breaks off portions in various parts, and
these, proceeding down the stream, constitute a moving
border on the outside of the stationary one, which,
as the intensity of the cold increases, is continually
augmented by the adherence of the ice-sheets which
have been coasting along it ; and as the stationary
border thus robs the moving one, this still further]
outflanks the other, until in some part the margius
from the opposite shores nearly meeting, the floating I
ice becomes jammed up between them, and a night of I
severe frost forms a bridge across the river. The first!

LOGAN ON PACKING OF ICE.

ice-bridge below Montreal is usually Ibrmed at the
entrance of the river into Lake St. Peter, where the
many channels into which the stream is split up greatly
assist the process.

"As soon as this winter barrier is thrown across
(generally towards Christmas), it of course rapidly
increases by stopping the progress of the downward-
floating ice, which has by this time assumed a character
of considerable grandeur, nearly the whole surface of
the stream being covered with it ; and the quantity is
so great that to account for the supply, many, unsatisfied
with the supposition of a marginal origin, have recourse
to the hypothesis that a very large portion is formed on
and derived from the bottom of the river, where rapid
currents exist. But whatever its origin, it now moves
in solid and extensive fields, and wherever it meets
with an obstacle in its course, the momentum of the
mass breaks up the striking part into huge fragments
that pile over one another ; or if the obstacle be station-
ary ice, the fragments are driven under it, and there
closely packed. Beneath the constantly widening ice-
barrier mcsntioned, an enormous quantity is thus driven,
particularly when the barrier gains any position
where the current is stronger than usual. The
augmented force with which the massifs there move,
pushes and packs so much below, that the space left
for the river to How in is greatly diminished, and
the consequence is a perceptible rise of the waters
above, which, indeed, from th«^ very first taking of
the bridge, gradually and slowly increase for a consid-
erable way up.

li. .

LOGAN' OiV PACKING OF ICE.

" There is no place on the St. Lawrence where all the
phenomena of the taking, packing, and shoving of the
ice are so grandly displayed as in the neighbourhood of
Montreal. The violence of the currents is here so
great, and the river in some places expands to such a
width, that whether we consider the prodigious extent
of the masses moved, or the force with which they are
propelled, nothing can afford a more majestic spectacle,
or impress the mind more thoroughly with a sense of
irresistible power. Standing for hours together upon
the bank overlooking St. Mary's Current, I have seen
league after league of ice crushed and broken against
the barrier lower down, and there submerged and
crammed beneath ; and when we reflect that an opera-
tion similar to this occurs in several parts from Lake St.
Peter upwards, it will not surprise us that the river
should fi^radually swell. By the time the ice hais
become stationary at the loot of St. Mary's Current, the
the waters of the St. Lawrence have usually risen
several feet in the harbour of Montreal, and as the
space through which the current flows affords a deep
and narrow passage for nearly the whole body of the
river, it may well be imagined that when the packing
here begins, the inundation rapidly increases. The
confined nature of this part of the channel affords a
more ready resistance to the progress of the ice, while
the violence of the current brings such an abundant
supply, and packs it with so much force, that the river,
dammed up by the barrier, which in many places
reaches to the bottom, attains in the harbour a height
usually twenty, and sometimes twenty-six feet above

LOGAN ON PACKING OF ICE.

its summer level ; and it is not uncommon between
this point and the foot of the current, within the
distance of a mile, to see a difference in elevation of
several feet, which undergoes many rapid changes, the
water ebbing or flowing according to the amount of
impediment they meet with in their progress from
submerged ice.

" It is at this period that the grandest movements of
the ice occur. From the effect of packing and piling,
and the accumulation of the snows of the season, the
saturation of these with water, and the freezing of the
whole into a solid body, it attains the thickness of ten
to twenty feet, and even more ; and after it has become
fixed as far as the eye can reach, a sudden rise in the
water, occasioned no doubt in the manner mentioned,
lifting up a wide expanse of the whole covering of the
river, so high as to free and start it from the many
points of rest and resistance offered by the bottom,
where it had been packed deej) enough to touch it, the
vast mass is set in motion by the whole hydraulic
power of this gigantic stream. Proceeding onward
with a truly terrific majesty, it piles up over every
obstacle it encounters ; and when forced into a narrow
part of the channel, the lateral pressure it there exerts
drives the bordage up the banks, where it sometimes
accumulates to the height of forty or fifty feet. In
front of the town of Montreal there has lately been
built a magnificent rev^tement wall of cut limestone to
the height of twenty-three feet above the summer level
of the river. This wall is now a great protection
against the effects of the ice. Broken by it, the ice

LOGAN ON PACKING OF ICE.

piles on the street or terrace surmounting it, and there
stops ; but before the wall was built, the sloping bank
guided the moving mass up to those of gardens and
houses in a very dangerous ma:iner, and many accidents
used to occur. It has been known to pi] 3 up against
the side of a house more than two hundred feet from
the margin of the river, and there break in at tho
windows of the second floor. I have seen it mount a
terrace garden twenty feet above the bank, and crossing
the garden enter one of the principal streets of the
town. A few years before the erection of the rev6te-
ment wall, a friend of mine, tempted by the commercial
advantages of the position, ventured to build a largo
cut-stone warehouse, 180 feet long and four or livo
stories high, closer than usual upon the margin of the
harbour. The ground-floor was not more than eight
feet above the summer level of the river. At the taking
of the ice, the usual rise of the water of course inun-
dated the lower story, and the whole building becoming
surrounded by a frozen sheet, a general expectation
was entertained that it would be })rostrated by the first
movement. But the proprietor had taken a very simple
and effectual precaution to prevent this. Just before
the rise of the waters, he securely laid against three
sides of the building, at an angle of less than 45°, a
number of stout oak logs, a few feet asunder. "When
the movement came, the sheet of ice was broken and
pushed up the wooden inclined plane thus formed, at
the top of which, meeting the wall of the building, it
was reflected into a vertical position, and falling back,
in this manner such an enormous rampart of ice was Id j

LOGAN ON PACKING OF ICE.

a few minutes placed in front of the warehouse, as
completely shielded it from all possible danger. In
some years the ice has piled up nearly as high as the
roof of this building. Another gentleman, encouraged
by the security which this warehouse apparently
enjoyed, erected one of great strength and equal
magnitude on the next water lot, but he omitted to
protect it in the same way. The result might have been
anticipated. A movement of the ice occurring, the great
sheet struck the walls at right angles, and pushed over
the building as if it had been a house of cards. Both
positions are now secured by the rev^tement wall.

"Several movements of the grand order just mentioned
occur before the final setting of the ice, and each is
immediately preceded by a sudden rise of the river.
Sometimes several days, and occasionally but a few
hours, will intervene between them ; and it is fortunate
that there is a criterion by which the inhabitants are
made aware when the ice may be considered at rest for
the season, and when it has therefore become safe for
them to cut their winter roads across its rough and
pinnacled surface. This is never the case until a longi-
tudinal opening of considerable extent appears in some
part of St. Mary's Current. It has embarrassed many
to give a satisfactory reason why this rule, derived from
the experience of the peasantry, should be depended on.
But the explanation is extremely simple. The opening
is merely an indication that a free sub-gla(3ial passage
has been made for itself by the water, through the
combined influence of erosion and temperature, the
effect of which, where the current is strongest, has been

•

iii^'' '

1 ':..

LOGAN ON PACKING OF TCE.

sufficient to wear throuffh to the surface. The forma-
tion of this passage shows the cessation of a supply of
submorg-ed ico, and a consequent security against any
further rise of the river to loosen its covering for any
further movement. The opening is ^hus a true mark of
safety. It lasts the whole winter, never freezing over,
even when the temperature of the air reaches 30'^ below
zero of Fahrenheit ; from its first appearance the waters
of the inundation gradually subside, escaping through
the channel of which it is the index. The waters
seldom or never, however, fall so low as to attain their
summer level ; but the subsidence is sufficiently great
to demonstrate clearly the prodigious extent to which
the ice has been packed, and to show that over great
occasional areas it has reached to the very bottom of
the river. For it will immediately occur to everyone,
that when the mass rests on the bottom its height will
not be diminished by the subsidence of the water, and
that as this proceeds, the ice, according to the thickness
which it has in various parts attained, will present
various elevations after it has found a resting-place
beneath, until just so much is left supported by the
stream as is sufficient to permit its free escape. When
the subsidence has attained its maximum, the trough
of the St. Lawrence therefore exhibits a glacial lands-
cape, undulating into hills and valleys that run in
various directions, and while some of the principal
mounds stand upon a base of five hundred yards in
length, by a hundred or two in breadth, they present a
height of ten to fifteen feet above the level of those
parts supported on the water. ...

LANDSLIP ON THE MASKINOmiH

"The country to a oonsidorahlc tlistan<'e on both })anks
ol' the St, Lawrenc(% from Montreal to Lake St. Peter,
and even to (Quebec, is very level, and it is in general
covered with a deep and highly levigated deposit of
argillaceous, arenaceous and calcareous matter, the
constituents of which vary in their proportions in
different localities. This deposit rests upon a shallow
trough of black shale and black and grey limestone,
the fossils of which are paheozoic, and resemble those
figured as belonging to the Lower Silurian rocks of
Britain. This trough is bounded on the N. W. side by
a range of moderately elevated granitit; and syenitic
hills, which rise up without tilting or much disturbing
the limestone, and follow the river all the way to
Quebec ; and from below the limestone on the S. E.
there crops a hard quartzose conglomerate, succeeded
by a formation of pyritiferous clay slate, with a cleavage
cutting the layers of deposit in a N. E. and S. W.
direction, which is that of their general strike. The
bounding rocks on both sides of the trough present a
surface undulating into hill and dale, and those on the
S. E. give rise to a picturesque country, very much
resembling some of the slate counties of Wales. The
plains between them covering the trough constitute
the valley of the St. Lawrence, and may occupy a
breadth of forty miles, and the nature of the material of
which they are composed renders it impossible to
conceive a region more fitted for the purposes of
agriculture.

" Between Montreal and Lake St, Peter, the plains on
the south side of the river do not appear to attain the

LASDSLIP ON THE MASKINONajH

olevatioii they oxlirbit on the N. W. Oicasionally so
low, close by the marj:^jti of the stream on both sides,
as to allow the formation of marshi'K, th(» banks in
general present a height of twenty to thirty feet above
the level of the water; but on the N. AV. side, and
ranging with the river, at a distance varying from one
to six miles from the water's edge, there occurs a
sudden upward step in the land of about 100 feet,
forming an elevated terrace between tliis point and the
granitic country already mentioned, which rises up in
another step, and though undulating in the interior,
has a general additional elevation of 200 to 300 feet.

"The terrace at the foot of the granitic step has a very
even surface over a great area, slightly modified in a
few places by the protrusion of the underlying lime-
stone through the soft deposit of which it is composed.
It is chiefly, however, in the beds of the rivers which
cross the plain in their course to the St. Lawrence that
the limestone strata are visible ; and some of these
tributaries, dashing downi the side of the granitic step,
cut at once into the terrace below, very nearly to the
level of the main stream, and winding through the
deposit in question, show it to possess considerable
depth. When any tributary has excavated so deep a
passage, the banks are occasionally subject to landslips,
sometimes of a very serious character, and having
visited the scene of one on the banks of the Maski-
nonge, it appears to me worthy of particular notice.

" The waters of the Maskinonge take their rise in a
chain of mountains to the N. W., and passing through
a series of small lakes, fall into one about nine miles in

being aboi
inferred fi
high, and
right ban!
tioned,

"On the
were yet i

LANDSLTP ON THE MASh'JNONGE.

lie

^le

)3,

a
liu

(•ircumf«'renre, b('arin«^ the samo name. Issuing thence,
thi-y How throuij^h about twelve miles of country
iR'lbro they an? pretipituted in a beautiful cuscadfj
down the side of the granitic step on to the plain at its
foot. Making a deep section into this, they wash bare
the outcrop of Kornt^ limestone strata, which exhibit a
gentle dip of 3" to 4° southward , and from this i)oint
to the mouth of the tributary at the head of Lakt; St.
Peter, there is very little fall, with th(? exception of a
spot six miles below the <ascade, where there is an
accumulation of large boulders, evidently derived from
the granite further up. At this spot, a mill dam across
the stream occasions a fall of about fifteen feet, which,
with a very small addition, will represent the whole
amount of descent in the river from the granite hills to
the lake receiving it, a distance of twelve miles.

"The general course of the river is from N. W. to S. E.,
with, however, a few meanderings. Where the land-
slip occurred, about nine miles below the cascade, the
stream is from ten to twenty yards wide. Flowing
nearly south, it suddenly turns to the west, and
running in that direction for about 700 yards, it again
turns direct south. The valley in which it winds its
wa} is of uniform breadth, the summit of the banks
being about 200 yards apart. The banks, as may be
inferred from what has been said, are about 120 feet
high, and the landslip in question took place on the.
right bank, in the middle of the western turn men-
tioned.

" On the 4th. of April, 1840, while the snows of winter
were yet upon the ground, about eight o'clock in the

"j(;

LANDSLIP ON THE MASKINONGE.

morning, the inmates of the farm-houses on the spot
were alarmed by the agitation of their wooden dwell-
ings, and looking from the windows, became aware
from changes in the relative positions of the trees in
the neighbourhood, that the ground on which they
stood was in motion. They, of course, quitted their
homes with precipitation, and lied in great terror to
rouse the country around, and the confusion and dread
which the event occasioned while in progress, disabled
the population from making very accurate observations
of the phajnomena with which it was accompanied;
but from an examination and survey of the spot after it
had happened, and such accounts as I could collect, it
would seem that a mass of the soft deposit, covering
the solid rocks, about 200 yards wide and 700 yards
long, but how deep is uncertain, slipped out of the
bank endways towards the river. This was followed
in quick succession, at intervals of a few minutes, by
four others, occupying with the first an area of about
eighty-four acres, of an irregular form, somewhat
resembling the section of a long-necked flask, the
whole length of which was 1,300 yards, and the
widest part, removed a considerable way back from
the river, was 600. The contents of this huge trough,
consisting of a marly clay, slipped out at the long,
narrow spout where the movement began, crossed the
river, struck the opposite bank, and splitting into two
parts, one-half proceeded up the stream about three-
quarters of a mile, the other an equal distance down,
and thus c( mpletely blocked up the valley for half a
league. The whole operation was completed in about

LANDSLIP ON TILE MASKINONGE.

thr«M' hours, and for a considerablo, time after it began
tho surface of great patches of the moving mass con-
tinued unbroken. More than half the amount was
covered with line sugar-maple trees, and these for the
most part travelled in an erect position on the surface
of the earthy diduge, as it poured both ways through
the valley ; but occasionally a tree or two in different
pku'i's would be prostrated, and a few, caught below,
were crushed and engulfed. Two farmsteads w^ere
carried away, and though the people escaped, horses,
cows and sheep were not so fortunate. Those remain-
ing shut up in the stables perished with them, as the
houses one after another were crushed and sunk in
A'arious places. But of the poultry, two hens, and also
a cock that was heard to crow most lustily as the
mansion in which he was cooped up sailed along, were
found alive after the event.

" The masses that blocked up the valley travelled with
a height of about sixty feet, and while their surface was
slightly culminated, the front of each terminated in a
blunt point projecting in the middle and lower part.
As these great double-acting i^loughshares were pro-
pelled along, they turned up the soft mud from the
bed of the river, casting it on the bank on each side;
and the stench which arose during the operation,
caused pro- bly by the disengagement of sulphuretted
hydrogen from the decaying vegetables displaced, was
so utterly intolerable, that no one could approach the
river to within 100 yards. "Where the first mass struck
the opposite bank, the height it attained was seventy-
five feet, and from this the culminating ridges gradually

LANDSLIP ON THE MASKINONG£,

recurred until they gained a position in the middle of
the valley, gradually lowering also until they reached
the height of sixty feet, as above mentioned.

" No sooner was the valley thus blocked up than the
water above the impediment began to rise. Houses,
logs and planks, and indeed everything composed of
wood, were set afloat for nine miles up, being as far as
the granite hills. But it was two days before the lake
thus formed attained a sufficient height to overtop the
obstacle. The water first found an escape by the
gulley, between the original bank on the left and the
slope on the east side of the culminated impeding mass,
making a slight detour where favoured by a depression
through a wood round the point where the launch first
struck the bank in question ; and its erosive action
thus put into operation was sufficient, in the course of
six months, to carry away nearly the whole of the clay
lodged in the valley. The quantity must have been
several millions of tons ; and in the month of October
so much had been swept into Lake St. Peter, that the
Maskinonge above the slip was then not more than ten
feet beyond its ordinary depth.

" Though the surface of the great area disturbed
remained for some time unbroken after the general
movement began, it gradually sunk as this continued,
and at the period I saw the place, in the subsequent
autumn, the bottom of the chasm was thirty feet below
the level of the surrounding country, while about 4O0
yards from the river there was a sudden descent of fifteen
feet more, from which the ground sloped gently to tho
water's edge. There was then very little of the original

LANDSLIP ON THE MASKINONGE.

surface to be seen. Here and there was visible a small
grass-covered patch, and occasionally there might be
seen, still entire, twenty or thirty yards of the wooden
fence used in the country for the divisions of property.
Hut nearly the whole area exhibited the greatest confu-
sion, being thrown up into a multitude of parallel clay
hillocks, from three to four feet high. No doubt these
mouixds were occasioned by the pressure of mass
against mass in the direction of motion, at right angles
to which would be their greatest diameter. From the
shape of the mounds, it appeared that the motion of
the landslip must have been down the middle of the
chasm towards the river, and from the sides to the
centre.

" A circumstance connected with the form of the area
affected by the slip appears singular. The ground
moved constituted part of the general plain of the
neighbouring country ; but on all sides of it, with the
exception of the northern extremity, there was a depres-
sion in the surface, between which and the chasm
produced, there remained after the slip a narrow ridge
at the original height, forming a bounding rim to the
cup which the chasm presented. The depression on
the east side was formed by the sloj^e of the right bank
of the river, and an offset or bay of lower land than
the general plain of the country, and on the west by a
(iingJe furnished with a brook. The rim was not
many feet wide on the top, but its parallelism to the
depression was remarkable, and it was only broken
through in one place, where a tributary dingle had
joined the one on the west.

100

LANDSLIP ON THE MASKINONGE.

"It would not be very difficult to prove that there
is scarcely any other mode of satisfactorily accounting
for the movement of this mass of land than its pressure
on an inclined surface, assisted by the action of water
on some bed below. The layers of the deposit itself
appeared all perfectly horizontal : the slip, therefore,
could not have been on one of them. But the dip of
the underlying limestone, wherever I could detect its
appearance for miles around, was precisely in the
direction of the slip, with an inclination of about 4° ;
md although none of it was visible near the spot, I am
persuaded it could not be very deep below the bottom
of the river. It is highly probable that the surface of
one of its beds presented the plain which gave occasion
to the launch. Supposing any boulders to exist at the
bottom of a deposit moved in the manner described, it
is easy to see that parallel grooves and a polish on
surfaces of rock may not, in all cases, be attributable to
the agency of ice, . . ."

AN tl

^ wi

the lirsi

subsequ

in Ame

fi'om M(

the leas

water o(

the full,

about fi

traveller

at Monti

Wakes u

forty ye;

Jl^a prairie
railway ,
^Vhitehal
boat, and
steamer

CHAPTER Til

PENNSYLVANIA AND NOVA SCOTIa.

ON the 11th. of Augviyt, 1841, Logan left Montreal
with the intention of returning to Britain by
the first packet from New York; but his plans were
subsequently changed, and as we shall see, he remained
ill America until the 8th. of October. The journey
h-om Montreal to New York was in those days, to say
the least, a tedious one, and even in summer, when
water communication could be taken advantage of to
the fullest extent, occupied several days, instead of
about fifteen hours, as at present. The luxurious
traveller of to-day enters a " Pullman" or a " "Wagner"
at Montreal in the evening, and the following morning
wakes up in New York ; but look at the journey of
forty years ago : Montreal to Laprairie by boat ;
Laprairie to St John's, on the llichelieu, by wooden
railway , thence by steamer through Lake Champlain to
Whitehall; from Whitehall to the Hudson, by canal-
boat , and, finally, down the Hudson to New York by
steamer No wonder that, with so many changes.

102

MEETS LYELL IN NEW YORK.

[l841.

Logan lost his hat-box. Travelling by canal-boat was a
new experience to him, and afforded him no little
amusement. The "Whitehall Canal, he tells us, was
crossed by a great number of bridges, so low that it
was necessary to look out sharply when on deck
to prevent your head from being knocked off. On
approaching a bridge, the helmsman called out " bridge,"
or sometimes " low bridge," and all on deck were flat in
an instant.

On arriving at New York, Logan, and a pet turtle
which he carried with him, took up their quarters at
the Astor House. This was the fashionable hotel of
the day, and with its proportions and grandeur he was
much astonished. With reference to it, an entry in his
journal says : " It is certainly a most magnificent estab-
lishment. The front and the north side are of granite,
and the building looks more like a palace than a hotel.
To-day there have been 192 arrivals. The number of
my bedroom is 237. I daresay there may be 300 bed-
rooms in the house." Finding that a gentleman with
whom he had business to transact was absent from the
city, he determined to postpone his return to England
until the next packet, and meantime to visit the coal-
fields of Pennsylvania, and, if possible, that of Pictou,
in Nova Scotia. While hurrying along the street,
busied with preparations for his journey to Phila-
delphia, he was not a little surprised at seeing Lyell,
the geologist, who happened at this very time to be
travelling in America. " I had," says the modest
Logan, " a huge inclination to go up and speak to him,
but did not, like a fool as I am. However, I have found

1841.]

AN AOREEABLE INTERVIEW.

103

that he is at the Astor House, and have, therefore,
determined to stop until Monday, and endeavour to
have an interview with him." In this he succeeded,
as will be seen from the following entries in his
journal : —

" Sunday, August \bth. — I met Mr. Lyell in the lobby
this morning, and introduced myself to him. He knows
me very well, I find, and immediately, to my great
gratification, spoke of my interesting (as he termed it)
paper on underclays, and Buckland's confirmation of
my facts. He says he means to notice the paper at
some length in the next edition of his work. He intro-
duced me to Mrs. Lyell, and said he would call at my
room in the course of the day. ... I saw Mr. Lyell
after dinner, and had about an hour's conversation with
him. He considered several of the facts I mentioned
with regard to the changes of quality in our "Welsh
coal-field as very striking and beautiful. I took tea
with him and Mrs. Lyell, who is a most lady-like
person. She is a daughter of Leonard Horner. Mr.
Lyell starts to-morrow morning for Albany. He means
to visit Canada in the spring. He considers the disco-
very that I have made there of fishes' teeth in the
limestone of great importance."

The following day he wrote to his brother James,
telling him of Lyell's intended visit to Canada, and
urging him to make collections of organic remains with
which to delight the great geologist on his arrival.
" Lyell," says the letter, " will be in Montreal some time
in the spring, and if you in your leisure walks will
make a collection of all the organic remains you can for

104 IMPRESSIONS OF PJTTLADELPniA. [i84i.

him, you will not only be serving him, but also the
cause of geology. It is not necessary that a man should
be a geologist to make "a collection. All that you have
to do is to note the locality with some accuracy, and tho
best way to do this is to put a number on the specimen
and a mark on the map of Montreal, of which you can
get a copy at Fabre's. Keep the specimens distinct, so
that no confusion may arise when you come to point
out whence each is derived.

" The shells in the clay should also be collected, and
you should endeavour to ascertain ao nearly as possible
the height of each locality above the level of the water
in the har])our."

Having gratified his desire to meet the distinguished
Lyell, Log u left the following day for Philadelphia,
and in his journal we find the following entry : " At
half-past three reached Philadelphia. The buildings on
the water-side are all of brick. After walking abont
the town for a couple of hours, I iind that one street is
so like another that it is unnecessary to take more
trouble to see the whole. Those I have seen are pro-
bably a good sample of the rest. Chestnut Street
contains the best shops and is the street of the town. It
is the Philadelphia Broadway or Bond Street. The
hotel at which I am is on the said street, and goes by
the title of Congress Hall. It does not, however, seem
to be any better conducted than Congress itself, and is
on the whole rather a shabby aifair. I came to it on
the recommendation of a blackey on l)oard the steam-
boat. I have been to two booksellers' after Sillimaii's
account of the Pennsylvania coal-fields, but cannot find

1841.]

PHILADELPHIA.

105

it. . . . There are in Philadelphia some marble buildings
that look remarkably well. The U. S. Bank is one of
them. . . . The streets in general are not very wide.
They are all at right angles to one another, dividing the
town into rectangular blocks. The town is lighted
with gas, and cuts a respectable figure by night.
Everything, however, is more neat than grand." •

INCLINED PLAIN ON THE PniLADELPniA AND nALTIMOnR RAILWAY,
LOOKING DOWN TOWARDS PniLADELPIIIA.

Loffan's Journal, 1841.

Eager to get a glimpse of the coal-fields, and to ascer-
tain whether the Stigmaria underclays, in which ho
was so much interested, occurred beneath the coal-seams
of Pennsylvania, he hastened on to the Pottsville

106

MAUCn CHUNK.

[l841.

region. Here he spent seA'eral days; but finding the
opportunities of seeing the underclays rather poor,
owing to the galleries being cut chiefly in the coal, he
proceeded to Mauch Chunk. " Immediately on arriving
here," says his journal, " I sallied forth for the coal
mines, which are about half a mile from the Summit
Hotel. On seeing them I certainly was greatly stru(.'k
with the quantity of coal in sight. The seam or collec-
tion of seams is worked open to day, fifty feet thick ; and
standing on the top of the coal, looking down the black
precipice to where the workmen were busy at the
bottom boring and breaking the coal, just as rock is
broken and quarried, one beholds a very curious sight.
But indejiendent of the astonishment arising from the
thickness of the seam, I felt great delight at finding
under it my underclay in uU its glory, crossed by fibres
coated with carbonaceous matter, and presenting pre-
cisely the character of the underclay of the South Wales
seams. In this anthracite district the underclay is very
dark grey. It is quite argillaceous, and I am persuaded
it would make an excellent fire-clay, although the
miners do not seem to be aware of it. There is a seam
of underclay in the mass of coal, showing that it consists
of more seams than one. I have brought away whack-
ing specimens of each, but I shall return to-morrow to
look after more.

"At 5.30 p.m. we got into the railway-car, and in
twenty minutes ran down to Mauch Chunk by an
inclined plane, which carried us down 1,000 feet in eight
miles. The flight down this Montague Russe strikes
one as being very odd. Away the car goes, without

1841 ]

PACILIS DESCENSUS.

107

either steam or horse-power, slow in its motion at first,
but gradually increasing in speed, until a rav)idity of
about twenty-five miles an hour is attained. The
vehicle seems instinct with life, and one feels as if on a
horse which is running away. The conductor has
power over a friction-strap, by which he can diminish
the rate of speed, but there are many short turns on the
road, and as the track is single, the descending car
might happen to come in contact with an ascending
train as it is drawn up by mules. A pretty concussion
would ensue. A good deal of skill is displayed in
placing the rails at the turns. The outside rail of
the sweep is always higher than the other, to pre-
serve the equilibrium of the rapidly-descending car.
Accidents have happened on the road ; pigs, cows,
and men have been run over and killed. A deaf
and dumb man, lying drunk on the rail, was cut in
two.

" The coal is carried down this road from the mine at
Summit Hill, and the whole train, consisting of some-
times seventy waggons, descends in four divisions in
about thirty minutes. The empty waggons are drawn
up by mules, ten mules to each sixteen waggons. The
mules are, of course, brought down the incline in cars
—riding like gentlemen, not pulling like horses. It
is amazing to see with what sagacity they take their
places, both in entering the cars to descend and in dis-
mounting at the bottom of the incline. The Company,
called the Lehigh Coal Company, has 300 mules for the
performance of the work, which is so hard that hors<
could not stand it.

108 MAUCn (HUNK AND WlLKESIiAUliE. [i84i

"The operations of this Company havo hoen crippled
by a tromondous tVoshot, which occurred in iho month
of January hist. The water of the Lehij[?h rose al)ov«'
all former marks, jind swept away mills, liridi^es, dams,
houses, and all description of materials. The Company
lost !|80(),000 in destruction of standing works, inde-
pendent of the injury which has been sustained l)y tlif
interruption of the navigation, and the consequent
suspension of their trade, which may be estimated at
$100,000 more. Three mills were swept away from a
point immediately in front of the Mauch Chunk Hotel,
in which I have taken up my (juarters.

" Mauch Chunk is remarkably situated, in a deep
valley, with grand and lofty mountains of conglomerate
and red shale rising up abruptly from the Tiiver
Lehigh, which Hows through it. Day is almost shut
out from the town, and looking down upon it from the
liigh point above, where the car stopped, it seemed
buried amid rocks and w^oods."

After Mauch Chunk, Wilkesbarre w^as visited, and a
w^eek fully occupied in examining the coal-measures of
that interesting district. A geological section, extend-
ing across the coal-field for a distance of about four
miles, Avas made, and coal discovered where its existence
had not previously been known. In this work he
obtained much valuable assistance from Capt. IJowmaii,
a gentleman whom he had the good fortune to meet
at Wilkesbarre. His journal for the week contains
little besides geological measurements, but on the 31st.
of August, the day before leaving Wilkesbarre, he made
the following entry : —

1841.]

WILKL\SBA/iRE.

100

"Thouj^h I have not kopl a legist rat ion oldays in my
journal sinco my arrival at Wiikcsharrc, yet thcro is
cvidoiico ('iK)n«;h in it that I have not been idle. (.'apt.
Bowman, lo whom I was introduced on my arrival,
has boon my rijjht-hand man, and has j^iveii mo very
gnvit assistam^o in making a section ot (Ik; measures of
this great Wyoming coal-lield, and in obtaining good
specimens of underclay. lie is a man of talent, and a
"•eiilleman. He took a high i)rize at West Point
University, and is esteemed a good officer in the Unite<l
States Service. 1 have given him a hint or two that
may enable him to make money in coal.

" Coal speculations in this valley might be made to
very great profit. The mineral is just l)oginning to
obtain a vent. It is only lately that a canal has been
made to convey the produce of the mines to the sea-
board, and several good collieries have been established.
Capt. Bowman is opening one in the 24-feet seam,
which cannot fail to be profitable. The larmers, how-
ever, do not yet know the nature of coal-ground, and
have not much idea of the constancy of coal-seams.
When they do not see coal, they scarcely believe it will
be found on their field because it is on the next one and
running towards it. The consequence is that they wnll
sell their lands at a little more than the value of the
surface. Any one making himself master of this coal-
field, which is pretty extensive, and keeping his eye on
the points from which an easy exit might be obtained,
could scarcely fail to make money if he had capital to
invest. I rather think Capt. Bowman has opened his
eyes to this fact. Being an engineer, he will soon be

•' ^P!

110 THE WORKSHOP, "i OF THE WORLD. [i84i.

able to unravel the secrets of the stratification of the
district.

" Under every seam of coal that 1 have seen I have

found my underclay. There is one, however, in

Gully, which some may think an exception. I fancy it
is not ; for though the lowest rock is hard and compact,
I think I see the carbonaceous streaks that indicate
Stigmariay

Sufficient had now been seen by Logan to convince
him that the views which he had held concerning the
Welsh coal-seams and their underclays were equally
true with regard to those of Pennsylvania. Accordingly
he decided not to prolong his stay further, but to return
at once to New York, complete his business there, and
then proceed by way of Boston to Nova Scotia. With
the importance of the Pennsylvania coal-fields he was
greatly impressed. " Such a sight," he writes, " as the
Lehigh mines present, is to a collier overwhelming.
Imagine a seam of c, cJ. fifty feet thick, with its covermg
taken off for a spact A 500 or 600 yards square, and
worked to open day like a quarry ! — cut into great
precipices and ravines, and giving to the eye a picture
as black as Erebus." And again : " When it is recol-
lected that with the coal are associated vast veins and
seamB of iron ore, and huge beds of limestone, it would
seem as if Providence intended that Virginia, Pennsylva-
nia, and Ohio should become the workshops of the world,
The wealth that these three States will, in the course of
of a quarter or half a century, arrive at, is incalculable."

Logan even talked of settling in the United States as
a coal-viewer ; but in reality his heart was already set

1841.] THOUGHTS OF A CANADIAN SUE VEY. Ill

upon the almost vac'ant geological lii^ld which Canada
afforded. "While in Philadelphia, on his way back to
New York, he met with Dr. Rogers, of Virginia, and in
the course of conversation mentioned to him his desire
to undertake a geological survey of his native Province.
Only a few days after this, also, he wrote to one of his
brothers saying, "I have almost made up my mind,
if I can make the necessary arrangements in business
matters, to offer myself as a candidate to undertake the
survey of Canada, and if I once begin, it will not be my
fault if it does not go ahead." No doubt his wish to.
take this great work in hand was stimulated by his
meeting members of both the Pennsylvania and New
York Surveys, and seeing how much had already been
accomplished by them.

On his return to New York, Logan's business
engagements detained him for several days ; but still
he was determined not to go ])ack to England without
seeing the Pictou coal-field. On his way thither Boston
was visited. " "We crossed," says his journal, " a sheet
of water on a long, low, narrow bridge, and entered
Boston at 11.45. I got my baggage, and gave it to the
first cabman who appeared. He had 'Marlboro" on
his hat; so to the Marlboro' Hotel he took me, and
there I find myself in a small room, number 43.
The regulations of the house are rather odd for an
hotel: Prayers at 0.30 p.m.; prayers at G.30 a.m. No
spirituous liquors ; no cooking on Sunday ; no pay-
ment received on Sunday ; grace before meat at the
ordinary, both at dinner and tea, and I suppose at
breakfast"

J12

A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF BOSTON.

[l841.

Although only a day was spent in Boston, the
beauties of" the place did not fail to excite Logan's
admiration, and in his journal we find the following
description : —

" Boston is certainly a grand city. I went to the
look-out on the cupola of the State House, and thence
had a magnificent view. The main part of the city
(called North Boston) was down below me, consisting
of parks and trees, and thousands upon thousands of
substantially-built brick houses, studded with spires,
cupolas, and edifices taller than others, and surrounded
with wharves, quays, and docks, all on a peninsula
joined to the mainland by a low, narrow neck, and to
South Boston (standing on another peninsula) by two
long, very low, narrow bridges. From many points
landward, also, there stretched to North Boston sundry
other long, low, narrow bridges, over salt marshes and
shallow waters, for the purposes of common roads and
railroads. And then there was East Boston on another
peninsula, joined to North Boston and to the mainland
by still another set of long, low bridges. Seaward
were a multitude of islands and capes, completely
locking in the harbour, on whose bosom floated ships
of war and ships of trade, some at anchor and some iu
motion, and steamboats, great and small, sending their
black smoke and their hissing white smoke in clouds
aloft, some coming and some going. Into the shallow
water to the west a couple of quiet rivers flowed,
giving perspective to the middle distance by their con-
verging shores, on which were country seats peeping
out from embowering woods. ... To the south an

1841 ]

REACHES NOVA SCOTIA,

113

outline of hills, which came up sharply against the
sky, showed in their eastward course that the rocks
which compose them have been the barrier which pro-
tects from the attacks of the ocean the promontory that
chiefly shields the bay,

" Up from the city came a busy hum, with the noise
of clattering hoofs and rattling carriages, the clinking
of hammers and the ringing of bells, mingled with the
cries of trade and the barking of dogs ; and ever and
anon a cock would crow his note of defiance, to be
answered by another. Men looked like pigmies in the
streets below, and it seemed impossible that such little
creatures could be the authors of such great w^orks as
were spread around.

" North Boston is like the body of a great spider, and
all the long, narrow bridges that emanate from it look
like the spider's legs."

Leaving Boston by steamer, on the 11th. of Septem-
ber, Logan proceeded to St. John, in New Brunswick,
and then crossing the Bay of Fundy, arrived at
Windsor, in Nova Scotia, At St. John he had hoped
to meet Dr. Gesner, the author of a number of reports
on the geology of New Brunswick ; but in this he was
disappointed, for Gesner was absent on a geological
excursion to Miramichi. The geology of Windsor and
its vicinity appeared so enticing to Logan that he could
not pass it by, but resolved to remain there for several
days. At that time Judge Haliburton, the author of
"Sam Slick," resided near the town, and worked the
extensive deposits of gypsum that occurred on his pro-
perty. His quarries being in sight of the inn, attracted

iiii

114 DISCOVERY OF AMPIflRIAN TRACKS. [i84i

Logan's attention, and on going to examine them, he
encountered the author himself, and began to ply him
with questions about the geology of the neighbourhood.
" The Judge," he says, " answered them as well as ho
could, but evidently he is not deep in the mysteries of
stratification. He, however, gave me some local infor-
mation that was very useful in respect to quarries
where I might gather fossil remains."

On the wharf at "Windsor some building-stone hap-
pened to be lying. To the ordinary observer, no
doubt, it was so much building-stone, and nothing
more ; but there was something about it which excited
Logan's interest, and made him desire to see the locality
from which it had been derived. On enquiry, he
learned that it came from Ilorton Bluff, about fifteen
miles off; and so to Ilorton Bluff he went. The rocks
there belong to the Lower Carboniferous formation,
and Logan was rewarded by finding in one of the beds
the tracks of a batrachian animal. The discovery was
one of great importance, as it was the first instance in
which any evidence had been obtained of the existence
of such animals at so early a period in the history
of our globe. At ihe time, however, it failed to attract
the attention which it deserved, and the credit of
making the first observations of the kind fell to others.
It is right, therefore, that the facts of the case should
be noticed here, and we give them as stated by Dr.
Dawson, in his work on the " Air-Breathers of the Coal
Period," published in 1863 :—

" It has often happened to geologists, as to other
explorers of new regions, that footprints in the sand

AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.

115

have guided them to Iho inhabitants of unknown lands
The first trace ever observed of reptiles in the Carbon-
iferous system, consisted of a series of small, but
well-marked footprints, found l)y Sir Wo E. Logan, in
1841, ill the lower coal-measures of Ilorton Bluff, in
Nova iScotia ; and as the authors of all our general
works on geology have hitherto, in so far as I am
aware, failed to do justice to this discovery, I shall
notice it here in detail. In the year above mentioned,
Sir AVilliam, then Mr. Logan, examined the coal-fields
of Pennsylvania and Nova Scotia, with the view of
studying their structure, and extending the application
of the discoveries as to Stigmaria underclays which he
had made in the AVelsh coal-fields. On his return to
England, he read a paper on these subjects before the
Geological Society of London, in which he noticed the
discovery of reptilian footprints at Horton Bluff. The
specimen was exhibited at the meeiing of the Society,
and was, I believe, admitted on the high authority of
Prof. Owen, to be probably reptilian. Unfortunately
Sir William's paper appeared only in abstract in the
Transactions ; and in this abstract, though the foot-
prints are mentioned, no opinion is expressed as to
ihcir nature. Sir William's own opinion is thus stated
in a letter to me, dated June, 1843, when he was on
his way to Canada, to commence the survey which
has since developed so astonishing a mass of geological
facts :

" ' Among the specimens which I carried from
Ilorton Bluff', one is of very high interest. It exhibits
the footprints of some reptilian animal. Owen has no

IIG

AN ERROR CORRECTED.

doubt of the marks being genuine footprints. The
rocks of Horton Bluff are below the gypsum of that
neighbourhood ; so that the specimen in question (if
LyoU's views are correct=^) comes from the very bottom
of the coal series, or, at any rate, very low down in it,
and demonstrates the existence of reptiles at an earlier
epoch than has hitherto been determined; none having
previously been found below the magnesian limestone,
or, to give it Murchison's new name, the Permian era.'
" This extract," continues Dr. Dawson, "is of interest,
not merely as an item of evidence in relation to the
matter now in hand, but as a mark in the progress of
geological investigation. For the reasons above stated,
the important discovery thus made in 1841, and pub-
lished in 1842, was overlooked; and the discovery of
reptilian bones by Von Dechen, at Saarbruck, in 1844,
and that of footprints by Dr. King, in the same year, in
Pennsylvania, have been uniformly referred to as the
first observations of this kind. This error I now desire
to correct, not merely in the interest of truth, but also
in that of my friend, Sir William Logan, and of my
native Province of Nova Scotia; and I trust that
henceforth the received statement will be, that the
first indications of the existence of reptiles in tho
coal-period were obtained by Logan, in the Lower Coal
formation, in 1841. Insects and arachnidans, it may
be observed, had previously been discovered in the
Coal formation in Europe.

• Sir Charles Lyell bad then just read a paper announcing his discovery
that the gypsiferous system of Nova Scotia is Lower Carboniferous, in
which he mentions tho footprints referred to as being reptilian.

AMPHIBIAN FOOTPRINTS.

1 i

" The original specimen of these footprints is still in
the collection of Sir William Logan. It is a slab of
dark-coloured sandstone, glazed with fine clay on the
surface, and having a series of seven footprints in two
rows, distant about three inches ; the distance of the
impressions in each row being three or four inches,
and the individual impressions about one inch in
length. They seem to have been made by the points
of the toes, which must have been armed with strong

AMPHIllIAN FOOTPRINTS, DISCOVERED BY LOOAN AT HORTON BLUFF, NOVA SCOTIA.

(I.) One-fourth natural size; (la.) natural size.
Dawson — " Air-breathers of the Coal-Period."

and apparently blunt claws, and appear as if either the
surface had been somewhat firm, or as if the body of
the animal had been partly water-borne. In one place
only is there a distinct mark of the whole foot, as if the
animal had exerted an unusual pressure in turning or
stopping suddenly. One pair of feet, the fore-feet, I
presume, appear to have had four claws ; the other paii
may have had three or four, and it is to be observed
that the outer toe, as in the larger footprints discovered

118

A WEEK IN PJCTOU COUNTY.

[l841.

by Dr King, projects in the manner of a thumb, as in
the cheirotherian tracks of the Trias."

At last Logan reached Pictou. We say at last, for it
was a long, tedious drive there from Windsor, by way
of Halifax. Expecting to sail from the latter port for
Britain on the 4th. of October, there was only a week
left in which to see the Pictou coal-field. But anyone
who has seen him work when pressed for time, will
have an idea of how he worked on this occasion, pacing
from dawn till dark across the measures, searching
under every coal-seam for an underclay, and every-
where linding it. Nominally he stayed at " Mount
Rundle," with Mr. Poole, Superintendent of the Albion
Mines, who showed him every possible attention ; but
if night overtook him in his wanderings, he craved a
lodging at the first farm-house to which he came.
" One day," he tells us in his journal, " I measured
away for about two miles up the East Hiver, and when
it w^as dark called in at the nearest house, which
I found to be that of a farmer of the name of
McNaughton. I asked him several questions about
the limestone in the neighbourhood, and was about
to enquire where I could get quarters, when Mrs,
McNaughton said that of course I could not think of
going farther that night, and that she would supply
nie with supper and bed, such as they had. To this I
readily agreed. They were at tea in another room, to
which we adjourned, and I had my tea. The family
consisted of a son grown up to man's estate, and three
daughters in regular gradation of age below the son,
They were all very kind, and seemed to make me

1841.J

A PICTOU FARMHOUSE.

119

welcome. At table there was a shoemaker, who was
staying in the house for a few days to renovate their
pedal integuments.

" After tea, ' Bring me the book,' said the father of
the flock. So the book was brought, and forthwith he
read a hymn, first the whole and then two lines, which
were sung, and so on. Then he road a chapter in the
Bible, and then we all knelt down, and he gave us a
prayer of which I could not understand two successive
words. It was given with a strong Highland accent
and drawl, and the utterance of each word was so slow
and so long that I forgot the sound of the beginning
before the end came. This lasted about twenty minutes,
and after it we began to talk. I produced a map
of the country, and asked many questions about lime-
stone and copper, for which a trial was made in the
neighbourhood some years ago. The map was accurate,
and seemed to please wonderfully. My feet were a
httle wet. and Mrs. McNaughton offered to supply me
with a pair of dry stockings. To this I assented very
readily, and then we all adjourned to the kitchen fire.
Here a huge log was blazing, and small sticks were
heaped on the dog-irons. My stockings were hung up
to dry, and one of the daughters set about making
bread for the morrow. . . . The son, who had been
down to the mines, produced a newspaper, and
one of the daughters read it aloud. The first thing
she fell upon was a case of breach of promise of
marriage, the perusal of which produced a great deal
of merriment. The reason the gentleman gave to
justify his desertion of the lady was that she pro-

120

AN ESTABLISHED FACT.

[1811

nounced rise ris, that sho had tickled his sister,
slapped her, &c., &c.

"When it approached 10 o'clock, I began to give
signs of being a little fatigued, I fancy ; for the good
woman told me the bed was ready. But she said sho
supposed I would have no objection to the other gentle-
man occupying a part of it. The other gentleman was
nobody less than the shoemaker. What could I say '{
I said nothing, and went to bed with my flannels 011,
and kept as near the edge of the wall side of the bed
as I could. I soon fell asleep, and never knew when
the shoemaker took to his repose. The intimation of
his having done so at all was at daylight, when ho
awakened me by getting up. I got up soon after him,
and after breakfasting on bread and milk, bade Mr. and
Mrs. McNaughton good morning, and set about the
continuation of my section."

When Logan reached Halifax he wrote to his brother
James as follows : " I have been to Pictou, where I
have thoroughly examined the district about the
Albion Mines. I now know what the ground con-
tains for about a mile deep in that neighbourhood, and
in every case where I have seen a seam of coal it is
accompanied by one of underclay, filled with Stigmaria
Jicoides. My fact, therefore, I now consider established
beyond controversy.

*' The deposit of coal at the Albion Mines does not
equ.. that of Pennsylvania at Mauch Chunk, but it is
a magnificent one, notwithstanding. There are at
least six or seven seams overlying one another, and the
largest, which is the one worked, is twenty-four feet

1841.]

MEETS DAWSON AT PICTOV.

121

thick in clean coal, independent of bituminous shale,
which by many would be considered a part of the
seam, and make it twelve feet more."

It was on the occasion of this visit to Pictou that
Logan first met Dr. Dawson, who was then beginning
his researches in the geology of Nova Scotia, and was
delighted at having an opportunity of visiting some
parts of the Pictou coal-field in company with so expe-
rienced a worker.

,;' I

^MRFi

CHAPTER VIII.

THE ORKHN OF A SURVEY.

TIOR years before the establishment of the Canadian
-^ Geological Survey its need had been realized by
many of the more intelligent people of the country. A
few papers on local Canadian geology had, it is true,
been published, and important collections of minerals
made by Dr. Holmes of Montreal, Dr. Wilson of Perth,
and others ; but no extended systematic work had been
carried on, and almost nothing was known of the
relative age of the various formations and of their
distribution. =i^

♦ Among the papers on Canadian Geology published previous to the
cfitablishment of the Geological Survey may be mentioned the follow-
ing:—

Notes on the Geography and Geology of Lake Huron. By Dr.
Bigsby, P. L. S., M. G. S. Trans. Geol. Soc., Ser. II., Vol. I., p. 175
(Read in 1823).

Notes on the Geology of the North Coast of the St. Lawrence. By
Capt. Bayfield, R. N. Trans. Geol. Soc., Ser. II,, Vol. V., p. 89
(Read Nov. 20th., 1833).

On the Geology of Lake Superior. By Capt. Bayfield, R. N. Trans.
Lit. & Hist. Soc. of Quebec, Vol. I., p. I.

ORtatN OF CANADIAN SUR VEY.

12:i

The lirst person lo move in the matter of a geological
survey seems to have b(»en Dr. Kae. As early as
January, 1832, a petition from this gentleman, praying
for pecuniary assistance to prosecute a geological and
statistical survey of the Province, was sent down to the
House of Assembly by Sir John Colborno, at thai time
Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. Hut notwith-
standing its being accompanied by a favourable recom-
mendation from the Lieutenant-! iovornor, it was not so

On some of the Rocks and Minerala of Upper Canada. By Capt

Bonnycastic, II. N. Ibid., p. 62.
On the Geology of a Portion of the Labrador Coast. By Lieut.

Badduley, R. E. Ibid., p. 71

RemarkK on (ho District traversed by the St. Maurice Expedition In
tho8ummerof 1829. By Lieut. Ingall, 15th Regt. Ibid., Vol. II., p. 7.

Notes on the Country in the Neighbourhood of Montmorency. By
William Green. Ibid., p. 181.

Additional Notes on the Geognosy of St. Paul's Bay. By Lieut
Baddeley, R.E. Ibid., Vol. XL, 1831, p. 76.

An Essay on tlie Localities of Metallic Minerals in the Canadas, with
some Notices of their Geological Associations and Situation, Ac.
By the same. Ibid., Vol. II., p. 332.

On the Magdalen Islands. By the same. Ibid., Vol. III., p. 128.

A Geological Sketch of the most South-eastern Portion of Lower
Canada. By the same. Ibid., Vol. III., p. 271.

Notes upon the Country in the Vicinity of Quebec. By II. D
Sewell, M. A. Ibid., Vol. III., p. 298.

A Sketch of the Geology of the Island of Montreal. By Dr. Bigsby,
F. L. S., Sec. Annals Lye. of Nat. Hist., N. Y., 182G.

On Ihe Transition Rocks of the Cataraqui. By Capt. R. H. Bonny-
castle, R.E. Am. Jour. Sci., Ser. I., Vol. XVIII., 1830, p. 85, and
Vol. XX., 1831, p. 74.

Mineralogical Examination of the Sulphate of Strontian, from Kings-
ton (U.C), with Miscellaneous Notices of the Geology of the
Vicinity. By Lieut. Baddeley, R.E. Am. Jour. Sci., Ser. I, Vol.
XVIII., 1830, p. 104.

Concerning several of the above-named writers, Sir William, who was
always very particular about acknowledging information derived from the

124

OniGIN OF CANADIAN SUItVEY.

much as considered by the Committee ol" Supply, to
which it had been referred.

In December of the same year, the York Literary and
Philosophical Society presented a petition prayiuL? for
a grant of money to provide for un investigation of the
geology, mineralogy, and natural history of the Pro-
vince. But this shared the fate of its predecessor,
although it, too, served to draw attention to the matter.
No further action se^ms to ha\'e been taken until 183G,
when, on the motion ox Mr. W. L. Mackenzie, seconded
by Mr. Durand, Messrs. R. Gr. Dunlop, Gibson, and
C. Buncombe were named a Committee to consider and
report on a plan for a geological survey of the Province.
The report was printed, but again was not considered.
Nothing daunted, however, Mr. Dunlop j^ave notice in
the following November of a motion for leave to bring
in a Bill for the purpose of instituting a geological
examination of the Province. The Bill was not pro-
ceeded with, but later in the some month, on motion of
the last-named gentlemen, seconded by Col Prince, the

labours of others, afterwards wrote in the preface to the Geology qf Canada,
1863, as follows : —

" Admiral Bayfield has communicated to the Literary and Historical
Society of Quebec, and to the Geological Society of London, various inte-
resting papers on subjects connected with Canadian geology, with the
facts in which it will be found that we have on several occasions avaibd
ourselves.

<' Among the pioneers in Canadian geology, no observer was more
accurate than Dr. J. J. Bigsby, Secretary to the Boundary Commissioners
under the Treaty of Ghent. His range of investigation extended from
Quebec to Lake Superior, and beyond the limits of the Province in that
direction ; and he has accumulated and published a great store of facts,
Upon the exactness of which the greatest reliance can be placed.

"Lieutenant, now Mnjor-Oeneral Baddeley, of the Royal Engineers,
when in Canada, now nearly forty years since, was an ardent promoter of

ORIGIN OF CASADIAN SURVEY.

125

House went into a Committee of the Whole to consider
the expediency of a geological survey. On the report
of the Committee it was resolved that an address
should be presented to His Exi^ellency the Lieutenant-
Governor, Sir F. B. Head, with reference to the practica-
bility of the desired siirvey ; but for some unexplained
reason the address was never presented.

Again, in December, 183G, Mr. Hunlop, with charac-
teristic pertinacity, gave notice of an address to the
King for a grant of wild lands to defray the expense of
a geological survey ; but again the address failed to be
presented. Here the matter dropped, not to be revived
until after the union of the Provinces, during the
administration of Lord Sydenham, a man who fully
appreciated the importance of ascertaining the nature
and extent of the mineral resources of Canada.

The first united Parliament met in 1841, and in the
month of July the Natural History Society of Montreal,
through Mr. Benjamin Holmes, and the Literary and
Historical Society of Quebec, through Mr. Henry Black,

geological enquiry, and his services were made available to the Provincial
Government in explorations in the region of the Saguenay, and in the
peninsula of Gaspe. To him we arc indebted for the first published notice
of the Lower Silurian limestones on Lake St. John, Bay St. Paul, and
Murray Bay, as well as of the existence of gold in the drift of the Eastern
Townships. Lieut. F. L. Ingall was another explorer, who about that
time did good mineralogical service on government expeditions ; the
district to which his attention was directed being the country between
the St. Maurice and the Ottawa. Captain R. H. Bonnycastle, R. E.,
at a Komewhat later period, interested himself in the examination
of various mineralogical and geological phenomena, more particularly
in the neighbourhood of Kingston, where bis military duties had
placed him. Tht results of his observations were given in Silliman's
Journal in 1831, and in other publications, and have been cited in this
Report."

126 CHOICE OF PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST. [i84i-42.

petitioned for aid to carry out a geological survey. The
result was that the matter was taken up by the
Government, and on the motion of the Hon. S. B.
Harrison, the sum of <£ 1,500 sterling, for the purposes
of a survey, was included in the estimates.

But it M'as not for Lord Sydenham to carry into
effect {he wishes of, or even to prorogue the Parliament
which he had summoned. On the 5th. of September,
while riding near Kingston, the town which he had
selected as the capital of United Canada, he was thrown
from his horse, and so seriously injured that he died on
the 10th. of the same month. In January, 1842, he
was succeeded by Sir Charles Bagot, upon whom
devolved the appointment of a Provincial geologist.
Logan, as we have seen, was in England at the time;
but his friends in Montreal, knowing his desire to
obtain the position, took o(^casion to place his name-
before the Governor. Sir Charles, however, referred
the matter to Lord Stanley, then Secretary of State for
the Colonies, and the result was that His Lordship, on
recommendation of De la Beche, Murchison, Sedgwick,
and Buckland, offered the position to Logan in the
spring of 1842. In reply to the enquiries concerning
his qualifications, addressed to these distinguished
geologists from the Colonial Office in London, the
following letters were received by the Under Secretary,
Mr. G. W. Hope, M. P. :—

"Ordnance Geological Suuvet of Great Britain,

"4<A. April, 1842.

" Sir, — I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt
of your communication of the 2nd. instant, accompany-

1842.J

ing i]

Icncy

iha q

S'eoJog

vinciaj

"I\^

to Lord

fjuaJiiie

progresi

Wes, i

the imp,

Glamorg

"Prior

ffaat part

"ivestigal

'ion for t}

'^i 1837, h

'The -vv

greatly sii

^^^orrespond
Jetaii wit

Ordnance
'"S: ourseJv
P^^'-ed it al
^^'^fh great
«dopt it for

considering
i'^'^^aiathat

'J^issecti

"ith

proper

1842.]

TESTIMONIALS.

127

iuo- the copy of a letter to Lord Stanley from His Excel-
k'ncy the Governor-General of Canada, on the subject of
the qualifications of Mr. W. E. Logan to undertake the
'>eoloffical examination of Canada, for which the Pro-
vincial Legislature has voted the sum of ,£1,500.

" I would request you to do me the favour to represent
to Lord Stanley that I consider Mr. W. IC. Logan perfectly
qualified for the task, having had occasion, during the
progress of the Ordnance Geological Survey in South
Wales, to examine the labours of that gentleman upon
the important coal district contained in large portions of
Glamorganshire, Carmarthenshire, and Breiknockshire.

" Prior to the appearance of the Geological Survey in
that part of the country, Mr. W. E. Logan had carefully
investigated it, and at the meeting of the British Associa-
tion for the Advancement of Science, held at Liverpool,
111 1837, he exhibited a beautifully-executed map of it.

"The work on this district being of an order so
greatly superior to that usual with geologists, and
corresponding in the minuteness and accuracy of its
detail with the maps and sections executed by the
Ordnance Geological Survey, we felt desirous of avail-
ing ourselves of it, when Mr. Logan most handsomely
placed it at our disposal. Having verified this work
with great care, we find it so excellent that we shall
adopt it for that part of the country to which it relates,
considering it but fair and proper that Mr. Logan should
"btain that credit to which his labours so justly entitle
I Mm.

" His sections are all levelled and measured carefully,
with proper instruments, and his maps are executed

128

TESTIMONIALS.

1842

I842.J

I, ;;;?;,;

with a precision only as yet employed, except in his
case, on the Ordnance Geological Survey ; it being con-
sidered essential on that Survey, for the right progress
of geology and its applications to the useful purposes of
life, that this accuracy and precision should be attained.

"Personally, I have examined several portions of
country with Mr. W. E. Logan, and can safely affirm
that no one can be more careful, able, or desirous of
attaining the truth.

" He has made communications to the Geological
Society respecting points of high interest Cu nected
with the formation of coal, and recentlv has communi-
cated to the same Societ-. a memoir on Nova Scotia
and Pennsylvania, impor' mt in various respects, more
particularly as relating to Canada.

" I would further observe that Mr. Logan is highly
qualified as a miner and metallurgist to point out the
applications of geology to the useful purposes of life, an
object of the highest importance in a country like Canada,
the mineral wealth of which is now so little known.

"I should anticipate the best results, both to the
science of geology and its applications, from the
emi)loyment of Mr. Logan on the Geological Survey of

Canada. — I have, &c.,

" H. T. De la Beche,
'^Director Geological Survey ^

" IG Belorave Square, 3rc/. April, 1842.

" Sir, — In reply to the letter of yesterday, which you
did me the honour of addressing to me by the desire
of Lord Stanley, and in which my opinion is asked
respecting the capability of Mr. "W. E. Logan to under-

take

pieasi

qualif

mere]}

g'enera

skilful

drew f]

value i:

"I w

rocks, i]

is admi

sub-soil

of such

that if h

Sir Chai

that imj:

gical inq

your iett
despatch
gical surv
^'ery JittI
of his lab
has prove(
Wes; an
coaJ-ficlds
informed,
ofPennsyl

1842.]

TESTIMONIALS.

129

take a geological survey of Canada, I have great
pleasure in saying that I consider him to be eminently
qualified to execute the task.

" I beg to state that I recommend Mr. Logan not
merely from my acquaintance with his works in
general, but also from a knowledge of certain very
skilful labours in the South Wales coal-field, which
drew from me a strong expression of my sense of their
value in an account of the map of the Silurian region.

" I would add that, having chiefly studied the older
rocks, including the carboniferous deposits, Mr. Logan
is admirably prepared to develop the structure of the
sub-soil of Canada, which consists in a great measure
of such strata ; and I venture to assure Lord Stanley
that if his Lordship should approve of the suggestion of
Sir Charles Bagot, he will render essential service to
that important colony, and materially advance geolo-
gical inquiry.-! have,&c., ., ^^^^ j_ Murchison."

"CAMBninoE, 5th. April, 1842.

"Sir, — I take the earliest opportunity of replying to
your letter of March 31st., containing a copy of a
despatch from Sir Charles Bagot on the subject of a geolo-
gical survey of Canada. Of Mr. Logan I personally know
very little ; but I know his character, and something
of his labours. He is an excellent field-geologist, as he
has proved by his admirable map and sections in South
Wales ; and he has extended his observations into the
coal-fields of the United States, having, as I am
informed, read an excellent paper on the coal-fields

of Pennsylvania. I had not, however, the good fortune

It
W

130

TESTIMONIALS.

[l842,

to be present when this paper was lately read at a
meeting of the Geological Society. I have no hesitation
in recommending Mr. Logan, and I have no doubt that,
if appointed to the Survey of Canada, he will enter on
the labour with unbounded zeal and with very great
skill.--I have, &c, ••A.Sedgwick."

'Oxford, 2nd. April, 1842.

"Sm, — My absence from Oxford has prevented me
from receiving until this day your letter of the 31st.
March, asking my opinion as to the qualifications of
Mr. WE. Logan for undertaking a geological survey of
Canada.

•' I beg in reply to state that I was recently on the
point of writing to Sir Charles Bagot for the purpose of
recommending him as pre-eminently qualified for this
service, but I withheld my application, because I con-
sidered that his services might with still greater
advantage to this country, be applied to a survey of
Nova Scotia, where there is a large and very valuable
coal-field belonging to the Crown, with which he is
better acquainted than any man living, and respecting
which, and also the coal-field of Pennsylvania, he read
a most valuable paper ten days ago, before the Geologi-
cal Society of London.

" About a fortnight ago I wrote a letter to Sir Robert
Peel, requesting his attention to the expediency of
employing Mr. Logan to make a geological survey ol
Nova Scotia. Should Sir Robert have forwarded this
letter to Lord Stanley, I beg to refer to it in evidence of
my opinion of Mr Logan, and his high qualifications,

1842.]

Q UALIFICA TIONS.

131

as the most skilful geological surveyor of a coal-field 1
have ever known.

" Mr. De la Beche has adopted in toto for his geological
survey of the Ordnance Map of Wales the work he
found completed by Mr. Logan as to that part of the
South Wales coal-field which is near Swansea, and I will
procure from Mr. De la Beche to-morrow a statement of
his opinion as to Mr. Logan's work done in Glamorgan-
shire, which I will take the liberty of submitting to
you.-I have, &c., .. ^ Buckland."

On the 22nd. of June while Sir Charles Bagot
was on a visit to Montreal, he was waited on by a
deputation from the Natural History Society, who pre-
sented him with an address requesting him to become
the Society's patron. After His Excellency's reply to
the address, he entered into conversation with the
members of the deputation, and took occasion to remark
that "he had recently been called upon to appoint a
geologist for the Province. The selection he had made
—that of Mr. Logan — he was sure would give as
much gratification to the Society as it had to himself
Previous to his appointment of Mr. Logan, he had
considered it proper to refer to England for an account
of his qualifications, and the result was that a mass of
testimonials was sent out . . . affording ample testi-
mony that to no one could the important office be more
appropriately entrusted than to that gentleman."

Sir Charles Bagot also communicated to one of the
members of the deputation the following letter with
reference to Mr. Logan, which had been addressed by

i •,,,

132

GOOD WORDS,

[1842.

the learned geologist, Dr. Buckland, to the Bishop of
Oxford : —

"Christ Cuorch, 23rrf. April, 1842.

" My Dear Lord, — 1 have recently sent to Sir Robert
Peel and Lord Stanley two official certificates, stating
my opinion of the high qualifications of Mr. Wm.
Edmond Logan, F. G-.S., to execute a geological survey
of Canada. I am further anxious, and feel it a duty I owe
to the public service, to submit, through your Lordship,
to Sir Charles Bagot, a few points relating to this gentle-
man, which I could not mention in a public document.

" His talents as an accurate mineral surveyor are of a
very high order, and are known to the scientific world
by his description of portions of the great coal-fields of
Glamorganshire and Pennsylvania, illustrated by most
accurate and valuable maps and sections, constructed
by himself, which he has laid before the Geological
Society of London. Moreover, he is not only enthusias-
tically devoted to and highly qualified for field-work in
geology, but he is also a man of modest and gentlemanly
demeanour, and of high principle, and good conduct
and right feeling, wdth w^hom it is pleasing to have
intercourse, and in whom it is quite safe for persons in
authority to place confidence.

" Believe me, my dear Lord, very faithfully and truly

y°^^^' "William Buckland."

Logan's appointment haA'ing been confirmed, he

■3

arrived

the

in Canada late in the month of August,

and at once reported himself at Kingston, the seat of
Government. Here he spent several weeks awaiting

1842.]

instru

the m

his bi

"Raw

storm

to atte

should

grounc

to settl

ingly 1

region,

spread

paid tc

collecte

country

from K

a geolo,

Provinci

topograj

for the

the gen(

geology

whateve

In th(

Greneral'f

to fulfil ]

winter.

* liawson
nor-General

t Mr. Wil
and was bu
several years

1842.]

PRELIMINARY WORK.

133

instructions, and at the eame time " culling facts from
the members and casting about for maps." Writing to
his brother James, on the 10th. of September, he says:
" Rawson^ informed me on Saturday that the political
storm which had been blowing rendered it impossible
to attend to my affairs. I told him that in that case I
should make an excursion, and give time for the
ground-swell, which might continue a few days longer,
to settle into quiet water." An excursion was accord-
ingly made to Marmora, to see the iron mines of that
region, and another to Brockville, "to ascertain the
spread of the Silurian limestone." A visit was also
paid to Dr. Wilson of Perth, a physician " who had
collected a good deal of information with respect to the
country in which he resided." Having finally escaped
from Kingston, he spent several weeks in making
a geological examination of different parts of the
Province, and in adding to his knowledge of its
topography. He also prepared a " Preliminary Report "
for the Grovernment, giving a concise statement of
the general views which lie liad then formed of the
geology of the country. I^^or this work no charge
whatever was made to the Government.

In the month of December, with the Governor-
General's permission, he returned to England, in order
to fulfil professional and other engagements during the
winter. His father had died at Clarkstone in 1841, f

* Rawson W. Rawson, Esq., at that time Civil Secretary to the Gov«r-
nor-General of Canada.

t Mr. William Logan died either on the 14th. or 15th. of Junf, 1841,
and was buried on the 19th., in Polmont Churchyard. His wife died
several years before.

': il

134

FRIENDSHTP OF DE LA BECIIE.

[1842,

and no doubt there was much to be attended to in
connection with the settlement of his affairs. Before
his death he had signified his willingness to have
Clarkstone remain in the possession of the family ; but
the members were now so scattered that this was found
impracti(?able, and the estate was sold.

Sir Henry de la Beche was for years one of Logan's
warmest friends, and did all in his power to encourage
and assist him in his geological work. Just before
Logan's departure for Canada he sent him the following
letter : —

"Llandovery, 31s<. July, 1842.

" My Dear Logan, — Herewith I send two letters to
Kawson, The one open is nothing but the usual sort
of affair, to be presented by yourself; the other, sealed,
is the right thing, and you must take care to have it
sent to him by post, or otherwise, as you may think
right, before the other is presented, so that he may knov/
all about matters before he sees you. Mind this. If you
send the sealed note by post, pray i^ay the post thereof

" In my note in answer to yours, and sent to Swansea,
I said the best and safest way would be to leave the
maps and sections^* with Mr. Trenham lleeks (our
Secretary at the Museum of Economic Greology), to be
kept with other Ordnance matters he has in charge
for me.

" Now, my dear Logan, as I want to do you every
justice, had you not better give me some account of the
coal-beds themselves, which I can quote as yours, or at

Referring to Logan's maps and sections of the Glamorganshire coal-

field.

1842.]

A HERCULEAN TASK.

135

any rate let me have the information which I can
give as from you. Suum cuique is a motto that I like,
and you must have the full credit for what you have
done.

"Now, mind you, if you think I can be of any use to
you in the Canadian Survey, don't scruple to say so, as
I am fully in earnest, and no mistake. There may be
odds and ends of things which can be usefully done by
us, and so you must consider us as a kind of colleagues,
all working for the same end, and that the cause of
truth

" But not to get prosy, mind and use me when you
like in this survey, and the more you do so the more I
shall like it.^ Wishing you all health and happiness,
believe me ever yours, ., jj_ r^ ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ,,

The survey upon which Logan had embarked in
Canada was characterized ))y Sedgwick as a " Herculean
task." No one, however, understood the difficulties
better than did Logan himself. At the same time he
was full of enthusiasm and had no hesitation in under-
taking the work, lie saw in Canada a most tempting
field for original research, and felt, no doubt, that the
greater the difficulties the grander would be the con-
quests. The spirit with which he began the work

* In a letter written from Swansea to his brother James, in March,
1842, Logan says : " De la Beche has informed me that if I get the
Canada Survey he will assist me in all difficulties, with all the scientific
force of the Geological Survey of this country, either in the way of
chemical analysis or the determination of new fossils ; and that he will
arrange so that a certain (juuntity of specimens may come here free of
expense by every packet, and be returned, after examination, in the same
way."

136

LETTER TO DE LA BECIIE.

[l843

is shown in thn following Homi-ofiicial letter to Jir
Henry I)e la Be(;he : —

« London, 2Uh. April, 1843.

"My Dkar Sir, — You are aware that I have been
appointed by the Provincial (lovornment of Canada to
make a j^oological survey of that colony. The extent
and nature of the territory will render the task a most
laborious one ; but I am fully prepared to spare no
exertion of which I am capable, to render the work,
when it IS completed, satisfactory to those who have
instituted the examination, and creditable to myself I
am especially anxious to bring the investigation to a
conclusion in as short a time as a due regard to geolo-
gical truth and the applications of the science will
permit ; and in considering a systematic plan of opera-
tions to be adopted for the attainment of so important
an object, I naturally feel desirous of bringing to my
aid the experience of one who, from the position he has
occupied for many years past as Director of the Ordnance
Geological Survey of Grreat Britain, is more fitted than
any other person to advise me on all practical points,
whether with reo-ard to the work to be done in the
field or to the general machinery of the Survey. And
it appears to me that not only your advice as to a plan
of operations, but your positive assistance in the work
of the Canadian Survey, might be made available, and
this with advantage to the investigation which you
yourself conduct in Britain.

" No one knows better than yourself how difficult it
would be for one person to work with effect in all the
branches of so extensive a subject. To carry out the

1813.]

LETTER TO LE LA BECIIE.

137

lield-worK with vigou;, lo reduce all the sections with
the requisite degree of accuracy and map the geogra-
phical distribution of (lie rocks, to collect minerals and
fossils, and to analyze the one, and by laborious and
ext(!nsive comparisons to determine the geological age
of the other, is (|uite imimssiblc without a proj^er
division of labour. But it is in the i)al!eontological
department of the invi'stigations that it seems to me
the British aiid ( 'anadian Surveys might be made mutu-
ally serviceable. In Canada, all the expensive means
of paliEontological comparison have yet to be brought
together. There is no arranged collection of fossils,
and no such thing as a geological library to refer to.

" The correct determination of fossils in the country
is, therefore, at present, quite out of the question. Now,
in the British Survey, the examination of organic
remains is made the work of a distinct department, and
has been confided to an able naturalist, whose great
acquirements and extensive means of reference, if
brought to bear on Canadian fossils, would not only
ensure accuracy and save time, but benefit his own
generalization on Britain, by widening the sphere of his
comparison.

'Many interesting facts connected with the geogra-
phical distribution of particular fossil genera and species
might thus be ascertained, the confusion arising from a
want of unity in nomenclature be avoided, and Canada
become the measure of a correct geological comparison
between the continents of Europe and America.

" From the fact that the Survey has been urged by the
Legislature of the country, it is natural to infer that a

138

ANXUAL REPOHTS.

[l843

great desire is felt by the enlightened part of the
Canadian community to be made acquainted with
the leading geological features of the Province ; but
the main object of the investigation is, no doubt, to
determine the mineral riches of the colony, and it is not
unlikely that a wish may be felt by its inhabitants to
know the result or the probabilities of the survey long
before it can possibly bo completed. To meet such a
desire in those States of the American Union in which
geological surveys have been undertaken, resort has
been had to a system of annual reports. The example
thus given may by some be considered to afford the
best mode of making known the progress of the work ;
but the system appears to me objectionable for many
reasons, and as the consideration of it has no doubt
come before you among the various subjects connected
with the Survey of Britain, I should be obliged if you
would give me the expression of your opinion regard-
ing it."

In answer to this communication, De la Beche, tne
very next day, addressed the following letter to Logan,
which will be read with interest by many connected
with treological Surveys at the present time :—

" London, 2Uh. April, 1843.

"My Dear Sir, — In reply to your communication of
the 24th., I have no hesitation in stating my firm belief
that important benefits would arise, as regards the
effective progress of your labours in Canada, saving
both time and expenditure, if some arrangements could
be made by which a kind of union could be elTectod
between the Geological Surveys of Canada and of Clreat

1843.J

LETTER FROM DE LA BECHE.

139

Britain; an object which, judging from the tenor of
your letter, you seem desirous to promote.

" Placed, as you will be, in Canada, unassisted by easy
access to the opinions and co-operating labours of those
scientific men whose different researches are so essential
to the right understanding of the results obtained from
the geological surveys of large areas, it seems to me
quite necessary for the full development of your labours
that some plan should be adopted, by which, while you
investigate in the field the geological structure of the
country, the great groundwork of all, you should
receive the assistance of the ablest men our country can
produce in the important accessory branches of know-
ledge — in fact, that the results of your labours should
be such as to do credit to the Government under whose
auspices the survey is conducted.

" Without a proper division of labour, and the power
to avail ourselves of the co-operating researches i{ the
most competent men in the accessory branches of
knowledge above noted, with the facility of consulting
valuable museums and libraries, the advance of the
Geological Survey of Great Britain would never have
been su(*h as it now is. And it forcibly strikes me that
if the Government could so arrange that you might
avail yourself of the sources of information which we
have organized, not only would time and money be
saved, but the importance also of your investigations
would be increased, inasmuch as the subjects of Cana-
dian and British geology might be treated together,
under the same system, with mutual benefit to both
and to the progress of science.

140 ANNUAL RBPORTS UNSATISFACTORY. [i843.

" How useless, or rather worse than useless, would it
be for you to incur the heavy expense of figuring
organic remains common to Canada and the British
Islands, while in connection with the Geological
Survey of Great Britain we are, under the authority of
the Treasury, preparing a fit and proper national work
on fossils. Even if for any report you required such
figures, could it not be readily arranged that we
furnish impressions of the plates to you ? Besides, it is
most important for the right progress of this depart-
ment of science that as much as possible the same kinds
of fossils from different parts of the British possessions
should be examined, described, and figured by the most
competent naturalists.

" With respect to the publication of annual reports of
geological surveys, they can scarcely be but very unsa-
tisfactory documents, and for the most part very
undigested records of real progress. How is it possible
to come to accurate conclusions before all the facts to
be considered are known ? Concise reports to Govern-
ment, in general terms, of the progress made are
essential, showing that the time has been properly
occupied. Such statements are made annually by
the Ordnance Geological Survey, when the yearly
estimates are under consideration; but such docu-
ments are very different from published statements
containing views that in the end may not be sus-
tained. Neither in France nor in other European States
where geological surveys connected with their Gov-
ernments have been or are in progress, have such
reports been given to the public, though separate

ALEXANDER 3IURRAY,

141

memoirs on well-aseertained points have sometimes
ajipeared.

" Crude annual reports may even be detrimental to the
true progress of science, as it may readily happen that
an author, having once committed himself to a hasty
view or opinion, may feel grsat reluctance to withdraw
it, and thus somewhat distort additional facts that
militate against it ; so that the clear conclusions to be
drawn from the facts eventually obtained are not by any
means so apparent as they should be.

" Let me, in conclusion, assure you that any aid that
we may fortunately be able to aiford on our Survey to
yours in Canada is entirely at your service, and that we
shall consider it a duty, as well as pleasu^-e, to assist in
any way that may be considered useful. — Very faithfully

y^^^^' " H. T. De la Beche."

The question of a geological assistant had been dis-
cussed by Logan when in Kingston in 18-42, and on the
strength of De l*' Beche's recommendation, he was
subsequently authorized to secure the services of Mr.
Alexander Murray, a young man who had originally
been educated at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth,
and had served for some years in the Navy ; but who,
at the time of which we write, was devoting himself to
geology, and working enthusiastically as a volunteer on
the Ordnance Survey under De la Beche. From 1837
to 1841 he had lived in Canada, and had served as a
volunteer during the rebellion there. His first personal
intercourse with Mr. Logan was in London during the
winter of 1841-42 ; but in the succeeding spring he

142

BEMimSCENCES.

went to Swansea, and accompanied him m many of
his geological excursions in the surrounding country.

Keferring to this time, Mr. Murray afterwards
wrote : — " Even at that early period, when every
comfort of life was easily accessible, 1 observed his
utter indifference to self-indulgence of any kind, or
even such ordinary comforts as most people would be
inclined to call indispensable necessities. After an
early and very simple breakfast, he would buckle on
his instruments, grasp his hammer, and with map in
hand, march off to the field, in which ho would toil on
without cessation, without thinking for a moment of
food or rest, until the shades of evening gave warning
that it was time to retrace his steps towards home, or to
seek some temporary dwelling."

Mr. Murray (now a C. M. Gr.) was connected with the
Geological Survey of Canada for many years, but was
afterwards appointed Director of the Survey of New-
foundland, a position which he still holds. Throughout
he has been a zealous and daring explorer, and to the
last Sir William regarded him with feelings of the
warmest friendship.

CHAPTER IX.

GASPE EXPLORATIONS, 1843.

IN the spring of 1843, Logan again crossed the
Atlantic, to enter systematically upon his new
duties in Canada. In his journal, he pathetically
refers to the fact of his being sea-sick for the first time,
although it was his eighth voyage. Reaching Halifax
on the 30th. of May, he determined to journey overland
through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, to his desti-
nation in Gaspe, visiting on the way that wonderful
display of the coal-measures at the South Joggins, on
the Bay of Fundy, a knowledge of which he felt might bo
of service to him in studying the geological formations
of Canada. At the South Joggins he spent several
weeks, and it was at this time that he executed his
great section of the coal-measures, which, as has been
truly said, is " a remarkable monument of his industry
and powers of observation." It gives details of nearly
the whole formation of the region, or 14,5*70 feet,
including seventy-six beds of coal and ninety distinct
Stigmaria underclays. Nowhere else in the world is

144

TMJ£ JOG GINS SECTION.

[1843.

there so magnificent, cr so instructive an exposure of
the coal-measures as that of the Joggins. Imagine a
thickness of three miles of strata, tilted up so that
almost every successive bed is brought to view ! What
a history is there contained ! This great series c<msists
of marine and fresh-water deposits, in which no repe-
tition of beds can be detected, and in which there are
no faults to mislead one in estimating the thickness. =^

Hastening on to New Brunswick, Logan devoted a
short time to the examination of about fifty miles of
coast on the south side of the Bale des Chaleurs, and then
went on to Canada, reaching Graspe early in July.
Gaspe was deemed a most important part of the country
for examination ; for coal had long been reported to
exist there, and it appeared by no means improbable
that at least patches of the Carboniferous might be
found. From Gaspe he sent an official announcement
of his arrival to the Governor-General's Secretary,
Mr. Rawson W. Rawson, and also the following private
letter : —

"GASPt!, \mh. July, 1843.

" My Dear Sir, — I have visited the Joggins, on the
Bay of Fundy, and I never before saw such a magni-
ficent section as is there displayed. The rocks along
the coast are laid bare for thirty miles, and every
stratum can be touched and examined in nearly the
whole distance. A considerable portion has a high
angle of inclination, and the geological thickness thus

• Logaa'8 section of the coal-measures at the South Joggins was pub-
lished in 1845 as an appendix to his first •■ Report ct Progress" to the
Uanadian Government, and occupies no Jess than bi\ty pages.

1343.]

COAL IN CANADA?

145

brought to view is very great. T measured and regis-
tered every bed 0(xnirring in a horizontal distance of
ten miles, taking the angle of dip all the way along. Of
course there has not yet been time to put together the
facts thus collected ; but when this is done, I shall be
able to tell you every foot of what is in the crust of the
earth in that part of it, for at least three miles deep.
The whole deposit belongs to the Carboniferous era,
and in one part of the section a multitude of coal-seams
are exhibited. Mr. Lyell has stated them at nineteen,
but they much exceed that. There is one thing, how-
ever, that Lyell has not mentioned, which is that the
commercial value of this display does not by any means
equal its geological beauty. Of all the coal-seams
exposed, I am sorry to say not more than two, or at
most three, are suflB.ciently thick to be worked benefi-
cially.

" In my examination of the neighbourhood of Bathurst,
I saw only two coal-seams, but neither of them suffi-
ciently thick to be profitably worked. One of them is
six inches, and the other eight to ten inches.

"From all I hear, and something I see, it appears
probable that the Carboniferous rocks do extend into
Canada, but it is very problematical whether the Cana-
dian part of the deposit will be productive. In this
part of Canada there is a very favourable exposure of
the rocks along the shores of the Gulf of St. Lawrence,
and the various bays connected with it ; and for the
purpose of ascertaining the order of their superposition
with accuracy, it is my intention to proceed around tho
coast with a canoe and an Indian to carry my instru-

146

AN INTERESTING HEGION,

[l843.

ments. Boating is too expensive, and not so independent
a means of travel, and there are few roads of which to
avail myself. I have with me, at my own charges, a
young man of the name of Stevens, from Bathurst, a son
of Mr. Stevens who established the Gloucester Mining
Company, in New Brunswick. Knowing something of
mineral exploration, having a dash of the necessary
enthusiasm, and being accustomed to rough it in the
woods, able to handle an axe, manage a canoe, and
fit up a camp, as they call it, I anticipate with his
assistance, and that of the Indian, getting along with
economy and despatch. The nature and geological
thickness of the formations that constitute the country
once determined, the examination of their geographical
distribution will be much facilitated. The chief diffi-
culties connected with it will then be those of a physical
nature in penetrating the woods.

" It is probable that to a geologist this part of Canada
will present a great many more interesting features
than the western division of the Province. It appears
to differ considerably from what has been observed by
the American geologists on the south side of the great
lakes, in the State of New York. Disturbing forces
have fractured the rocks, and thrown them into moun-
tains and valleys. The country, therefore, abounds in
picturesque scenery, in this respect far surpassing
Western Canada ; but for that very reason, in addition
to its more northern latitude, it cannot be so fine a
country for agricultural settlement. ..."

Of the topography of the Graspe district little was
known in 1843 beyond the coast line ; of the geology,

1843.]

A TERRA INCOGNITA.

14t

practically nothing, fietth^ments were few, confined
almost exclusively to the coast, and made up chiefly of
fishermen. There were no roads through the interior,
most of which was (and indeed still is) a wilderness,
inhabited by bears and other wild beasts, or at best,
only penetrated in certain seasons of the year by a few
Indians or lumbermen. The courses of most of the
streams were unknown, and the precipitous mountain
passes untraversed. Such was the country whose
geology Logan was now to investigate. It certainly
needed courage to enter single-handed upon such a
work. Bu^ from first to last he never complained.
Beetling clifls were scaled, rugged mountains climbed,
rapid rivers traced to their source ; and all with that
calm determination and fixity of purpose by w^hich
he was ever characterized. No coal, it is true, was
found in Gaspe, but its absence was demonstrated
conclusively. "Many important geological facts were
accumulated, and a large amount of topographical work
accomplished the value of which has since been fully
recognized.

In the summer of 1843, Mr. Murrey was at w^ork in
the Upper Province, examining the country between
Lakes Huron and Erie, and Logan's only companions
were the Mr. Stevens whom ho had brought with him
from Bathurst, and his faithful Indian, John Basque.
Beginning with the towering cliffs of Cape Rosier, the
coast was examined all the way round to Paspebiac, on
the Bale des Chaleurs, a distance of about 100 miles.
Logan's measurements were made by pacing along the
shore, while his Indian followed with the birch canoe,

148

GAtiPK JO(JJi.\ALS.

[l843

and occasionally ferried him over places ioo d<'ep to Avade,
or round projecting clifT's. "When evening came they
camped, or perhaps sought the shelter of a fisherman's
hut or an Indian wigwam. The measurements of the
day were jjlotted, the journal written up, often with no
better light than that of tht^ glaring camp-fire ; and
then, thoroughly tired with combined physical and
mental activity, Logan slipped into his blanket sack,
stretched himsell' upon a bed of spruce-bough^^ and
slept the sleep which he so much needed. Before
retiring to the recesses of his sack on the evening of
July 13th., 1843, he made the following entry in his
journal : " It is very dark, and our fire brightens up its
face. Our pork for to-morrow boils away right busily.
The woods are becoming as silent as the grave ; not a
breath of wind is stirring. The faint stroke of the axe
against a tree tells us that others are camping, probably
within half a mile, and the monotonous gurgling of the
river will perhaps lull them to slumber as well as us.
Basque is on his knees, and though his back is towards
me, I can see from the crosses he makes that he is
saying his prayers. So it is time to prepare for bed."

Logan's Gaspe journals, if published in full, would
make quite a stout volume, but they describe scenes
with which almost everyone is now familiar, and
would, if given in extenso, be tedious to tho reader.
Like the note-books containing his field-measurements
and geological observations, they are illustrated by
pen-and-ink sketches, which often exhibit more than
ordinary skill. The following extracts from the Journal
of 1843 will, we think, be read with interest and

1843.]

A SUMMER BESIDENCE

14',>

amusement. They are tinged with their writer's quiet
humour, and serve to show how little escaped his
notice, even in the way of the most trivial things and
circumstances. John Basque's summer residence, for
example, is described with as minute detail as if it wero
a profoundly interesting geological phenomenon : —

''Sunday, IQth. July. — Basque's wigwam is about
fourteen feet square. The sides and ends are constructed
of unplaincd boards, placed edgewise on one another
for about three feet up, and kept together by stakes on
each side at the corners. There is a space left for the
door in one of the ends. Upon these boards peeled
pino poles are placed in a sloping position for rafters.
They rise up to the height of about eight feet in the
centre, where they are supported by two poles that run
from end to end. On the rafters is laid a quantity of
spruco bark, making a roof. The bark lies across the
pole lengthwise, and one piece overlaps another, tile-
fashion, while sticks and boards, with one end on the
ground, are made to rest upon the bark to keep it in
its place. One gable end is constructed in the same
manner, but the other is made of boards, one end of
which rests on the horizontal boards of the walls. A
piece of coarse canvas, with several holes in it, hung
on pegs, constitutes a curtain for the door — a very con-
venient one for dogs and cats to make their exits and
entrances by. But a board placed edgewise for a lintel
debars the pigs from the same privileges.

" In the centre of the floor is placed a cracked stove,
about three feet long, two wide, and two high, from
which rises a pipe passing through the roof left open

150

A SUMMER liiaSTDENCR

[lS43

for the purpose, n,nd for the sake of light. The stove
rests oil throe iron legs, and one a compound of stone
and wood. Around the stove is left a space of about
two feet, and l)etween this and the wooden walls, on
all sides Imt that of the door, is a space covered with a
carpet of llr boughs, confined at the outer edge by three
polos stapled with willow down to the earth. This
carpet is about four feet wide, and forms a sitting place
by day, and a sleeping place by night. In one corner
is an unplained board for a dresser, its ends supported
by means of the same material. Pails and tubs occupy
the space below, cups and dishes that above. Three or
four trunks occupy the corners.

"Two dogs, two cats, two Indians (Basque and his
brother), two squaws, two children, two strangers
(Stevens and myself), occupied this apartment last
night, with a rousing fire in the stove in the middle of
July. I crept into my blanket sack, without disposses-
sing myself of my nether integuments ; yet I did not
find it uncomfortably warm. This is Basque's summer
residence, and it has not been thought necessary to stop
the chinks. The night air, therefore, comes in on all
sides, and towards morning, even in July, the air is a
little cool about three or four o'clock. . . .

" "We had a severe thunderstorm in the morning, and
another, still more severe, in the afternoon. Two or
three claps put me in mind of the Montreal thunder,
when I was at school. The landscape from the door
while the storm was gathering was beautiful beyond
description. The dark clouds spread over the distant
mountains, giving them as deep a blue as ever Robson

1843.]

PORCUPINE VERSUS PIG.

151

put on paper. In the middle distance was the expanse
of the river, with its pine-wood margin ; while a low,
sandy beach with a couple of canoes turned over,
Basque's wigwam and a few lir trees near it, with
stumps and logs and knotted roots, formed a pi<turesque
foreground.

"Basque's wife cooked for us some of the trout we
obtained last night. She also gave us roasted porcupine,
choosing the young one ; and certainly it made an
excellent dish. It tasted rather better than sucking
pig, but the flavour of the meat was something like it.
I slept away nearly one half the day, being very tired ;
and I brought up my geological calculations and a little
of my journal the other.

" Basque's wife seems to have an Indian missal, from
which she and all in the house sang some sacred music.
It had much the character of the Welsh psalm tunes,
and the one language being to me nearly as unintelli-
gible as the other, I could almost, when my eyes were
shut, fancy myself in Mr. Jones' church at Kilgarrin.
After the psalms, Basque and his brother played a game
of draughts. . . .

" Tuesday^ 18//t. July. — Two men came after me a
considerable distance to-day, evidently watching my
movements very narrowly. They spoke to me at last,
and it seems they had considered me, from my various
gambols about the rocks, out of my mind. Three clam-
diggers did me the favour to 121 form me the same thing
yesterday. I shall get much reputation here evidently.

" The weather was so stormy to-day that the canoe
could not proceed along shore. Stevens and Basque

152

MY TENT.

[1843

■'■>} '.■

■y(|| i
f I I

'll

1843.]

LITTLE GASP£.

153

remained behind to camp at the neck of the peninsula,
while I proceeded down about three miles to Cape
James, and returned by the shore as I had gone. The
tide was flowing on my return, and I had to wade
round the projecting capos, wetting myself to a point
considerably above my knees. Twice 1 scaled the cliff.
I was in a nice state when I got to the tent, but made
myself very comfortable by changing even to my
ilannels. . . .

" Thursday^ 20th. July. — To-day we have come round
to Little Gaspe, w^hich is a regular fishing-station.
Fishing-stages and drjdng-houses occupy a high,
pebbly beach, which, on the upper part, is dotted
with stacks of dried codfish, covered with birch-bark,
weighted to keep it down. In the bay is a whaling
schooner at anchor, and fishing-boats in numbers keep
it ill countenance. On the k ft a long limestone point
projects aw^ay to the south-east, and completely shields
the bay by its height on that side. On the right is a
projecting horn of sandstone, and DoagJas and the
Highlands are seen beyond.

"Our tent is pitched on the beach, and there is
iiotliing between as and the pebbles beneath ' ^ a few
fir-tree boughs, \Ve are where fishermen most ao con-
gregate. Already we have had several levees, :\nd I
i'oar we shall find them rather troublesome. Our pisca-
tory friends have, however, given us some macki rel for
supper, and I ^ave bought three large lobsters for
threepence, one of which is changing his colour in the
pot, AVe are beginning to have rain, and I fear it is to
be a wet night. . . .

154

CURIOSITY UNREWARDED.

[l843.

" Tuesday, 25<A. July. — William Prevost's tempering
of steel is not so good as I expected. The chisels are
too hard, and will not stand at all, and the point of my
hammer has already broken. I have had a hard day's
work- No quarryman ever worked harder. I began at
6 a.m., and did not leave off until seven in the evening.
I have, however, collected a good many fossils from
the limestone close by, but not enough i>o determine
its age.

" As Stevens and I were hammering away, one of the
fish rmen came along to the rock, evidently with the
intention of being a looker-on at our operations, and
making his remarks upon our work. I was not desirous
of being troubled, so I resolved to get rid of him without
delay. When he came up to the place he stopped his
walk, and I stopped my hammering, and sat on the
specimens I was disengaging. ' You are working away,'
said he. ' You are not' said I. ' I think we shall have
more wind,' said he. ' I do not pay much attention to
the wind,' said I. So he stood and said nothing for a
little while, and I sat and looked at him. He then
continued on his walk, as if he had come that way ou
other business. But before he had proceeded thirty
yards, he was brought up by the cliff' and the tide, and
being obliged to return the way he had come, looked as
if conscious I must know he had come our way through
mere curiosity. All these fishermen fancy that I must
be getting something worth much money, considering
the pains I take. Nothing less than a silver mine
answers their notions. One of the fishermen has sent
me a piece of halibut for breakfast to-morrow. The

1843.]

MISTAKEN FOn INDIANS.

165

northern lights are very bright, indicating, as Basque
says, a change of weather. . . .

" Friday y 28</i. July. — The day is clear and bright
and warm, and we are on our voyage to Indian Cove.
The water is so quiet and so clear that we plainly see
the bottom in four fathoms. The fish swim lazily
below, as if enjoying the weather as well as we. . . .
Grrey limestone cliffs, crowned with pine trees, are on
my left, while on my right the craggy mountains of
Isle Percee are seen some twenty miles off. . . . Two
other canoes are upon the water, with Indians going to
Cape Rosier. They look very picturesque.

" A Jew who came to the neighbourhood to trade
the other day, hailed my canoe just now, or rather
beckoned to us (for we were out of hearing), just as we
had passed Grrande Grrdve. I fancying he might have
geological information to give me, hastened nearer the
shore. When we were closer, I asked him what he
wanted. He put his hand to his mouth, trumpet
fashion, and bawled out, 'Have ^aiu any beaver skins?'
He took us all for Indians. I put my hand to my
mouth, and roared out, ' I have no skin but my own,
and that I am unwilling to part with.'

" A breeze is springing up right in our teeth, though
we have not yet got farther than St. Creorge's Cove.
But here we shall deposit two boxes of specimens, and
lighten our canoe a little.

" By the time we got to Indian Cove quite a strong
breeze was blowing, and the -"vater had become very
rough. ... As usual when the fishermen returned
from their day's work, they all flocked around my t»^ut,

156

GRAND SCENERY.

[l843.

ii!

'3 ^'

to the number of about a dozen, to wonder at our
instruments and whole equipage. I usually beg my
fresh fish of them in return. . . .

" Monday, 31s<. July. — This morning early we struck
our tent, determined to come round Cape Graspe in our
canoe, the weather being remarkably calm, and it being
my intention to examine the coast in this direction as
far as Cape Rosier. The least breath of wind would
have rendered the attempt quite impossible, for the
broad water of the G-ulf of St. Lawrence strikes full
against the rocks of the point, which rise up from the
sea to the height of 700 feet, perpendicular as a wall, or
in many places with the summit overhanging the base.
They presented the grandest scene I have ever beheld.
Grulls and gannets were flying midway from the water,
and yet they appeared as small as pigeons. "We saw
some teal swimming on the water between us and the
shore, and resolved to get a shot at them. We consid-
ered them to be very young, in fact unable to fly ; but
the four we obtained turned out to be full grown. The
height of the cliff had deceived us. It makes every-
thing look small that is near it. . . .

"We are camped in a most beautiful little cove at
Cape Bon Ami, surrounded by the most romantic and
magnificent scenery. There is just one house near, and
French-Canadians live in it. They have a capital little
garden, with the first flowers I have seen in this part
of the world, in addition to abundance of cabbages and
potatoes. Like everybody in this region, they are fishing
peop'e; and though there is a drying-house in the cove,
they do not work in it at present. They preserve their

1843.]

LITTLE BON AMI COVE.

167

fish round the Cape Bon Ami, in another cove, about a
quarter of a mile off. "We are thus relieved from the
abominable stench of decaying codfish-offal and j^utrid
whale-blubber, which have been offending my nostrils

LITTLE BON AMI COVE, SllOVVINU CLIFF9 OK THE OASPfi LIMESTONE,

TOO FEET HIGH.

Logan's Journal, 1843.

ever since I came to Grasp6. When we last camped at
Indian Cove, two barrels of putrid blubber, from which
tho oil was straining, stood within two yards of us, and
when a gust of wind came from them, I thought I
should become ill. . . .

158

LITTLE GASP A

[l843.

Si>i!

'■ *<,

" Thirsday, \Olh. August. — At Little Gaspe again. "We
have had rather a ])usy day. We were up at four, and
had breakfast as soon as possible. Then my three
boxes were carried to one of the fish-sheds near, to bo
forwarded to St. George's Cove for the steamer. . . .
The morning was calm, and as I was desirous of
returning to Gaspe for the purpose of continuing my
examination towards the Bay Chaleur, I determined to
take advantage of it to get round Ship Head again.
This I instructed John to do with all despatch, while I
should walk to Cape Rosier, and then return again
across the mountain to Little Gaspe. ... As I came by
the place which we had made our home for three
nights, and saw the poles sticking there without the
canvas, and on the pebbles still spread the fir-tree
branches on which I had slept, and my back-log still
there, but ^ moking no more, a little of that merriment
which is experienced on visiting scenes of former
enjoyment came over me. 'The companions of my
excursions,' said I, 'where are they?' I expected the
echo to answer, ' Where are they ?' But the pleasures of
memory did not come sufficiently strong, while the
smell of stinking fish came too strong, and the echo,
like a true Irish echo, only seemed to say, 'Gone to
Little Gaspe.' So I started to join them. A very
romantic walk I had over the pass called the Portage, of
which I had already finished a sketch from memory. . , .

" I reached Little Gaspe about two o'clock, where I
found my canoe and companions, and a kettleful of pea
soup. ... On our arrival here [Gaspe], we found that a
great frigate had come into the port lately, and as we

1843.]

PETROLEUM SPRINGS,

159

sailed past, we looked very small I fear, proud as we felt
of our exploits of the day. It is not often that a canoe has
come from Cape Rosier to Gaspe in the few hours mine
has, doubling a great and usually stormy cape like thut
of Ship Head, and making good her way over rough
water for thirty miles. ... I have taken lodgings
with Mr. Paddy, as he is called, though his name is
McCannah, and have given John ])ermissioii to go to
sec his family. . . .

"■Friday, l\th. August. — I feel myself much refreshed
by my sleep of last night. It is certainly a great
comfort to get rid of all ligatures when one goes
to bed, and to have soft feathers below one, instead
of hard pebbles — even though one be a geologist. . . .
I am off on an excursion up the south-west arm of
the river to a spring said to be of coal tar, which
all the people here consider a sure indication of coal.
It may be x>etroleum, but I do not expect to find coal
with it.

"Here we are, camped in the woods on the south-
west arm, and to-morrow we visit the Silver Brook, on
which the tar spring is. We have dined on three
trout, which John speared as we came along. To-night
Ave are to go out trout-spearing by torch-light, to
provide our breakfast for to-morrow morning. John
has prepared birch-bark flambeaux, which consist of
strips of the bark, to the number of a dozen, about two
foot long and four inches wide, and tied uj) by strings
of cedar root. The flambeau is split up into small strips
at one extremity, for the purpose of easy ignition. "We
are only waiting for the dark

160

BIRCH- BARK.

[l843.

Hii,

iWili'i

"I do not know what we should do in the woods
without birch-bark. It is certainly one of the most
useful things an Indian can boast of. He makes his
canoe of it. He uses it for rooting his house. He
makes ♦ " '^ vessels to carry his maple sugar and his
gum, and twisting it as a chemist does his filter, he
makes a cup of it, and it serves him for (irockery.
Then it is a most inflammable thing, and burns like
pitch. He lights his fire by means of it, and catches
his fish by its assistance. He doos not write on it,
because he cannot ; but ii inal < s a capital substi-
tute for paper, under either the pencil or the pen,
and to save paper I have been using it for my rough
calculations. . .

" Friday, \Wi. August. — ... It is 12 o'clock at night,
and I am fagged. I have just put into ink my observa-
tions of the day, which has required four hours ; and
before that I had been hard at work measuring, and
noting, and cracking stones for specimens, from six
o'clock in the morning. I have had a blow on the head
from a great stone weighing half a hundredweight,
which fell upon me. fortunately from no great height.
It has bruised my temporal muscle on the left side, and
I can masticate only with great difficulty. John brought
us soup about four in the afternoon. If he had brought
anything that required the use of the jaws, I must have
gone without dinner. I have had a tumble, too, on a
slippery stone, striking my elbow ; and I put my foot
between two stones and pinched my instep , so that I
am all bruises, and my limbe are as stijff" as sticks. I'll
go to bed.

:fi

i84n.]

WO RM-T RACKS.

ICl

" Sunday, 20fh. Auii^u.sL — Wc got our specimons ol
iuiiielids yesterday. It rained a little during tho iiiorii-
iiig, but bocamo lino in tho artornoon, and was very
i-alni all day — a bcautil'ul canoo day. I'Ik; canoe, how-
ever, was too narrow a vessel lor one of the spiM-iniens,
which measured live feet one way and lour feet eiglit
the other. We were obliged to borrow a Hat from the
lishermen to get it home to our tent. It weighs about
three hundredweight. It would have been a pity to
break it up, as the full eifect of the worm-tracks cannot

SUPPOSKI) WOUM-TllACKS KKO.M (iA.SPK HANDSTONE.

AlxMit oiHvtwi'irtli iiiitural kIzo.

be appreciated from a small specimen. I also got some
fossil shells from the same bed as the annelids; only
two sjiecies, however, and ])y no means very distinct.
I begin to think these are not true coal-measures, not-
withstanding that I have seen a small seam of coal, tw^o
inches thick. The plants are not Carboniferous. . . .
The rain is coming down harder and harder. The
wind IS beginning to blow, the sea to break heavily
on the shore, and our tent to leak, I have been

lying in the tent conducting the drox)s which soak

1^2

EAIN DROPS.

[1343

throniili tho canvas down lo ilio odgn^ or bottom of the
sheet. When tlie rain isoaks ihronij-h it rnns clown the
inside of the canvas a little way, until it meets a dry
place. This produces an impediment to the current; a
large drop immediately collects, and down it falls. To
a disinterested person il would l)e very amusing, no
douht, to witness the inconvenience caused by these
drops. While you write one of them will probably fall
just at the point of your pen, take all the ink out of it,
and spread it on the paper ; or one will fall on what
you have just written, and send the letters <>t the
ali)habet swhnming in all dinn'tions, drowning a word
or two ; or one will fall on a clean part of the page,
forming a lake, at the margin of which the pen must
stop until the lake is drained or dessicated. If any of
them fall on your clothes, you do not lind it out until,
l)y dint of repetition, the drop has supplied water
enough to get through coat, &<;., and meets with the
first impediment to its progress in your skin. You then
discoA'er that capillary attraction has made a morass of
a considerable space around the centre of supply, and if
the spot happens to be one not conveniently exposed to
the fire, your science is considerably perplexed to find
a remedy for the evil. . . .

" Saturday, 2nd. September. — . . . We have got to
Perce, and have taken up our quarters at Mr. Moriarty's.
Perce is f[uite a town, and there is very picturesque
scenery about it. I must remain here two or three
days,

^^ Sunday, 'Srd. September. — . . . The town of Perce,
as it may be called, is situated ou a point of land, which

1843.]

ISTJ': PERCKE.

163

jutw pivtty far out iiilo Iho (iulfof {St. Lawrem-e It is
8Urroiiii<l('(l l)y bold rocks juid roinaiilii^ mouiiliiius; but
Ihoro are no roads lo toiulucl you amoii<>- tlicm, so lliat
you may enjoy tlio sct'iu'ry. '^I'lic liousos arc separated
into two "Toups l)y a rocky point <allcd JNIont .Toii, in
front of which, and soniclimes approachabli^ on fool,
when the ebb of spring tide gives the opportunity, is
what is caUed the ' split rock,' or I'lslt! Percee. It is so
named from tin' fact of the sea having worn two holes
through the island, which look like two mighty doors
in a great cat hodral. The highest point of the split rock
is 291) feet above high-water mark, as ascertained with
line and plummet by Mr. Moriarty, with wh<nn I lodge.
The breadth of tht^ rock on top is about 200 feet, and its
lonffth is eleven acres. Its form is something like the
letter S. It is vtay dillicult of access, and no one has
ascended sinci^ a foolhanly fellow, nam(>d Pierre L'I]gle,
took it into his head to dance upon a projecting piece of
rock, \\'hich gave way luider his feet, and dashed him
to atoms on the beach. This was about six years ago.
Up to that time Mr. Moriarty had always cut hay on
the top ; but the magistrates have now interdicted
anyone from going up

"On the north side of Perce Point are the rocks
which I surveyed while occupying the corner of the
boach in MalT)ay, and one of which shows a perpendi-
cular face of QQiS feet. . . . On the outside of the sjilit
rock there is an island about a mile in diameter, called
Bonaventure. The side next the mainland is pretty
well occux>ied by fishermen's houses and iishing-stages.
It has a moderate slope, and a pebbly beach ; but the

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1^118 |Z5

■tt liii |22

11.25 i 1.4

1.6

l-^" . V"

■«•■

'Hi

I '

164

MOUNT ANNE.

[184;'..

outside ot tho island is very bold and roeky. The
preeii>i«'es, I viiiderstand, are some of them 500 feet in
height, and the water is many i'athonis deep at their
base, rendering it quite impossible to walk along. I
shall, therefore, have to go round the island in a canoe.

" Tuesday, bth. September. — After breakfast this morn-
ing, I had again to put my barometer in order. The
mercury had leaked a good deal. After doing so, I set
out with kStevens and a son of Mr. Moriarty's to ascend
Mount Anne. There is a grand view from the summit,
and the island of Miscou, on the other side of the Baio
des Chaleurs, is visible on the horizon. Perce and its
shores appear to be quite at our feet, and the split rock
looks of no height at all. The mountain has a per-
pendicular face to the southward, and looks over the
shore which extends between White Head and Cai)o
d'Espoir.

" The day was warm and the sun shone out brightly.
I collected materials to determine the height of a con-
siderable number of points on the ascent. The whole
of the hill is composed of the unconformable conglo-
merate. We returned from our excursion in time to
enable me to continue my measurements along shore»
and the tide being at the lowest point of ebb when I
cam«i to the point of Mont Joli, I had an opportunity of
walking over dryshod to the split rock, and getting a
few fossils there. Its periiendicular face, 300 feet high,
looks very grand when one stands at the base.

" Wednesday, Gth. September. — The day being line, I
took advantage of it to make the tour of Bonaventuro
Island, which lies opposite to Perce, and is distant

1843.]

TiOf^AVENTUnn J fit AND.

105

o
o-
to

about a couple of miles. Mr. Moriarty lent mo his
whale-boat for the purpose, and in addition to Stevens
and Basque, I had two other m(Mi in the l)oat, one an
old I'ellow of the name of Fournier, who was well
acquainted with every part of the island.

" We had a sail for our boat; but the wnnd was not
fair for making the island. So the oars were used. As
we approached the island, Fournier pointed out to me
a huge block which had fallen from the clilF, to which
the name of la cruche is given. Another is called /a
pierre carrce ; another, le mouton. These are on the
Jiorth-w^est side of the island, and the cliiTs are there
bold, being about 300 feet high. Having made the
island, the wind favoured us a little, and we ran down
the west side, which is rather low, though rocky.
The same may be said of the south side, the cliffs not
being more than fifty feet. But as we came to the
eastern side, the boldness rose to grandeur, and there
are several places where the perpendicular height can-
not be much short of 600 feet. In these cliffs are two
ledges, which are distinguished by the names of the
South Gannet Ledge and the North Grannet Ledge,
from the circumstance of their being the resort of
myriads of these birds, which build their nests in the
crevices of the rocks. The ledges were actually
whitened by them, and having no less than three guns
and a rifle with uSj w^e loaded to procure some of the
gannets as specimens. A thousan<l of them sat in a
row, double and treble deep, on a ledge which pro-
jected slightly from the; face of the cliff and there they
remained, in spite of our presence.

160

GANNETS.

[l843.

"I took my aim at one, with shot No. 4, and fired;
but I seemed to produce no effect upon the bird, beyond
causing him to quit the ledge and fly away seaward.
1 tried another, and another, and another, and half
a dozen besides, with the same effect, and then made
up my mind that they were too high up, though they
did not appear to me to be distant more than 100 feet.
Hundreds upon hundreds of the birds were flying
about by this time, some leaving, some lighting on the
ledge, and I determined to wait for a chance of one on
the wing, when it should approach within good range.
One soon did so, and down he came with a tremendous
crash on the rock, I then left the sitting birds, and
stuck to those on the wing, killing four or Ave. John
and Stevens, and one of the men in the boat, killed
some more, and we got altogether eleven of them. . . .
Though the young ones have not yet begun to fly, they
are full-fledged. But they are so fat that they < annot
rise on the wing. They are as large as the old ones,
but their plumage is quite different. The old ones are
white all over the body and wings, with the exception
of the tips of the pinions, which are quite black. . . .
The length of the gannet, from the tail to the beak, is
is about two and a half feet, and from tip to tip, when
the wings are spread, about four feet. They are very
fierce when wounded. One of them, shot before we
got ashore on the lodge, turned upon the boat open-
mouthed, and bit at the pole with which Basque was
endeavouring to hit it on the head.

" Going along after our work of slaughter was over,
we saw several places where the water had worn

1843.]

LITTLE nrrF.n cote.

167

away the base of the cliff, and eaten out great caverns
in it. Two of them are called la grande fourne and la
petite fourne. The summit overhangs the base in some
places as much as thirty yards. The rock consists of
the same conglomerate as that which forms Point St.
Peter, and also the summit of Mount Anne, an<l which
is unconformable with the older rocks beneath. We
returned from our excursion about four o'clock, and I
had time to go on with my examination round Mont
Joli and Battery Point. . . .

•' Tuesday, 12th. September. — We have got away from
Perce at last, and are now encamped at 1' Anse a Beaufils,
or I'Anse a BuH'y, as the people call it. Th«'re are a few
fishing-sheds on a brook which pours oui its waters on
a shingly beach, and a few dwelling-houses. There is a
road, a good one, all the way from P<^rc6. . . . The coast
is rocky and precipitous all the way, and I was stopped
by the tide about half a mile from our resting-place. . , .

" Thursday, lAth. September. — . . . We have pitched
our tent at Little River Cove, on the beach, and I
believe all the inhabitants of the Cove have been to
visit us, one after another. There are twenty-three
families settled here. The number of fishing-boats is
twenty-five. While occupied in examining the rocks
on the other side of the brook, a multitude of the
fishermen flocked round me, curious to know what I
was about. One of them asked me if I was searching
for buried money, and if the instruments I used indi-
cated the proximity of hidden treasure. I explained
the use of the instruments to him, and he seemed much
gratified byit. . . .

168

GliANT) RIVF.R.

[l843.

^^ Friday, 15th. September. — Wo were up at daylight,
and got away from our last night's position just as the
the sun was rising. I have walked all the way along
the beach, a distance of six miles, to Grand River, the
canoe accompanying me, and taking on hoard the
specimens T collected. The most interesting feature of
the day has been a trap floor overlying the horizontal
conglomerate, and the appearance at the same time
of the highly-inclined rocks which the conglomerate
overlies unconformably.

BRrTION NEAR MOnTII OP f;".ANI) UIVKU, fiA.m'K.

o. Trap. b. liounventijre conylonionite. c. Tiltod U])por Silurian

limestones.

"Now we are camped iji a woo<l on the bank of the
Grand Iliver, which seems to pour out a large quantity
of water. A bar runs across the mouth of the river, and
makes behind it a harbour in which schooners of fifty
tons can float. There are two or three fathoms of
water in the channel through the bar.

" Tuesdni/, 2(Uh. September. — We were up by sunrise.
I started to my work on foot before the canoe was
ready, and I certainly have had the hardest work that
the Survey has yet brought me. The coast is so
abominably ragged, that it is with the greatest diffi-

JIAGGED ROCKS,

IGO

ity

rty

fas
lat
so

o
o

o
di

!<;
tT

■«)
o

B
o

H
H
M
m

nflt^nt^t r^

PORT rAKlEL,

[1843.

culty I can measure it, and the number of sights has
been very great. The rock is all sandstone of the
hardest description. . . . We are camped on the very
point of Cape Maquereau. . . .

^^ Friday y 13f/t. October. — . , . Port Daniel is a very
picturesque place. It has a lagoon and a sand-beach
between it and the sea, with a narrow outlet. The
lagoon is shallow, and is frequented by wild fowl
Two rivers flow into it, the East and the Middle River.
. . . The people are all fishermen. They secure their
boats in the lagoon, and this circumstance gives it an
air of a harbour; but no vessel can enter. The bay
outside, however, is the best harbour on the coaL't, and
vessels ride in it very secure from all gales except a
south one.

'• After dinner I dialled and measured the high road
as far as Ruisseau a la Barbe, for the purpose of tracing
the course of the limestone deposit of the district, and I
made out the situation of the hill very well. The
distance is four miles, and it was pretty late when I
returned — soaking wet, for the rain had not intermitted
all day.

"Mr. McPherson [of Port Daniel] has some queer
notions. He maintains, and that calmly and seriously,
that the reason why the passages of vessels from
America to Britain are shorter than those the contrary
way, is that it is down hill from west to east, America
being further from the centre of the earth than Europe.
He was surprised at the number of ridiculous conse-
quences which I showed him would result if such a
doctrine were correct. ...

1843.]

A DISAPPOINTMENT.

171

•* Saturday, IMh. October. — It still rains. This is the
sixth day of easterly wind and rain. It is doing much
harm in this part of the country. I have been up the
Middle River about three miles, to one of the spots
where Mr. Williams saw indications of a coal-field. . . .
I saw an abundance of black shale ; but why that
should be an indication of coal, I cannot tell. I believe
there is no coal, and that the rock does not belong to
the Carboniferous era, but underlies the limestone,
which, by its fossils, is declared to be older than the
coal. This is a disappointment. But I must look at
this place again in the spring. There is too great a
freshet in the river just now to permit a proper exami-
nation. Port Daniel having been advertised as a
coal-field, I must be cautious before I contradict the
report. . . .

" Tuesday, 1*1 th. October. — . . . This part of the
country is pretty well settled. The houses look com-
fortable. The land is flat, being on the unconformable
conglomerate, which comes in a,bout three miles to the
eastward. It is said to continue all the way along the
coast for twenty to thirty miles. If so, that part of the
coast will be easily examined. ... I have had a long
walk along the shore to the point where I met the
conglomerate yesterday in my morning's overland
excursion. As I proceeded along the clifTs, I found
many of the inhabitants busy securing their potatoes.
Some stared at me with much curiosity, and some
expressed a desire to know what I was about. In one
field where there were about eight young people at
work, men and women from seventeen to twenty years

Ill

iii i

lil I
M

172

WHERE DO YOU COME FliOMf

[l843.

of agfe, they all, as I took a sight with my compass,
drew near, and forming a semi-circle around nn', all
stood and stared, just as I have s«^en so many cows and
oxen gath«>r round anylhing very strange lo their
vision. I looii my sight, and then turning lo I hem
said, ' Well?' ' Where do you come irom V said one ol'
the boys. ' Ah!' said I ; ' Where do you come from? —
where are you going? — what are you doing? — what's
your age ? — where were you born ? — and wliat's your
name ?' * Yes,' said one of the boys. So I laughed,
and walked off without satisfying their curiosity.

*' I had not gone half a mile further when an old
man came puffing after me from another field. He
scrambled over several fences to catch me, but did not
gain ground. At last he called out to me across a field,
* I say ! Hallo, I say ! Mr., I say !' I turned round,
and sang out, ' Well, what do you say ?' ' I want to
speak to you.' I thought he might have heard I was
surveying the country for the Oovernment, so I turned
back, and coming up to the fence where he stood,
leaned over on one side, wliile he leaned over on the
other. So we stared at o'iie another for a few seconds
He was an elderly man, with grey hair, and dressed in
a blue jacket and trousers, with a glazed hat. 'Well,'
said I. ' Where do you come from ?' said he. I could
not help laughing. ' Where do you come from ? —
where are you going ? — what are you doing ? — what's
your age ? — where were you born ? — what's your
name?' said I. 'Well, well!' said the man, 'we are
out of the way of hearing news, and when we see a
stranger among us we are always curious to know

^ fr

1843.]

PAriXG rXDER BIFFWULTIES.

what <inuui,st;iii(i; litis broni^ht, about lii.s visit..' 'AVhy
llu'ii I will inlonii you.' So I told liim Avluit [ wius
ti})out, and that I oaiiio from Montroal. ' I havo Ik'OU
Ihoro,' said ilu; uiau ; 'Iliave heou at Mi«'liilliiua«'kinac,
111 tlio service of the North- West Company.' So he i,'avo
\\\\>. his story, and we had a talk about the rocks in the
neighbourhood. Subsequently, twenty other men fol-
lowed mo ; but they only watched, and said nothing. . . .
" I have been as far as two miles eastward round the
cape called Loup Marin. The unconformable conglo-
merate forms the upper part of the clilf the whole way ;
but as far as the point the lower part is occupied
occasionally by the tilted limestone, with fossils similar
to those of Port JJaniel. I was under the necessity of
measuring part of my distance by the road, the sea
coming up deep against the base of the clilf. Proceed-
ing along the road a considerable distance, it became
necessary to measure a line to the shore again, to
determine a point there. As I paced across a lield for
the purpose, counting my steps as I went, I heard foot-
steps coming behind me. At length, when I arrived at
rather a boggy spot, a voice at my heels exclaimetl, ' I
say, sir, this is not the road !' I went on counting my
steps, and to keep the number in my mind, I counted
aloud: '110, 111, 112, &c.' 'I say, sir, this is not the
roadl' again exclaimed the voice. '117, 118 — it's my
road — 119, 120, &c.,' said L 'It's a wet place, sir!'
' 123, 124 — it does not require a Solomon to tell me that
—125, 126, &c.' 'You'll get wet, sir!' '128, 129—
don't bother me — 130, 131, &c.' Here a young man
went by me, and kept right in front of me to impede

174

PASPEIifA(\

[l843.

my pTogToss. This madi^ me somowhat ansfry, and
coiniiii^ up to tho Nlunip ol'a troo which would do I'or a
mark, 1 Irooly gavo him a pieco of my mind for iiiter-
ruptiui^ mc iii my occupations. IIo seemed rather
startled, and stared at me as if he thought I certainly
must })e mad. On I went again in my count, walking
in a straight line through and over all impediments. . . .

" Wednesday, 18^/i. October. — . . . Here w^e are at
Pasi)ebiac, and here 1 suspect is at an end my
examination of this part of Canada, for the present. . . .
When I came this way in July, I brought a letter of
introduction to Mr. Hartley, the Manager of the fishing
establishment, from Mr. Deblois of Bathurst, and to him
we presented ourselves again. lie invited us to take
up our quarters in the dwelling-house of the establish-
ment, w^hich we have done. ... I have made arrange-
ments to cross the bay over to the New Brunswick
side, for the purpose of getting to Pic^tou by Bathurst
and Miramichi, from which last place there is a steamer
that goes every Monday to Pictou, by way of Prince
Edward Island. At Pictou, I shall take the 'Unicorn'
steamer for Quebec. This is safer than returning to
Gaspe Bay. Sometimes the steamer docs not, because
it cannot, i>ut into St. George's Cove — that is, w^heu
either fog or strong wind prevails — and I should feel
myself in a very unpleasant predicament should I be
caught there by such an accident. ...

" Thursday, 2^)l/i. October. — At Pictou, at last. I left
Miramichi by the steamer ' St. George ' yesterday
morning, about eleven o'clock. . . . We reached Char-
lottetown, the cax^ital of Prince Edward Island to-day,

.If.

1843.]

ILL AT Pier 0(7.

ITS

ftljout twolve o'clock, nnd stayed thoro noarly an hour.
I went atshore, and was iniuli i)l('a.sed witli the wide
slrci'ts and neat building's of the town. There seemed
much business doing in potatoes and vegetables of all
kinds.

" Wednesday, ^\$t. Orlober. — At lenglh the 'Uni«'orn'
has made her appearance. If the English mail como
forward in its usual time, wc shall bo off to-morrow. I
am very tired of Tictou, for the weather has been ]>ad,
and I have been ill. Sunday, Monday, and yesterday, I
was ton fined to the house, and the first two days to my
Ded, with inlluenza. . . . The only means of amuse-
ment I have had hen; has been in a few h»)urs spent
with my friend, young Mr. Dawson, a very excellent
geologist, who has paid attention to the structure of
this part of Nova Scotia. He was out with Lyell when
he was here, and visited the Shubenacadie with him.
lie is to make a collection of the fossils of the Silurian
rocks in this neighbourhood. I will send him some of
our Lower Silurian from Montreal."

AVhen liOgan reached Pictou at this time, he was
attired in such disreputable habiliments that he looked
more like a shii>wrecked seaman than a gentleman, and
could scarcely be induced to make his appearance
outside of his hotel. He was full of the geological
information acquired in Gaspe, though disappointed at
his inability to gratify the hopes entertained in Canada
that coal might be found in the district. He saw in
the facts so copiously represented in his note-books the
necessity of large researches in pala3ontology and
lithology, and was beginning to consider where he

176

A LONG FRrEXDSHIP.

[l843.

1 i»ii
. > I'll

could obtain the necessary assistance to go on with the
work before him. Dawson was then only twenty-
three years ol' ago, and had recently rt Uirned from the
University of Edinburgh, where he had specially
studied mineralogy and geology. His engagements in
Nova Scotia were of a nature to prevent his leaving the
Province, or it is not unlikely he would have thrown
in his lot with the Canadian Survey. But this could
not be ; and though a correspondence was carried on
between them, it was not till 1855, on Dr. Dawson's
appointment to the Principalship of McGill College,
that his personal acquaintance with Logan was
renewed. From that time there was the closest
intimacy and co-operation, which continued until the
death of Sir William, and was unbroken by any want
of cordiality. Dr. Dawson, by his investigations of
the Post-pliocene deposits, his determinations of the
Devonian and Carboniferous plants, and other important
investigations, as well as by his influence and advice
on many critical points, gratuitously forwarded the
scientific objects of the Survey ; and Logan, on his part,
testified to his appreciation of the scientific work being
done in McGrill University by his endowment of the
Logan Gold Medal and the Logan Chair of Geology.

CHAPTER X.

ill

m
I'

i;l

iiffiiii

OtAspe explorations, 1844.

SHOItTLY after reaching Montreal, in the autumn
of 1843, Logan proceeded to Kingston, in order to
report himself at headquarters, and thence went in
search of his assistant, eager to learn the result of his
summer's campaign. They met at Toronto, and then
came on together to Montreal, where it was decided
that Mr, Murray should spend a month or two with
his chief before going to his home at Woodstock.
During the summer they had collected large quantities
of organic remains and minerals, and one of the first
questions on their arrival at Montreal was what to do
with the specimens. There was no chemist to analyze
the minerals, no palaeontologist to determine or describe
the fossils, no museum in which to display the speci-
mens, not even a room in which to unpack them. But
Mr. James Logan came to their aid, and placed at their
disposal an "upper chamber" in his warehouse on St.
Grabriel Street, where the boxes, papers and other pro-
perty of the Survey were for the time deposited. The

178

NUCLEUS OF A MUSEUM.

[l843

fossils, of which there were many thousands, were now
nnpacked, each specimen carefully ticketed with a label
indicating the locality, geologi(3al formation, &c. The
specimens were then rejiacked in numbered boxes, the
contents of which were duly catalogued. Logan, how-
ever, was not satisfied with having the originals thus
carefully secured, but even constituted himself artist to
the Survey, and, in his usual painstaking way, set about
fiffurinq: some of the most characteristic forms.

On the 11th. of December he wrote to Mr. Kawsou:
" The collection of specimens the Survey has brought
together is quite overwhelming, and when I observe
the small impression Murray and I have yet made on
our seventy great boxes, most of them requiring at
least two men to lift them, I am almost in despair. The
fossils alone w^ould be cpiite occupation enough for a
pal.Tontologist for six months. Then there will be our
mapping to execute, our sections to reduce, and a
report to be prepared on the partial fjicts ascertained up
to this time. ... It is, however, with regard to the
analysis of the minerals that T am most anxious."

Logan well knew that the .£1,500 which had been
granted for the Survey would scarcely suffice to make a
beginning, and was sagacious enough to see that if the
Survey was to be continued, he must be able to show
that something really jiractical was being done. It
was the loaves and the fishes the i)eople wanted, and
few would or could take an interest in the dry
details of the sequence and distribution of geological
formations, unless they could be persuaded that such
mysteries would lead to something utilitarian. So

1844.]

A CHEMICAL ASSISTANT.

179

from the first Logan determined to make a strong
point of economic geology. But this, of course, ren-
dered the assistance of a chemist absolutely necessary.
He was no chemist himself, and even if he had been,
would have had no time to make the required analyses.
It happened, however, that a young Pole, De Rotter-
mond by name, had just come to Canada from Paris,
where he had been studying chemistry. He was a
man of pleasing address, and brought such excellent
testimonials, that Logan, after several interviews with
him, determined to employ him provisionally, and if
possible, to secure his appointment by Government as
a regular assistant. With this object in view^, and also
with the hope of getting some provision made for the
continuance of the Survey at the expiration of the
original two years, he went to Kingston early in
March, and there lost no opportunity of making known
his views to the members of Government. From
Kingston, he wrote to Mr. Murray as follows : —

"KiNnsToN, 1th. March, 1844.

" Dear Murray, — I have come up to this expiring
capital for the purpose of endeavouring to induce the
Council to grant me permission to employ Mr. De
Rottermond as chemist. But, unfortunately, the day I
started from Montreal, Mr. Secretary Daly started
from Kingston. "We must have crossed b" If- way, and
the result is that I am losing time until his return,
which is not expected until next week. . . .

•* I have stated to the Governor that I should like to
have some more defined arrangement as to the time

ftp

'■•1

4
III

:;)j :i J

m w
m ■

180

VALUE OF LARGJ': SPECIMEXS.

[l843.

m •

the Survey is to be continued. He remarked iliiit it
had struck him that the A'oting of a certain sum with-
out any knowledge as to whether Ihat sum would be
sullicient, was a very absurd sort of thing, and that it
was but just that a more explicit understanding" should
be arrived at. I have spoken to Draper on the subject,
and think he feels the propriety of j^utting the Survey
on a firmer footing. . . . He has said, however, that
unless it can in some way be indicated that value will
be returned to the country for the expenditure, it is in
vain to expect that the Legislature will sujiport the
Survey for the sake of science — in which opinion I
thoroughly agree with him.

" In my interview with llie Governor, I happened to
say that before starting on my explorations in the
spring I should, of course, make a report on the partial
facts ascertained. He immediately replied that he
would place it before the Legislature. ...

"The object will be to produce an effect on the
members. With the same view, I must get a house or
a set of rooms for our collection. Managing this, we
must put our economic specimens conspii-uously for-
ward; and it appears to me that in the exhibition of
these, large masses will make a greater impression on
the mind than small specimens. A sort of rule of three
process seems to go on in the minds of the unh^arned
when they examine minerals in which they are inte-
rested. They are much addicted to judging of the
value of the deposit by the l>ulk of the specimen shown.

"This induces me to say that I should like you to
send to Montreal, as soon as it can be done by water

1844.]

A VISIT TO ALBANY.

181

communication in the spring, a thundering piece of
gypsum. Let it be as white as possible, and put it in
a strong box, similar to those 1 sent from below. If
you come across the lithographic stone, let us have a
huge slab of it, six or eight inches thick. . . .

" I hope as you went through Toronto you did not
forget the ' Stamii/erous-auro-plaiiniferous Lead /' You
must get that half-barrel from your friend, in order
that we may assay a good average sample."

At Kingston it proved impossible to accomplish
much ; for although on every hand he received assur-
ances of good things to come, no one was willing to
take any responsibility in the matter, or sanction the
expenditure of the smallest sum of money. Evidently
nothing could be expected before the meeting of Par-
liament, and so, in the meantime, he resolved to act on
his own responsibility, and at his own risk. Leaving
Kingston, he set out for Albany, where he wished to
compare some of his fossils with those of the New York
rocks exhibited in the State collection. At Albany ho
was kindly received by Hall and Emmons of the New
York Greological Survey, and every facility was alforded
him for making the desired comparisons. Shortly after
his return to Montreal, he wrote to the Director of the
British Survey : —

« Montreal, 20th. April, 1844.

" My Dear De la Beohe, — How is it that you have
never w^ritten to me? Did you get my letter from
Miramichi, and did you got the box of specimens I sent
you from Nova Scotia? In my letter I spoke of a
section of the Nova Scotia coal-field as displayed at the

|!
ii

lli:

182

TffE JOGGTNS ^EOTTON.

[l844.

Joggins. Since my return from field-work I hnve
reduced all the measurements, and made out a vertical
column. It occupies fifty-four pages of foolscap, closely
written. The total thickness is 14,570 feet 11 inches.
I am getting a written copy of it made for you, but it
takes much time. It may be very useful to you in
spoaking of coal in general in your report. I mean to
get the document published somehow or other, and I
should be glad if you would allude to it publicly if it
illustrates anything you may have to say on South
Wales. You will be astonished at the detail in it.
You can make a public document of it if you like, by
communicating it to the Geological Society. I am
aware they would not print it ; there is too much
detail in it. But were it among their documents, you
could then allude to it with more propriety, if you
think it worH; while. I cannot help thinking it will
be considered very iiistrnctive in showing the compo-
sition of a coal-field. T^^ere is not a single apology for
coal without an associatioi. with Stigmaria, even when
there are bands of bituminous limestone with the
remains of fishes.

•' I worked like a slave all summer on the Cxulf of St.
Lawrence, living the life of a savage, inhabiting an
open tent, sleeping on the beach in ;i blanket sack
with my feet to the fire, seldom taking my clothes
off, eating salt pork and ship's biscuit, occasionally
tormented by mosquitos. I dialled the whole of
the coast surveyed, and counted my paces from
morning to night for three months. My field-book is a
curiosity.

1844.]

WORK m GASPE.

183

" The coast has an immense quantity of rock
exposed, and I met with the same conglomerate
which I informed you existed at Bathurst. In Canada,
as in New Brunswick, it lies unconl'ormably over the
Devonian and Silurian, which undulate beneath. The
conglomerate, occasion; ly becoming a fine red sand-
stone, always dips towards the coal of New Brunswick,
and no doubt must run under it and form the base of
the Carboniferous deposits. It rests on the shore of
Canada on the margin of the Bale des Chaleurs, but
there are no profitable coal-seams or coal-seams of any
description visibly associated with it.

"From the Devonian and Silurian rocks I collected
no less than seventy boxes of specimens, chiefly fossils,
which it took Murray no less than two months to
ticket and stufl" away into boxes for future examina-
tion, when the Government shall give me room to
place them in order. I have hired a house on specula-
tion, and am ordering proper cases to hold some of
them, in the confident expectation that the expenditure
will be sanctioned by the Legislature. But perhaps I
may be reckoning without my host, and may be left in
the lurch after all.

" I have just returned from a visit to Albany, where
I have been studying the New York Geological collec-
tion, and I have got together in the way of drawings
all that they have done in fossils. Albany is within
two days' journey from this, and it will be to me a
most useful place to enable me to make comparisons.
Until I can contrive to get a comparison instituted
with British fossils, I fancy I shall be obliged to

m
4

'si I

'!■!

■!

184

A MUSEUM ESTABLISHED.

[l844.

S.i

content myself with the American nomenclature. The
condition of the rocks of New York, and the certainty
with which their order of superposition has been deter-
mined, makes that region the key to the geology of a
large portion of the North-American continjnt. In
New York, also, there is no want of conformity from
the coal to the lowest fossiliferous rocks, and this is the
character of the country all the way to the Mississippi,
and probably much further west. But a dilforenl law
prevails to the eastward, in all the country south of the
St. Lawrence. The coal is unconformable with the
rocks below, and these have suffered violent disturb-
ances prior to the Carboniferous era. ..."

The house which had been hired to serve temporarily
the purposes of museum, office and laboratory, was on
Great St. James Street (No. 40), the principal street in
the town. The laboratory was equipped, show-cases
set up for specimens, and soon the place began to have
an orderly and business-like appearance. But spring
had come round, and with the spring the time for the
renewal of operations in the field. Preparations were
made for another season among the rocks of the Gaspe
peninsula. This time, however, it was resolved not
only to continue the examination of the coast, but to
penetrate the wild regions of the interior, and if pos-
sible to obtain a section from some point on the St.
Lawrence through to the Baie des Chaleurs. Mr.
Murray was now to accompany the Director, and also
the new chemist, who professed to be an old cam-
paigner, and expressed a strong desire to join the
expedition. At Gaspe they were to be joined by

1844.]

liETUIiN^ TO GASPS.

185

Stevens, Logan's assistant of the previous year, and
also by the indispensable Indian, Basquo, Leaving
Montreal by steamer on the 27th. of May, they reached
Gaspe on the 31st., and the arrival was at once
chronicled by Logan in his volnminons journal: —

" Here I am again at my old quarters, in the elegant
hotel of Mr. and Mrs. Paddy. I hold in remembrance
the charge of 2s. Gd. per day for writing in the parlour;
so now I indite my journal in the kitchen. . . . My
present intention is to return up the St. Lawrence in
canoes to Cape Chatte, and then cross over to Baie des
Chaleurs, which I expect to strike somewhere near
Tracadigash Mountain. We go over St. Anne's Moun-
tain, reported to be the highest land in Canada, its
elevation being somewhere about 4,000 feet. As we
came down the St. Lawrence in the • Uni(>orn,' we saw
these mountains, white with snow to the very summit.
They looked very formidable. Captain Douglas of the
' Unicorn ' has given us a Union Jack to i>lant on the
very highest peak, and as it yet has no name, Murray,
Douglas, and De Rottermond propose to call it Ben
Logan ; but I have expressed my disapprobation, and
here enter a memorandum of my protest."

Several days were spent in rating a chronometer,
obtaining Lidians, canoes, &c., and then the party bade
farewell to Gaspe and Mrs. Paddy's "house of enter-
tainment." " Tired of Mrs. Paddy's starving system,"
says Logan's journal, "we left her on Saturday evening.
Poor De llottermond could stand it no longer. He
Was fretted out of all patience with the monotony of
her cuisine. Salmon, salmon, salmon, every day. At

Vmi ;

.i '' i-

;i 1^

:ii I'

■:'i !

'■-'> i

,1;.V

iliifl I

180

CAPE HOSIER TO CAPE CHATTE.

[l844.

first she told us she could get no salmon; so Murray-
purchased one from the fishermen, the second day after
our arrival. He paid 3s. IJd. lor it, and let Mrs. Paddy
have it for the same money. We had part of it at
dinner, boiled, and very good it was. The other i)art
Mrs. Paddy put into a little salt, and the salted salmon
we had next day, boiled. The third day we had boiled
salmon, a little Salter ; the fourth day the same. As
Mrs. Paddy charged Is. each per meal, De Rottermond
was shocked that she should gain so much by the
purchase. Then he was shocked at our always having
salmon, and again shocked that it should always be
boiled. Notwithstanding this, however, we had salmon
Salter than ever next day, and boiled as usual."

Geological investigations were begun at Cape Rosier,
and between that point and Cape Chatte, a distance uf
about one hundred miles, a careful examination of the
rocks was made. "The coast country between Capo
Rosier and Cape Chatte is of a mountainous character ,
the ridges in regular succession run in towards the
interior at a very small angle with the trend of the
shore, and with the exception of nine miles between
the first-mentioned point and I'Anse a Griffon, the hills
in general come close upon a rocky and precipitous
margin, leaving very little space for settlement beyond
the narrow flats at the mouth of the principal streams
that descend from the highlands to the St. Lawrence
These are in general occupied by fishing establishments
of more or less importance, and among the principal
are those of Great and Little Fox Rivers, and those of
the Magdalen, the Mont Louis, the Ste Anne, and the

188

PORPOISES AND PORCUPINES.

[l844.

! !

I',

C'hatto. On the chief jmrt of those flats thero is not
much Toom for agricultural labour, and the in'iabitants,
wholly engag('(l in iishing, depend for their supplies
on importations from (Quebec, which appear to find
their way by Gaspe and Cape Hosier; and provisions
bt't'onie dearer the closer we approach Quebec, up to
Cape Chatte."*

While the geologists of the party hammered away at
the rocks of this rugged coast, the Indians were by no
means idle, and to a certain extent comptnisated for the
di'arness of provisions by the game which they si'cured.
Now and then a porpoise which ventured to take an
airing was shot from the canoes, or perhaps a porcupine
killed on shore — and each was regarded as an accept-
abh; addition to the larder. The neck of the porpoises
was eaten, and pronounced by all hands to be excellent.
"Indeed," says Logan, "no one would have known
the dish from good beefsteak." As for the porcupines,
too, they were by no means despised by our hungry
geologists. In the forests of Craspe they are an abundant
animal, and mu<'h prized by the Indians, not only as
an article of food, but on account of their quills. They
are easily captured ; but woe to the dog that does not
understand their mode of warfare. This was the case
with a handsome bull-terrier which had joined the
Gaspe expedition of 1844, under the auspices of Mr.
Stevens. "Porcupines," says Mr. Murray, "were her
peculiar aversion, and these animals, from their slug-
gish movements, being unable to avoid a sudden attack,
made the poor brute often feel the eifects of their

* Report of Progress, 1844, p. 6.

1844.]

srcrEssrr v. f^rna ery.

189

lO"-

iiniiicible nrmonr, which on ono oreasion would <or-
iaiiily have <ost her hor lih», l)ut lor Sir William's
kiiKl-hcartod symi)athy lor t'Vi'ry mortal tiling that
could KuH'cr, and his unrivalled pationco and pcrsover-
ancc. Unlike the wary Indian cur, which would yi?lp
for an hour to ])ring asfsistancc, this dog, with the
eagerness and undaunted courage of her breed, would
attack a porcupine as she would a cat ; and on this
particular occasion, the porcupine being a large and
powerl'ul one, she made a fierce onslaught, grai)pled
with the enemy, in vam attemi)ting to get a hold,
until, being discovered, she was carried away, bristling
with quills all over the body, the head, mouth and
throat. When th<», poor brute was brought to our
camp, her case looked a perfectly hopeless one, and
th(> general opinion appeared to be that if she did
not shortly die, it would be only an act of charity
to put her out of her sufTerings. Not so, however,
thought Mr. Logan, who was very fond of the animal,
and he immediately volunteered to be her doctor. He
got a pair of tweezers, and began what to all appear-
ances was a pretty hopeless operation, but w hich he
succeeded in accomplishing in about two hours' time.
Every part of the poor creature was more or less pene-
trated by the dreadful quills, which every moment
were insinuating themselves deeper and deeper by the
muscular movement of the body upon the serrated
edges. The whole head, even inside the mouth, and
as far as could be seen down the throat, was one mass
oi the formidable appendages. One by one he extracted
these, until the head was completely cleared, and then

;:) I i

190

DAILY liOi'TINK

[1844

continued to operate upon the less vital parts, until no
vestige of a quill vv^as to be seen on her body. The
poor brute was helpless from the effects for many days,
but she recovered eventually, and before our campaign
terminated, she produced a line litter of puppies."

Many, indeed, were the incidents which broke in
upon the daily routine of the geological work. At one
time there was a bear-hunt ; at another flambeaux and
spears were got ready, and a raid made upon the
salmon ; but the geology went on apace, and by the
5th, of July they had reached Cape Chatte, where
preparations had to be made for the journey inland.
As the country on the line of the intended route had
never been mapped or examined in any way, it was
necessary that they should devote a large share of
their time to topographical work, if geological results
were to be rendered intelligible. With this in view
they began by measuring a base line on the shore, and
determined by triangulation the position of a number
of well-marked peaks in the ranges of hills to the
south. Then, taking to their canoes, they followed the
Chatte in its windings as far as navigable, determining
its course and length as they went along, by means of
prismatic compass and liochon's micrometer telescope.
Then plunging into the dense forests, they slowly
found their way to the Cascapedia. But the woods had
proved a fitter place for a botanist than a geologist,
scarcely any rock exposures having been seen; and
as the river seemed likely to afford good sections, it
was resolved, if possible, to navigate it to its mouth
Their canoes they had been forced to leave on the

1844]

DIFFICULTIES.

191

Chatte, and to construct new ones of birch-bark would
be too long a process. As for floating down the river
on rafts, that would be not only inconvenient, but
dangerous. In the emergency one of the Indians
suggested that they should build temporary canoos of
spruce-bark. Suitable material was obtained with
much difficulty, and soon three excellent canoos were
ready to launch. In these frail craft the "unknown
river" was safely navigated to its mouth, which was
reached on the Gth. of September.

During the expedition they were exposed to many
privations and discomforts, which early proved more
than the chemist could bear, and accordingly he had to
be sent back to the coast, to find his way to Montreal as
best he could One of the Indians, too, fell ill with
inflammation of the lungs, and would probably have
died had Logan not const; ;,uted himself surgeon, and
resorted to phlebotomy.

One of the highest peaks of the Shickshocks was
climbed, and Captain Douglas' Union Jack unfurled
at the summit, 3,768 feet above the sea.=^ The prospect
from this mountain Logan afterwards described in the
following terms : —

" From the highest summit we visited, the panorama
displayed was of the grandest description. In the
northern half of the circle, the waters of the St.
Lawrence, dotted wiih its ships and fishing-boats,
spread out to the right and to the left as far as the eye
could reach. On its northern shore, immediately in

'' Notwithstanding Logan's recorded protest, the mountain has beea
Uiuued after him

'•
h

'i! 1 1

102

PROSPECT FROM 3WUNT LOGAK.

[l844.

^1^

front, unaided vision covild plainly distinguish tho
lighthouse of the Pointe dcs Monts, some fifty miles
off, from, which the granite hills, rising immediately
behind it in the interior, gradually sunk below the
horizon as they receded from us, following them down
the expanding gulf, to a point where we thought we
could discover the Island of Anticosti, one hundred
miles away, in the mist of the distance ; while at our
feet were arranged in parallel lines the ridges and
valleys of the lower land between us and the river. To
the eastward a confusion of mountains and ra^dnes
belonging to the Notre Dame Range, filled up several
degrees of the circle, and one summit, which exhibited
a patch of snow, we supposed might be higher than
the point we stood upon. Many of the peaks were
bare, and as they retired one behind another, and
occupied a smaller angle in the perspective, it became
difficult to distinguish those of the Notre Damo
from such as appertained to other ranges. Turning
southward, a sea of parallel undulating ridges occu-
pied the picture, the more distant of which we
conceived might present a table-land, with a few
marked points rising in cones and domes ; and
through one gap, which probably was the valley of
some south-flowing river, w^e distinguished a faint
blue horizontal line, which we fancied might be in
New Brunswick. Prominent points became fewer
veering westward, until the horizon was again inter-
rupted in that direction by a well-defined outline of
a not very distant part of the range from which we
looked.

Ind

int

111

1844.] PItOSPECT FROM MOrST LOGAN:

193

" The highest summits within our view were gene-
rally bare rocks. Those next in the scale were crowned
with sturdy dwarf spruce trees, many of them not five
feet high, but springing up so close together that their
branches, interlocking, rendered it very difficult to
make way among them. On those still lower, spruce
became mingled with white birch, and the size of the
trees gradually augmented in proportion to the decrease
of elevation. One feature in the A'egetation high up in
the hills that struck us forcibly and gave us much
satisfaction after confinement in the forest below, was
the great extent of open glade that appeared on all
sides but the north. Wide slopes on the east, the
south, and the west, were carpeted with the most
luxuriant growth and abundant specific diversity of
ferns, from w^hich clumps of spruce or of white birch,
or of both mingled, started up here and there, giving
the hills occasionally almost the character of park
scenery, or as if art had arranged the distribution wiih
a view to ornament, and often producing, in combi-
nation with peaks, ravines, and a distant horizon,
landscapes of a very pleasing description."^

The various incidents of the Gaspe expedition of
18-44 are recorded with the greatest detail in Logan's
journal, from which the following extracts are taken : —

" Thursday, IWi. July. — 1 have no doubt the scenery
IS very beautiful, but wo cannot see it for the trees.
Our journey is like a sail up a canal cut through a
AVfK)d, with this exception, that every now and then we
have a rapid, and always a strong current. Once in a

* Pvopoit of ProgrosK, 1844, p. 12.

,1 !

,1 I

''\ !'.

"1j

194

ORDER OF PROCEDURE.

[l844.

!-5)

) .i

while we have a glimpse of a distant hill, ahead or
astern, when the river takes a bend. Just as we stopped
this evening, about half-past six, we observed the foot-
marks of a i^orcupine on the margin of the stream in
the sand, and we set one of the dogs upon the scent.
He soon gave tongue. Michel followed, and at no
great distance killed his game. So we shall have fresh
meat for supper. Our frying-pan is up in the moun-
tains, where our provisions are placed, and we shall have
to roast the porcupine on a stick. We have no biscuits
with us, and therefore we bake our flour every morn-
ing and evening after the Indian fashion, and eat
unleavened bread in the manner of the Jews of old
when they were in a hurry.

"The order of our procedure is this. We are in
three canoes. I, Stevens and John in the first; Do
Rottermond, Frank and Louis in the second; Murray,
Baptiste and Michel in the third. I have with me a
micrometer telescope, by means of which distances can
be measured. ... I go first with my canoe, in which I
have a pole with two oblong pieces of wood nailed
across it. These are just five feet apart. Murray
stays behind with the telescope. When I get to the
furthest point at which we can be visible to one
another, there I stop and hold up my pole, and while
ho takes his measurement with the micrometer teles-
cope, I take the bearing between us by means of a
prismatic compass. So soon as this is finished, Murray
makes a signal, or I see his canoe begin to move. Then
I start with mine, leaving De Rottermond in his to
point out to Muriay the spot when he gets u\}. By the

1844.]

ON THE CHATTE.

195

time he comes I am in the next station with my pole
up, and so on we go. The greatest distance we have
measured at a shot is about half a mile, but we could
probably double that if the river jiermitted. . . . It is a
capital river, and I will be bound for it, a river was
never before measured through the forest in so short a
time.

VIEW Oy THE CIIATTB.

Logan^s Journal, 1844.

" 8vnday, Wth, July. — Last evening we stopped about
half-past live at the point nearest to the place of easiest
ascent to the peak of the mountain range. Just as we

I 1

196

A MOUNTAIN CLIMB.

[1844

were about to do so, my canoo, which was ahead, came
in contact with a porcupine which was crossing the
river, swimming with just a small part oi'his head up
Stevens gave him a knock with his pole, and we
secured him in no time This, with the game killed in
the morning, and a partridge shot just over my ^n^ad as
I was employed in covering up my barometer, w^ill
supply our larder for a day or so

" John, it seems, has left behind at one of our resting-
places our bullet-mould and all our gun-tools, such as
turn-screws, &c,, and also a bag containing our nails;
and we shall probably want the latter in erecting our
standard on the peak, while the former are indispen-
sable in our progress through the woods He and
another Indian will have to return for them. My plan,
in consequence, is to mount the hill, with Murray and
a couple of Indians, and make as many observations as
I can upon the hills and rivers at a distance, taking
their bearings, &c. „ . .

" Tuesday, IQlh. July. — The weather is fine, and we
shall ascend the mountain to-day without fail. The
barometer is rising.

'* 9 a.m. — We have started for the peak. Two of the
canoes have taken eight of us down about half a mile,
and we have landed on the opposite side of the river
for our ascent. Michel has been left behind to take
care of the tent, from which we expect to be absent for
two days. Our canoes are hauled up, and now for it

" 10 a.m. — We have risen 400 or 500 feet, after walking
about half a mile, and the Indians, who have bundles
on their backs, with blankets and provisions weighing

1S44.]

JN THE smcKsnocKS.

]!)7

from twenty to forty pounds, have sat down to rest,
and Murray is taking an observation with his baro-
meter We are all sweating, notwithstanding that the
temperature is not above G2° F. in the shade

"There being no water near, the Indians have
stripped the outer and second bark from a birch tree,
and with their knives they are scraping the innermost
bark from the stem. It is quite thin and pulpy, and
they are satisfying their thirst with it. For curiosity's
sake, I shall try the beverage. Capital it is ! It is cool
and has a faint sweetness which makes it very pleasant.
Here is another use to which the birch-tree is put. It
is a most invaluable tree to the American forest-
rangers. The poor birch, which is a handsome tree,
fifteen inches in diameter, has been peeled all around,
and is now sure to die. About eisrht feet of the tree
has been peeled, and it is as smooth and slippery as a
greased pole„ The Indians have been amusing them-
selves by trying to climb it, but they find it worse than
a greased pole. None of them have succeeded. . . „

" Wednesday, \*]lh. July. — We were all up pretty
early, not feeling quite so warm as usual. „ . , The
height we are at is upwards of 3,000 feet above our
tent, and that may be some 300 feet above the sea
While John was preparing our breakfast, which he
said would require an hour and a half, Louis, Murray
Stevens and I started to take some sights on the south
side o . . We had walked an hour, and as it seemed to
me that there was a sort of connecting ridge between
the ridge and the peak, I resolved to try for it, and sent
Louis back to say so, and to desire John to establish

^'1 I

'1 ■'■

-^!

S :

198

TiV !riZ7i' STHCKSirOCKS.

[1844.

his camp at the base of the said peak, by the side of
one of the mountain streams. Louis has to go back to
the river tent in the course of the day, for more provi-
sions, as it is evident we have not got enough to last
us the time we shall be on the summit of the moun-
tain. Having found one of the antlers of a caribou as
we went along, I told Louis to carry it back to the
tent, in the hope of iinding some means hereafter of
getting it up to Montreal.

" So we separated. Away I posted dr«wn the hill to
cross the ravine, in which I soon succeeded ; but I
found great difficulty in proceeding along the ridge
connecting the knob mountain with the peak, and it
was two hours before I got to the summit, as tired as
possible, ana as hungry as a hawk. . . . Thunder-
clouds now began to show themselves to the westward,
and the thunder gave a threatening growl, which was
sufficient intimation that I should be better off down
below in the valley than on the bare, stony mountain-
top, without covering. So off" I started to make for
the smoke as quickly as possible. The way t chose
was along a gulley, in which llowed a small mountain
torrent, and there not being many trees, I stretched on
at a famous rate, bounding over all impediments, and
occasionally sliding on ray back for some distance
when my foot slipped on the wet herbage. When I
had nearly reached the valley I heard a halloo above
me, which I answered ; but I kept on for the smoke,
which I reached just in time to save a ducking. As I
came down the hill there was a vivid flash of lightning,
and a quick and awful crash of thunder right behind

1844.]

SUPPERLESS.

199

me. I am persuaded the peak must have been struck.
After this, successive thunder-peals roared amoni^ the
mountain-tops, giving us a salvo of heavens artillery
to welcome our arrival amidst the majestic scenery of
Shickshock.

" When I reached the tent it was one o'clock, and I
was desperately hungry. So the first thing that was
done was to heat some of the porcupine bouillon. . . ,

"7 p.m. — We are all patching small leaks in our
covering, in order to sleep as dry as we can. Our
provisions being rather short, we go to bed supperless.
The poles of our cabin are spruce, and wherever the
branches have been cut gum oozes out. As we sit the
poles touch our heads, and a multitude of the drops
of gum have attached themselves to my hair. . . .
De Rottermond seems to be the most uncomfortable
one among us ; but instead of attributing his great
discomfort to some cpiality w^ithin himself, he seems to
imagine that it always arises from something peculiar
to his place in the tent. Either there is more smoke
where he is than anywhere else, or the fire is further
from him than from anybody else, or the ground is
wetter where he is, or there is some chink in the tent
which lets in the wind where he is, or the Hies bite
most where he is.

" Thursday, 18///. July. — ... 8 p.m. — We have had
a grand day on ihe peak. It has been windy, but
bright, with the exception of one squall, which brought
clouds about our ears. But they cleared away again
in a short time. We have planted the Union Jack
Captain Douglas gave us. , » , The ' Unicorn ' passed

V\ I

s??

200

ai'JOLOGY UNDER DrVFlCULTJES. [i844.

^ ■

just as -wo wero about to raise it, but wo could not got
it up in tira*' to give a fair chaiico of its boini^ ohsorvod.
I drew a panorama of about one-half of the circle of
hills, and hope to finish to-morrow. We have measured
sixty-thre(^ angles to various peaks, and if wo can
detormini; the distance to the next higli western peak,
we shall fix a groat many points on oiir forward
journey. . . . Drawing with a temperature of 43'^, and
a strong wind blowing, is anything but warming for
the fingers, We had scarcely a single ])lack lly the
whole day — thanks to the wind."

Passing over an interval of several weeks, wo find
Logan and his party in the country to the south of the
Shickshocks, making their way through to the C/asca-
pedia. The journal was still fiiithfully kept up, and
from it we again quote :

''Monday, 12th. Augiist. — . . . The order of our
march is this : John goes first in the direction indicated
by me for the day, after due consideration. Louis
follows, and these, with their axes, as they go, clear the
branches a little. I follow next ; then comes Murray,
and then Stevens. The rest follow in what order
they choose. . o . As I follow in my place after John
and Louis, I count my paces, making such allowances
as I judge fit for zig-zags and short steps necessary
to avoid stumps and to get over windfalls ; and thus
our distance is estimated approximately. If I come to
any geological feature I note it down in its relative
place, and as every now and then we have bearings on
the hills, the whole will ultimately be given with con-
siderable correctness. The general level of the land

1844. J

WATER-SUED CROSSED.

201

since we quitted the mountains is rather above 1,000
feet over high-water mark. We take barometrical
observations at every resting-place, and we thus hope
to get a profile of the country across to the other side.

"7 p.m. — We have returned to our tent after local inir
our provisions at a spot about three and a-half inilos
distant. Our third resting-place was at the foot of a
small hill, to the summit of which we ascendtHl,
leaving our packs below. From it we had a good
view of our flagstalf on the i)eak. , . .

" Tuesday, 13///. August. — . . . John has our tent
pitched by the side of a small })rook, the water of
which Hows to the Bale des Chaleurs. "We have thus
crossed the water-shed, and Stevens says he feels as if
he had already arrived at the bay. The water is very
cold, and the Indians say it has not the same taste as
that of the Chatte, notwithstanding it flows from the
same source (some of the small lakes discharge two
ways). In this cold water we have washed the blood
of the fly-bites from our hands and faces, and having
made ourselves comfortable, now for supper. The
flies have been very troublesome. Murray swears
that he has brought only the half of himself home.
Stevens has lost a handkerchief, and I have lost my
gloves. I am very tired. My shins are black and blue
all over with thumps against stumps and fallen trees,
and my foot has been squeezed by getting into the fork
of a root I shall sleep without rocking,

" Wednesday, Wth. August — I went to bed immedi-
ately after supper, and was up this morning at five.
The cold would not let me sleep, and I had to g\ l up

202

GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE.

[l8t4.

i>:-

i;f^\-:

■%A

twice diirinj? tho night to warm mysolf. John kept on
a rousing lire, which it was a comfort even to look at.
. It was nine o'clock before we ccmld got our
supper, and I had lasted nothing from 7 a.m. We took
no diiUK^r on our journey yesterday, for want of water
All the men were thirsty, and none could eat without
drinking first.

'* On cracking a stone which had been baked under
our iire at brea'kfast this morning, I found a trilobite in
it, and this indu(;ed me to search the river for more,
and though I have got only another fossil, a shell, 1
have found many angular, Hat fragments of sandston(>
with carbonized comminuted plants, identi<'al in char-
acter with the Ciaspe sandstone. This and the fossils
discovered in tho limestone and shale on the middle
fork of the Chalte induce me to be nearly certain that
I have a clue to the elucidation of the geology of this
part of the country. From the middle fork to this
point all the indications of strata we have seen have
been calcareous, and I am of opinion that all we have
l)assed over are equivalent to the Gaspe limestone.
Such being the case, there should be a great display of
sandstone with carbonized plants on the top of the
limestone, and as the measures, wherever I have seen
them in our progress, have but a moderate dip, the
sandstone, which is not under 4,000 to 5,000 feet thick,
will be spread over a great surface of country to the
south, particularly if at the same time it undulates a
little, which it does on the coast. Nous verrons.

^* Friday, \Qth. August — „ . The men with the
provisions have returned, perspirino; like heroes. The

1841. J

SCARCITY or ROCKS.

203

day is warmor than usual They havo brought a
partridge with them, lln'akl'ast, however, is not quite
ready yet. It requires considerable time to arrange a
porcupine* for cooking when tlie skin is to be left on it.
It is necessary to pluck ol'' all the quills, as the
f«^athers are plucked olf a ])ird, and then to singe thvi
small and long fine hairs, and scrape them oil" with a
knife. The skin is thick, and there is a great deal of
nourishment in it It is, therefore, a great loss of
provisions to take it olT the animal, as is sometimes
done when we are in a hurry.

"G p.m. — We have been to the summit of the
Conical Mountain, and taken our sights there, and
fixed the position of it on our map. "We see to the
south of it a branch of the Cascapedia coming from the
west, which is of considerable size, being larger than
the Chatte where we left our canoes. Another branch
joins this somewhere in the neighbourhood, coming
from the east, and the main stream must be a very
considerable one. The small quantity of rock visible
m walking through the woods indu«'es me to think I
should see more of the geology of the country were I
to navigate the river. The difRculty in the matter is
the want of canoes. The Indians say they can make
such as will serve, of spruce bark. They are not so
good as birch, but they can be made more expedi-
tiously. One of them can be constructed in a day. We
shall require three, or at least two. I consider that w^e
are forty miles from the sea in a straight line, and
and probably sixty with the bends of the river
Lumber is cut on the river lower down, but I do not

204

A TOJLSOMK MARC IT.

[l844.

\.n

think that either Indians or lumbermen have been so
far up as this. After getting down ten or twenty
miles, we may fall in with Indians fishing, or with
lumbermen, and in such case we may improve our
style of conveyance. The country to the eastward of
us is mountainous, but that to the westward is much
less so The ridges run parallel to one another.

" Saturday, 12th. August.— It has rained all day, and
no one has stirred from the tent. It has been resolved
to take the Cascapedia River by canoes. We shall
start to-morrow morning after breakfast for that branch
of the river which is near us. The men propose to
carry their burdens at one trip. They will have about
eighty pounds apiece to groan under. 1 shall have
about twenty-five pounds ; Murray and Stevens about
as much, with the addition of the barometers.

" Sunday, ISih. August. — We have at length arrived
at the western branch of the Cascapedia River, after a
very weary and toilsome march of about three miles
round tho eastern base ■ the Conical Hill, which is
trap, breaking through the sandstones of Gaspe and
Douglastown on the coast. We killed a porcupine as
we came along, and Rose got her head and face full of
quills. . . . We travelled for most of the distance in a
valley, which contains a stream that had to be crossed
half a dozen times ; and we had to make our way
through alders and other small shrubby trees which
twist and interwine in such a manner as to make our
efibrts amopg them very much like those of animals
entangled in a net. I had several tumbles and slides,
and my feet and legs sank into deep holes when 1 did

1844.]

THE C A SCAPED I A.

205

not expect it. Branches also scraped my face, and
dead sticks were punched into my stomach. When I
tried to save myself by catching' hold of the trees near,
I r ccasionally got hold of a dead one, which came
tumbling on the top of me. It was like walking in a
night-mare. . . .

"It was a great satisfaction to get to the river, for
my 25-lb. pack seemed a load for a horse. We came
down the stream after reaching it, and found a most
beautiful place for our tent. The river may be sixty
feet wide, and the effect even this pretty opening has
on one after having travelled for ten days among the
trees, like a beetle in a hay-field, is most pleasing . . .
There is quite water enough for co.ioes, and when it is
considered that the branch we are on is only one of
many much larger whi<'h we shall meet lower down,
there can be no doubt that our craft when built will
float. Louis commences the canoes to-morrow morninj?-.

" I have ascertained the variation here to be 19° to
21°. While at our last tent I reduced the ascertained
position of the Conical Mountain to paper, and by it
we have proved that at the Old Man Mountain there
is a local attraction which deflects the needle five
degrees from its true variation. There is, perhaps,
some vein of magnetic iron ore in the neighbourhood.

^'Monday, 19//i. August. — John went out before ])reak-
fast, and got two partridges. Louis has set vigourously
to work at his canoes of spruce-bark. He is preparing
the wood which is to bind the edges. Baptiste has
been out for cedar to form the timbers and ceiling.
John has brought in spruce-roots with which to sew

206

GASPK SANDSTONES.

[1844.

all parts together, and every one is busy. Murray and
Stevens are washing their clothes. John informed me
that while on his cruise in the morning he saw red
rocks a little way down the river, I shall march off
and have a look at them. From his description, I
suspect they bear a strong resemblance to the red
sandstones of Long Cove.

" 4 p.m. — I have returned from my examination of
the strata below, and find them exactly what I
expected, red sandstones and shales, with ripple marks,
crack casts, upright plants, carbonized comminuted
plants, and all the characteristics of the Long Cove
rocks. The dip is not exactly what can be called
regular, but it denotes that the trap-dyke of the
Conical Hill has an important effect upon the stratifi-
cation. The rocks lean upon the trax^ range.

" As I returned I found Louis, Baptiste, and Michel
busy taking the bark ofl" the spruce tree with their
knives. The tree would not peel well, and I was
sorry to hear on my arrival that one bark had been
spoiled already. . . . John says that it is beginning to
be rather late for peeling spruce trees.

" 5 p.m, — The men have returned without bark. It
would not quit the tree, and the knives not being of
the proper form, it was cut through and spoiled. I
begin to fear our canoes will not be made. This will
be a sad disappointment, as 1 am persuaded that more
of the measures will be seen on the stream than
anywhere else. "We must not despair, however.
Another tree must be tried to-morrow or to-night, as
soon us the men have had something to eat.

1844.]

SPRUCE-BARK CANOES.

20t

" The men are oft' across the river to try the other
bank for a tree. They had to wade across. Stevens
has accompanied them. He has taken off his tronsers
to cross, and will be nicely bitten by the flies, as I
know from my sad experience. I have had to strip
three times to-day, and to remain stripped on one
occasion for half an honr. The men have returned
with a roll of bark fit for a canoe. It is about
fourteen feet long, and rather more than six feet
wide. . . .

rill

lore

lan

rer.

I, as

PORTRAIT OV LOUIS.
GaspS Journal, 1844.

" Tuesday, lOth. August. — Murray, Stevens, and I have
been up the river about a couple of miles. We came to
the spot where the trap crosses it, and found the sand-
stone on the east side of the dyke, and the limestone
on the other — fossils in both. I dialled and paced
the whole distance, and shall be able to exhibit

208

GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE.

[l844.

the relations of this section to the one down the
river. So that I consider we have done a good day's
work . . .

" Thursday, 22m/. August. — The third canoe is finished,
and is a most respectable craft. It is eighteen feet
long, two feet nine inches wide, and fourteen inches
deep. It will carry an extra cargo. . . .

'•'Friday, 2Srd. August. — We have started on our
voyage, and come down two miles, dialling the river
all the way, and taking the distances with the micro-
meter telescope. . „ , John and Michel have left us to
return to the Chatte. The river will now be our i)ilot.
. . > We killed a partridge as we came along, and we
are all praying for the chance of porcupines. But our
best dog, Toolose, has left us with Louis. . . „

*' Sunday, 25th, August, — „ „ . It has rained all day,
and as the evening approaches, the rain increases.
The red sandstone continues up to this point, and I
think I see what the structure of the country will be,
I fancy that we are in a trough, of which the sand-
stone forms the upper rock, and that towards the south
we shall have a repetition of the measures on the
north ; that we shall again cut the limestone, and then
meet with metamorphic rocks similar to those consti-
tutinff Shickshocko . .. ,

The morning is

*' Monday, 2nd September, — . .
cloudy; but it is early yet, being about 5 a.m.

5 x).m. — We have dialled down about twelve miles
The day has been cloudy, and at length it has begun to
rain, so we have pitched our tent an hour earliei than
we otherwise should Our instruments are wet, so are

1844.]

ON THE CASCAPEDIA.

209

our books, and so are ourselves. A little aftei the
middle of the day we at length met with people from
the mouth of the river. First came a man and his wife
in one canoe, with three boys in another. The man, an
old one, informed us that we were at the time seventeen
miles from the sea. We gave him two charges of shot.
Shortly afterwards another canoe, with two men in it,
met us, and one of the men informed us that we were
twenty miles from the sea. . , . ?^till further down, we
met two more canoes, and a sedate old man in one of
them told us that we were twelve miles from the sea.
His account agrees pretty well with mine. . o .

" Tuesday, Srd. September. — . . . This river is cer-
tainly a very beautiful one. It has a pretty regular
breadth of from sixty to seventy yards, with occasional
gravelly banks. Now and then solid rocks peep out
from the border, giving sudden turns to its course, and
producing deep and smooth pools for the convenience
of salmon and trout. , „ . The wood hereabout is not
so dense as higher up the riA'er, and there are many
marks of the lumberer at every turn. The large pine
seems, however, to have all been cut down . . I
should not think the Cascapedia a very profitable
lumbering stream.

" Our sugar is finished ; so no more tea for me„ We
have only enough fish to serve for the men's breakfast
to-morrow morning. Flour and a little ham is all our
stock. . c o

''Wednesday, 4th. September. — The rain continued until

about midnight. At four this morning the stars and

moon were shining brightly, and now at six the sun

210

CIVILIZATION.

[l844.

adorns the tops of the hills. The wind has died away,
and though a mist prevails on tlie river, it is gradually
dissipating, and by the time we have had our breakfast
the atmosphere will be clear enough for us to carry on
our work. . . „

" G p.m. — We have again got into the region of civili-
zation, or semi-civilization. We reached the first
clearing about 1 p.m., and were very glad to see it.
There was no inhabitant on it, but we expected that
inhabitants might be on the next. A crop of grain was
growing on it, still quite green, and whether wheat or
oats, it says little for the (climate of these parts. . . ,

" Friday, 6th. Sejdemher. — The weather continues fine,
and we shall get to salt water to-day. We must
purchase two canoes forthwith. Our temporary spruce-
bark vessels have begun to leak, and mine has a crack
four inches long in it, which will increase in spite of
all our gumming. . „

" 6 p.m. — We have pitched our tent upon the west
side of the river, at its mouth, (*lose by a settlement of
Indians, who live in sugar-loaf wigwams. They have
several canoes, and as I have obtained money (hard
dollars) on my letter of credit, I have no doubt of
obtaining a couple at a fair price. I obtained the
money from Mr. Cuthbert, the great man and shop-
keeper of the district. Murray, Stevens, and I called at
his shop, which is about a couple of miles on the other
side of the river, round a point which projects into the
bay. When 1 reached his house he was not in, being
on a visit of inspection to his shipyard, where he has a
large vessel on the stocks. ... So we had to wait for

ce-

^8t

P-
at

ler

1844.] ON THE BAIE DES CHALEURS. 211

him nearly three hours. The reception the clerks gave
us, particularly the head one, Wfis rather cavalier ; but
really no wonder, for we are pretty figures. I fancy I
look like a wandering old-clothes man, who wears tho
clothes he deals in, and my companions look no better.
But when Mr. Cuthbert came home, we found him
another sort of man. Ho is a Scotchman who has
]ilanted himself here, and by attention to business he is
fast making his fortune. He knew who I was the
moment my name was mentioned. . . ,"

Having reached the Bale des Chaleurs, Logan spent
several weeks examining tho coast between tho Casca-
pedia and Metapedia Rivers, The nights were now
growing cold, and accordingly, as evening came on, he
often sought some farm-house, where he enjoyed not
only the shelter of a roof, but the simple ways and
kindly hospitality of even the poorest among the
settlers. His journal tells us something of this : —

" Thursday, Ath. October. — ... As it became dark I
came up with a Frenchman, as he was returning from
his fields, where he had been cutting corn. He and his
daughter were driving their cattle home. Being on the
look-out for quarters, I entered into conversation with
him, and after a little talk about his crop and a great
fire which had burnt up th(> wood on the mountain
flank in the rear of his lot, I asked him where I could
find a house to sleep in. He said that if I were willing
to take up my abode with a poor man, I was welcome
to his house. I required no further invitation, and into
his house I went. The first thing I did was to bring
up my notes, and the next to partake of supper. . . .

212

FRENCH HTSTORY.

[l844.

While I was writin*? the old man was reading, and
after supper I had the benefit of his learning. In the
course of conversation he made mention of Spain, and
asked me whether Spain was under the dominion of
France or of lilngland, and was made aware for the iirst
time in his life that it was an independent country. He
asked me if Louis XYIII. was still on the throne of
France, and was surprised to learn that he was dead,
and that his successor, Charles X., had been sent adrift,
and that Louis Philippe was the king. He asked what
had become of Philippe d'Orleans, and was surprised
to find that he was the king. He said that in the book
he had just been reading he appeared to be a repub-
lican, and had raised 60,000 troops for the Kepublic.

" His book was an old one, without covers, and with
an abundance of dog-ears, and it was amusing to find
how he considered the events he was reading of as
having just happened, never thinking that time had
been running on since the days of his youth. He
looked upon history as I have known people look upon
those who have been absent for a long time, expecting
to find them exactly the same when they next see them
as when they parted. I remember on my return to
Montreal, when I was about twenty-five years of age,
Miss Fanny Hayes, on seeing me, whom she had last
seen when I was at school, expressed her great surprise
that I had grown so. . . .

" Tuesday, tHk. Or/ober. — I have returned to my
Indians on the beach. The historian's house was most
amazingly warm last night. His stove must have been
nearly red hot. . . . The Indians had appointed the

W
hi

1844.]

RUSTIC HOSPITALITY.

213

age,

last

k)rise

Inost

)eeii

the

ferry-house as a rendezvous, but when I got to it, it was
quite dark, and they had gone across to the other side
to camp in the wood, there l)eing no trees on this,
I was content to take up my quarters with the ferry-
man, telling him I would i)ay him for my lodgings.
His house has but one room in it, and he made fifty
excuses, but said he would do his best for me. lie was
alone in the house, but said his wife would soon be
home and prepare me something to cat, though he
feared it would be but a poor man's m^al. The wife
soon came in, puffing at a fine rate. She had been
milking the cows in the rain and cold, and had
run home, followed by five little children. . . . The
little ones were all much of a size, being between the
ages of two and ten, and what with the bustle of the
mother, and the squalling of the children, there was
noise enough. There appeared to be only one bed in
the room, and the whole house was not more than
fifteen f^et square. It seemed to be stuffed with com-
modities, however, and I saw six or seven bowls of
milk on a hanging shelf, which made me aware that I
should not starve. And the bonne femme soon proved it ;
for, continuing to puff and blow, she set about preparing
me mon repas, as the ferry-man called it. She baked
some barley scones, boiled four eggs, and the bon homme
asked me whether I would have milk or sugarless tea.
'Milk,' said I. So milk, barley scones, butter, and eggs
were placed before me, and I did justice to them.
While I was supping the bonne femme, still pufling and
blowing-, put the great kettle on the fire, and burnt her
fingers in so doing, which made her puff and blow the

214

RUSTIC HOSPITALITY.

[1844.

If
I

more. She filled the kettle with potatoes, and prepared
a second supper for the men. Her husband and the
two men got their potatoes, herrings, and milk when
I had iinished, and the bonne femme and children
followed them. There is but one table, as there is but
one bed, in the room. There are two chairs, however, a
Jarge chest which may be considered a sofa, and a
wooden block which serves for a stool. So soon as
all had supped, 1 set about writing up my notes, and
the bonne femme, always in a bustle, began to arrange
the room for repose. A low bed was pulled out from
below the high one, where it had been like the lowest
drawer in a chest of drawers, and it was placed in the
centre of the room before the fire. . . . Then the
children were all made to say their prayers, one after
the other, and each, as the prayer was finished, was
laid in the little bod, beginning with the youngest.
One, two, three, were placed wath their heads one way
(each end of the bed being furnished with a long
pillow). The feet were all mingled together, and each
one was obliged to take care of his own. I suppose the
hardest kicker usually gets the most room. All being
placed, a great coverlet was thrown over them, and
then the day's work seemed to be nearly done. The
bonne fcmme, still puffing and blowing a little, got hold
of her knitting-needles and an unfinished stocking, and
made some further progress towards its completion.
But sr -^n I had finished my notes, and then it was time
for me to get repose. I was told the big bed was for
me. It seemed almost extravagance to take up so much
room, while there were still so many without any.

1844.]

RETURN TO MONTREAL.

215

long

the

:'illg

and
The
lold
and
tion.
time
; for
luch
any.

However, I went to bed. The two men laid down on
the iloor, with their feet to the fire, and the bonne femme
began her prayers. She prayed most busily, as it
appeared to me, puffing and blowing even then, for her
words came now loud, now in a whisper, and she
prayed inhaling as well as exhaling. She must have
rcjpeated a considerable number of Pater nosters. I fell
asleep before she and her husband had lain down, but
was curious to know how and when; they would
bestow themselves. On awaking this morning, belbre
any were up, I perceived that the good man had laid a
mattress on the tloor, between the fire and the small
bed, and that the bonne femme had found room for her
body on the small bed among the five children, and for
her legs on the husband's mattress. The room was a
singular picture."

On the 11th. of October, Logan left Campbell ton on
his homeward journey. Though so late in the season,
he ascended the Metapedia River as far as Lake
Metapedia, in a bark canoe, and there began the long,
tedious drive of more than 400 miles to Montreal.

The work which he accomplished in the Oaspe
peninsula during the first two years of the Geological
Survey, formed the sure foundation upon which several
members of his staff afterwards built. Murray in 1845,
Richardson in 1857 and 1858, Bell in 1857, and again in
1862, continued the Gaspe explorations, and the results
of their various and valuable surveys are to be found
summed up in the Geology of Canada. After his
second season's work, Logan submitted to the Grovern-
ment a most interesting report on the region, in which

21G

GEO LOG Y OF GASPJL'.

he describes everything he saw with striking aooiiracy
and minuteness of detail. The four grcups into which
he then divided the various strata met with, in the
main hold good to-day, and are as follows, in ascending
order : —

I. Conglomerate LimcRtone, Fillur SiiiidstoncH, and Gruptolitic Shales.
II. QttHpi,' TiimfMtones and Calcareuus Shales.

III. Qaspe StiuitHiuues.

IV. LimcstoDo ConglotnerateH and Red Sandstones.

With regard to each of these divisions, a few remarks
may be made : —

I. Conglomerate Limestone, Pillar Sandstones,
AND Graitolitio Shales. — This group includes various
members of the series which Sir William afterwards
called the Quebec Grroup, as well, perhaps, as strata of
the Hudson River formation. At the time, he probably
regarded the whole as belonging to the latter ; bat in
after years, when the fossiliferous rocks of the Quebec
Group were proved to be older than even the Trenton
formation, the position of the supposed Hudson River
rocks on the south shore of the Lower St. Lawrence was
regarded as due to the eastward extension of a great line
of fault, of which we shall speak elsewhere. According
to his description, the lowest rocks of group L observed
in that portion of the St. Lawrence coast section which
he examined in 1844, are conglomerate limestones, oolitic
limestones, compact limestones, black bituminous shales,
red and green argillaceous shales, calcareous sandstones,
&c., having altogether a thickness of about 1,140 feet.
Some of the beds are described as containing a black
substance resembling " good sea-coal,' and the '• distin-

I'lLLAR SANDSTONES.

217

-4

•4

M
M

o ^

H
»
O
H
03
Q

218

PILLAR SANDSTONES.

guishing characteristics " of the deposits, as a whole, are
said to be the presence of this bituminous substance and
of the bands of conglomerate limestone. Overlying these
beds — as then supposed by Logan — is a considerable
thickness of sandstones (the Pillar sandstones), associated
with bands of red and black shale. The sandstone, being
cf unequal hardness, has been worn into curious pillars
where exposed to the action of the sea between high
and low water mark, producing i^vMe a picturesque effect
in the landscape. Tw*. ' them, Logan states, were, in
1844, standing near a small fishing-station below Ste.
Anne, called from their presence Tourelle, while the
remains of many more were visible in the vicinity. It
was, of course, the pillars that suggested the name given
by Logan to the sandstones.

Above the Pillar sandstones, according to the report
under consideration, follows a great series of black (often
graptolitic) shales, with some red and grey shales, sand-
stones differing in character from those of Tourelle, and
occasional thin beds of limestone.

The order of succession in Logan's group I, comprising
rocks along the coast from Cape Chatte to the neighbour-
hood of Cape K-osier, then is —

A. Conglomerate Limestones,

B. Pillar Sandstones,

C. Graptolitic Shales,

all apparently supposed to belong to the Hudson River
group.

In 1857 Mr. Richardson surveyed a portion of Graspe,
and in his report,=^ published, of course, with the

• Report of Progress, 1857, p. 46.

GASP£ LIMESTONES.

219

iver

spe,
the

Director's approval, there is a change in the order of
superposition just given, the Pillar sandstones being
placed at the top and the graptolitic shales at the bottom
of the series, thus :

Lower Silurian.

A. Graptolitic Shales,

B. Conglomerato Limestones,

C. Pillar Sandstones Middle Silurian.

.,}

A. and B., Richardson says, are supposed to be repre-
sentatives of the Hudson Eiver group, while C. is looked
upon as equivalent to the Oneida conglomerate, and also
to the sandstones near Quebec, to which the name of
" Sillery Sandstones " had been given. Subsequently,
as is well known, the rocks of A. (in part), B. and C. were
shown by the discovery of fossils at Point Levis to be
more ancient than the Hudson River formation, and all
of them were, in the Geology of Canada, described as
Lower Silurian, the Pillar or Sillery Sandstones being
placed at the top of the series,

GrRoup IL Gaspe Limestones and Calcareous
Shales. — The rocks of this group are described by Logan
as occupying the promontory of Cape Gaspe, and were
also met with in the traverse which he made across the
peninsula. The whole group, including limestones and
shales, was found to have a thickness of about 2,000 feet,
and although its exact relations to the rocks of the under-
lying series were not at the time certainly made out, it
was afterwards shown that it rested uncomformably
upon them. Some of the limestone beds are abundantly
supplied with organic remains, of which large collections
were niide ; but, unfortunately, the vessel by which
most of them were being taken to Quebec was wrecked

220

GASP^ LIMESTONES.

■11

i ii

iil

ill

Il'i

ii:i

on the coast of Labrador, and the precious specimens lost.
In their absence Logan wisely avoided giving any very
distinct utterances with regard to the equivalence of
different pai ts of the group. He, however, recognized
in some of the beds fossils which were interpreted as
belonging to the "New York Helderberg Series." In
the Geology of Canada, the group is divided into eight
subdivisions, and it is stated that " the limestones ot
Cape Gaspe appear for t ho most part to belong to the

OUBIODS BBDB OF CORRUGATED LIMESTONES IN SHALB, CAPS OASPil.

Geology of Canada, p. 392.

Lower Helderberg group. The fossils at the summit,
however, bear a striking resemblance to those of the
Oriskany formation, with which several of them are
identical. It appears probable, therefore, that we have
here a passage from the Lower Helderberg to the
Oriskany, and the latter formation may be more espe-
cially represented by the lower part of the Gaspe sand-
stones." Subsequently, when Billings had studied the
fossils more thoroughly, he wrote : " The two lower

are
ave
the
spe-
and-
Ithe
)wer

GASPE LIMESTONES. 221

divisions (1 and 2) are most probably Silurian ; about
the age of the Helderberg of the New York Geologists.
The upper two members (t and 8) are nearly of the age
of the Oriskany sandstone, and are therefore about the
base of the Devonian. Divisions 4, 5, 6 may be regarded
as constituting passage beds between the Upper Silurian
and Devonian.' =^ The following table, from the same
work as the above extract, gives a concise view of the
subdivisions of the group :

THE GASPE LIMESTONES. ^'^^'^'

J 8. Grey limestones, in beds from six to twelve inclies thick,

s, . some of them holding schist at the summit 500

° 7. Grey nodular, shaly limestone, with greenish calcareo-

p arenaceous shales at the top 300

, 6. Grey calcareous shales or shaly limestone, interstratified,
■o particularly at the top, with beds of purer limestone fit
W for burning 300

^ 5. Grey, greenish, and dark grey calcareous shales, with beds

m of arenaceous limestone 380

^ 4. Grey limestones, in thin beds, with some olive-green shales. 200

3. Olive-green calcareo-argillaceous shales, with nodules and

layers of compact limestone 1 70

2. Greenish calcareo-argillaceous shales, which are interstra-

9 tified with less calcareous layers, of various shades

% of red 90

CO 1. Grey limestones in layers of from six to eight inches thick,

fe which are separated by bands of greenish calcareo-

S argillaceous shale, gradually increasing in amount

^ towards the top > VO

Group III. The Gaspe Sandstones. — This series,
Eucceeding the calcareous group No. II., is extensively
developed on Gaspe Bay, and, according tc the measure-
ments of Logan, has a thickness of about Y,000 feet.

• Pal.TOzoic Fossils, Vol. II., Part I., August, 1874, page 2.

999

GASPE SANDSTONES.

i I

i!:

Though in the main a sandstone formation, it indudes
considerable thicknesses of shale and coarse conglomerate,
and not f iar from the base a thin seam of coal and carbon-
aceous shale (together measuring 3 inches) was met with.
Trap dykes were observed cutting the strata in a number
of localities, and the occurrence of petroleum in druses
noticed in one of them. Two petroleum and two sul-
phurous springs in the neighbourhood of Glaspe Bay
were also examined, and attention called to them by
Logan in his report.^ Many of the sandstone were
found to contain remains of plants, which have since
been studied and described by Dr. Dawson,

With regard to the age of he group, Logan says in
his report for 1844, p. 43 : " xieference has already been
made .... to the existence of a small, but regular, seam
of coal found towards the base of the series. It is not,
however, to be inferred from this that the group belongs
to what is emphatically called the Carboniferous era, or
that there is much probability of discovering the mineral
associated in sufficient quantity with its strata to render
it profitable to mining enterprise. Though 7,000 feet of
vertical thickness, with very little defalcation, have been
carefully examined in continuous succession, nothing
like a workable seam, nor anything but this one like a
regular seam, or like a seam at all, has been met with ;
and while some of the fossil plants and the lithological

* Since Logan visited the region in 1843, petroleum has been observed
in a number of localities in the vicinity of Gaspe Bay. The springs have,
however, nowhere been found to yield large quantities of oil, nor have the
borings which have been undertalien proved successful. The oil sometimes
issues from the Gagpc limestones, but more frequently from the overlying
sandstones. The rocks have been thrown into a series of gentle undulei-
tions, and it is chiefly along the anticlinal axes that the oil occurs.

GASPE SAND STONES.

223

character of the whole series appear much to resemble
what in the New York succession is termed the Chemung
and Portage G-roups, with perhaps the addition of what
the geologists of that State term their old red sandstone^
(though I have no distinguishing mark by means of
which to establish a division in G-aspe), there is still to
be described a set of rocks which, in Gaspe as in New
York, overlie these, and belong to the Carboniferous
series, though the part resting in Canada appears to be
too low down to be associated with the profitable seams
of coal."

In the Geology of Canada, p. 404, the first 5,000 feet of
the series are said to " present analogies with the whole
series of formations in New York, from the Marcellus
shales to the summit of the Chemung sandstones ; in all
of which, according to Dr, Dawson, are found several of
the species of plants that occur in the G-aspe sandstones.
The whole of these 5,000 feet resemble, lithologically,
the Portago and Chemung sandstones of New Y^ork ; and
it may hereafter be found that in this eastern part of the
continent, the Oriskany fauna which occurs at the base
of this Devonian series merges gradually, towards the
summit, into that of the Portage and Chemung group.
In lithological characters the remaining upper 1,800 feet
of the G-aspe series resemble the Catskill group of New
York.'' No mention, it will be noticed, is here made of
the Corniferous formation, but in Logan's Crcological
Atlas the Corniferous is included among the New Y^ork
formations equivalent to the Gaspe sandstones ; showing
that he looked upon the latter as representing the entire

♦ The Catikill group.

224

BONAVENTURE FORMATION.

Ifliti:

III''

Devonian series of the New York geologists. As we
have already seen, Billings, in 18*74, placed the base of
the Devonian 800 feet or more below the summit of the
Gaspe limestones. This, of course, was on the suppo-
sition that the Oriskany formation belonged to the
Devonian, and not to the Upper Silurian, as some geolo-
gists hold.

More recently exposures of the Devonian sandstones
and shales have been found on the Bale des Chaleurs
containing numerous fossil fishes of characteristic
Devonian genera, and fossil plants, some of which are
of the same species as those occurring at G-aspe. The
fishes have been described by Mr. Whiteu,ves and the
plants by Dr. Dawson,

Notwithstanding the great thickness of the Grasp6
sandstones, their geographical range is much more
limited than that of the underlying limestones, which
extend all the way from Graspe into Massachusetts.

IV. Limestone Conglomerate and Red Sandstones.
— This next great series of Logan's report is extensively
developed on the Baie des Chaleurs, and is described as
consisting of red sandstones, interstratified with coarse
calcareous conglomerates, the whole having a thickness
of not far from 3,000 feet. Its unconformable superposi-
tion upon the Gaspe sandstones and limestones was
recognized by Logan, and its relation to the Carbonife-
rous of New Brunswick correctly ascertained. On page
66 of his report Logan says : " In thus tracing the upper
conglomerates and sandstones round Bay Chaleur to
Bathurst, their relation to the nearest coal seams of the
New Brunswick Carboniferous area is made out with a

UESTOHATION liY DR. DAWSON OP PSILOPHTTON PUINCKPS,

The most characteristic plant of tlie Lower Devonian of Gaspo,
One-fifth natural size,
(a). Fnu'tification.
(b). Stem.
(c). Scalariform Vessels, ,.«.

226

BONAVENTURE FORMATION.

J;,
ill

ill
I II

' ! Pll

ill;
I'

considerable degree of certainty. The general dip of the
Canadian part of the deposit accords with this relation ;
its slope towards the bay would carry it beneath the
coal-bearing strata on the south side, while no rock of
a similar quality is there seen to overlie the coal mea-
sures. . . . The conglomerate rocks with which they
[fossil plants] are associated appear to be the very base
of the coal series, in so far as Gaspe is concerned, and
their distribution in Canada is just sufficient to show
that a very narrow margin on the north shore of the
Bay Chaleur may be considered the limit in that direction
of the great eastern coal-field of North America."

Some years after, Logan called this series the Bona-
venture formation, from the fact of its occurring on the
island of Bonaventure, opposite to Perce, and under this
name it is described in the Geology of Canada^ p. 404.
It is, however, only a portion of what was already known
in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia as the Lower Car-
boniferous formation.

Logan's original report on the geology of G-aspe is
well worthy of careful study, and gives a good idea of
the careful manner in which his field observations were
made.

CHAPTER XI.

EVENTS IN 1845 AND 1846.

THE winter of 1844-45 was an anxious one for
Logan. The sum of ,£1,500 originally granted for
the Greological Survey of the Province was all gone,
besides more than i)800 which had been paid from
his own pocket. No one could tell whether the
Survey would be continued or not. Some even said
that nad the G-overnment supposed the ,£1,500 would
not be sufficient to complete the work, they never
would have consented to its being begun at all.
Shortly after his return from G-aspe, he was requested
by the G-overnment to prepare an estimate of the cost
of continuing the Survey in an efficient manner. This
was done, and a bill also drawn up and submitted for
the consideration of the members. The bill was a
model one, covering all necessary ground, and yet free
from the redundancy of expression so common in docu-
ments of the kind. As we shall see, it met with the
entire approval of the Government, and, largely owing
to Logan's own untiring exertjous, soon became an act.

i'i

'I '

if' I

■.!|ll
■I !■'

228

A TEMPTING OFFER.

[1844-4;

And never was there a bill passed concerning which the
members had fuller information ; for in his own quiet
way he had talked and talked, written and written, to
them individually, until he had succeeded in kindling
in the breasts of many no little of geological enthusiasm.
They in turn recognized in him a man thoroughly in
earnest and in love with his work, and wisely saw that
his labours could not fail to be of advantage to the
country. Be that as it may, through the passage of
the bill provision was made for the continuance of the
Survey for five years, with an annual grant of iI2,000.

But scarcely was this settled, and plans made for the
summer's field-work, when overtures came from a new
and unexpected quarter. The Court of Directors of the
East India Company were anxious to have a survey
made of the coal-fields of India, and were in quest of a
thoroughly competent geologist to undertake the work.
Sir Henry de la Beche was consulted in the matter,
and the result was that shortly after the appointment
was offered to Mr. Logan. De la Beche himself,
although unwilling to influence his friend in the
matter, was evidently anxious that he should accept
the offer, and wrote to him as follows : —

" London, 29<A. March, 1845.

" My Dear Logan, — You will probably receive by
this mail a letter from Dr. Falconer, confidentially in-
structed by proper parties, connected with the Directors
of the East India Company, to write to you about
examining India for coal. "Whether or not it may suit
you, your name was mentioned by us here as the proper
person to apply for, if you would go. There had been

1846.]

AN IMPORTANT DECISION.

229

talk of a very inefficient person previously. By what
I could learn, they might be prepared to give ill, 200
per annum for three years certain, with all kinds of
those aids which the Indian Government can so readily
afford. There would at the same time be opportunities
afforded of obtaining much more insight than we now
possess of the geology of India. Coi)ies of your sections
and Grlamorgan and Carmarthenshire maps have been
sent by us, through Dr. Falconer, to the proper parties
at the India House, to show your powers, and these
have been highly approved. All this is the bright side
of the affair. On the other is the tropical climato, with
its chances of illness, and that nothing is certain boyond
the three or four years — though probably some charge
over the coal workings would follow. You see I
neither advise for or against. . . .

" Your letter desiring a junction of the Canada Survey
with ours I have sent in to oar new chief. Lord Lincoln,
but have not yet had any remark about it. It certainly
might be made useful to all parties. — Ever sincerely

y^^^®' "H. T. DrlaBeche."

The offer was a tempting one, and at first Logan
probably felt inclined to accept it ; but, after looking
at the matter from every possible point of view, he
made up his mind to remain where he was and con-
tinue the w^ork already begun. In reply to De la Beche
he wrote the following long and interesting letter : —

"Montreal, I2th. May, 1845.

" My Dear De ia Beche, — ^^I have your despatch on
Indian affairs, which renders it necessary that I should

«i

230

A RETROSPECT.

[l84S.

inform you of the position of my campaign i.*
Canada.

" At the time I was appealed to to undertake the
examination of the Province, a sum of €1,500 had been
granted by the Legislature to defray the total probable
expense. Of course I was aware that such an amount
would be but a drop of what would be required to float
mo over twenty-five degrees of longitude and ten of
latitude. But I undertook the survey, determined to
work it out somehow or other, feeling the truth of the
saying, ' Where there's a will there's a way.' Fearing
that, if a term of years had been insisted on in the first
instance, the Government might have been deterred
from the undertaking, through an apprehension that
they might not be able to get the consent of the Legis-
lature, I said nothing about the matter. But upon
being asked what my terms were, I named jCSOO sterling
per annum for myself and X150 per annum for an
assistant.

" These terms were considered very reasonable, and
were granted. So at once I set to work. The ill, 500
I thought might carry me on for two years, by which
time I hoped to have had an opportunity to make
friends, show the utility of the undertaking, and excite
some interest in the subject among the legislators, I
soon found that to make any impression it would be
necessary to spend more money ; that a business office,
a museum, a chemist, and a laboratory would be re-
quired. At the end of the first year, accident threw
in my way a young Pole, who had studied chemistry
under Dumas at the Ecole Polytechnique, and brought

I re-
rew
stry
ight

1845.]

A RETROSPECT.

231

m.i

good certificates of capaciU from him. So I took the
opportunity to urge the subject upon the Government.
But a grand political rumpus had occurred. The French
party had got out, and the English party had got in.
Uncertain what they would be able to effect in the
Legislature, they would give me no oflicial reply,
though they did not discourage me privately. On my
own responsibility, therefore, I hired a house to serve
for an office, museum and laboratory, at iI120 per
annum ; provided chemicals and apparatus at my own
expense, and arranged with the chemist for iI200 per
annum ; and at the end of the second year I found that
the Survey was about <£800 in my debt.

" Avoiding politics as I would poison, I made friends
on both sides of the question, and having induced our
ministers to take up the matter, I got them to support
it so far as ill, 500 per annum, including all expenses,
for five years. Much to the surprise of my friend the
Attorney-Greneral, who took charge of the measure in
the House of Assembly, there was not a dissentient
voice upon the subject, the only subject of the session
in which all agreed. Some of the members considered
the sum too little, and ^£2,000 per annum was men-
tioned. So I was asked for an estimate of wliat would
be required to place the Survey on an efficient footing.
I made out that to pay my assistants at a rate adequate
to a vigorous performance of their duties, and to do
credit to the Government, on the basis on which I had
put the Survey, it would require =£1,950 per annum.

" An act was then passed voting iJ2,000 per annum
for five years certain, for the employment of a suitable

232

A RETROSPECT.

[l845.

'ill

number of competent persons, whose duty it shall be,
under the direction of the Grovernor-in-Council, to
make an accurate and complete geological survey of the
Province, and furnish a full and scientific description
of the rocks, soils and minerals, which shall be accom-
panied with proper maps, diagrams, and drawings,
together with a collection of specimens to illustrate the
same ; which maps, diagrams, drawings and specimens
shall be deposited in some suitable place which the
Governor-in-Council shall appoint, and shall serve as a
Provincial collection. And duplicates of the same, after
they have served tho purposes of the survey, shall be
deposited in such literary and educational institutions
of the eastern and western divisions of the Province as
by the same authority shall be deemed most advan-
tageous. To defray the expenses of the survey and the
arrears of expenditure already incurred, .£2,000 per
annum are applied for a term not exceeding live years,
and I have to report annually in general terms.

" Such is my geological bill — now an act. I drew it
up myself, and no changes were made in it. I should
havo liked very much to leave out the annual report,
but I found it would not do, so I must be as cautious
on that score as I can. I have recommended and
obtained liberal salaries for my assistants. Murray
gets .£300 sterling per annum ; so does my Pole. But,
depend upon it, they shall do something for it. Murray
works like a galley slave from the time he gets out of
bed to the time he returns to it. De Rottermond has
not done so much, but he has been in love, and is to
get married on the 15th. inst. into a highly respectable

1845.]

TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY.

233

family which has some French political influence. He
is a young man, of gentlemanly manners, and, I think,
of some energy, though he was completely knocked up
in the forest last year, to which I carried him at his
own earnest desire, just to show him there was no
romance in the matter. ... I fancy he will do, though,
perhaps, he will require some management.

" Many parts of the country are so little known that
Murray and I are in some places obliged to add topo-
graphy to our geology. I wish I could let you see the
map of our journey across from the St. Lawrence to Bay
Chaleur. The length of our winding line is 111 miles,
in which we dialled all the twists and turns of two
rivers, one thirty-five miles and the other sixty-five
miles, obtaining the bearings of the reaches by prismatic
compass and the distances by Rochon's micrometer, and
registering at the same time the quality, contents and
attitude of every bed of rock we saw, with barometric
heights., &c. The distance between the rivers we
triangulated by means of well marked peaks, making
it seventeen miles. I think you would say we deserve
some credit for it. I have protracted the work on the
scale of an inch to a mile. The distance in a straight
line is seventy-five miles, and on comparing it with the
same as determined by the latitudes and longitudes of
its extremes on Bayfield's admirable hydrographical
charts, we find that everything, without coaxing, falls
into place. The bearings are identical, and there are
only nineteen chains of difference between us in the
distance. I have ordered three more Rochon's out, and
I feel much indebted to Mr. Jordan for having men-

234 CONTtNXJANC:^ OP THE SURVEY. [i844.

j I 1 ;i,|ir I

i'l'.i

■■>m>;

tioned the instrument to me. I think Jones [?] could
get other orders for it from this country. If the
economic facts of Canadian geology should turn out a
negative quantity, the topographical facts may return
some of the expense. I have made them available in
getting the Survey continued.

" Now comes the application of all this egotism. Per-
haps the Canadians are leaning on me for the Survey,
and might think it not very handsome if I were to leave
the country before the expiration of the five years. I am
persuaded, though I say it, who should not say it, they
will not find any one to take the trouble I do. It has
been hinted to me that in continuing the Survey the
Government have been in some degree influenced by
the circumstance of finding a person who is a Canadian
by birth considered competent to do the work. In the
next place (but I do not feel that this weighs with me
so much as perhaps it ought to do), I can get back my
<£800 only by saving on the .£2,000 per annum for five
years.

" But now comes another consideration, which per-
haps weighs most. Just look at Arrowsmith's little
map of British North America, dedicated to the Hudson's
Bay Company, published in 1842. If you have not got
a copy, send for one ; the expense won't kill you, and
there ought to be one in your Eecord Office. You will
see that Canada comprises but a small part of it. Then
examine the great rivers and lakes which water the
interior between that American Baltic, Hudson's Bay,
and the Pacific Ocean — some of the rivers as great as
the St. Lawrence, and some of the lakes nearly as large

1S45.]

WESTERN COAL-FIELDS.

per-
little
son's
t got
, and

will
Then
r the

Bay,
iat as

large

as our Canadian internal seas, with a climate as I am
informed, gradually improving as you go westward, and
becoming delightful on the Pacific. It will become a
great country hereafter. But who knows anything of
its geology ? "Well, I have a sort of presentiment that I
shall yet, if I live long enough, be employed by the
British Government, under the Survey you direct, to
examine as much of it as I can, and that I am here in
Canada only learning my lesson, as it were, in prepara-
tion. How insignificant would be the expense to the
British Government in comparison with the advantage
that might result, and even the satisfaction of the
enlightened curiosity would be cheaply purchased by
what it might cost. I have been informed of coal in
two parts of it — in the Saskatchewan territory, and in
Oregon — in the Saskatchewan on the north branch of
the river of that name, at Edmonton House, where it is
burnt, and in Oregon near Fort Vancouver. But what
the extent of the deposits may be, my informant (Sir
Greorge Simpson, tb'" ^ravelling Governor and General
Inspector of the Hudson's Bay Company's establish-
ment) was not able to say. They may be important.
In Oregon, the value of coal for the supply of steamers
protecting and connected with our new Chinese trade
will perhaps soon be felt, and it might be an item
worthy of the attention of the British Government in
any settlement of the Oregon question with the
Americans.

" When the British Government gave up the Michigan
territory at the end of the last American war, with as
little concern as if it had been so much bare granite, I

236

TIED TO CANADA.

[l844.

dare say they were not aware that 12,000 square miles
of a coal-field existed in the heart of it — larger than the
largest in Britain, though the smallest of those belong-
ing to the United States, which possess another of
55,000 square miles, and a third of 60,000 square miles.
Saginaw Bay, on Lake Huron, cuts into the first,
and Cleveland, on Lake Erie, is within thirty-six miles
of the third, both ready to supply American steamers
with fuel on the lakes, while ours on the same waters,
in case of war, must depend on wood, or coal expen-
sively transported from Nova Scotia or Cape Breton
Island, or across the Atlantic from the United Kingdom.
"Taking all this into consideration, notwithstanding
I have requested my brother Edmond, of Edinburgh,
who has a friend in the East India direction, to make
some inquiry into the matter, I fancy you will see that
the chances are that I am tied to Canada. I feel grateful
to you, however, for thinking of me, and the offer will
do good. I shall not let the light of it lie hid under a
bushel, but make it show my Canadian friends that
geological investigations are something thought of in
other parts of the world, and that if I do not accept
pecuniary terms more advantageous than they give, it
is because I am not influenced by mercenary motives

in serving them. — Yours truly, „,. „ ^

^ ^ "W. E. Logan."

Exploration with all its hardships was preferable to
the worries and cares to which Logan was subjected
when in winter quarters. Once afloat in his birch
canoe, or scrambling among his favourite rocks unravel-
ling the mysteries of the past, and cares seemed to vanish.

1845.]

THE UPPER OTTAWA.

237

Having driven from his mind all thought of going
to India, he set out from Montreal in the latter part of
June to explore the Ottawa. Mr. Murray had again
gone to continue the work in G-aspe, but the services of
a good topograpical surveyor well acquainted with the
country were secured, as at that time the Ottawa
had not been surveyed for more tha.. 100 miles above
By town. The journey was performed m canoes manned
by Indians, and extended as far as the head of Lake
Temiscamang. It was winter before he got back to
Montreal, and shortly after his return he wrote to Mr,
Murray as follows :

" Montreal, 4<A. December, 184.'5.

" My Dear Murray, — A great packet of your letters
has been put into my hands by my brother, concluding
with one of the 12th. of November. "When you wrote
the same I was at the head of Lake Temiscamang, and
I only got home towards the end of last week. After
examining such parts of the Ottawa and various
tributaries as had already been surveyed to a distance
of about 100 miles above Bytown, I examined and
mapped .the river about 150 miles further, including
Lake Temiscamang, which, varying from half a mile to
six miles in breadth, comprehends nearly seventy miles
of the distance. The Ottawa, you must recollect, has
two sides to it, being sometimes a quarter and sometimes
not far from half a mile wide. I have put all the twists
and turns down, which I conceive to be equal to nearly
300 miles in a straight line. In addition, I have mapped
a tributary called the Mattawa, which is a succession of
lakes with two sides also ; and I have connected my

it;

238

FIELD WOBK.

[1845.

i-'iii,''

Siiiii;

filfi:

map of it with the waters of Lake Nipissing. The
distance may be about fifty miles, but will equal one
hundred in a straight line. The relative heights of all
the various sheets and reaches of quiet water in the
whole of the survey have been determined by regular
levelling to the one-hundredth part of a foot. The bear-
ings have been taken by a theodolite, and the whole of
the map has been carefully protracted in the field on
drawing paper as the work went on, on the scale of one
mile to an inch. Every sight in levelling, every bearing
— sometimes twenty at a station, — every micrometer
angle, every reduction of the distance to chains and
links, and every line of the protraction has been worked
by my own hands. You may think, therefore, that I
have been a little busy. I was up every morning at
four and five o'clock to rouse my Indians (not one of
whom would ever stir unless he had my special com-
mand), to be ready for an early breakfast and start. We
seldom left our work until we could no longer see dis-
tinctly, and it was often one, two and three hours after
midnight before my protraction was finished and I could
creep into my blanket. I have sent down forty-five
boxes of specimens, many of them beautiful fossils, and
I think 1 have fallen upon the Gasp*'; limestone at the
head of Lake Temiscamang. At any rate, I have the
same Pentamerus we found near Cape Rosier and else-
where. . . ."

"While engaged upon this survey the stratified charac-
ter of many of the crystalline rocks underlying the
fossiliferous formations particularly attracted Logan's
attention, and he was also much impressed with the

'■!ii

1 1

i!
1 1

[1845.

. The
Lial one
;s of all
in the
regular
he bear-
A'^hole of
field on
le of one
' bearing
crometer
ains and
1 worked
re, that I
orning at
Dt one of
cial com-
itart. We
r sec dis-
3iirs after
d I could
|forty-five
[ssils, and
ne at the
have the
and else-
Id charac-
|ying the
Logan's
Iwith the

OFFICE WORK.

239

great beds of crystalline limestone which he found inter-
stratiiied with some of the gneisses. As we shall see
farther on, the rocks on Lake Temiscamang (afterwards
known as Huroniaii) were recognized as a distinct group
resting upon the gneissic series. The sequence and dis-
tribution of the Lower Silurian formations in the Ottawa
valley were also ascertained, and large collections of
organic remains made both from these rocks and from
the Upper Silurian limestones on Lake Temiscamang.

The winter in Montreal was a busy one, for already
visitors had begun to haunt the Survey Office, sometimes
to see the infant museum, but more frequently to ascer-
tain what the " indications " were in portions oi the
country in which they were perhaps interested. The
material which had been gathered during the preA^ous
summer and autumn, both on the Ottawa and in Gaspe,
had swelled the collection to quite imposing dimensions,
and not only had the specimens to be arranged, but the
annual report of progress, maps, and accounts of the
year's expenditure, had to be prepared for G-overnment.
During the earlier years of the Survey, Logan had no
secretary or accountant, and a large and annually
increasing amount of drudgery therefore devolved upon
him. " I used," he says, " at first to make, with my own
hands, four manuscript copies of the Annual Report of
Progress, often reaching more than one hundred printed
pages — one copy for the Government, one for the House
of Assembly, one for the Legislative Council, and one
for the printer." All the accounts of the Survey were for
years kept by himself j and in the most detailed manner,
so that any one might see how every penny of the

240

MUSEUM MOVED.

[1846.

public money entrusted to him had been spent. Often
it was midnight or even one and two o'clock in the
morning before he could leave his office, and eventually
it became necessary for him to employ assistance.

J:5ome time in 1846 the museum and offices were
moved from No. 40 St. James Street to the building on
Little St. James Street, -then occupied by the Natural
History Society. At the instigation of its President,
the late Dr. A. F. Holmes, the Society leased its premises
to the Survey for i5120 per annum, retaining, however,
the use of the rooms on the third floor for its collection
of specimens and books. This arrangement was no
doubt advantageous for both parties, and without
increase of expense certainly affi^rded greatly improved
accommodation for the Government museum and offices.

Not until the middle of May were final instructions
received with regard to the field-work of the season of
1846. Now it was to be extended westward to the
British shores and islands of Lake Superior, in order to
ascertain the general geological structure of the country,
and "more particularly the nature and quality of
certain mineral veins containing metallic ores, alleged
to have been discovered by various parties, to whom
licenses of mineralogical exploration had been granted
by the Government." Such had been the success of
mining operations on the south shore of the lake that
much attention was beginning -to be drawn to the
British side, where similar geological conditions were
supposed to prevail ; and anxious to encourage mining
enterprise in this region, the Canadian Government
had determined to grant one " mining location " to each

[1846.

1846.]

LAKE SUPERIOR.

241

Often
n the
tiially

were
ing on
fatural
isident,
remises
)wever,
llection
ivas no
i^ithout
iproved
I offices,
•actions
|eason of

to the
lorder to
^ountry,
|ality of

alleged
whom

granted

Iccess of

ike that

to the

s were

mining

srnment
to each

person holding a license of exploration. In accordance
with Logan's advice, each mining location was to be
five miles in length, by two in breadth, the length to
coincide as nearly as possible with the general direction
of the mineral veins. Each party entitled to claim a
location was to indicate its position to the Provincial
Geologist on his arrival, and to be prepared to point
out the general course of the mineral vein which he
had discovered. The best direction for the location,
however, was to be decided by Logan, and the boundary
lines run by a provincial land-surveyor, who was to
accompany the expedition. In the event of different
parties claiming the same location, it was also left to
Logan to decide with regard to priority of discovery,
and to put the person really entitled to the location in
possession of it. In so far as the geology of the region
was concerned, there was much of interest, but the
judicial work was most distasteful. It was, however,
conscientiously carried out in strict accordance with the
wishes and instructions of the Government.

On this c ;asion Logan's party was larger than
usual, and included Mr. Murray, a land-surveyor named
^IcNaughton, and Mr. James Richardson, a new aspirant
after geological knowledge, who soon became a most
enthusiastic worker for science, and, as is well known,
served long and faithfully on the staff of the Survey.

At the time of which we write travelling on Lake
Superior was attended with many difficulties. There
were no regular steamers to the north coast, and the
occasional steamers were not only slow, but liable to
long detentions from head- winds and storms. At Sault

242

SAULT STE. MARIE.

[1846

vSte. Marie, T-/Ogan had to wait for a propeller for
Keweenaw from the 11th. until the IDth. of June, but
while there oicupied himself studying the geology of
the neighbourhood. His object in going by way of
Keweenaw was to examine the remarkable copper
deposits of that region before beginning his investiga-
tions on the north shore. Before leaving Sault Ste,
Marie, he wrote to his brother : —

"SAUiiT Ste. Makib, \Q(h. June, 1846.

"My Dear James, — My whole party, with myself,
arrived here last night by the steamer ' Detroit,' from
Detroit, and here we have been waiting, that is to say,
some of us (Murray, McNaughton, Master Adamsoii.
Frank, and myself), for an opportunity for Keweenaw
Point. One occurs this afternoon at five o'clock, and
by it we shall go. The vessel is a propeller, and I am
told she has good accommodations, but rather think she
is slow. I found all the party at Detroit last Monday
week, and everything purchased and prepared for a
start for the Sault. . . .

"During my stay in this vicinity, I have made an
excursion down the channel to St. Joseph's Island, and
have visited several points on the American as well as
the British side, with Mr. Hubbard, one of the geologi-
cal assistants to the late Dr. Houghton. I was glad to
get a fair collection of fossils and other specimens, and
three boxes have been put into the charge of Mr.
Bellenden, addressed to your care. . . .

" In my examination of the stratified rocks met with,
I was gratified to recognize the same formations as exist
in the vicinity of Montreal, and we had an oi)portunity

I84f5.]

SAULT STR MARTE.

243

of pointing out to Mr. Hubbard the same black, bitumi-
nous shales, which have been so universally mistaken
for coal. . . . "With the exception of those whoso names
I have enumerated, our party have proceeded in a
schooner belonging to the Hudson's Buy Company to
Fort William, there to wait for us. They left the
day before yesterday. We cross from Keweenaw to
Fort William, whence I shall proceed up to Pigeon
Eivcr, and there begin my examination. I suspect
I shall be there before many are ready to claim their
locations.

"Mr. Bellenden has given us quarters, and I feel
greatly indebted to him for his kindness and attention.
The number of strangers who pass this place give him
occupation enough, and he has his house constantly
full. There are good enough inns on the American
side that save him some trouble, as most of those who
come up to Lake Superior looking after mines, even
though it may be on the Canadian side, frequent them.
I understand about 1,000 visitors of all kinds have
come uj) by the steamers this season already. ... A
steamer is just about to be drawn across the portage on
the American side up to Lake Superior. She seems a
neat little boat, but I do not know what her accommo-
dations are. She appears to me, however, too small for
so big a lake.

"There is nothing very picturesque in the scenery
a])out here, it being rather flat. The sail up the channel
among the islands from the Point Detour, which is at
the south-west corner of Druraraond Island, constitutes
the prettiest part of it."

244

COPPER OF LAKE SUPKIilOli.

[lH40.

The copp(»r mines of Kowoonaw peninsula astonishccl
Lof^an not a little. " I have come to the coniilusion,"
he writes from Copper Harbour, " that there is mucli
more copper in I he country than 1 had any notion of
There is scarcely a vein whidi (lo««s not contain indica-
tions of the metal, how^ever small the vein may be, and
I have been surprised io observe what small indications
have led to great results. The quantity of silver asso-
ciated with the copper is more than I anticipated. . . .
The largest mass of copper I have seen would Aveigh
about eleven tons, and contains about forty-live cubic
feet. ... I am waiting for a vessel to carry me across
the lake."

The vessel was little more than a barge, and so laden
with cargo that some of the passengers had to sleep on
deck. Logan's camp equipage was s])read over some
of the barrels in the hold, and upon this he endeavoured
to sleep ; but, owing to a substratum of pots and pans,
iotind it rather uncomfortable. On reaching terra finna
he again wrote to his brother : —

" Prinok'h IIariiour, Lakk \>vi'k\i\ok, 2'ljid. July, 1846.

"My Dear James, — I have got to this side, and have
commenced my examination. That copper exists there
is no doubt — how much of it remains to l)e proved. . . .
While McNaughton measures, I examine the geology of
the vicinity, and have been most kindly assisted by the
gentlemen in charge of the Colonel's interests. . . .
There is good copi^er ore (grey sulphuret) on Prince's
location. The A'ein in which it occurs is composed of
calc-spar, barytas, and amethystine quartz, and is alto-
gether about fifteen feet wide, while the metalliferous

184C.]

SCENE UY A XI) IfARliOURS.

245

portion appoars to bo a])Out four f«H>t oiglit inches. If all
{\\v spar-voins aro liko his, thoro will l)o little don})t of
this b(»('oniing a coijpcr r(><rion ; l)ut 1 have not yet
heard (;f any strong" ciiinilcrous indi'-ations having been
discovered in the otluT spar-veins of the vi<'inity. . . .

"The sc«niery here is very Ixiautitu. Lofty «litFs
quard the whole coast. They are vertical lor some
distance at the suiiiniit, and then slope down at an
angle of 45^^, making a talus to the water's edge. . . .
Multitudes of beautiful harbours exist on the coast,
scarcely a couple of miles occurring without one, and
there is deep water in most of them. T understand an
Am«!rican steamboat is to make two tours of the British
side during the year. She will have no diiliculty in
finding shelter wherever she goes, should she be over-
taken by a storm."

From Fort William a "<?eological communication" of
sixteen closely-written pages, was addressed to Lord
Cathcart, the Clovernor-Greneral of Canada/^ "My
Lord," it begins, " I take the opportunity afforded me
by !:^ir George Simpson's passage through this on his
journey from Tied River to Montreal, to do myself the
honour of addressing a few lines to your Lordship,
not for the purpose of communicating any official

* When the illness of Lord Metcalfe compelled him to resign the
Governorship of Canada and return to England, in 1845, he was succeeded
by Lord Cathcart, who was at that time acting as Commander-in-Chief of
the troops in British North America. Lord Cathcart liad long been an
nrdent student of geology and mine.-iviogy, and in 1841 (then Lord
Greenock), first recognized as a distinct species the mineral which was
named Grcenockite in his honour. During his residence in Canada he
took a lively interest in the geology of the country, and gave Logan much
encouragement in his work.

24G

GEOLOGY OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

[l846.

intelligence witli regard to the investigation with which
I am charged (which it would scarcely be expedient to
do until my examination has been extended over a
greater surface) ; but simply to state some of the geolo-
gical facts up to this time observed, as I would to any
other eminent member of the Geological Society."

Then follows a description of the regions visited on
the south and north shores of the lake. "The asre of
the rocks on the south side is," he says, "yet a disputed
point. Some geologists are disposed to consider them
contemporaneous with the New Red Sandstone — for
what reason I am unable to ascertain ; for the mere
mineral fact of the presence of trap associated with red
sandstones v/ould, in my opinion, be no reason at all.
The late Mr. Douglas Houghton, the Michigaii Stat(»
G-eologist, who was undoubtedly a careful and accurat(^
observer, and had devoted many years to the examina-
tion of the country, places the rocks at the very b; se
of the stratified series. Perhaps the horizon may be
intermediate between the positions assigned."

The rocks on the north shore o '.ake Superior, whose
investigation Logan began in 1846, have, like those on
the south, been the subject of much discussion among
geologists, and even at the present day conflicting
opinions are entertained with n^gard to them. A brief
statement, more especially of Logan's views of the
subject, is therefore called for here. According to his
first report on the region, published in 1847, the most
ancient .ocks met with on th'i north shore of the lake
consist of granite and syenitic granite, " which appear
to pass gradually into gneiss." Overlying this came

[l846.

liont to
over a
J jreolo-
L to any

>ited on
; age of
lisputed
Ler them
one — for
he mere
with red
)n at all.
;-an State
accurate
examina-
rory b:^se
may be

>r, whose
those on
\n among
mflictmg
A brief
is of the
liir to his
lihe most
the lako
|h appeur
Ihis came

GEOLOGY OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

24t

a scries stated to consist of chloritic, micaceous, and
talcose slates, with interstratified greenstone and quartz-
rock. This second series was estimated to have a
thii'kness of several thousand feet, and it was ix)inted
oul that the chloritic slates at the summit would
probably be found to be identical with those seen the
year before on Lake Temiscamang. These two series
were in later years classed as Laurentian and Huronian.
To the second succeeded the so-called " Volcanic forma-
tions " of Logan, described in his report as consisting of
uncrystalline sedimentary strata, both interstratified
with and capped by eruptive rocks, and regarded as
divisible into a low^er and an upper gi-oup. The
members of the lower group were met with on
Thunder Bay, resting unconformably upon the highly
inclined chloritic slates, and were traced westward
along the coast as far as l^igeon River. They were
estimated to have a total thickness of from 1,500 to
2,000 feet, and were stated to consist of a conglomerate
holding pebbles of the underlying chloiitic slate,
followed by beds of chert, impure limestones, dark-
coloured argillaceous slates and argillaceous sandstones,
crystalline trap being interstratified in sev ^ parts of
the formation, and capping the whole to a thickness
of 200 or 300 feet. Eastward of Thunder Bay, the
rocks of the upper division are met with, consisting
first of red and w^hitc sandstones and conglomerates,
with an estim^.ted thickness of about TOO feet, succeeded
by about eighty feet of limestones, calcareous shales
and sar-ustones, and fifty feet of reldish indurated
marls. "After an interval of which the amount is

'■I
ijil

'li^i':

lili'!

fiiliiil^i:

248

o
!?■.

K
I

a;
S

o
u

GEOLOGY OF LAKE SUPERIOll.

219

uncertain," came other sandstones and conglomerates
(supposed to be younger than the reddish marls), inter-
stratiiied with amygdaloidal and compact "trap," and
crowned by " an enormous amount of volcanic over-
flow." The total thickness of this ui)per group Logan
estimated roughly at from G,000 to 10,000 feet, Imt a
much greater thickness has since been assigned to il.
In many i)laces it is rich in native copper, and Logan
regarded it as identical with the similar cupriferous
series of the south shore and of Isle Royale — a view
which Whitney and other geologists afterwards con-
curred in. Logan also looked upon his "Volcanic
series " as more ancient than the horizontal palaeozoic
sandstones of Sault Ste. Marie, concerning w^hich we
shall speak jjresently.

The explorations carried on by the Survey during the
next few years, on the north shore of Lake Huron^
showed the existence there of a great series (often con-
taining sulphuretted copper ores) of chloritic slates,
conglomerates, " greenstones," quartzites, and lime-
stones. Notwithstanding the similarity of many of
these rocks to those seen on Lake Temiscamang in
1845, and again beneath the " Volcanic series " of Lake
Superior in 184G, they w^ere for a time regarded by
Logan as identical with the latter, and in his report for
1848, page 20, he says: "The chief ditierences in the
copper-bearing rocks of Lakes Huron and Superior
seem to lie in the great amount of amygdaloidal trap
present among the latter, an'^l of white quartz-rock or
sandstone among the former But on the Canadian
side of Lake Superior there are some considerable areas,

■t ;

250

GEOLOGY OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

in which important masses of interstratified greenstone
exist without amygdaloid, while white sandstones are
present in others. . . . But notwithstanding these
differences, there are such strong points of resemblance
in the interstratification of igneous rocks, and the
general mineralized condition of the whole, as to render
their positive or proximate equivalence highly probable,
if not almost certain."

When the Geology of Canada was published in
1863, the " Volcanic formations " of Lake Superior
appeared under the name of the Upper Copper-bearing
series, to distinguish them from the Lower Copper-
bearing rocks (the Huronian), which were now recog-
nized as more ancient strata. As before, the series was
divided into a lower and an upper group, the whole
being still regarded as older than the horizontal sand-
stone of Sault Ste. Marie, which was referred to the
Chazy formation {Geol. of Can., 1863, p. 86). Further-
more, it was stated that if this were the true horizon of
the horizontal sandstone, then "the copper-bearing
portions of the Lake Superior rocks might reasonably
be considered to belong to the Calciferous and Potsdam
formations." {Geol. of Can., 1863, p. 86.) In the same
volume (p. 236) it was suggested that the Upper Copper-
bearing series of Lake Superior and the Quebec group
belong to the same geological horizon; and in accord-
ance with this view we find that in the geological
atlas published in 1864, as well as on the large geologi-
cal map which appeared some time later, the former
series i^ represented as belonging to the Quebec group.
On the same maps the Sault Ste. Marie sandstones were

GEOLOG Y OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

251

Biistono
nes are
1 these
abliiuce
nd the
> render
robable,

ihed in
juperior
bearing
Copper-
V recog-
ries was
3 whole
il sand-
to the
urther-
rizon of
bearing
sonably
*otsdam
le same
"opper-
group
accord-
)logical
reologi-
former
group.
is were

coloured as Chazy. Later observations seem to show
that they are Potsdam rather than Chazy in age. This
was the opinion long ago held by Whitney, who,
however, maintained that the sandstone and the Upper
Copper-bearing series of Logan belonged to one and the
same formation.

The view that the rocks of Logan's Upper Copper-
bearing series are wholly or in part of Mesozoic
age can only be briefly alluded to here. It was years
ago held by Charles T. Jackson and Marcou, and
has since been advocated by several other geologists,
including Mr. Thomas Macfarlane and Dr. Robert Bell.
Macfarlane discussed the question in an interesting
paper, or rather series of papers, on the Geological
Formations of Lake Superior, published in the Canadian
Naturalist, in 1868. Bell again called attention to the
matter in the report of the Geological Survey for
18G6-69 (p. 321), pointing out the lithological resem-
blances of the series to rocks of Mesozoic age in Nova
Scotia ; but in a postscript to the same volume Logan
expressed his dissent from Bell's views, giving at
the same time reasons for adhering to the opinions
which he had previously expressed on the subject.

In the report of the Survey for 1872-3 (p. 106), Bell
suggested that " if it were found desirable to give a
shorter name to the rocks of the Upper Copper-bearing
series of Lake Superior," it might be termed the Nipigon
series. A short time before, however. Dr. Hunt had
proposed that the lower division of the series should be
distinguished as the -Animikie group (from the Indian
name for Thunder Bay), and had also suggested that

}&i^

:,'<■

(}E0L0OY OF LAKE SUPEUIOIl

i ; !;

the " great series of highly-inclined sandstones and
conglomerates, which, with interstratifiod trappean
masses, constitute the cupriferous formation of this
region," should be known as the Keweenaw groui) — or,
as he subsequently put it, Keweenian.^ In May, 1873,
he further proposed that the name Nipigon Series
should be adopted for the red sandstones and marls
overlying his Animikie group, and which .Logan had
placed at the base of the upper division of his Upper
Copper-bearing series. Hunt also concludes that his
Animikie and Nipigon groups constitute two distinct
series of rocks, both younger than the Keweenian.
" The lithologit-al characters of the Nipigon group," he
writes, " are, moreover, very distinct from the Cambrian
sandstones found at Sault Ste. Marie, and along the
southern shore of Lake Superior, with which it was
formerly confounded, and it will probably be found to
belong to a more recent period ; so that while the
Keweenian series is pre-Cambrian, the Nipigon, and
also the Animikie group, may be post-Cambrian and
perhaps Mesozoic"!

From the foregoing statements with regard to Lake
Superior geology, it may be thought by some that the
natural confusion of the rocks has been " worse con-
founded" by the "many men of many minds" who
have held such diverse opinions and given us so many
names to learn. It is to be hoped, however, that the

* Trans. Am. Inst, of Mining Engineers, I., 339. Also, Azoic Rocks,
pp. 231, 240.

t Azoic Rocks, p. 241. Many of tlie facts given above concerning the
geology of Lake Superior are from tliis valuable work, to which the reader
is referred for fuller information.

GEOLOGY OF LAKE SUPERIOR.

253

matter will be simplified by the following table of
the series of rocks recognized on the north shore of
the lake : —

I. Liuirontian.
II. Iluroniiin or Lower Copper-bearing series.

III. Volcanic or Upper Copper -bearing scries of Logan, termed Nipigon

K('rii'.s by Bell ; older than tlie sandstones of Sanlt St. J\Iarie,
iiccording to Logan; ]\Iesozoic of some geologists; partly pre-
Canibrian and partly post-Cambrian, according to Hunt; divided
by Logan into a lower and an upper group, the relations of which
to Hunt's groups are cas follows :

Logan. Hunt.

(I. Lower group Animikie group. \ Post-Cambrian

> and possibly
' Nipigon group.. J Mesozoic.
Keweenian (or "\
true copper- > Prc-Cambrian.
^ bearing) group, j

IV. Paleozoic sandstones of Sault Hte. Marie, referred to the Chazy by

Logan, but probably of Potsdam age.

b. Upper group.

•■*s:iiii!i.

CHATTER XII.

EVENTS OF 1846-53.

EARLY in 1846, Mr. De Rottermond, the chemist
and mineralogist to the Canadian Survey, resigned
his position, stating that this step M-^as rendered neces-
sary by urgent family aflkirs. Notwithstanding his
certificates of capacity, he had proved to be unfitted
for the post, and his voluntary resignation was doubt-
less a great relief to Logan. It was not long, however,
before he applied to the Government to be reinstated,
but with the condition that he should not be subject to
the control of Mr. Logan. The Survey, he maintained,
should consist of two separate and distinct departments
— a geological and a chemical — with a director for each.
Logctn might be the head of the geological branch, but
he should be king of the chemical. Such was the
scheme proposed ; but it is needless to say that it did
not meet with the approval of the G^overnment.

In order that all the facts connected with Mr. De
Rottermond's resignation might be known to the
Government, a lengthy statement was prepared by

1846.J

PROPOSED CHANGES.

255

chemist

Dsigned

ng-

Mr. De
to the
red by

Logan ; and in this he refers in an amusing and
characteristic way to the division of th<^ Purvey
proposed by the hite chemical assistant. "Without
any further reference," says the document, "to Mr De
Tlottermond, if I might })e permitted to express an
opinion on the subject of a separation oi' the chemical
from the other departments of the Geological Surrey, it
appears to me it would be found to work very ill. I
understand ihe plea upon whi<'h it has been proposed
is that if the geologist were to ascertain localities and
collect materials, and the chemist to determine what
the materials contained, each rendering a separate
report to the Government, the Government would then
have the localities, the materials and their constituents,
while the geologist, not knowing the exact constituents,
and therefore the exact value of the materials, w^ould
not be tempted to turn his knowledge of localities to
his own private advantage ; while the chemist, not
aware of the localities, could not make available his
knowledge of A^alues for the peculiar benefit either of
himself or his friends. This suggestion seems to pro-
ceed upon the principle that the geologist and the
chemist may be a couple of rogues, such as would
deserve to be expelled from all decent society, and that
the rule of government should be division and mistrust.
" A dishonest geologist, however, could do more mis-
chief than a chemist of the same stamp. The geologist
could with facility conceal his knowledge of localities,
retain materials in his own possession, and get them
analyzed privately for his own purposes. Neither the
Government nor the chemist could easily detect his

25(J HONESTY THE BEST POLICY. [i846.

maiicpuvre, and to oome at his concealtHl lactts, if he
were suspected, it would l)e necessary to institute an
expensive examination, in fact to do his field-work
over again; and if any material were discovered whi(;h
he had not reported, who could say whether it had
been missed by inadvertance or not ? AV^hat could the
dishonest (;hemist achieve ? He dare not either conceal
or falsify his analyses. The Government or the geolo-
gist might, at a small expense, have an analysis of the
material performed by another party ; and not knowing
localities, he could not avail himself of them for his
own advantage. But, after all, it would be necessary
to bring the materials in regard to locations, quantities
and uses before the public, for whose benefit the search
for them had been instituted, and then a third party
would bo required to combine the work of the geologist
and the chemist, which third person would in reality
be the head, and if he were destitute of proper prin-
ciple, as the other two are supposed to be, he could
with equal facility abuse his trust, by giving early
intimation to his friends, or getting them to act in his
own behalf. Who would be a check upon him ?

"No honest man would, in my of)inion, humiliate
himself so far as to accept of employment under such a
pitiful system, and no elliciency could be the result.
Good government requires that confidence should be
reposed somewhere in every department, and the great
art is to select such persons as, from their skill and
character, shall be entitled to such confidence. A geolo-
gical survey is no more than any other work to be
performed. To be conducted elTiciently it must have a

1846.]

THOMAS STERRY HUNT.

25t

head to arrange, direct, concentrate, and generalize in
all the accessories. Chemical analysis is one of them.
Greology includes it, and not it geology, and it is only a
person profoundly ignorant of the science that could
suppose otherwise. It is the geologist who knows
how many (chemical facts he wants, not the chemist
how many he should give. The chemist should, there-
fore, be the assistant of the geologist, and it is desirable
that he be an assistant in whom he can place reliance."

Not long after this, Mr. Denison Olmsted, Jr., son
of Professor Olmsted of Yale College, received the
appointment of chemist to the Canadian Survey.
Owing to ill health, however, he w^as unable to
assume the duties of the office, and his early death,
in the autumn of 1846, once more left the post vacant.
It was then offered to Mr. Thomas Sterry Hunt, who
at the time held a similar position under Professor
C. B. Adams of the Geological Survey of Yermonl^, and
^Yho, although only twenty years of age, had already
given ample evidence of more than ordinary ability,
while acting in the capacity of chemical assistant to the
late Professor Silliman, in the laboratory of Yale College.
In December, 1846, his appointment as chemist and
mineralogist to the Canadian Survey was confirmed,
and in the following February he came to Montreal
and began the series of investigations which were
destined ere long to give him a world-wide reputation,
and to add so greatly to the eclat of the G-eological
Survey.

Almost every succeeding summer found Logan at

work in some new region. In 184t, during the season

lAAAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

11.25

150 ■^~

Ui lU 12.2

■U IBB

2.0

U III 1.6

^'^

'O ^s^ °^^k ^ VJ

*!^;'

258

THE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS.

suitable for the field, his attention was engaged with
an examination of the country on the south side of the
St. Lawrence, extending from the vicinity of Montreal
and Lake Champlain to the River Chaudiere, and here
he was accompanied for part of the time by Mr. Hunt,
Mr, Murray having gone to explore the northern
shores of Lake Huron. It will be observed that the
region in question comprises part of the so-called
Eastern Townships, whose complex geology Logan
afterwards so faithfully strove to elucidate. In 1840,
as we have already seen, he had passed through
"the Townships," on his way to the State of Maine,
and his attention had then been attracted to the
serpentines and other rocks in the " metamorphic '
region. Nor did he early fail to appreciate the fact
that there were difficult problems for the geologist
to solve. Writing from Boston to his brother James,
on the 16th. of December, 1842, he says: "I arrived
here with my two companions last evening, about
t o'clock, after a very comfortable journey, in sleighs
as far as (^oncord, and the remainder of the way
by rail. I could not geologize much on the road, in
consequence of the snow, but still I obtained a hint or
two. They were hints, hov/ever, w^hich perplexed me,
rather than cleared up difficulties. I had expected that
in crossing the Green Mountains some light for the
benefit of the Eastern Townships would have emanated
from the rocks, but I only got evidence of the necessity
of great caution in the examination of that part of
Canada." This caution he never ceased to observe, and
in his intense desire to first amass every possible fact

1848.]

LAKE UUBON,

869

concerning the much-perplexing strata, he refrained
from publishing many valuable results of long and
arduous labour and thought.

When the spring of 1848 came round, he again pro-
ceeded to the Eastern Townships in order to further
prosecute the investigations of the previous year. But
scarce had two months elapsed when he was once more
obliged to turn his steps westward ; this time to the
northern shores of Lake Huron, Vv hither Mr. Murray
had already preceded him. Several mining locations in
this region had been claimed from the Government,
and considerable sums of money expended by the
persons interested in them ; so that it seemed advisable
that something should be done on the part of the
Crovernment towards examining the country geologi-
cally, and ascertaining the probable productiveness of
some of the principal metalliferous veins. There was
no man in Canada better qualified than Logan to judge
of the value of metalliferous deposits, and particularly
those of copper. While residing in Wales he had
had every opportunity of familiarizing himself with
the various ores of copper, and the methods of
sampling them, and the information then acquired now
proved of great value to him in the examination of the
Bruce Mines. His report upon these mines, which was
published by the Government, is an excellent example
of the thoroughness, carefulness, and practical character
of his work. But in addition to his detailed examina-
tion of the location containing the Bruce Mines, he,
with the assistance of Mr. Murray, made an accurate
topographical and geological survey of the Thessalon

260

A NIGHT m THE WOODS.

[1848.

River for twenty-five miles from its mouth, of the
Missisagui for nearly forty miles from its mouth, and
also of a number of lakes and minor streams. Besides
this, the coast of Lake Huron itself was examined for a
distance of seventy miles, and numerous excursions made
for short distances inland. All this occupied less than
three months, and then he left the rocky shores and
islands of Lake Huron, never to return to them agam.

"While engaged in his survey of the Bruce Mining-
locations, an incident occurred which w oil illustrates
how completely he sometimes became absorbed with
any interesting geological question which he happened
to be investigating. We give it in the words of his
friend, Mr. Alexander Murray : —

"One day, after some very fatiguing work, as I was
about to retire for the night, Mr. Logan was not to be
found. Darkness was fast approaching, and although I
made most diligent inquiry at the mine, no one could
give any information further than that when last seen,
several hours j^reviously, he was superintending the
drilling operations. Naturally a good deal of alarm was
felt for his safety, but how or where any accident could
have befallen him, no one could conjecture, and to
search the woods on a pitch dark night was simply
impossible. However, it was considered that should
he by any chance have lost his way, the blasts which
were being discharged at short intervals at the mine
would surely be a guide to him as to the direction in
which to j)roceed homewards. About midnight a fearful
thunderstorm came on, with torrents of rain. The hours
passed, and morning dawned ; but still no signs of Mr.

[1848.

I, of the
►uth, and
Besides
ned for a
ons made
less than
lores and
1 again.
B Mining-
llustrates
bed with
happened
•ds of his

, as I was
not to be
Ithough I
one could
last seen,
iding the
ilarm was
ent could
•e, and to
as simply
at should
sts which
the mine
rection in
t a fearful
The hours
ns of Mr.

1846.]

A NIGHT IN THE WOODS.

261

Jjogan, and now we were all thoroughly alarmed. A
search through the woods was resolved upon forthwith,
when suddenly, a little after day had fairly broken, he
was perceived emerging from the bush, hammer in hand,
occasionally pounding a rock as he advanced, and seem-
ingly quite unconcerned, though his trousers were torn
to rags, and his boots completely minus the soles ! On
asking him how he got through the night, he answers J
with the greatest sang-froid, 'Very well.' He had left the
mine to learn the sectional structure of the rocks, by
keeping a course across the line of strike through the
woods, and wandered on, intent upon his subject, till
night overtaking him, he felt it would be impossible to
scramble back, and at once set to work to bivouac
where he was. He selected a huge boulder, which
slightly overhung in the opposite direction to the wind,
and having by accident a couple of matches in his
pocket, he managed to start a fire ; but having no axe,
was unable to lay in a stock of wood. He passed the
night reclining against his boulder, which in some
degree sheltered him from the falling rain, but before
morning his fire was drowned out, and he found himself
almost surrounded by a pool of water. He had not a
morsel of anything to eat, and as he never smoked,
there was no creature comfort to sustain him ; but he
was perfectly consoled by philosophically reflecting
that he had ascertained a few geological facts which
might be turned to good account as further investiga-
tions proceeded."

Returning from Lake Huron to the Eastern Town-
ships, he remained in the field until the severity of the

262

CANADIAN COAL AITNES.

tl84fi.

weather drove him into winter quarters ; but with the
return of spring he was again to be found at work in the
region between the Chaudiere River and the Temis-
couata Portage Road. Not long before this some of the
inhabitants of the vicinity of Baie St. Paul, below
Quebec, had announced the discovery of what they
stated to be indications of the existence of coal in that
region, and had even induced the member for Saguenay
County to apply to the Legislature for means to carry
on boring operations in search of the supposed coal-
seams. But the Government naturally objected to
granting the money unless it could be shown that
there was some ground for expecting useful results, and
Ijogan was instructed to visit and examine the locality.
The newest rocks in the region belong to the Trenton
formation, and neither in these, nor in those beneath
them, was there the slightest probability of the existence
of coal. But the professed discoverers of the substance
had somehow got it into their heads that the presence
of coal-seams in any region was usually indicated by
fragments being carried to the surface by springs of
water, and having carefully packed numbers of springs
with pieces of imported coal, they easily convinced the
more credulous inhabitants that untold wealth lay
beneath them.

The fraud and absurdity of the whole thing must
have been evident to Logan from the first, and he
might have dismissed the matter as a farce. But to
those ignorant of the principles of geology this wouid
have seemed arbitrary dealing, and, besides, he had
been instructed by Government to report upon the

[l846.

nth the
k in the
Temis-
e of the
, below
at they
ill that
xguenay
to carry
led coal-
icted to
wn that
ults, and
locality.
Trenton
beneath
Bxistenco
ubstaiice
presence
cated by
)riiigs of
[ springs
need the
salth lay

ng must

and he

But to

IS wouid
he had

ipon the

1846.1

CAITADIAN COAL MINES.

263

lo(^ality. Accordingly he drew, up a report, in which
he discussed the matter fully, giving all the scientific
reasons against the occurence of coal, and finally stating
pretty plainly his belief that the fragments had been
placed in the springs for a purpose.

This, however, was not the only case in which he had
to oppose, or rather expose, the would-be discoverers of
coal. In the very first year of the Geological Survey
an act was passed establishing the " G-aspe Coal and
Fishing Company." Its members, who were chiefly
persons in England, had been induced to believe in the
probable existence of coal in Graspe, and were on the
eve of paying down several thousand pounds for a
property stated to contain coal ; but owing to the
adverse opinioiiS of Logan having come to their ears,
the conditions of purchase were altered, and it was
stijmlated that the money should be paid down when
the coal was actually found, and not before. Subse-
quently miners were sent out from England, but
history does not tell us that they succeeded in finding
the coveted fuel ; and it may be concluded that the
purchase money was never paid.

At another time it w^as announced that a real practical

miner had discovered coal on the farm of a Mr. B ,

near Bowmanville, in Upper Canada. The said Mr.

B was easily persuaded that boring operations

should be undertaken, and forthwith supplied bore-
rods and tools to test the ground. Sections of the
strata stated to have been passed through were duly
heralded in many of the newspapers ; representing alter-
nations of sandstone shale and coal-seams as well-

264

BOWMANVILLn COAL.

ascertained facts. Great was the excitement occasioned
by the wonderful discovery, and intense the indignation
express(»d against the unfortunate geologists whose fine
theories had been so ably contradi(^ted by th«^ experi-
ence of a practical working-man. This time, however,
Ijogan declared from the first that there was no coal
there, and refused to so much as visit the place,
knowing well from the previous explorations of Mr.
Murray what the geology of the region was. About
the time that the excitement was at its height, it
happened that a great friend of Logan's, the late Sheriff^

W. B. J , being on his way to Montreal, stopped at

Bowmanville for the express purpose of satisfying
himself v^ith regard to the various statements which
he had seen in the newspapers as to the discovery of
coal there. The spot was visited, and with his own
eyes he saw the bore-rod lowered, and fragments of coal
extracted from the hole. This was enough for the
Sheriff, and as soon as he reached Montreal he hastened
to the Survey Museum with his much-prized speci-
mens, and, placing a black fragment in Logan's hand,
enquired, " "What do you call that ?" " A good bit of
Newcastle coal," was the reply. " I saw it taken out
of the bore-hole at Bowmanville with my own eyes,"
said the Sheriff. " Ah," replied Logan, with his most
waggish look, "You should have been there sooner,
and looked more sharply, and then you might have
seen it put in." The possibility of such a proceeding
had never occurred to the worthy Sheriff ; but not long
afterwards, while some other visitors were witnessing
the extraction of coal from the same bore-hole, they

1850.]

AT THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT.

2ti5

observed that the coal was mixed with bread and
cheese, whi( h had accidentally got into the hole during
the preliminary packing operation. This put an end
io the liowmanvilh; excitement. Eventually it turned
out that the Ixjre-rod had never reached tln^ solid rock
at all, but had simply passed through a portion of the
sui)erficial deposits.

The Provincial act which had been passed in 1845
made provision for the continuance of the Geological
Survey for five years only, and of course Ijogan could
not tell what would be done by the Government at the
expiration of this period. It seemed unlikely that his
Survey would be suddenly terminated wbvn so much
still remained to be done ; but at the same time he felt
that no harm could result from his going to Toronto,
then the seat of Government, and in person urging the
claims of his work. While in Toronto he wrote to his
brother : —

"TouoNTO, nth. February, 1850.

" My Dear James, — Supposing that my affairs w^ere
arranged here, it was my design to ha\'e started on my
return this morning; but having been informed that
there is an intention on the part of the Government to
continue the Survey, though the details of the continu-
ation have not been arranged, I have deemed it prudent
to remain a day or two longer, lest being out of sight, I
should get out of mind. . . .

" I think most of the gentlemen of the Council are in
favour of continuing the Survey on the present fwjting,

with the exception of Mr M , who, I dare say,

would like to stop it altogether; or, if not able to do

26f{

CONTINUANCE OF THE SURVEY.

[188O.

this, to reduce the allowance. I have informed him
that I, individually, will not work for less than I got ;
that the only reduction that could possibly Ix; effected
would be in the number of hands employed ; that I
cannot do without Mr. Hunt, particularly as an exami-
nation of the soils of the country constitutes a branch
of the subject contemplated by the act of the Legisla-
ture, and one in which the services of a chemist are
indispensable ; and that if I were d(»prived of Mr.
Murray (whose duties are of a nature similar to my
own, and who is competent to explore separately), the
Survey would take nearly twice the time that it would
with him.

" Mr. C intends to oppose the G-overnment, I

believe, on the score of retrenchment ; but he has
informed me that he does not mean to atlacik the
Survey, as he considers the investigation with which it
is connected a proper and iu»cessary one. I by chance
met Sir Allan McNabb on the street, and informing liim
that I was here on the subject of the continuance of the
Survey, he remarked that it ought not to have been
begun if it were not to be finished. So that I think
the Government would riot meet with any opposition
in respect to the matter, except from such men as are of

M 's frame of mind. There may be some of these

among the Clear Grits, as. they are called ; but I think
that, upon the whole, of the opponents to the Govern-
ment, more would find fault with the abandoning of
the Survey than with the carrying it on."

The act was finally renewed, with the same provision
as for the preceding period of five years, but not until

[l850.

1860-61.]

EXHIBITION OF 1851.

^67

I him
I get ;
loctod
that I
^xami-
)ran(h
ogishi-
ist are
Df Mr.

to my
ly), the

would

nent, I
he has
L<k the

hich it
hance
ng him
e of the
been
think
)osition
i are of
f these
I think
rovern-
hing of

Jovision
)t until

the long delay had interfered considerably with the
regular work of the Survey. It was also decided by
the Government that a collection of Canadian economic
minerals should be prepared and forwarded to the
" Exhibition of the Industry of all Nations," to }je held
in Ijondon in the following year. This, it will be
r(»membered, was the first of the great International
Exhibitions, and originated with Ilis Royal Highness
Prince Albert, who himself acted as President of the
Commission appointed to conduct the exhibition, and
to whom a medal w^as awarded "for the conception
and successful prosecution of the idea."* During the
summer of 1850, a large collection of the economic
minerals of Canada was obtained by Logan and his
staff, and after being displayed at a Provincial Exhibi-
tion in Montreal, was forwarded to London. Leave of
absence was also given to Logan, in order that he might
superintend the arrangement of the collection ; but,
although his salary was continued during his absence,
he was allowed the privilege of paying all his own
expenses, amounting to .£450. Sailing from Boston on
the 15th. of January, after a stormy voyage, he arrived at
Liverpool on the 27th. The exhibition building at Lon-
don was not quite ready, so that he had an opportunity
of visiting his brother Edmond, at Edinburgh, and his
sister, Mrs. Gower, at Castle Malgwyn, in South Wales.
It was eight years since he had been in England,
and w^e can readily imagine w^hat pleasure he must

• Prince Albert exhibited a number of articles, including wool from
the Cashmere gotvts k- pt at Windsor, wheat, beans, and cats, a model
of a dwelling-bouse, &c.

■w

aed

AMONG FJHTENDS.

[l851.

have felt at again seeing his brothers and sisters, and
recounting to them his adventures by land and stream
in Canada. During these eight years, too, his work had
been carried on almost alone, and now how intense
must have been the satisfa«!tion of meeting with so
many brother scientists, and describing to them the
geological wonders which this period of unceasing toil
had revealed to him. De la Beche, Mun bison, Lyell,
Ansted, Bigsby, and many others, he no doubt met at
the reunions of the Geological Society, or at Jermyn
Street ; and Hugh Miller he visited in his own home, in
Scotland. He w^as also present at the meeting of the
British Association at Ipswich, in July, and there read
a paper entitled : " On the Age of the Copper-bearing
Rocks of Lakes Superior and Huron, and various facts
relating to the Physical Structure of Canada."

The exhibition was formally opened on the 1st. of
May, and it was only by the most strenuous exertions
that Logan succeeded in getting his department in
readiness. On the 2nd. of May he wrote to his brother
James: "The Exhibition opened yesterday in grand
style, and I am almost knocked up with the exertions I
have been obliged to make to be ready in time. I have
worked from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. for some time back, and
the last three days never breakfasted until nine o'clock
at night. Our Canadian department looks remarkably
well, and is generally spoken of as very creditable. I
have been appointed a juror to determine prizes in the
Mineralogical and Metallurgical department. There
are eight jurors in that division, Sir H. T. De la Beche
being the Chairman."

[l85l.

1851.]

CANADA AT THE EXHIBITION.

269

Amonj]f the other members of the Jury in Class I.
were Professor Faraday of the Koyal Institution, Pro-
fessor Tunner, President of the Imperial Mining School
at Leoben, in Styria, and A. Dufrenoy, then Inspector
General of Mines in France, Dufrenoy acted in the
capacity of Deputy-Chairman and Reporter^ and from his
valuable report (p. 2) we take the following : —

" Before commencing the detailed description of
objects which have obtained medals or honourable
mention, we feel bound to mention also the interesting
collection from Canada, procured by Mil. IjOdAN, Direc-
tor of the Cxeological Survey of that colony, and a series
of copper ores, with model of a mechanical preparation
of working these ores, exhibited by Mr. Kichard
Taylor, Mineral Surveyor of the Duchy of Cornwall.
These two gentlemen, being both of them members of
the Jiiry, they, as well as the Chairman, Sir H. De la
Beche, are of necessity excluded from receiving honor-
ary awards in this class.

"The collection from Carada is accompanied by a
geological map, which will> we hope, be very soon
published. . . .

"Of all the British Colonies, Canada is that whose
exhibition is the most interesting and the most com-
plete ; and one may even say that it is superior, so far
as the mineral kingdom is concerned, to all countries
that have forwarded their products to the exhibition.
This arises from the fact that the collection has been
made in a systematic manner, and it results that the
study of it furnishes the means of appreciating at once
the geological structure and the mineral resources of

210

FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY. [lasi.

Canada. It is to l\Iu. \V. K. Logan, one of the members
of the Jury, who fills the office of Creological »Suryeyor
of C^.nada, that we are indebted for this collection; and
its value arises from the fact that he has selected on the
spot most of the specimens that have been sent to the
Exhibition, and has arranged them since their arrival in
London. . . ."

While in London at this time, Logan was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society, his name having been
proposed by Sir Roderick Murchison. The honour
seems to have been most gratifying to him, particularly
as he was " the first native Canadian elected for work
done in Canada."

At the close of the Exhibition he received the follow-
ing graceful recognition of his services from Prince
Albert : —

"WiNnsoB Castle, October ^\st., 1851.

" Sir, — I have the honour, as President of the Royal
Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, to transmit to
you a Medal that has been struck by order of the
Commissioners, in commemoration of the valuable ser-
vices which you have rendered to the Exhibition, in
common with so many eminent men of all countries, in
your capacity of Juror.

" In requesting your acceptance of this slight token
on our part of the sense entertained by us of the benefit
which has resulted to the interests of the Exhibition
from your having undertaken that laborious office, and
from the zeal and ability displayed by you in connec-
tion with it, it affijrds me much pleasure to avail
myself of this opportunity of conveying to you the

i iiiii

I iiiii

1851.]

]10YAL riSITOItS.

271

expression of my cordial thaiikb for the assistance
which yovi have given us in carrying this great under-
taking to its successful issue. — I have the honour to be,
sir, very faithfully yours,

" (Signed) Albert,

"President of the Royal Commission.
" W. E. Logan, Esq., F. R S."

Several times Her Majesiy and the Prince Consort
visited the Canadian division of the I^]xhibition, and.
once or twice Mr. Logan had the honour of receiving
them; but, much to his annoyance, he was absent on
the other occasions. In a letter to his brother .Tames,
written on the 8th. of May, he says : —

"Her Majesty has been through our division more
than once. She and Prince Albert passed through
yesterday morning. They were rather early, and. I was
not there — not expecting them before Saturday. Ikit a
particular friend of mine. Dr. Lyon Playfair, accom-
panied, the Royal party, and explaincHl many things;
and Perry, the lire-engine builder, did his best to
explain others. The lire-engine attracted particular
attention. Prince Albert assisted Perry with his own
hands to take it to pieces, in order that it might be
thoroughly comprehended, and was greatly interested
in it. The chairs sent home for Her Majesty are
rather conspicuously displayed, and are labelled ' For
Encjland's Queen, from thk L.vdies of (.'anada.'
The label attracted Her Majesty's attention. No doubt
she had never heard of the chairs before, and she
turned to Col. Grey, who was with her, and asked if
the label were correct. He informed Her Majesty that

272

A BEAUTIFUL WOOD.

[1851.

it was, and that the chairs had been officially acknow-
ledged. I understand Her Majesty rather smiled, and
no wonder ; for, in my opinion, they are not very
grand. Only think of their being adorned with yellow
worsted fringe. In the notice of them in one of the
newspapers, some one has said that they are supposed
to have been made in imitation of chairs carried to
Canada by Sebastian Cabot ; and my good friend Mr.
Houghton, who as agent of the Commission is very
zealous, and has taken a great deal of trouble, has had
the simplicity to send a letter to the paper, contra-
dicting the supposition. "When Her Majesty smiled,
Perry had the presence of mind to say that the
furniture sent from Canada was not intended to
compete in art with the manufacture of England,
but to show our black walnut, so well adapted for
ornamental purposes, and that if Her Majesty, and the
English nobility and gentry, would patronize the wood,
it might become an article of extensive commerce. Her
Majesty said that the wood was a very beautiful one."

Logan had hoped to return to Canada in May, in
order to resume his geological work there ; but in this
he was disappointed, his duties as Juror making it
impossible for him to leave before the month of August.
But his stay in London was probably productive of
even greater good for Canada than his return would
have been ; for he lost no opportunity of drawing
attention to the resources of the country, and succeeded
in diffusing much valuable information, and in uproot-
ing some of the erroneous ideas concerning Canada
which prevailed in the minds of many. He was not a

1851.]

PROTICHNITES.

21Z

little annoyed by some of the statements which found
their way into the British newspapers. One brilliant
correspondent, for example, published an article on the
sperm-whale tishories of Canada, evidently based upon
the fact that the jaw of one of these whales — from
Ilobart Town, Van Dieman's Land — happened to lean
against some Canadian timber at the Exhibition. The
same writer also described the yellow gum-tree as one
of the indigenous trees of Canada.

"When Logan went to London in the winter of 1851,
he carried with him the plaster cast of a curious fossil
track from the Potsdam sandstone of Beauharnois.

f/tnmmr f ii / r
'/

/%,'

t " '"\

h. /ir*-

TRACKS FROM BEAUaARNOIS. SCALE, ^'g

(a.) Protichnites lineatus (Owen).
(6.) Protichnites octonotatus (Owen).

" Qeology of Canada,'' p. 104.

His attention had been drawn to the track by Mr.
Abraham, then editor of the Montreal Gazette, who had
noticed it in his journal, and compared it to the track of
a tortoise. From the inspection of the cast, Owen was

274 PROTIGHNITES. [1851-52.

also dispose! at first to believe in the chelonian origin
of the footprints, and the discovery created no small
stir among the British geologists, who were not pre-
pared to hear of vertebrate life so far back in geological
time. Murchison, however, was skeptical from the
first. "If," he wrote to Lyell, "if Logan had found the
print of an aldermanic Robinson Crusoe's foot, as he
was intent on realizing the first turtle-soup, then I
would knock under."=^ But turtle or no turtle, the
tracks were of great interest, and on his return to
Canada, in August, Logan devoted several months to
the study of the Potsdam sandstones from which the
impressions had been derived. He was accompanied
by i\If. Richardson, who was successful in finding a
number of other valuable specimens.

On the 6th. of January, 1852, he again sailed for
England, where he had to attend to the distribution of
a portion of the Exhibition collection which was left
there. This was the chief object of his visit ; but he
took with him a large collection of ih^ newly-discovered
tracks — both originals and casts — in order to submit
them to Professor Owen, and also |2 000 worth of gold
from the Chaudiere gold-field. From London he wrote
to his brother : —

«*42 Sackvillb Street, 2\st. February, 1852.

" My Dear James, — ... I am engaged night after
night with Owen in an examination of the tracks,
which make a wonderful display on the floor of the
museum of the Geological Society. They cover the
whole centre of the room. . . . The anniversary of the

• Geikiti'8 Life of Murchison, II., p. 110.

[1851-52.

L origin
small
lot pre-
ological
om the
und tho
t, as he
then I
rtle, the
3turn to
onths to
hich the
mpanied
iiiding a

lailed for
lution of
was left
but he
scovered
submit
of gold
.e wrote

iry, 1852.

rht after

tracks,

|>r of the

)ver the

ry of the

1852.]

CANADIAN GOLD.

2t6

Society took place yesterday, and the tracks excited
great interest.

" It is evident that Owen will modify his views with
respect to the animal which made the impressions, and it
will be found that my caution in not pretending to decide
a matter oi which I did not know anything, was quite
judicious. The creature 'vill be no tortoise, that is plain.

" The fragments which held phosphate of lime show
no bony structure when sliced and placed under the
microscope, not even the one most like a bone*
Owen had a drawing made of this one, and expected it
would be found to be bone ; but the want of structure
will decide him not to pronounce it to be bone."

As is now well known, the conclusion arrived at by Pro-
fessor Owen, after a careful study of Logan's collection
of footprints, was that they had really been produced
by " some species of Crustacean, but of a family wholly
distinct from anything presented by the Crustacean
forms of later geological periods, or of tho present day,"

The $2,000 worth of gold represented the work of
fifteen men during several mouths at the junction of
the Chaudiere and du Loup Rivers, and attracted con-
siderable attention in England. It was exhibited at a
meeting of the Geological Society in February, on the
occasion of Sir Roderick Murchison's reading a paper on
the gold deposits of the world ; and at the close of the
paper Logan was called upon to give an account of
the mode of occurrence of gold in Canada.

* This was one of the phosphatic nodules from RiviAre Quelle, Eamou.
raska County, found in a limf^stone conglomerate of the Levis formation,
lu outward appearance it closely resembled a cylindrical bone.

2*76

FIELD-WORK AGAIN.

[1852.

il i

In the month of March he read a paper bofore the
Geological Society, and the same evening Professor
Owen read one on the Potsdam footprints. Alter the
papers, " there was," says Tx)gan, "a glorious discussion."
The following month he went to visit his sister, Mrs.
Gower, at Castle Malgwyn, in Wales, sj>ent a couple of
days among his old haunts at Swansea, where the
foundations of his geological knowledge had been laid,
and then proceeded northward to Scotland. There he
visited his brother Edmond, in Edinburgh, and his
sister Mrs. Ker, of Polmont Manse, Polmont. He also
crossed over to Belfast, in Ireland, for the express
j)uri>ose of seeing the museum there, which he had
been told would afford him many useful hints. In
May he returned to Canada, and shortly afterwards
began an examination of the region on the north side of
the St, Lawrence, between the upper end of the island
of Montreal and Cape Tourmente, and extending north-
ward to the " metamorphic hills." The examination of
this region implied much more la)>our than might at
first be supposed; for although much of it had long
been settled, comparatively little of the topography had
ever been accurately delineated on any map, and conse-
quently it became necessary to go over the whole
ground on foot, and to measure every road and line of
exploration travelled."*

♦ The bearings of the roads and lines were doterininccl by prismatic
compass, and the distances by pacing, a method of measurement which
Logan ordinarily adopted as sufficiently accurate for his purpose, but
which he found most monotonous and fatiguing. " The weariness," he
says, "resulting from the attention required to count one's paces accu-
rately every day, and all day long, for live or six months of assiduous
exploration, is best understood by those who have made the attempt."

[1852.

before the

Professor

After the

scussion."

ister, Mrs.

couple of

I'^here the

been laid,

There he

, and his

He also

e express

ti he had

lints. In

fterwards

fth side of

the island

:ng north-

ination of

might at

had long

'aphy had

Lnd conse-

he whole

nd line of

by prismatic
3mcnt which
purpose, but
weariness," he
paces aocu-
of assiduous
itteinpt."

1 4'K:

)

n I

# s i V U. \ 'ft.

»
a

«■■
u

ST.

>J
H

!>;
O

IN K

A NEW MUSEUM.

[l852.

The region explored has an area of about 3,000 square
miles, and is occupied by rocks of the fossiliferous
formations from the Potsdam to the Hudson Kiver
inclusive. The distribution of these was accurately
determined, and several excursions were made into the
Laurentide Mountains to the north. In his report on
this season's operations, published in 1854, Logan, for the
first time, designated the rocks of these mountains as the
" Laurentian Series," substituting this for " Metamorphic
Series," the name which he had previously employed.
In his earlier reports on the palaeozoic rocks of Canada,
he adopted the nomenclature of the New York system,
without any reference to European divisions. Sub-
sequently, however, following'«the usage of Lyell and
De Verneuil, he classed them as Lower Silurian, Upper
Silurian and Devonian. (See Dr. Hunt's Chemical and
Geological Essays, 1875, p. 420.) His friendly relations
and frequent intercourse with the great author of
" Siluria " no doubt offer sufficient explanation for
Logan's adoption of the Silurian nomenclature.

The year was almost at its close before he left the
field and betook himself to Montreal, where plenty of
work had accumulated during his long absence. While
he was in London in the spring of 1852, his collections
had been transferred from Little St. James Street to a
building on St. G-abriel Street, which already belonged
to the Grovernment, and which had immediately bt^fore
been occupied by the Department of Crown Lands.
Originally it had been built as a private residence by
the Hon. Peter McGill, and although not specially
designed for a museum it was a great improvement

PP \
I'.

1853-54.] AMONG THE LAXTRENTIDE8.

279

upon the previous one. It is evident, however, that
Loj^an felt that even this should be but a temporary
abiding- place, and alluding to the subject in his report
for 1852-3, he says : " It may be a consideration w^hether
a growing country like Canada could not afford to
anticipate what its future importance may require in
the nature of a national museum, and at some time
not far distant, erect an appropriate edifice especially
planned for the purpose." The removal of the Surv^ey
to Ottawa was, of course, not contemplated then.

Some months were spent in the city, but when the
summer of 1853 came round, he might have been seen,
hammer in hand, among the Laurentian rocks of Greu-
ville, or the adjoining townships, beginning that series
of investigations to which, again and again, he was to
return in after years, and which was destined to inse-
parably connect his name with the early geological
history of our earth. It was a rough region to which
he went— dotted with lakes and traversed by many a
turbulent stream — with forests primeval and bogs
innumerable — teeming with mosquitos and black flies,
but sparingly settled by man — altogether not a very
enviable place to study stratigraphy in. But Logan
was not afraid to try it ; and with indescribable toil
and untiring zeal the limestone bands were followed in
all their tortuous courses, until, little by little, what at
first must have seemed almost chaotic, grew and grow
into the order which was eventually delineated on his
beautiful map.

The following year he does not seem to have returned
to Grenville, but to have devoted such time as the

■'■■'

■

lit

;

•

1 '^

■:::i:i

Win

PITCHER PLANT (Sarrocenia purpurea, L.),

A common plant in the swamps of the Laurentides.

Logan's Journal.

186S.]

AT THE PARIS EXHIBITION.

281

various distractions of his position permitted to a study
of the interesting ro(;ks of Point Levis, opposite Quebe<'.
Preparations had also to be made for the approaching
Exhibition at Paris (1855), at which the Canadian
Government were anxious to have a good representa-
tion of the mineral and other resources of the country.
The bringing together of a suitable collection of
minerals of course involved much thought and labour,
and in this, as in other cases, must have greatly inter-
fered with the regular work of the Survey.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

FROM the bej^iniiing of the Geolog'ical Survey,
annual Reports of Progress had been submitted
to the Government, and then printed for circulation.
But the circulation was very limited, and many of the
reports fell into the hands of people who made little or
no use of them. There were accordingly not a few who
felt that some steps should be taken towards ensuring a
more general diffusion of the valuable* information
already acciimmulated by Logan and his staff. "With
this object in view, a Select Committee, with power to
send for persons, papers, and records, was appointed
by the Government on the 26th. of September, 1854.
Among those who gave evidence before the Committee
at a meeting called for the purpose, in October, besides
Logan himself and T. Sterry Hunt, there were the
distinguished geologist and palaeontologist, Professor
James Hall, of the New York Survey ; Professor E. J.
Chapman, of University College, Toronto ; Alexander
Russell, Esq., of the Department of Crown Lands,
Quebec, and the Rev. Andrew Bell, of L'Orignal. In

|854 1

THE SELECT COMMITTEE.

283

mat ion
AVith

)wer to

pointed
, 1854.

imittee
)esides
re the
ofessor

Dr E. J.
xander
Lands,
al. In

the course of the examination questions coiu-erning the
whole workiiij? of the Survey came before the Com-
mittee, and the result was that they were enabled to
present to the Government a report which was highly
complimentary l[)oth to the Director of the Survey and
those associated with him. "Your Committee," so runs
the report, "think they may pronounce with confidence
that in no part of the world has there been a more
valuable contribution to geological science for such a
small outlay (hardly more than £20,000 in all). In
confirmation of this opinion your Committee would
refer to the letter uf Professor Agassiz, and the evidence
of Professor Hall, and to the opinions of scientific men
quoted by Mr. Logan and Mr. Hunt. They beg also to
add two other quotations as showing the estimation in
which our Survey is held by men of science in England
and France : ' In Canada esi)ecially there has been pro-
ceeding for some years one of the most extensive and
important Geological Surveys now going on in the
world. The enthusiasm and disinterestedness of a
thoroughly qualified and judi(dous observer, Mr, Logan,
whose name will ever stana high in the roll of votaries
of his favourite science, have conferred upon this great
work a widespread fame. — London Quarterly Review
October, 1854.' "

The second quotation alluded to is from Dufrenoy's
report on certain departments of the London Exhibition
of 1851, and has already been given on pages 269, 270.

From the evidence of Professor Hall it appeared that
although the area of the State of New York was only
about one-sixth that of Canada, the annual appropria-

284

ACGVRACY OF SURVEYS.

[l854.

tion for the purposes of the Geological Survey was
about $20,000, exclusive of the expenses of publication
of reports, which came from a different fund

Mr. Russell, in his evidence, testified to the import-
ance and accuracy of the topographical surveys accom-
plished by Logan, showing that they had been the
means of correcting many serious errors in older
surveys. "Mr. Logan," he says, "made a survey of
the River Mattawan, a tributary of the Ottawa, and
afterwards a regular survey of the same district was
made by order of the Department. The two surveys
differed by about two chains only in a distance of
thirty-eight miles ; and in his survey from the St.
Lawrence to the Bale des Chaleurs, by the Chat and
Cascapedia Rivers, a total distance of one hundred and
eleven miles, the difference between his measurements
and that ascertained by the latitudes and longitudes of
the extreme points, determined by Captain Bayfield,
was less than a quarter of a mile. From these instances
I entertain a high opinion of Mr. Logan's accuracy as a
topographical surveyor."

Logan's own evidence before the Committee is very
interesting, and as there are probably many who have
never seen it, a few extracts are introduced here. In
reply to the question, " What are the principal diffi-
culties you have met with ?" he said :

"The principal difficulties I have enc«jantered, inde-
pendently of those unavoidably incident to travelling
in canoes up shallow rivers, and on foot through the
forest, are those arising from the want of a good topo-
graphical map of the country. Accurate topography is

1854.]

TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY.

285

IS very
have

fe. In
difii-

the foundation of accurate geology. Unless you know
the geographical position of every rock exposure that
comes before you, you cannot tell the general relations
of the whole, and you cannot make the physical
structure of a distrit!t intelligible to yourself or to
others. Without geographical position, the dip and
strike of a rock are worth nothing, and the occurrence
of a valuable mineral in two localities distant from one
another are jut-t two isolated, unrelated facts ; while
their topographical place being known, their dip and
strike may immediately point to the probability, and
guide to the search and discovery of the same substance
in a hundred places between. It thus becomes neces-
sary in unsurveyed parts of the country to measure
correctly, as I have already stated, long lines of explo-
ration. But even in those parts which are settled,
neighbouring townships having been surveyed sepa-
rately and independently, and often not very correctly,
it is next to impossible, in putting them together, to get
them to fit. Lots, or portions of lots, that are in juxta-
position on the old maps given in to the Crown Land
Office, are not so in the field ; and in many of the old
surveys, lines in one and the same township, such as
the township of Grenville, for example, and others in
the same neighbourhood, lines that on the paper are
represented as straight, go staggering through the bush
in zig-zags that would surprise an Indian hunter. In
laying down work on such maps as these, it will be
seen that, if you have a useful mineral in two distant
localities, such a mineral, for example, as serpentine,
soapstone, slate, or such like, between which localities

286

TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY.

[1854.

the observed structure of the country tells you the
mineral mass should run in a straight line, and you
should draw such a line from one to the other on your
paper, you might represent the mineral as occurring in
lots where it was absent, and leave it out of those
where it was present. Or supposing you followed the
bed along its strike or direction from point to point,
and then x^laced it on the lots in v'hich it occurred, the
result would be that the course of your mineral would
appear to have a multitude of what in this country are
termed jogs. The geological inference to be drawn
from the appearance of such on your paper would be,
that the mineral band you were representing had been
broken or dislocated by what are termed faults. The
general bearing of your band would be incorrect, and
might mislead you, if you were depending on your
result for further search ; and if a map were published
with these jogs, it would deceive geologists and mineral
surveyors at a distance in respect to the general condi-
tion of the country's structure, making them think it
was a disturbed one, and proper for the search of
metalliferous veins, when it might have no such veins
in it. Such a map would be more deceiving than one
on which the railroads were laid down on the right lots
in the old Crown Land plans of which I speak. No one
would be deceived by the Jogs in such a case, for the
very nature and object of a railroad would proclaim to
every one that it could not have been so located unless
the engineer had been insane. The incorrectness of
aome of the topographical plans, and the fact that we do
not know which are right and which are wrong, makes

1854.]

TOPOGRAPHY AND GEOLOGY

28T

1 veins
in one
■ht lots
S^oone
for the
aim to
unless
less of
we do
makes

it necessary for us, ex&n. in surveyed parts, to count and
register our paces over every road and line we go,
taking the bearings by prismatic compass, and register-
ing in its proper place every rock seen, with its dip and
strike, and a short description of its character, and its
economic and fossil contents, if it have any. If the
measurement is on a road, a note is made of tht position
where it crosses lot or concession lines, where it is
coincident with or divergent from them. A surveyor's
post is hailed by us as land is by a mariner ; it
represents a fixed point on the map, and enables us to
limit our errors, or to detect those of the surveyor, and
gives us a fresh starting point. "When discrepancies are
small, we give the credit of accuracy to the surveyor ;
but it often happens that no difierence of short or long
in the paces is sufficient to account for them, and the
township plan is found wrong. Working in this way,
Mr. Eichardson, an excellent and most diligent explorer,
last year pacer" 1,000 miles in the Ottawa country,
between Pembroke and Vaudreuil, keeping a register of
evei y step ; and by means of this pedestrian measure-
ment, and township plans, he has been able to complete
a map of the whole area on the scale of an inch to a
mile, in which many discrepancies in neighbouring
townships have been reconciled, and on which is placed,
with sufficient accuracy, every rock exposure he saw.
There is a part of the area, however, in and about
Hawkesbury, which defies this mode of proceeding,
and would require a more accurate species of measure-
ment to set it right. It will be easily understood that
this geographical work must unavoidably impede the

288

VOLUNTARY ASSISTANTS.

[1854.

v^^

rapidity of geological examination ; and the necessity of
so much measuremement to fix the position of rock
exposures, forces us, in order to make even a moderate
progress, to examine fewer of them, or to give to each a
shorter time than we would like, and thus, perhaps, to
overlook some of its characteristics. . . ."

To question 76, " Do you think any material advant-
age might be derived from voluntary assistants ?" — the
answer is :

"There can be no doubt of it. In localities in their
own neighbourhood, I have received valuable informa-
tion from various persons, to whom I have been careful
on all occasions to render public thanks. Among others
who have thus favoured me are Mr. Abrnham, Dr.
Wilson, the Rev. Mr. Bell, Mr. Billings, and Ai. Sheriff
Dickson. An excellent vein of geological knowledge
seems to run up the Ottawa."

The next question (*77) asks, " Do you think that you
might derive much aid even from persons who are not
strictly scientific men ?" — and the answer to this runs
as follows :

" I am scarcely ever a day in the field in the settled
parts of the country without getting a considerable
amount of information from farmers and common
labourers, particularly among such as are not haunted
by the notion that all our researches have the precious
metals for their object. By a reference to the Report of
Geological Progress presented to the Legislature this
session, it will be perceived, at page 142, how this
immediately freezes up the fountains of communication.
The settlers on the Ottawa, it appears to me, have

8M I

VOL UNTAR Y ASSIST A NTS.

289

oof. beyond the chance of such an epidemic, perhaps
through the influence of some of the gentlemen I have
named, and the Ottawa Citizen, which occasionally
gives them a good, sound geological leader. I have
been informed, however, that when my friend Dr.
Wilson first began his mineralogical researches, and
used to carry home large blocks of stone to his premises,
some of his neighbours imagined that, if he were not
searching for gold, no other motive could reasonably
justify his proceedings, and he might have suffered
severely in parochial estimation, had not one, more
sagacious than the rest, explained the matter to his own
satisfaction and that of the community, by announcing
that of these stones the doctor made medicine. On the
Ottawa, more than anywhere else, the settlers have
appeared to appreciate what we were about, and have
shown a readiness to give information and assistance.
Last summer I was engaged in tracing out the crystal-
line limestone interstratified with the gneiss of the
Laurentian series, in various townships on the north of
the Ottawa, from Abercrombie to Grrenville. After fol-
lowing a wide band of the rock from the mouth of the
Calumet for five or six miles, and explaining as I went
the character of the stone to the inhabitants, who in
general did not seem to know it, I came to the shanty
of Mr. McHardy. He had been a tradesman in Mont-
real, and having ascertained by experiment that the
valley was underlaid by limestone, he was prepared to
give me a good deal of information about its distribu-
tion. He informed me that this band joined one which
ran irregularly with it, and formed the bottom of

290

VOLUJ^TAliY ASSISTANTS.

I IsSI

li ll'iii'

[l854.

another valley to the eastward. This I had traced for
several miles, but had not come to the junction, nor had
I expected it. Making search through the bush some
days afterwards, in consequence of his information, I
found his opinion to be just, and it led me to a better
knowledge of the structure of the district, and prepared
me for what was to })e expected further on. 3Ir.
McIIardy had tried what he considered the best part of
the stone, because the hardest and least afTected by the
weather, and although he had uiado lime from it, it was
not of a satisfactory quality, being too sandy. I showed
him that instead of taking the best he had taken the
worst stone, the quartz and feldspar in it, which pro-
duced what he called the sand, being just the portion
which prevented disintegration by the weather. The
best stone, I showed him, was that which fell into
grains, somewhat like salt, and, by means of my acid,
that the salt-like granular soil was almost purely calca-
reous, and I informed him that he had only to dig
through this, whi(^h would not be very thick, and he
would find excellent limestone below. Mr. McIIardy
informed me of several exposures of the rock between
the valleys, and while clambering about a wooded
knoll above a road, in search of one of them, I was
joined by a respectable-looking, smart old settler, who
very civilly, in an accent that let me know at once he
was from the north of Scotland, asked me what I was
about. On my informing him, and explaining to him
the external appearance of the rock, and showing him
the effect of acid on it, he told me that if I would come
up to his place in Harrington, he would show me miles

[l854.

xced for
nor had
sh some
lation, I
a better
)repared
11. Mr.
t part of
d by the
it, it was
'. showed
iken the
lich pro-
1 portion
er. The
fell into
my acid,
ly calca-
to dig
and he
cliardy
wtw(^en
wooded
I was
er, who
on(M3 he
it I was
to him
mg him
lid come
no miles

1854.]

VOLUNTARY ASSISTANTS.

291

of it ; that it surronnded several lakes in his neighbour-
hood, and that having a small birch-bark canoe, which
was easily transported from one lake to another, wo
could visit them all. I told him I would take him at
his word, and pay him for his trouble. Carrying with
me a small stock of provisions, I went up a few days
afterwards, to the residence of my Highland friend. He
is i)robably some distant relation of the Duke of Argyll,
for his name is William Campbell. He emigrated to
the country many years ago from the Isle of Skye,
where he pursued the calling of a fisherman, and ho
has been gradually followed by a whole clan of his
relations, for each of whom in succession, as for several
of his sons, who are all grown up to manhood, he has
selected a lot of land in his own neighbourhood. Mr.
Campbell first indicated to me one or two exposures of
limestone on his own farm ; but I soon made him
understand from these and others on his neighl^ours'
lots, as well as the run of the stratification, that his
farm, which is an excellent one, was underlaid by the
rock from one end to the other, and it was found that
on every lot he had chosen for his relations there was
more or less of it, indeed, on almost every cultivated
lot of the settlement ; and it was not difficult to con-
vince Mr. Campbell that the soil was dependent on the
limestone for its good quality. Mr. Campbell accom-
panied me for ujiwards of a week before he had
exhausted all the localities in which he had at one time
or another seen the rock, within a range of eight miles
around his house, the greatest extent being on the lakes
he had mentioned, where he had ascertained every

292

PRACTICAL RESULTS,

^1854.

;''l

exposure on various fishing excursions, to which, at the
proper season, he has recourse for the purpose of
supplying his family with provision for the winter.
Mr. Campbell seemed so taken with our investigation
that he proposed to me to send him a compass, a
hammer, and a small bottle of acid, in order that he
might extend his researches. These I sent him, and he
subsequently brought me information to Montreal of
the existence of the rock in several lots in "Went worth
and elsewhere, with specimens. . . ."

Notwithstanding the generally favourable impression
which Logan and his work had made upon the people
of Canada, there must have been many who were still
sceptical as to the advantages which the country would
derive from a Geological Survey ; who felt, no doubt,
that many facts of interest to scientific men might be
evolved, but thought at the same time that there was
little of a practical character in the work. The Com-
mittee were well aware of this, and did not fail to inter-
rogate Logan closely on the subject. " Can you," they
asked, " give any illustration of the manner in which a
sound scientific basis leads to practical economical
results ?" And again : " Have you in your survey had
as your principal object the establishment of new
scientific facts, or has your attention been more directed
to discovery and pointing out economic advantages ?"
From the answers to these questions we give only the
following : -

" A considerable portion of the science of geology is
devoted to tracing out the distribution of the various
formations that come from beneath one another and

1854.]

PRACTICAL RESULTS.

293

spread over the surface of a country, the mode of repre-
senting these being by colours on a map. What is this,
ill an economic point of view, but a classilication of its
surface into parts, each of which will give useful mate-
rials peculiar to itself? '^o mu(!h is this the case that
Dr. Buckland, in his Bridgewater Treatise, has shown
that a geological map of England is a map also of the
distribution of its manufactures. Such a map will
point out the limits to be observed in searching in new
localities for materials that are known, and make every
man's discovery of any useful material, not previously
known, available to his neighbours in a hundred new
places. For example, I was informed not an hour ago
by Dr. Tache, that Mr. Grauvreau, of Quebec, has made
from some of the utrata on which the city stands a very
good cement. It will immediately be seen by those
acquainted with the geology of the country that this is
a discovery not for Quebec alone, but for hundreds of
places between this and Missisquoi Bay, and for hun-
dreds of places along the south side of the St. Lawrence
below this. . . ."

"The object of the Survey is to ascertain the mineral
resources of the country, and this is kept steadily in
view. Whatever new scientific facts have resulted
from it, have come out in the course of what 1 conceive
to be economic researches carried on in a scientific way.
. . . Mr. Hunt's valuable contributions to the London
Philosophic Magazine and other scientific journals of
repute, on the metamorphism of rocks, are the result of
chemical analyses made to compare the constituents of
European roofing slates with those of Canada in refer-

ire

294

PItACTICAL liESULTS.

[l864.

enoe to probable durability, and of other analyses with
a more scientilic end, that of deterniing whether shale,
caught as it were in the art of ni<'tamorphosis through
contact with trap, and becoming' what he has called
parophite, from its resem'olance to serpentine, really con-
tained the same chemical constituents in both cases.
He found that it did so. Ihit while the economic
analyses became related to a scientifu; result, the
scientific analyses pointed to one that might become of
economic value. The shale was found to (contain so
much potash that it would not l)e surprising if in some
cases such schists might turn out profitably available
for this substance.

"The analyses of new mineral species, while they
directly regard a scientific result, must always have
an economic bearing. You cannot tell whether a new
substance is to be profitably available or not until you

have ascertained its properties. The analyses of mineral
species led to our knowledge of the lime-feld spars,

of so much agricultural importance to the Laurentian
country.

" Thus economics lead to science, and science to
economics. The physical structure of the area exam-
ined is, of course, especially attended to, as it is by means
of it that the range or distribution of useful materials,
both discovered and to be discovered, can be made
intelliorible. A strict attention to fossils is essential in
ascertaining the physical structure. I have been told
that some persons, observing how carefully attentive I
endeavour to be to this evidence of sequence, have
ignorantly supposed the means to be the end, and while

1854.]

FOSSIL rniENDS.

205

erroneously giving rae credit iis an authority upon fossils,
have fancied economics to bo sacnilicod to them. In
their foolish darlviiess they have mistaken my rush-light
for a sun. I am not a naturalist. I do not describe fossils,
but use tluun. They are geological iViends who direct
me in the way to what is valuable. If you wish infor-
mal ion from a friend it is not necessary that you go to
him impressed with the idea that he is a colloclioii of
bones peculiarly arranged, of muscles, nerves, arteries,
and skin, but you merely recognize his lace, rememlx^r
his name, and interrogate him to the necessary end. So
it is with fossils. To get the necessary information from
them you must be able to recognize their aspect, and in
order to state your authority you must give their names.
Some tell of coal ; they are cosmopolites ; while some
give local intelligence of gypsum, or salt, or building
stone, and so on. One of them whose family name is
Cf/there, but who is not yet specifically baptized, helped
us last year to trace out upwards of fifty miles of
hydraulic limestone.

" My whole connection with geology is of a practical
character. I am by profession a miner and a metallurgist,
and for many years was one of the active managing
partners in an establishment in Wales, where we annu-
ally smelted 60,000 tons of copper ore, and excavated
60,000 tons of coal. It was my constant occupation to
superintend and direct the minutest details of every
branch of the business. A due regard to my own
interests forced me into the practice of geology, and it
was more particularly to the economic bearings of the
science that mv attention was devoted."

29G

hecommenda tions.

So thoroughly wero the mombors of the Select
Committee convincod of the im[)()r lance and practical
nature of the work being carried on by the Geolo-
gical Survey, that they recommended the provision of
greatly increased facilities for the continuance of the
work, and a "republication of not less than 20,000
copies of the revised reports, with a coloured map."
The results of the revision of the earlier reports and the
addition of new facts acquired during the further
i:>rogress of the Survey, are to be found in the Geology
of Canada and on the beautiful geological maps to which
we shall refer later on.

CHArTKIl XIV.

THE PARIS EXPOSITKXN OF 180;'), AND ITS FRUITS.

WHlilN the spring ot 1855 arrived, Logan again iound
hiniseir amid the final bustlo of preparation for
another great exhibition. Most of his collection of
minerals had already been forwarded to I'aris, and eaily
in the month of April he left Montreal for the same des-
tination. On his way to Boston he stopped at Albany
to see Professor Hall, to whom he had coniided the des-
cription of those " remarkable graptolites " which had
been discovered at Point Levis during the previous
year in rocks then supposed to belong to the Hudson
lliver formation. =^ l^'rom Boston he wrote to his brother
on the 10th. of the month : " I went out to see Agassiz
to-day. Hunt and I spent two hours with him, and
dined with him and his family." The following day,
accompanied by Hunt, he sailed for England on board
the " Asia," which was crowded with passengers almost

* Writing about these graptolites, in 1858, Professor Hall Bays : —
" This discovery gave, for the first time, a knowledge of the forms and
mode of growth ot these fossils, of which fragmentsand detatched branches
have for so many years been described as complete forms. Neither iip to
that time, nor bo far as I am aware to the present, has any evidence of the
existence of perfect forms such as these been given to the public."

298

ARRIVAL AT PARIS.

[]855.

S !

{ 1

II ■

!■!■■,■

l:M:

to overflowing. Notwithstanding that the " English
beer, the salad oil, the eggs, the fresh-fish," and sundry-
other good things ran short, the voyage M'^as a pleasant
one, and Liverpool was reached on the 23rd. of the
month. A single day was spent in London, and there
Logan's friends " were delighted to see him in such
good health and spirits."

Convenient rooms had already been secured for the
two Canadian Commissioners^^ in Paris, at 35 Avenue
d'Antin, in front of the Palais de I'lndustrie, and here
Logan took up his quarters. But scarce had he arrived
in the French capital when an event occurred vvhich
produced a most profound sensation. It was the attempt
of the Italian Pianori to assassinate the Emperor Napo-
leon as he walked in the G-ardens of the Tuileries, on
the 28th. of April. A meeting of the British residents,
it will be remembered, was shortly afterwards called at
the British Embassy, to vote an address of congratula-
tion to the Emperor on his escape from the bullet of
the assassin, and Logan was chosen as one of the mem-
bers of the deputation appointed to present the address.
The reception of the deputation he describes in the

following letter :-

" 35 Avenue
" Pah

;e ii'Antin, )

ni.s, 10/A. Jllai/, 1855. j

" My Dear James, — Our space in the Annexe has at
last been definitely arranged, and we have about 7,000

• The two "Special Commissioners" from Canada were Mr. W. ]•]. Logan
and Mr. C. C. Tache, M.P.P. A number ot other gentlemen were, however,
appointed by the Government as " Honorary Commissioners.*' For details
concerning this Exhibition, See Canada at the Universe Exhibition of 1855,
containing reports by Tacho, Ac, &c.

[l855.

iiglish
undry
easaiit
of the
1 there
(I such

for the
Ivenue
id here
arrived
. vvhich
attempt
r Napo-
irics, on
isidents,
•ailed at

atula-
mllot ol
le mem-
iddress.

in the

855. 3

: has at

lit 7,000

E. Logan
!, however,
^'or details

no/ 1855,

1855.] THE FRENCH EMPEIlOn A:^D EMPRESS. 209

feet — about enough to show our materials completely
They will be all kept together in one spot, with the
exception of the machines which require motive power.
These will be in another part of the Annexe.

" The opening is announced for the 15th. ; but the
inside arrangem(!nts will not be complete in the Palais by
that time, and in the Annexe not for a long time after.

"The French are abominably careless in bringing the
materials to be exhibited from the coast. I have been
informed that three out of every live of the mirrors sent
by British exhibitors have been broken — many of them
utterly smashed. Among the Canadian packages, some,
l)y the sounds emitted from their interior, give evidence
of breakage. I hear a great rattling in one from Quebec
containing wax flowers, and broken bottles sound i'rom
one of those from Montreal. It is fortunate that I made
such free use of barrels for my materials.

"The deputation with the address waited on the
Emperor on Saturday last, at half-past twelve o'clock,
and of course I had a good opportunity of seeing both
the Emperor and Empress. We awaited them in a
magnificent chamber with a double row of chandeliers,
the third in the suite we passed through, and after a
delay of about a quarter of an hour, the Emperor and
Empress, with the whole Court, came through the
room on their way to the chapel. Lord Denbigh pre-
sented the address without reading it, and the Emperoi
thanked him for it in English, and in a very low tone
of voice — so low that, though I was not more than four
feet from him, I could not clearly make out what he
said. "We were then all presented in succession to

■m

I :i^

ii.? '»

':m

-it : :

'If'

OPENING OF THE EXPOSITION:

[l855.

both Emperor and Empress, I being announced as
Commissioner to the Exhibition from Canada. We each
had a gracious bow and smile from the Emperor, and
then from the Empress.

"To me it appears that the Emperor is a better
looking man than his portraits represent, and the
Empress, though like her portraits, is not quite so
striking as represented. Her features are small, and it
seemed to me that there was a slight expression of
anxiety and distress in them which detracted from her
beauty. .

" I attended the Geological Society on Monday even-
ing last, and presented a proof of the engraving of my
graptolites, giving also a vivd voce account in French of
the position in which they are found."

Notwithstanding that the arrangements were still far
from complete, the opening of the Exposition took place
on the 15th. of May. "There was, of course," writes
Logan, " a great crowd, and the whole thing was grand
and beautiful ; but a large portion of the preparation
was intended to cover up the want of forwardness in
the arrangement of the materials. ... Of course I
attended the opening as Commissioner, with Mr. Tache,
and although we were among the magnates, we had
not a very good position. A corner of one of the cases
which had been covered up to conceal it, interrupted
our view. The Emperor and Empress, however, and
all the Court, passed close by us, and we had a good
view of them.

" At the opening I met Mr. Dufrenoy, who appeared
very glad to see me, and shook hands with me most

[l855.

1855.]

HARD WORK.

301

iced as
^Ve each
ror, and

I better
md the
juite so
.1, and it
ission of
Tom her

ay even-
ig of my
hof

''renc

e still far
3ok place
" writes
as grand
3paration
dness in
course I
r, Tache,
, we had
the cases
errupted
ver, and
a good

appeared
me most

cordially, alluding to our conjoint work at the Exhibi-
tion of 1851."

On the 31st. of May he again wrote: "Our weather
is cold and disagreeable. It rains to-day, and a fire
would be very pleasant. I cannot say that I have been
charmed with the sky of la belle France as yet.

•'Mr. Hunt is to have a paper read before the
Institute of France on Monday next. It is to be brought
forward by Dumas, who takes a great interest m Hunt's
investigations in chemical philosophy and has given
him great praise, telling him that some of his points are
quite new and very important.

" For the last week I have laboured hard at our cata-
logue, which must be given in by the 5th. of June. It
has kept me up until after midnight for several days.
... I have seen no sights, my whole occupation being
in connection with the work of the Exhibition."

Owing to the general confusion of the " Annexe," it
proved impossible to complete the arrangement of the
Canadian division until late in June, although Logan
had toiled almost unceasingly. He could not be induced
to leave his work long enough to see the review of
30,000 troops in honour of the King of Portugal, but
attended the grand ball at the Hotel de Ville, at which
there were between 5,000 and 6,000 people present.
On the 4th. of July he wrote to his brother James :
"The Annexe has now been open for some time, and
our division looks well. I have been intensely occu-
pied colouring a geological map, and am nearly worn
out. Last Monday night I did not go to bed until two
o'clock, and then got up again at four. . . . Mr. Hunt

no2

ROYAL VISITORS AT PARIS

[1865.

■It

has been made an Associate Juror, by which means I
hope to have the Canadian minerals properly repre-
sented. He has made two communications to the
Academy. One of his papers was read by himself, and
the other was presented by Mr. Dumas. He has also
made two communications to the Geological Society.
He was elected a member of the Society the first time
of his appearance at their meetings."

In the month of August the Queen, Prince Albert,
and the young Prince of "Wales, visited Paris, and of
course went to the Exposition. Accompanied by the
Emperor, Her Majesty passed through the Canadian
Court, and Logan, who was there at the time, refers to
the occasion in the following letter : —

" Canadian Section, Industrial Exhibition, ]
" Paris, 30lh. August, 1855. )

"My Dear James, — I have regularly received your
weekly communications up to this time, but have not
written to you now for several posts. The fact is I am
so constantly occupied with worrying matters of small
detail that I never can find a moment of repose, and yet
when all is finished, I cannot see what I have been
doing.

" Hart, Edmond, and Eliza, are here just now, and
have been since last Tuesday week. Of course I have
ond(»avoured to spend as much time with them as possi-
ble, and this has been a slight relaxation for the period.
They, like the rest of the world, have seen some of the
proceedings of the Queen's visit, and were in the Cana-
dian division when Her Majesty passed through. But
for all that relates to the Queen's visit, I must refer you

[1865.

means I
y rcpre-
; to the
Lself, and
has also
Society.
First time

e Albert,
s, and of
d by the
Canadian
, refers to

IIBITION, ")

Lved vour
have not

ct is I am
of small

e, and yet
ave been

now, and
•se I have
1 as possi-

e i)eriod.

e of the

Ithe Cana-

ijyh. But

refer you

1855.]

BOLDNESS REWARDED.

303

to the newspapers. No doubt you will take notice of
Mr. Logan's dialogue with the Queen. It did not
happen quite as G-aligiiani's Messenger gives it ; for it
began by my addressing Her Majesty, instead of Her
Majesty me. This perhaps was somewhat contrary to
etiquette, and one of our honorary Commissioners told
me that I had been un peu audacieu. There was no
one, however, to present me, and if 1 had not spoken
without presentation, nothing would have been said at
all, and Her Majesty would have had no opportunity of
saying what she did touching the Canadian section, and
of thus pleasing the Canadians.

" You will see that 1 u the Titnes report, the Commis-
sioners waiting on Prince Albert at his levee are said to
have been very frank. This, I have no doubt, arises
from the anecdote I gave to Prince Albert showing how
Httle Canada Avas known in France. A respectable
Frenchman said to me, ' Le Canada est en Peru, n'est-ce
pas ? "

In the month of October Logan went over to London
to confer with the authorities at Sydenham Palace, and
ascertain what they were willing to do in the way of a
permanent exhibition of Canadian products. He had
already been given to understand that they were desir-
ous of obtaining a portion of the collection exhibited at
Paris, and, in common with many others, felt that no
disposal of these articles could be made which would
be productive of greater good to Canada. Many of
them were eventually sent there; others found their
way into the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers, the
Jardin des Plantes, the f^cole des Mines, &c., and a good

^
m

304

CHEVALIER AND KNIGHT.

[l855.

many were sold or returned to the exhibitors. Attend-
ing to the packing up and distribution of these things
necessarily occupied a good deal of time, and it was
about the 20th. of December before T^ogan was able
finally to leave Paris. Some time before this, however,
the rewards for all his hard work in connection with
the Exhibition had begun to pour in upon him. " You
will see }>y the newspapers," he writes to his brother on
the 22nd. of November, " that I have got a Grrand Gold
Medal of Honour for my maj) and minerals, and that I
have been presented by the Emperor with the Cross of
the Legion of Honour. This is as much as I could
possibly get at the Exhibition, so that personally you
must know that I am content." But if the Emperor of
the French had made him a Chevalier of the Legion of
Honour, a greater distinction awaited him at the hands
of his own Sovereign. This he announces to his brother
in the following letter : —

"35 AvENL'E d'Antin, 1
"Pauis, 29<A. November^ 1855. j

" My Dear James, — We have nearly wound up our
affairs here. We are packing up those things which
are to be returned to Canada, and those which are to
be exhibited at Sydenham Palace. There are a few
things also which we are sending over to London for
sale there. . . .

" It has been intimated to me from the Home Office
in London that my name has been submitted to Her
Majesty for knighthood, and Her Majesty has been
pleased to signify her pleasure to confer on me that
dignity, for services rendered at the Exhibitions of 1851

fl855.

1855-50.]

THE WOLL ASTON MEDAL,

305

Attend-
) things
L it was
vas able
lowever,
LOU with
. " You
rother on
md Gold
ud that I
» Cross of
5 I could
nally you
mperor of
Legion of
the hands
Is brother

;tin,
|r, 1855.

id up our
ffs which

ch are to
\XQ a few

>ndon for

Ime Office
Id to Her

Ihas been
me that
Is of 1851

and 1855. You need not tell any one this, lest some
slip should take place between the cup and the lip.
But I have been requested to call at the Home Office in
order that I may be informed when I can be presented
— which it is probable may be before I return to Canada.
... I see by the newspapers that my friend Mr.
Dawson has been regularly installed as Principal of
McGill College. He will be a support to the Survey,
for he is really a man of science. — Yours truly,

" W. E. Logan.

On the 29th. of January, Logan was knighted by the
Queen at Windsor, and afterwards enjoyed the privilege
of paying to the Fee Fund Commissioners "the Fees
of Honour due to the Officers and Servants of Her
Majesty's Household." About this time also, he was
informed at a meeting of the G-eological Club that the
Palladium or Wollaston Medal — '"the greatest honour
the Geological Society has to bestow " — had been
awarded to him. The public announcement of this
was to take place at the annual meeting of the Society
several weeks later, but Logan felt that he could not
remain for this occasion, as he had already been absent
from Canada for nearly a year. In his absence, how-
ever, Sir Koderick Murchison received the medal for
him. Mr. "W. Hamilton was then the President of the
Creological Society, and after he had pointed out in an
eloquent eulogium the grounds on which the Council
had awarded the Wollaston Medal to Sir AVilliam
Logan, Sir Roderick Mun^hison replied : —

" Sir, — As Sir William Logan was in the earlier part
of his scientiiic career a distinguished contributor to the

306

2'HJE WOLLASTON MEDAL.

[1850.

Ill"

British Greological Survey, and as my lamented prede-
cessor, Sir Henry De la Beche, had formed the highest
opinion of his capacity, it naturally gives me sincere
pleasure to be the medium of transmitting to him this
"Wollaston Medal.

" Although the Atlantic has subsequently separated
us for most of tht; period during which our medallist
was occupied in successfully advancing geological
science in his native country, Canada, il has been a
source of true gratification to me to observe the very
able manner in which he has elaborated the full and
accurate succession of the most ancient rocks of the
vast regions he has surveyed, and how clearly he has
separated the great series of fundamental, sedimentary,
unfossiliferous rocks termed Laurentian, or Cambrian,
from those Silurian rocks which, in common with all
geologists of the United States until the present
moment, he has placed in parallel with the Lower as
well as the Upper Silurian of Britain and Europe.

" The skilful manner in which he has followed out
the course of these ancient Silurian deposits from their
undisturbed and unbroken sequence over vast tracts in
the West, to the sea-board or Eastern region of North
America, where they have been contorted, broken up,
metamorphosed and mineralized, will doubtless be
considered among the most remarkable labours of our
honoured associate !

" Whilst in his younger days he established, by close
and repeated observations, that natural history constant
to which you have so justly alluded, and which has
enabled us to read off the true history of the greater

1866.]

THE WOLLASTON MEDAL.

30t

number of coal-fields, his maps and sections illustrating
the structure of the Canadas, prepared in the vast
wilds of that (country, amidst hardships and privations
unknown to European explorers, will be the imperish-
able records of his fame as a practical geologist.

"The devotion and untiring energy with which he
arranged, developed and explained the natural produc-
tions of Canada, first at the great British Exhibition of
1851, and recently at the grand Exposition of France,
have obtained for him honours both from his own
gracious Sovereign and from the Emperor of the French,
and I have now only to assure you, sir, that no one of
these well-merited honours will be more highly esti-
mated by him than the marked approbation of his
brother geologists in bestowing upon him their highest
distinction, the WoUaston MedaV

On the 21st. of February, Murchison wrote to Logan
tolling him about the meeting. " Our anniversary,"
he says, "went off well, and in no respect better
than in the acknowledgment of your services, by all
concerned.

" I was asked to take the Wollaston Medal for you,
and previous to delivering it to me Hamilton enume-
rated with due praise all your doings. In my reply I
took care to allude specially to what he did not touch
upon, your success at the Exhibitions. As you may like
to hear what I did say, I send you a coj^y of my little
speech (as it will be printed).

" I took care, as you see, to vindicate my Loioer as
well as Upper Silurian, and called you to my defence
over large regions of North America, as well as all your

308

HONOURS AT HOME.

[l856.

\''\\

■■«'■.;.

4?- ,

'-<

111

LA'

ill

American (United States) precursors ; Rogers sitting
opposite !

" His general map, as just issued or issuing by
A. Keith Johnston, has hurt my feeUnf^s exceedingly.
... It is very oirensivo to ignore Lower Silurian
altogether, and to call the Llandcilo rocks Cambrian !
Besides this fundamental begging of the whole question
and the slicing off from me of half of my original rocks,
he has coloured all the Arctic and northern region as
Cambrian, where every one knows it is Upper Silurian.

" I should like to see your Wollaston announced in
the manner of my enclosed document in your Canadian
journals. I enclose the medal to your Governor, who
is an old acquaintance of mine.

" If you hit upon any good things in re Situriana, let
me know of them. — Yours very sincerely,

"Roderick I. Muuchifion."

It was late in February when Logan reached Canada,
where he would gladly have been allowed to retire to
his museum for a time to commune with his rocks and
fossils. But his fame had preceded him, and now he
was not to be left without honour in his own country,
the interests of which he had done so much to advance
while abroad. Dinners, addresses, testimonials, congra-
tulations, were in store for him, and again and again he
was to go through that ordeal of speech-making which
his nervousness always made him look forward to with
dread.

The Greological act passed in 1850 had expired, and
shortly after his return from Paris we find him at
Toronto, doing all in his power to urge on the passage

185G.]

AT TOItONTO.

309

of the new bill makinp^ j^rovision for more extended
opc^rations of the Survey. On the 22nd. of March he
writes from Toronto : " I am busy making out my
accounts connected with the Paris Industrial Exhibi-
tion. At the same time I am constantly interrupted by
visitors, and my progress is bui slow. I am sitting for
my picture to be painted for the Toronto Institute. To
aid the artist and enable him to work with as few
sittings as possible, a photograph has been taken of me
to-day. I understand the Toronto Institute intend to
present me with an address some time when they have
a meeting, and when they do so I am sure I shall not
bo able to find much to reply. . . .

" Mr. Langton tells me he thinks that all things con-
sidered, there is no doubt the geological act will be
passed, and he says that Mr. McDonald, the Attorney-
General West, has promised to take it in hand ; but I
suspect it will require great looking after.

" The day after my arrival, which was Monday, I had
an interview with the G-overnor, and an invitation to
dine with him and Lady Head in a quiet way. He put
into my hands the Wollaston Medal w^hich had been
forwarded to him by Sir Roderick Murchison."

The hanging of Sir "William's portrait and the presen-
tation of the address took place on the fifth of April.
The address was read by the President, Mr. G. W. Allan,
who introduced it wdth the following remarks : —

" Gentlemen, — Before proceeding to the other busi-
ness of the evening, we have a gratifying duty to
discharge to the distinguished and honoured guest who
is with US to-niffht. You are all aware that our resolu-

310

A TnTTiTTTE FROM TORONTO.

[l856.

tion to adopt Kome special mode of markiiif^ our sense of
the valuabh; services rendered to Canada by the eminent
geologist who first filled the office of President of this
Institute, had be(;n fully considered and recorded before
the pleasing intelligence reached us that the valuable
labours of Sir William IjOgan, in the cause of science,
had been honoured by a distinguished mark of the
favour of his Sovereign ; and that so soon as we had
ascertained that his return to Canada, for which he had
done so much, might soon be expected, it was unani-
mously resolved that we, the members of the Canadian
Institute, should take the first opportunity, as a body,
to tender him our congratulations on his well-merited
honours ; and further, that we should request him to
sit for his portrait, to be hung up here as a lasting-
memorial of one to whose name we could always point
with pride and satisfaction, as the first Canadian who
has achieved for himself an European reputation in the
world of science. And now, Sir William, with your
permission, I shall proceed to read the address, on
behalf of myself and my brother members, which I am
sure is not the language of mere formal compliment,
but is sincerely expressive of the feelings of affectionate
esteem and respect entertained towards you by every
member of this Institute."

ADDRESS

'• To Sir William Edmand Logan, F. R. S., F. G. S., &c., &c.,
" Canadian Provincial Geologist :

" We, the President, Council, and Members of the
Canadian Institute beg to offer you our cordial welcome
on your return to Canada, after the successful comple-

1850.]

ADDRESS .'IT TORONTO.

311

tioii of your lii])ours on bohall" of the Province at the
PariHiaii Crystal Palace, and to tender to you our most
hearty consj-ratulations on the high, })ut justly merited,
lionours with which it has pleased Her Majesty to mark
her sense of your distinguished merits as the foremost
in the ranks of s<!ientitic men in this Province of the
Empire.

" We rejoice in the fresh evidence which your reception
of the distinguished honour of knighthood affords, of
our full share, as Canadians, in all the honours and
privileges which pertain to the members of the United
Empire ; while we feel a peculiar gratification, as
members of this Institute, in hailing as the recipient of
one of the highest distinctions conferred on men of
science by the British Sovereign, one on whom the first
choice of this Institute fell to fill its presidential chair.

"In now adorning our hall of meeting with your
portrait, permit us to assure you that while our estimate
of your distinguished rank as a scientific geologist, and
your disinterested and indefatigable zeal in all that can
develope the resources and promote the true interests of
Canada, cannot be affected by any distinctions conferred
on you, we fully sympathize in the just pride which
you must feel in being made a recipient of the
same honours which British sovereigns have already
employed to mark with peculiar distinction the intel-
lectual achievements of a Newton, a Davy, a Brewster,
a Lyell, and a Murchison. Nor can we withhold the
expression of our congratulations on other no less
merited honours, and especially on your receipt, by the
award of your scientific brethren, of the "VVollaston

312

heply to address.

[l85C

Modal one of the highest marks of distinction with
which they could testify their sense of the rank you
have achieved in your labours as a Canadian geologist.

" In the same spirit we now seek to confer on you
such evidences of our appreciation of your successful
labours in the cause of science an' it is in our power to
bestow ; and, humble as is our position in relation to
science, we venture to hope that our cordial congratu-
lations will not be the less acceptable that they are
addressed to the most distinguished among the scientific
men of Canada, by a Canadian Institution."

Sir William Logan then replied : —

" Mr. President, — I am very grateful to yourself, to
the Council, and to the members of the Canadian Insti-
tute, for the very flattering manner in which you have
been pleased to speak of me in your address — for your
kind welcome, and for the congratulations which you
offer me, on my success in France and in England.
"Whatever distinctions, however, may be bestowed on
us at a distance, it is upon the respect, esteem, and con-
fidence shown us at home that our happiness and
satisfaction must chiefly depend. I can assure you,
with sincerity, that the honour conferred upon me
when you elected me the first President of the Institute
was one highly prized, although the circumstances of a
distant domicile, and the intent pursuit of the investi-
gations with which I am charged, rendered it extremely
difhcult for me to be of much use in your proceedings.
And I feel it as no slight compliment that you should
place a memento of me by the sid< of my friend, and
much more worthy successor, Colonel Lefroy, whose

[l85ft

185G.]

heply to address.

313

on with
ank you
geologist.

on you
uccessful
power to
ilation to
3ongratu-

they are
scientiiic

ourself, to
Lian Insti-
you have
-for your
rhich you
j^nghmd.
owed on
and con-
mess and
sure you,
upon me
Institute
ances of a
le invcsti-
extrcmely
cccdings.
•u should
iend, and

constant exertions in the exact observation of meteoro-
logical phenomena have tended so greatly to spread the
name of Toronto in the scientiiic world. It is a fortu-
nate circumstance for me that my name should be
connected with an act of grace on the part of Her
Majesty, which serves to confirm your feeling in regard
to the fact that as Canadians we enjoy a full share in
the honours and i)rivilegt'S of British subjects ; and
I am proud to think that it was, perhai)s, more because
I was a Canadian in whom the inhabitants of the
Province had reposed some trust, that the honour
which has been eonferred upon me by Her Majesty
was so easily obtained. That 1 am proud of the
honours which have been bestowed upon me by the
Emperor of France, in i-espect to my geological labours,
and also by my brother geologists in l^]ngland, there can
be no doubt. But I have striven Jbr these honours
because I considered that they would tend to promote
the confidence which the inhabitants of the Province
have reposed in me, in my endeavours to develope the
truth in regard to the mineral resources of the Pro-
vince; and in this work none could have been mort;
interested in my success than the members of this
Institute. We have on the other side of the hall an
evidence of the interest taken by the Institute in the
Geological Survey, and you have, in publishing what
appears within that frame, pu])lished the one-half of
what is included in the enlarged map which 1 presented
to the Exhibition at Paris. You have in it the whok; of the
geology of Canada, as far as it is at present understood,
and I think it will, i^erhaps, not be disagreeable to you

314

A GEOLOGICAL DIGRESSION.

[l856.

that I should submit a short account of its leading
features."

The map alluded to by Logan as hanging up on
the "other side of the hall," was a small geological
map, which had been published some time before
in the Journal of the Institute, to illustrate a paper
by him "On the Physical Structure of the Western
District of Upper Canada." On the opposite side of
the hall hung the large geological map of the whole
Province, which had been exhibited at Paris.^ In
commenting upon this, Sir William called attention to
the conformity of the physical structure of the country
to its geography ; to the difference in conditions between
the eastern and westeri? troughs of North America
which run through Canada ; and to the absence of the
Lower Silurian between the Laurentian and Upper
Silurian on the north side of the "granite ridge" —
showing the existence of land to the north, while the
Lower Silurian deposits were accumulating to the
south.

On the day following, he w^rote to his brother : —

"Toronto, G/A. April, 1856.

" My Dear James, — The hanging of my picture and
the presentation of an address to me by the Canadian
Institute came off last evening, I am sorry to say that
I made but a poor exhibition in my reply. I was so

• A sum of money had been voted liy the Canadian Legislatnie among
the contingencies of 1854 for the publication of a geological map ot
Canada, and Logan had gone ro far as placing the one exhibited at ParLs
in the Imnds of an engraver there. It had, however, been rather hurriedly
prepared, and after his return to Canada, he luado up his mind to abantlon
it, and to undertake the construction of a new one.

^t\.

1856.]

DISLIKE OF SPEECH-MAKING.

S15

agitated that I could scarcely speak, and it was with
great difficulty that I could bring to my mind what I
had prepared to say; and really I do not know exactly
whether I did utter what I intended. After my reply I
endeavoured to explain some of the features of my map
which was hung up in the room, but I could not get
over my nervousness, and almost stuck in my descrip-
tion for the want of a simple word, which would not
come to my mind. Heaven help me if I am agitated in
this way on Saturday next, as I shall in that case make
a great mess of the matter. If speech-making is to
become a consequence of distinction, I shall soon wish
distinction far off, I very much fear that repeated
attempts would soon be the death of me.

"I must, however, get through it, and I hope by and
by to be left in peace to go on with my survey. I am
informed that the Council have determined to take up
the Geological bill, but I do not know when they will
introduce it into the House, and fear that were I to go
away they would forget it altogether."

The occasion to which he here looked forward with
dread on account of his being expected to make another
speech, was the complimentary dinner which was ten-
dered to him by the citizens of Toronto on the 12th.
of April. In a letter written to his brother Jiimos,
a low days after the dinner, he says : " 1 am so
much occupied with one thing and another that I can
scarcely find time to sit down and quietly write to any-
body. You may suppose that the dinner which was
given me last Saturday kept me somewhat uneasy for
several days beforehand. I made but little preparation

I ■'','' ,

I
I

^16

neW^ geological bill.

[l856.

as to the maimer in which I should say what I had to
say, but the ideas or subjects of my discourse came
several times before me. The Governor spoke remark
ably well, and what he said was to the point. I did
not feel in the slightest degree embarrassed when my
turn came, though I was a little nervous. I had deter-
mined not to attempt anything fine, but to say in a
quiet, natural manner what I considered judicious.
Most people appear to think that I succeeded pretty
well. ... I am looking after my geological bill, but it
is difficult f get the Government to act. Mr. Attorney-
General McDonald has it in hand. The bill has been
adopted by the Government, I believe, in all its details.
The sum is to be <£5,000, and the time five years.
There appeared, however, to be a little hesitation the
other day about the five years, as I judge from a word
dropped by Mr. McDonald, and I must get my friends
to keep the Government to the time. . . .

" I have dined out nearly every day since I have been
here — twice with Professor Chapman, with the Bishop
of Toronto, wi^^h Mr. Mowat, twice at Government
House, with Mr. Adamson, Mr. Killaly, Mr. Gzowski,
several times with Mr. Robinson, with Mr. Stayner, and
others. To-day T am engaged with Mr. Moffat, and
to-morrow at Government House. ... I wish my bill
were passed, and I could get away and be quiet down
with you."

But although he did soon get to Montreal, the hoped
for quiet was not obtained ; for another round of enter-
tainments and addresses awaited him. On the 20th. of
May a soiree was given in his honour by the Natural

1856.]

ADD BESS AT MONTREAL.

317

History Society of Montreal, at the rooms on Little St.
James Street, and in the course of the evening the
following address was presented to him : —

ADDRESS

" To Sir William Edmond Logan, Knight, F. B. S., LL. D.,&c.,
"(fee, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, Director of the
" Geological Survey of Canada:

" Sir, — It is with feelings of sincere pleasure, mingled
with no small degree of pride, that we, the President
and Members of the Natural History Society of Mont-
real, welcome you as our guest on the present occasion.
We have invited you here this evening, not merely
from a sense of duty, nor in consideration of the honour
your presence would confer upon us, but likewise for
the purpose of testifying publicly the interest which
^ , e, as a scientific institution, have always taken in your
increasing, indefatigable labours to advance the cause
of geological science in Canada. It is for this latter
leason that the opportunity now presented of acknow-
ledging your valuable services both to science and our
country affords us unfeigned gratification. As Director
of the Geological Survey of this Province, you have
laboured for a long series of years with unremitting zeal
and assiduity ; and if your uniiring efforts have sur-
mounted the many difficulties of a scheme in its nature
so extensive and gigantic, and have at length met with
that success to which they are so justly entitled, we
rojoice to think that the rewards, so honourably gained,
have been acquired by one whom Canada claims not
only as her brightest ornament in science, but as her
honoured and cherished son.

•

318

ADDRESS AT MONTREAL.

[l856.

"If

" Limited as have been the means hitherto placed at
your disposal in order to carry out your investigations,
you have nevertheless, by skilful economy, and at
much personal sacrifice, succeeded in bringing to light
the valuable internal resources of our country, and of
raising our Province to that high and important posi-
tion which it now holds in foreign estimation. That
the Provincial Legislature has appreciated your past
labours, and is convinced of the necessity of con-
tinuing the noble work under your guidance, is
abundantly proved by the munificent grant of the
present session towards the Geological Survey ; and
we believe this is but an echo of the mind of an
intelligent public.

"Your unwearied efforts when in London and Paris
on two memorable occasions, have been acknowledged
in a manner which must be very gratifying to you, and
while we congratulate you upon the high honours
received at the hands of our most gracious Queen and
of His August Majesty the Emperor of the French, we
are no less rejoiced to know that Science, from its
loftiest throne, has not omitted to present to you the
highest tributes of praise, and its rarest token of reward
in acknowledgment of your A'aluable researches and
discoveries in one of its most interesting and important
departments. The value of such honours can only be
measured by the severe toils and hardships of those
mental and bodily labours which have so happily
gained them ; and our humble prayer is that you may
long live to enjoy these rewards, and to continue to
prosecute those researches which will prove lasting

%■ \M!'

[l856.

1856]

TESTIMONIAL.

319

placed at
stigations,
^, and at
g to light
ry, and of
■tant posi-
on. That
your past
y of con-
idance, is
nt of the
vey ; and
ind of an

and Paris

Lowledgod

3 you, and

L honours

iueen and

rench, we

from its

you the

of reward

ches and

important

n only be

of those

happily

3 ou may

ntinue to

e lasting

memorials of your talents and perseverance, and be of
l)ermanent benefit to the country.

" In thus tendering you our hearty congratulations,
we beg respectfully to present you with the highest
mark of esteem and recognition our Society can bestow
— namely, the Diploma of Honorary Member of the
Natural History Society of Montreal.

"F. Montreal, rresident.=^
"A. N. Rennie, llec. Sec.

" Montreal, 20th. May, 1856."

Many of the citizens of Montreal were also desirous
of testifying in some marked way to their appreciation
of the services which Logan had rendered to the Pro-
vince, and of giving expression to their high estimation
of his labours in the field of science. In the thirteen
years during which he had directed the Canadi.an Sur-
vey, he had in every way identified himself with the
interests of his native city, and had endeared himself
to all who had come into personal contact with him.
No doubt there were those who felt that any attempt
to add to the lustre of his European reputation would
be like gilding refined gold ; but those who knew him
best knew well that any mark of the api^reciation
and sympathy of his fellow-townsmen was sure to be
gratifying to him. It was accordingly resolved to
present him with a testimonial, and, after much dis-
cussion, a massive silver fountain, engraved with
designs illustrating the pakeontology of the Carbon-
iferous era, was decided upon. The fountain rested

* The late lamented Bishop Fulford.

i^'.

320 PRESENTATION OF TESTIMONIAL [1859.

upon a pedestal of ebony, intended to represent a bed
of coal, and on one of the faces of the pedestal was a
plate with the following- inscription : —

In commemoration of

His long and useful services as

Provincial (iKolocust in Canada,

and especially his valuable services in connection with the"

Exhibition ok All Nations

in London in 1851, and in Paris in 1855,

by which he not only obtained

higher honour and more extended reputation,

hut largely contributed in

making known the natural resources of his native country,

This Testimonial was

Presenteh to

Sill WILLIAM E. LOGAN, Knight, F.R. S., F.G.S., LL. D.,

by many of the inhabitants of Montreal,

desirous of marking their respect and esteem for

one of the most distinguished of

their fellow-citizens.

Montreal, July, 1856.

On the other sides of the pedestal were designs repre-
senting the varied vegetation of the Carboniferous period.

Owing to numerous delays, the testimonial did not
arrive from London, where it was designed and made,
until August, 1858. Sir "William being then absent in
the field, the presentation was necessarily postponed,
and did not take place till some time in March, 1859
The Hon. G-eorge Moffatt presided on the occasion, and
the Right Rev. the Lord Bishop of Montreal acted as
the representative of the Committee of the subscribers,
and in the name of the citizens presented their gift to
Sir William, whom he addressed in graceful terms of
congratulation.

In acknowledging the gift, Sir "William said : —

" It is a great satisfaction to me that I should receive

1859.] ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF TESTIMONIAL. 321

from so many of the inhabitants of my native city so
distinguished a mark of their regard and approbation,
and that it should come through the hands of so eminent
and respected a citizen as your Lordship, and in the
Hall of the Natural History Society, whose members
have already bestowed on me the highest honour within
their power. If in the Exhibitions of London and
Paris I was any way instrumental in extending a know-
ledge of the material resources of Canada, it was chiefly
of those more immediately connected with the geologi-
cal investigation with which I am charged. In respect
to other materials, my exertions, I fear, would have
been of little avail, without the practical experience of
those associated with me in the management of the
Canadian contributions. Those exhibitions involved a
very practical purpose, and seeing that what may be
called mineral manufactures had extended but little in
this country, I rejoiced in the opportunity offered of
placing before the eyes of European judges some of
the results of the Geological Survey, persuaded that
although we could, not show that we possessed the
skill requisite to give all our metallic ores and useful
rocks the various ultimate forms of which they were
capable, we should at least convince the world that
Canada contained in her subsoil vast stores of mineral
materials that would hereafter become available for the
support of native industry. The mere specimens exhi-
bited, however, would have been an ineffectual means
of attaining the object had they not been accompanied
by a geological map showing that geographical distri-
bution of the formations from which the minerals were

■\v^

322 ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF TESTIMONIAL, [laso.

derived — thus making at once intelligible the position
and abundance of those things oi' whi<h Ihe specimens
merely displayed the nature. Successful, however, as
our geological contribution proved to be, there was one
branch of the subject in which we were deficient : our
fossils had not been arranged or described, and it was,
in consequence, impossible for us to prove the sequence
of our rocks from their position, except by an assertion
that was not disputed. I am not myself a naturalist, to
describe fossils. For many years of my life engaged in
the active pursuits of a practical miner for coal, and a
practical smelter of copper from its ores, my connection
with geology relates more to the application of mate-
rials. But I well know the value of fossils as an indis-
pensable means of research, and unless Canadian fossils
are properly described, Canadians will ncA^er thoroughly
understand their own economic minerals, or even suffi-
ciently know them to protect themselves from imposi-
tion ; nor will the study of Canadian minerals enter
into the educational systems of the country. In the
form given to the testimonial which you do me the
honour to present to me, it is gratifying to me to
observe typified a discovery which, in my pursuit as
practical collier, I was so fortunate as to make, by
which coal and its associated fossils were drawn into
closer relation than had ever been known before. By it
the practical researches for coal were greatly facilitated ;
and, as a practical collier, I can assure you that it is
only in a knowledge of the differences that exist
between such kinds of fossils as this testimonial indi-
cates, and others of a distinct description of organisms,

1859 J ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF TESTIMONIAL. 323

Ihat you have tho most certain means of discriminating
between the coal of Newcastle and that of Bowmanville.
One pleasing circumstance that attaches to this testi-
monial is, that amongst those presenting it there are so
many engaged in the j>ractical business pursuits of life.
It gives me an assurance that they are convinced of the
usefulness of geological investigations ; and I beg to
assure you that, as marking the good-will of so many of
my fellow-citizens, I shall always regard it with feel-
ings of satisfaction and pride."

CHAPTER XV

■1

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. — LAUUENTIAN, — QUEBEC

GROUP

EARLY in 1856 the idea suggested itself to some of the
members of the Montreal Natural History Society
of inviting the American Association for the Advance-
ment of Science to cross the boundary and hold its
eleventh meeting in the following year on British soil.
The idea was, to say the least, a bold one, considerini^-
the small number of scientific devotees to be found in
the commercial city of Montreal. There were those,
moreover, who said " that the American members
would never consent to the association assembling on
this side the line of 45'^, and it was strongly urged, cer-
tainly with more of truth than poetry in the argument,
that for the Natural History Society, a paralysed, help-
less, and almost hopeless institution, struggling hard
for its very existence, to invite an association so active
and energetic, so distinguished and so full of vitality,
would not only be a shock to modesty, but a proceeding
which, if favourably received, would place the society

QUEBEC

some of the
ory Society
e Advance-
id hold its
ritish soil.
onsidering
e found in
ivere those,
members
nbling on
urged, cer-
argument,
ysed, help-
ng hard
1 so active
Df vitality,
proceeding
he society

1856.]

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION.

32&

in Iho most awkward difficulty of providing way.s and
means in accordance with it.s obligations to accommo-
date and entertain the association so invited."

This was the opinion of a few, but they were soon
silenced, and it was resolved to send a deputation to
the Albany meeting in 1850, fully empowered to invite
the Association to hold its next meeting at Montreal, in
August, 1857. But the Montreal delegates found that
they were not the only ones in the field, for Baltimore
had sent a worthy representative, who strongly urged
the claims of his city. The permanent committee de-
clined to decide between the opposing claimants, but
the question being put to the Association at large, the
meeting gave its voice in favour of Montreal.

The labour entailed in making preparations for such
a gathering can only be understood by those who have
had the work to do. A local committee, composed of
many of Montreal's most influential citizens, was ap-
pointed, with Sir William Logan as chairman, and
everything was done to ensure a successful meeting.
The Canadian Q-overnment contributed jESOO to assist
in the celebration, and Sir Edmund Head, the Grovernor,
took a most lively interest in the undertaking. Owing
to absence in England he was prevented from taking
part in the proceedings, and the duty of welcoming
the Association to the Province devolved upon Sir
William Eyre, the temporary administrator of the
Grovernment.

Logan's duties in connection with the exhibitions
of London and Paris had sadly interfered with the
progress of the museum on St. Gabriel Street,

32G

HLKANAJ/ BILLINGS.

[185C.

:ii!!:

and now tlu^ approaching- advont of so many men
of scienci^ to Montreal, ma(l(», him feel that if the
results ol" his •reolog-ical work were to bo understood
or appreciated, it would hi\ absolutely necessary to
have his large geological collections displayed to
the best advantage. From the very roinmencement
of the Survey he had been oljligod to depen<l almost
wholly upon outside aid for the determination and
description of fossils. He had, however, long felt that
if the Survey was to make proper progress, it would
be absolutely necessary that a skilful palteontologist
should be added to the staff. For several years prior
to 1856 h(^ had kept up a correspondence with the
late Mr. Elkanah Billings, then a resident of Bytown
By profession a barrister, Billings had gradually be-
come so enamoured of the study of natural history as
to finally abandon the legal calling and devote himself
exclusively to the pursuit of science. On the 29th. of
February, I80G, he wrote to Sir William : " I have
abandoned my profession and intend to devote the rest
of my life to the study of natural history. I have com-
menced the publication of this magazine partly as a
means of subsistence, and partly for the purpose of
arousing, if possible, the youth of this country to pur-
suits for which they have everywhere most unrivalled
facilities. I am well aware that I shall have great
difficulties to encounter, but I can overcome them as I
have done others." The magazine to which Mr. Bil-
lings alludes was of course the " Canadian Naturalist,"
of which he was not only the originator, but also,
during the first year of its existence, the proprietor and

185C-C7.]

JULk'ANAJT BILLINGS.

32Y

editor. Most of his time for several years had been de-
voted to the collection of i\n\ organic remains of the
Lower Silurian rocks near Bytown, and he had in 18r)4
published a paper in the Journal of the Canadian Insti-
tute of Toronto, " On some genera and species of
Cystidea from the Toronto limestone." Altogether 8ir
William felt that the Survey would be greatly strength-
ened if he could secure the servic(;s of Mr. Billings ;
and accordingly on the 7th of June, 1850, he addressed
a letter to the Provincial Secretary, strongly urging his
appointment. Fortunately the recommendation was
approved of, and in the following August Mr. Billings
took up his residence in Montreal, and began his duties
as paheontologist to the Survey, a post which he most
ably filled for twenty years. =^

In the present emergency his services were invalu-
able to Logan, and the immediate naming and classifi-
cation of a large proportion of the Government collec-
tion of fossils was rendered possible. Sir William him-
self w^orked early and late at the museum, and by the
time Ox the meeting of the Association everything was
in excellent order, and the collection attracted m' ch
attention. One of the principal objects of attraction in
the city," says a writer in Silliman's Journal, " was the
Greological Museum, containing the collections made
in the course of this survey. It was remarkable for
the extent and variety of rock specimens, and the great
number and beauty of the fossils ; no geological survey

* For the above facts concerning Mr. Billings the writer is indebted to
an excellent obituary notice from the pen of Mr. J. F. Whiteaves, F.G.S.,
published in the Can. Nat., Ser. 2, Vol. viii., p. 251.

ill

II ■ f:^:i'

Mi.

ill:

t if '11)

M liHi; <£i

328

AMERICAN' ASSOCIATION.

[1857.

on this or ar y other continent has been carried forward
with greater energy or skill."

At the meeting the Greological Society of London
was represented by Professor (now Sir A. C.) Ramsay,
the Linnean Society by Dr. Berthol Seaman, and the
physical science of G-reat Britain by Professor Kelland,
of Edinburgh. Sir William Hooker and Sir Roderick
Murchison w^ere both expected, but to the regret of
all concerned it proved impossible for them to come.
Murchison w^as intensely desirous of visiting America,
but seems to have dreaded the heat of Montreal in August.

"London, April I2(h., 1857.

" My Lear Logan, — This letter will be delivered to
you by Mr. Gould, the celebrated ornithologist, who,
accompanied by his son, is just setting off for a rapid
journey through Canada and part of the States. Pray
receive them well. ... I heard of your grand festival
which is to come off at Montreal through Ramsay, and
almost expected that you would have written to the
Old Siluria liimse) " to tempt him with baits of Lower
and Upper Silurian — to him irresistible.

" I really have had the strongest yearning to go to
North America, and see before I died such a splendid
field of my old rocks as the Canadas and the United
States afford. But they frighten me about the heat,
which they say will be intolerable at Montreal in
August. Write to me about it. Ramsay ought cer-
tainly to go, whether I can or not. The cry of justice
to Ireland will, I fear, compel the Director G-eneral to
be in the way. — Ever yours sincerely,

••Roderick I. Murchison."

185T-58.]

GEOLOGICAL PAPERS.

329

ICHISON.

Ill July, Murchison again wrote to Logan, expressing
his regret at being unable to go to Montreal. This
letter, however, was essentially a paper on the " Crys-
talline Eocks of the North Highlands of Scotland," and
was read at the meeting of the Association, and subso-
quently printed in full in the Canadian Naturalist (Vol.
ii., p. 262). Sir William himself read two interesting
papers, one on the " Huronian and Laurentian Series
of Canada," and another on the " Sub-division of the
Laurentian E-ocks of Canada." At the conclusion of the
meeting, which proved a most successful one, he
induced Professor Eamsay to accompany him on a tour
through part of Canada, and also to visit the classic
geological ground of New York, where Professor Hall
kindly volunteered to be their guide

Professor Ramsay sailed for England early in Octo-
ber, and shortly after Sir William betook himself to his
favourite haunts in the Grenville region, and spent the
remaining wrecks before winter set in in following the
sinuosities of his pet limestones. Here hv> also returned
in the spring of 1858, this time to remain for nearly six
months. They were of course months of incessant toil ;
but the confinement, worry, and excitement of city life,
to which he had for some time been subjected, had be-
gun to tell upon his health, and life in the woods, not-
withstanding its hardships and difficulties, was really
the very thing that he needed. During the summer he
ascended the river Rouge as far as the Iroquois Chute,
a distance of about fifty miles from its mouth, and also
determined the position and form of thirty-two lakes,
the largest of which is more than six miles in length.

pliii

■ -'ry, ■ T -.■ -

It:

:il:l'

1 M

'IjJ

1858-59.]

ON SHORT ALLOWANCE.

331

He was accompanied by a naturalist, Mr. W. M. S.
D'Urban, who made large collections illustrative of the
launa and flora of the district examined. The late Mr.
James Lowe, a farmer from the township of Q-renville,
also i)roved of great assistance to him, and acquired such
skill in geological field work that Sir William em-
ployed him for years in tracing out bands of crystalline
imestone.

It was the end of November before Logan got back
to Montreal, and for the next three months he was con-
stantly occupied with the accounts of the Survey ex-
penditure, which he had annually to submit to the
Grovernment. In March, as we have seen, the testi-
monial from the citizens was presented to him. On
the 18th of April he wrote to his brother Edmond : " I
am sorry to say that the Government have found them-
selves under the necessity of reducing the grant to the
Geological Survey to one-half the usual amount, making
it iJ2,500 instead of <£5,000. The sum will be no more
than sufficient to pay the salaries of the staff" and keep
up the museum. It will allow nothing for exploration;
so that we have been instructed to stay at home and
work out a condensation of all our reports, and thus
show the present condition of Canadian geology. I fear
that the confinement this will entail upon me will be
prejudicial to my health, which is not so strong as it
used to be. I found that my summer's work last season
did me a world of good, and another summer's work
would, I think, have brought me round altogether. I
have never been perfectly well since I was at Paris.
... By way of exercise I fancy I shall have to take

,ir

^!! li;

ill'''!

332

THE LAURENTIAN.

1859.

ail occasional week of exploration at my own expense."
In August he attended the meeting of the American
Association at Springfield, and had the pleasure of re-
newing many of the acquaintances which he had
formed ul the Montreal meeting. He exhibited a
map showing the distribution of some of the crystalline
limestones of the Grenville region, and also specimens
of a supposed Laurentian fossil ^rom Calumet Falls on
the Upper Ottawa.

Although we have already repeatedly referred to the
work in connection with the Laurentian rocks which
for years occupied so large a share of Sir William's at-
tention, a somewhat more connected statement may not
be out of place here. In the preliminary report which
he addressed to the Gro\ ernor-Greneral in December
1842, he notices in general terms the different forma-
tions known to exist in Canada, and among others a
great formation of syenitic gneiss occupying the hilly
country on the north side of the St. Lawrence, under-
lying the fossiliferous Silurian rocks. =^ He traces these
rocks from Cape Tourmente below Quebec to the banks
of the Ottawa, thence to the Thousand Islands, notices
their extension northward into the mountains west of
Lake Champlain, and follows them westward to the
north shore of Lake Superior. He distinctly recognizes
the fact that the flat Silurian beds rest on the irregular
surfaces of these older crystalline rocks, which he desig-
nates by the general term Primary. Thus at the com-
mencement of his work in Canada, he was aware of the

* 111 the report he refers to the Laurentidc hills as " Syenitic hills of a
gn isBoid order."

EARLY INVESTIGATORS.

333

ic hills of a

existence of that j^reat formation which was subse-
quently named the Laurentian, and would appear to
have examined its contact with the Silurian formations
in many places.

Ten years before the time of which we write, Eaton,
of the New York Survey, had described the Primary
gneisses of the Adirondack hills, and as early as 1827
Dr. Bigsby had noticed the ancient gneiss underlying
the Silurian limestones at Beauport, near Quebec. To
the labours of Bigsby, and to other Canadian researches
before the institution of the Survey, Logan refers in his
preliminary report as follows : " The labours of Captain
Bayfield, of Dr. Bigsby, Captain Baddeley, Dr. "Wilson,
Mr. G-reen, and others, show that the Primary rocks
form a continuous line from one end to the other of
northern Canada. They constitute the northern shore
of Lake Superior, and that of Huron, and coasting along
the north margin of the great transition trough described,
they reach Cape Tour mente, whence they form the north
shore of the St. Lawrence and run along the coast of
Labrador."

In the Report of Progress for 1843, little is added to
our knowledge of these rocks ; but Murray, who had
met them in his explorations north of Lake Simcoe and
oil the north-eastern shores of Lake Huron, recognized
ill some of them a bedded character, from which he in-
fers that they are " metamorphic" rocks.

In 1845, as already stated, Logan explored the Ottawa
River and some of its tributaries to a distance of 250
miles above Bytown, while in the following year both
he and Murray examined the north shore of Lake Supe-

SI:!

33.A

METAMORPHIC ROCKS.

rior. The reports on the work of these years for the
first time accurately doiiiie and describe the great Lau-
rontiaii (lower) series, to which so much time and study
were afterwards devoted.

In the Report for 1845, which was presented to the
Government in May 1846 and published in 1847, Logan
adopts for these strata the term metamorphic as em-
ployed by Lyell. They were described as of great
thickness, visually highly inclined and much contorted,
and as consisting of a lower group, entirely gneissose,
and an upper group containing crystalline limestones.
On page 40 of his report, speaking of an anticlinal arch
crossed by the Ottawa near the Mattawa River he says :
" The lowest rocks which this undulation brings to the
surface are of a highly crystalline quality, belonging to
the order which in the nomenclature of Lyell is called
metamorphic instead of primary, as possessing an
aspect inducing a theoretic belief that they may be
ancient sedimentary formations in an altered condition.
Their general character is that of a syenitic gneiss.
Their general colour is reddish, and it ises from the
presence of reddish feldspar, which is the prevailing
constituent mineral. The feldspar, however, is often
white, and frequently of a bluish-grey. The rock is in
no case that I have seen without quartz. Hornblende is
seldom absent, and mica very often present. The pre-
vailing colour of the quartz is white, but it is often
transparent or translucent. The hornblende is usually
black, and sometimes green. The mica is often black,
frequently brown, and generally of a dark tinge. The
rock (carefully distinguished from dykes) is almost

LAURENTIAN GNEISS.

335

rs for tho
;reat Tjau-
and study

ted to tho

!-i7, Logan

ic as em-

s of £?reat

contorted,

gneissose,

imestones.

3linal arch

lY he says :

ngs to the

longing to

. is called

jssing an

T may be

condition.

ic gneiss.

from the

prevailing

r, is often

rock is in

iblende is

The pre-

it is often

is usually

'ten black,

iige. The

is almost

universally small grained, and though the constituent
minerals are arranged in parallel layers, no one con-
stituent so monopolises any layer as to excdudo the
presence of others ; but even in their subordinate ar-
rang<;ment there is an observable tendency to parallel-
ism. A thick ])ed of reddish feldspathic rock, for
example, will in section present a number oi short
dashes of black hornblende or black mica, all drawn in
one direction, destitute of arrangement apparently, ex-
cei^t in regard to their parallelism ; or it will be marked
by parallel dotted lines composed of these minerals.
The continuation of these lines will be interrupted irre-
gularly, and before one ends another will commence
above or below it, the lines interlocking among one
another. Sometimes thin continuous parallel black
belts will run in the rock for considerable distances ; or
it will be barred by parallel streaks of white quartz or
white feldspar, in which, as well as the red part, these
dotted lines will occur. The same description of ar-
rangement will be found where the whole ground of
the rock is white instead of red, and then ihe red feld-
spar will occasionally constitute streaks. There is no end
to the diversity of the arrangement in which the mine-
rals and colours will be observed, but there is a never-
failing constancy in respect to their parallelism." From
this extract it will be seen that it was not only the
broad details of stratigraphy that attracted Logan's
attention, but that he also carefully studied many of
the minuter structures with which all students of the
Laurentian rocks are now familiar. On page 41 of the
same report, he continues : " To the south of the Mat-

336

LAURENTIAN AND HURONIAN.

I«i

tawa and of the Ottawa in its continuation after the
junction of the two streams, important beds of crystal-
line limestone become interstratified with the syenitic
gneiss, and their presence constitutes so marked a
character that it appears to me expedient to consider
the mass to which they belong as a separate group of
metamorphic strata, supposed from their geographical
position and general attitude to overlie the previous
rocks conformably. The limestone beds appear to be
fewer at the bottom than at the top of the group, but
whether few or many, they are always separated by
beds of gneiss which in no way differs either in con-
stituent quality or diversity of arrangement from the
gneiss lower down, except in regard to the presence of
accidental minerals, the most common of which are
garnets." Then follow other interesting details con-
cerning the limestones and the minerals observed in
them, and a detailed section of 1351 feet of strata, mea-
sured near the High Falls on the Madawaska River, as
aflfording a good example of the alternation of limestone
and gneiss. Among the rocks met with on Lake
Temiscamang in 1845 was a series of hard slates and
slaty conglomerates, the latter containing pebbles, and
even boulders as much as a foot in diameter, of the
subjacent gneisses. It was quite evident that these
beds were more recent than the gneissic series, but
Logan could detect no evidence of unconformability.
Speaking of the slates in his report, he says : •' It ap-
pears probable they will come upon some part of the
north shore of Lake Huron." This view was subse-
quently verified, and through the labours of Murray the

UPPER LAUREJSITIAN.

337

after the
of crystal-
e syenitic
marked a
consider
) group of
►graphical
previous
>ear to be
jroup, but
arated by
!r in con-
from the
resence of
ivhich are
tails con-
served in
rata, mea-
River, as
imestone
on Lake
ates and
Dies, and
r, of the
lat these
ries, but
inability.
' It ap-
rt of the
s subse-
irray the

Iluronian system, established. According to the ob-
s(!rvations of the latter, north of Lake Huron, the series
there attains a thickness of 18,000 fct^t, and gives good
evidence of being uncoraformable to the underlying
Laurentian.^

Subsec[uently, as has been stated, a series of surveys
of portions of the Laurentian districts, especially in the
neighbourhood of the Iviver Ottawa, was continiujd, and
in these reseanhcs several members of the stall' took an
important part. For a long time great quantities of
erratic masses of a rock composed largely of labrador

.^'

AN ERUATir, RKETCIIKI) RV LOfiAN

feldspar were known to exist in the valley of the St.
Lawrence ; and in 1852 it was discovered in situ by
Logan in the townships of Morin and Abercrombie, and
described by Hunt in his official report for that year.
Subsequently the rock was shown to belong to a great
stratified series resting unconformably upon the Lau-
rontian gneiss. It was hence called by Sir William

* As early as 1824, the Huronian rocks of Lake Superior had been des-
cribed by Bigsby and classed by him with " Transition rocks." The name
Huronian was first used in the " Esquisse Geologique du Canda," a little
volume prepared by Logan and Hunt for the Paris Exposition of 1855.

■^J'

; Sill

, 'Mi!!"

HUH'' '' >>'

338 SUBDIVISIONS OF THE LAURENTIAX

tho Upper Laurontiaii series, and was believed by him
to intervene between th(? Lower Laurentian and tho
Huronian, although nowhere i'ound in juxtaposition
witli the latter. Wo have already seen that the Lauren-
tian as originally described includes a lower group oj"
gneisses without limestones, to whic^.h succeeds a group
of gneisses and interstratified limestones. These two
groups together constitute the Lower Laurentian of
Logan ; but inasmuch as the upper division might be
confounded with the Upper Laurentian proper, it has
sometimes been termed Middle Laurentian. Owing to
the occurrence of the series in Labrador, and the predo-
minance in it of Labrador feldspar, the Upper Lauren-
tian has sometimes been called the Labradorian series ;
and in 1870 Hunt suggested that it should be termed
the Norian series, inasmuch as it is largely composed
of rocks similar in character to the norites of Esmark
found in Norway.

The facts obtained with regard to the above men-
tioned groups previously to 1863, by Logan, Hunt, and
other members of the staff, were summed up in the
Geology of Canada^ and the rocks there described may
be tabulated at follows : —

1. Lower Laurentian ( feet.

or -j Gneiss of Trembling Mountain, &c 5,000 ?

Ottawa Series. (

i Trembling Lake limestone 1,500

2n(l. Orthoclaso gneiss .... -4,000

Green Lalvo limestone, bands of gneiss, <fec. 2,500

3rd. Orthoclaso gneiss 3,500

Grenvillo limestone, bands of gneiss, &c.. 750
4th. Orthoelase gneiss, including a thin

bed of limestone and a bed of quartzite . 5,000

3. Upper Laurentian C

(Labradorian, J Anorthosite rocks, limestone, and gneiss. 10,000?
Norian.) (
. TT • « f Conglomerates, chloritic and other schists,

4. Huronian. | limestone, &' 18,000

THE HASTINGS SERIES.

339

Tho abovft expresses in gen«^ral terms the arrange-
ment of these rocks as described in the Geology of
Canada, and the maps and sections accompanying the
volume. More recently certain rocks in Eastern On-
tario which have been surveyed by Mr. Vennor, and
which have been regarded as less altered portions of
the " ircmtian, have been described as a newe^r series,
and in-ovisionally termed the Hastings series. =^

The labour involved in working out these results can
be appreciated only by those who have had opportuni-
ties to study in the field the contorted strata of the
Laurentian country, and though Logan had in the pro-

• The rocks of the Hastings series were first examined by Mr. Murray,
who in his reportfor 1852 (p. 103) remarks tliat, " In Huntingdon, Madoc,
Murmora, and Belmont, many interesting diversities occur in tho Lauren-
tian series, but the rocks belonging to it become so frequently and unex-
pectedly covered up by projecting and outlying masses of Ihe unconform-
able fossiliferous formations, in the part investigated, that it is impossible
to give any connected view of their arrangement." In 1864 Mr. Thomas
Macfarlano studied the rocks of this interesting region, wliich he described
in a report addressed to Sir William Logan (186.'{-G6). Ho there called
attention to the similarity of the schistose conglomerates of Madoc to con-
glomerates of Huronian age. In a foot-note to page 9;{ of Mr. Macfarlane's
report, Sir William states his opinion with regard to the Hastings series as
follows : — " The rocks of Marmora, Madoc, and other townships in Hast-
ings, have provisionally been classed with the Laurentian scries, with
which they appear to bo confornifible, and in common with which they
hold Eozoon Canadcnse. . . . These Hastings rocks may be a higher portion
of the Lower Laurentian scries than wo have met with elsewhere. It is
not to be inferred from the presence in them of a schistose conglomerate
that therefore they are Huronian. As shown in tho Geology of Canada, \).
31, conglomerates occur in the Laurentian, as well as tho Huronian series.
Some may be disposed to compare tho Hastings rocks with tho metamor-
phic Lower Silurian of Eastern Canada, but the micaceous limestones of
Hastings more closely resemble the micaceous limestones which run from
Eastern Canada into Vermont, on tho east side of the Green Mountains,
and which, from their fossils, are known to be Devonian. . . ." Accord-
ing to Dr. Hunt, the rocks referred to here are not Devonian, but Lower
Taconic, and it is to this horizon that he refers the Hastings series.

• i;i

NHM

340

TBE EASTERN TOWNSHIPS. [iseo-ei.

sedition of his researches the advantage of public funds,
and of a corps of able and willing assistants, his own
personal share in these arduous surveys, and in the
hardships which they entailed was always large.
Fai'ther, there can be no doubt that the unravelling of
the intricate distribution of the rocks so as to enable
them to be intelligently mapped and described was in
the main due to his remirkablo and clear insight into
difficult questions of this kind. To geologists it is
unnecessary to add that Sir William's reports and
memoirs have made Canada the classical ground of the
Eozoic rocks.

nip

Contorted Gneiss Bands in Limestone. Scale about ;,>g.

/, I. Limestone including thiti layers of Gnei.sR. j, g. Gneiss above and

below Limestone. Geology of Canada^ p. 27.

The years 1800 and 1861 seem to have been most
uneventful for Sir William, and he remained most of
the time in Montreal, attending among other matters
to the preparation of his great work on the geology of
Cynad£.. From time to time, however, he found it
necessary to visit some particula' point in the country
in order to obtain additional facts for the forthcoming

ROCKS OF POINT LEVIS.

341

volume. The rocks a" ^he Eastern Townships es-
pecially continued to engage his attention, and a few
remarks concerning them may be appropriately made
here. For fuller discussions of the subject the reader is
referred to the appendix (A) to this volume, kindly con-
tributed by Principal Dawson, and to Dr. Hunt's inter-
esting volume on "Azoic Rocks," published in 1878. We
have seen that in the course of his examination of the
Gaspf rogion. Sir William recognized a great series of
shales, sandstones, and conglomerate limestones, under-
lying the later Pahcozoic formations of the Peninsula
These rocks were subsequently traced along the St.
Lawrence and indontilied with the contorted strata of
the vicinity of Quebec, from which place they were fol-
lowed south-westward to the Valley of Lake Cham-
plain. As oct'uring near Queliec they had long before
been studied by Dr. Bigsby, who regarded them as
superior to the flat-lying limestones of the St. Law-
rence. Logan first examined them at Point Levis in
1840. and in his "Preliminary Report" addressed to
ihe Government in 1842, and printed in 1845, he says :
" Of the relative age of the contorted rocks of Point
Levis ornosite Quebec, I have not any good evidence,
though A m inclined to the opinion that they come out
from below the ilat limestones of the St. Lawrence.
Further study of the matter, however, soon caused him
to change his view t^ that of Dr. Bigsby, and in a foot-
note added to the above before it was printed he says :
"The accumulation of evidence points to the conclusion
that the Point Levis rocks are superior to the St. Law-
rence Limestones." Such indeed was the conclusion

i-i:

342

TJIE QUEBEC GROUP.

which any one might have arriy-ed at from a mere
study of the stratigraphy, and such was the opinion
which Logan held until 1860, the rocks up to that time
being referred by him to the Hudson River group.
The discovery of graptolites at Point Levis in 1854
only served to confirm him in the view already taken,
for both in New York and Sweden, where graptolites

GUAPTOLITES FRO\f THE QOEllEC GkOUP.

a. Graptolithus Logani (R&U.) h. Phyllograptus typus {M&W.)

of other forms were known, their horizon was the same
as that which Logan had assigned to the Point Levis
rocks. In 1856, " orthovjeratites, trilobites, and other
fossils" were discovered in a bed of limestone at Point
Levis by Dr. Hunt. This led to a more thorough ex-
amination of the locality, and during the next four
years large collections of organic remains were made

THE QUEBEC GROUP.

343

im a mere
le opinion
that time
ver group,
is in 1854
iady taken,
oraptolites

t)M»(Hall.)

vas the same
Point Levis

is, and other
one at Point
horough ex-
le next four
were made

by Bell, Richardson, and other members of the Survey.
They were carefully studied by Billings, who finally
arrived at the conclusion that they belonged to rocks
much more ancient than the Hudson River formation.
This most important and sagacious discovery of Billings
obliged Logan to seek for an explanation of the anoma-
lous stratigraphical relations. How could it be that
rocks which according to the best of pakcontological
evidence belonged to the " horizon of the Chazy and
Calciferous" were stratigraphically above the Hud-
son River formation ? This was the problem to be
solved, and the solution offered by Logan was that the
more ancient series had been " brought to the surface
by an overturned anticlinal fold, with a crack and a
great dislocation running along the summit," by which
the older rocks were " brought to overlap the Hudson
River formation." The older series Logan now (1860)
termed the Quebec group, dividing it at first into two
members, the Levis and Sillery formations, to which he
assigned a total thickness of from 5,000 to 7,000 feet.
Subsequently it was " found convenient " to separate the
upper portion of the lower or Levis division, and to
this intermediate division the name of Lauzon was ap-
pHed.

On tracing the rocks of the group under considera-
tion, south-westward from Quebec through the Eastern
Townships, they were found in close connection witli
crystalline strata, the prolongation into Canada of the
crystalline schists of Vermont, which, even before
the time of Logan, had been the cause of considerable
difference of opinion among American geologists.

«'::::|:|

i\\

344

THI! QUEBEC GROUP,

Eaton and Emmons on the one hand had maintained
that they were " Primary," while Mather and others
regarded them as altered Palaeozoic strata. After
studying the stratigraphy of the region occupied by
these rocks in eastern Canada, Logan adopted the
latter view, and firmly adhered to it during the
remainder of his life. The crystalline strata were re-
garded by him as an " altered " portion of the great
series which, as we have seen, previously to the
palteontological investigations of Billings had been re-
ferred to the Hudson River group, and were accordingly
termed in Logan's early reports "altered Hudson River
group." But after the uncrystalline strata had been
shown to be more ancient than the Trenton, and had
been named the Quebec group, the accompanying crys-
talline rocks in question were denominated " altered
Quebec group." This view of the case was generally
current among geologists for some years, and has
still its supporters, including Mr. Alexander Murray,
who has had the best of opportunities for studying
the corresponding series of rocks in Newfoundland.
In 1862, however, Mr. Thomas Macfarlane drew
attention to the similarity of the crystalline strata
of the Eastern Townships to the Huronian series of
the great lakes, and paralleled both series with the
primitive schist formation which he had studied in
Norway {Can. Nat., VIL, 125). The Huronian age
of the series in the Townships has also been main-
tained by Dr. Hunt, who, to use his own words,
"has, for many years, believed that the position of
the Sillery sandstone is at the base instead of at the

maintained

and others
rata. After
Decupled by
idopted the

during the
ata were re-
Df the great
usly to the
had been re-

accordingly
udson River
ta had been
on, and had
»anying crys-
ted " altered
as generally
rs, and has
der Murray,
or studying
wfoundland.
irlane drew
alline strata
ian series of
ies with the
I studied in
uronian asje

been main-
own words,
) position of
ad of at the

THE QUEBEC GEO UP. 345

summit of the Quebec group, and that the whole series
is more recont than the crystalline rocks of ihe Atlantic
belt, to which the x\otre Dame and Shickshock Moun-
tains, and the similar crystalline rocks in Newfound-
land belong " (Azoic Rocks, p. 114). Mr. Selwyii, Sir
William's successor, when he first came to Canada
adopted the views of his predecessor, but on further
study of the matter has changed his opinions, and now
believes in the pre-Cambrian age of the rocks under
consideration.

J ■ ' •!'

■

t !

CHAPTER XVI.

EXHIBITION OF 1862 —PRECARIOUS EXISTENCE OF THE
SURVEY — EOZOON CAJNADENSE.

■ii

SIE. William had had quite enough of exhibitions, and
would gladly have been left to carry on the work of
the Survey and bring to completion the long promised
volume on the Geology of Canada. But his success and
experience on former occasions now made the Grovern-
ment feel that he, if anyone, should represent Canada at
the great International Exhibition to be held in London
in 1862. Accordingly he was made Chief Commissioner,
while Mr. Brown Chamberlin and Mr. J. B. Hurlburt
were associated with him as Assistant Commissioners, to
represent Lower and Upper Canada respectively. Before
leaving for England a large geological collection had to
be brought together, and that hurriedly and under great
difficulties, as no instructions were received until the
eleventh hour.

Sir William arrived in London on the fifth of April,
and not a day too soon, as the space originally allotted
to Canada in the Exhibition was on the point of being

I ciiiiS,

1862.]

EXHIBTTTON OF 18fi2.

347

E OF THE

given up to others. On the 8th of May he writes to
his brother : — " As you may suppose, we have been in a
whirl of occupation ever since we came, scarcely know-
ing whether we were on our heads or our heels. I have
been made a Juror in Class I., but I fear the work will
be too much for me.

" Although I get up early in the morning and have
occasionally been at work at six, I have with great diffi-
culty been able to put my map into shape. I did not
get the sheets from Paris until the 15th of April ; then
I had to get them mounted, and to compile a part of the
geological details, reducing them from a larger scale.
Altogether I am sick of the work, and wish I were at
home again attending to my geological explorations."

On the 29th of May he again writes : —

" I have been so pushed with Jury work and a discus-
sion with Her Majesty's Exhibition Commissioners about
our Timber Trophy, that I have not had time to send
another set of maps. I wish I were back again in Canada
and settled at my regular work . ..." I wrote to Mr.
Gralt by the last packet, requesting him. io get some of
the Commissioners here to assume my place and let
me return. I hope he will attend to the matter as the
worry is too much for me.

" I have multitudes of invitations to dinners, soirees
and conversaziones, but I avoid all I can. There was an
' athome' at the Speaker's last night, for which a card
was sent to me, but I did not go. This evening there
is a dinner at the Duke of Newcastle's, to which I must
go. On Tuesday there was an anniversary geographical
dinner. Sir Koderick Murchison was Chairman, and I

348

DISCONTENT.

[1862.

was called upon to reply to a toast .... The Hudson's
Bay Company have invited me to a dinner at Gravesend,
but I have not accepted. Lady Groldsmith gives an ' at
home,' LordGrranville a dCjeuner, and the Lord and Lady
Mayor and Mayoress have sent me an invitation ; but
all these I shall decline. Then there is to be a soiree at
the Royal Society, but I am not sure whether I shall go
or not. Of other entertainments th^re are multitudes,
but I am sick and tired of all such hubbub."

Altogether he was in a most discontented frame of
mind, and the one thing in London which seems to have
afforded him any real satisfaction was the daily reunion
at the house of his sister, Mrs. Stewart, on Cambridge
Square, where a "jolly party of twelve " sat down to
dinner every day. One source of great anxiety was the
news which reached him of a political crisis in Canada,
which he thought might have a detrimental eifect upon
the interests of the Survey. On the 2nd of May the
Cartier-McDonald Ministry had been defeated on the
Militia bill, and now Logan feared that the new Finance
Minister might not be as favourably disposed towards
the Survey as Mr. Clalt had been. His work as a Juror
was finished in June, and shortly after the much longed
for permission to return to Canada arrived, and was
gladly taken advantage of.

As one of the evidences of the high opinion entertained
in England at this time with regard to Sir William and
his work, we give an extract from an article by Dr.
Percy, of London, in The Times of July 24th, 1862. The
article was one of a long series by Dr. Percy on the
metallurgical collections of the Exhibition of that year.

1862.]

I>R. PERCY ON LOGAN'S WORK.

349

rives ail ' at

For the extract we are indebted to its writer, who in
sending it says : — " It may interest you, as it is a sketch
of the work oi' Sir William Logan, whom I knew well
and respected greatly."

" Canada is most worthily represented in Class I.,
thanks to th»> director of the (\iiiadian (reological
Survey, Sir William Logan. Justice compels us to devi-
ate from the course we have hitherto pursued, and bestow
more than a passing notice on this indefatigable geolo-
gist. Unaided, he commenced, in 1831, a geological
survey of part of the great South Welsh Coallield extend-
ing from CVown Avon to Carmarthen Bay, and completed
it' in seven years, at no small pecuniary sacrilice. Such
was the estimate of the accuracy and value of this sur-
vey by the late director of the Geological Survey of
Great Britain, Sir Henry De La Beche, that with Sir
William's consent, iL was adopted as part of the national
work. In 1842 Sir William went to Canada, where he
has ever since resided, devoting his life with singleness
and earnestness of purpose truly remarkable, to the ex-
ploration of the structure and the mineral resources of
that vast territory. Not having the advantage of an
accurate map of the country, such as has been supplied
to our home geologists by the Ordnance Survey, he has
been obliged to make a topographical survey pari passu
with a geologi<3al one. Few persons can imagine the
arduous nature of this work Our indomitable geologist
is often compelled to penetrate the trackless primeval
forest, to force his way across the tangled cedar swamp,
and brave the dangers of Canadian Rapids in a frail
canoe ; and to these dilliculties we may add that his

350

RETURN TO CANADA.

[1862-6;;.

mm ''^'i^''^^

path is disputed at every step by the most relentless and
invincible foes with which man in these regions has to
contend — countless hosts of mosquitoes and black flies.
Very different is the comparatively light and gentleman-
like occupation of our home geologists, who have no
such hardships to encounter, and, after the pleasantTam-
ble of the day, never fail to enjoy the luxury of an English
cottage. Sir William Logan has neither sought wealth
nor honours, but has quietly and modestly pursued the
one great object of his life, with a devotion as rare as it
is praiseworthy. Let it not be supposed that this eulo-
gium is prompted by any feeling of personal regard. It
is a just tribute, and no more, to a man who has striven
during many years to develope the vast mineral resources
of Canada, not with a view to his own advantage, but
from pure love of his work. We are glad to know that
the Canadian G-overnment fully appreciate the value of
the labours of this self denying and faithful public ser-
vant. The Canadian territory comprises about 300,000
square miles, and about 100,000 have already been sur-
veyed by Sir AVilliam and his small staff of assistants."

After Logan's return to Montreal in August, he took
up the broken thread of work in connection with the
preparation of the Geo/ofrj/ of Canada, and now and then
visited some locality in the country in order to obtain
additional information. In the autumn of the following
year (1863) the long expected v^olume aj>peared. It was
more than eight years since its preparation had been
ordered by G-overnment, and many thought that its
publication ought not to have been so long deferred.
But neither the country nor science lost anything by

1863.]

THE " GEOLOG Y OF CANADA:'

351

the delay ; for the volume was not a mere summary of
the earlier reports of the Survey, but a new book con-
taining all the earliest facts concerning the geology of
the country. The work is too well known to require
any lengthy comment here, but it may be stated that
although published nearly twenty years ago, it remains
to-day the most valuable book of reference on the geology
and mineralogy of the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Clear, sufficiently full and not overburdened with details,
accurate in its descriptions and wonderfully free from
typographical errors, the purely scientific portion evenly
balanced by a proper allowance of economic geology, it
was altogether a model report. =^ Nor did it fail to
attract its meed of commendation on both sides of the
Atlantic. "The style in which this work has been got
up," says the Saturday Review, " the precision of the
drawing, and the accuracy of the woodcuts, may almost
challenge comparison with the execution of similar pro-
ductions on this side of the Atlantic. There has been a
steady persistence in the conduct of this remarkable
Survey, honourable alike to the successive Governments
that have encouraged it, and to the officers who have
carried out the work. No other Colonial Survey has
ever yet assumed the same truly national character ;
and the day may come — if ever the ' Imperial Colony '
shall claim and obtain independence — when the scien-

* It is but fair to state that although the Geology of Canada is commonly
known as " Logan's great work," a large portion of it came directly
from the pen of Dr. Hunt. This was true, for example, of the lithological
part of the volume and of that on economic geology, comprising together
no less than 380 pages. The proofs of the entire volume also passed
through his bands.

^f^^.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

1.25

Lit2^ |25

lu m 12.2

2.0

MUt.

U ill 1.6

•N?

Vl^s

■r

362

THE '* GEOLOG Y OF CANADAr

[1864.

tific public of a great nation, looking back upon the
earlier dawnings of science in their land, sPiall regard
the name of Logan, native born, with the same affec-
tionate interest with which English geologists now
regard the names of our great geological map-makers,
William Smith and De La Beche."

At home the work did not meet with universal appro-
bation, on account of the large share of attention given
to fossils. The Prime Minister even w^ent so far as to
express his opinion in Parliament that instead of the
Report being what it was, " it ought to have been a
school-book to instruct the youth of the Province in the
elements of geology." For this he was ridiculed not a
little by some of Logan's friends, and ono witty Irish
orator explained that the Prime Minister objv<^cted to the
investigation of fossils, because it was " carrying person-
alities too far ",

After the distribution of the Report, Sir William re-
ceived numerous letters of acknowledgment from scien-
tific men, all in terms of the warmest friendship and
admiration. One of these we give here, as it is an inter-
esting and touching souvenir of the declining years of
a man who long played an important part in the world
of science, and whose kindly nature endeared him to all
who knew him : —

"London, Roy;»i, Institution,
^'4tk. April, 1864.

}

"My dear Sir William, — I received a few days
since, by the kindness of I^ord Monck, the copy of your
great work the Geological Survey/ of Canada. It called
up in my mind the many and strong impressions which

1864.]

LETTER FROM FARADAY.

353

yet remain there associated with your fij^ure, character,
and personality ; — received at the time of the great
Exhibition in 1851. How the lapse of time since then
has changed things, i.e., how it has changed me ; and
in my change it is quite a happiness to be thrown back
a while upon the recollections of the past. For they
are very pleasant to me, and I thank you most earnestly
for such a reminder.

" I am getting somewhat old and ray hand refuses to
carry the pen over the paper as steadily and freely as
it used to do : but here I am still surrounded by the
kindness and love of all my friends. Tyndall, Frank-
land, Dr. Bence Jones and many others comfort me con-
tinually. Discovery has come to an end with me, save
that I rejoice in the discovery of others ; and indeed
knowledge is progressing wonderfully.

" I wish I knew more of geology than I do, but my
memory is gone, and I never had the opportunity of
observing in the fields the valleys and the mountains.
I hear of you continually from the men I most value. —
Ever my dear Sir William, yours most truly,

"M. Faraday.'

For several years the Survey had depended upon an
insufficient annual grant for its precarious existence, and
its operations had l)een greatly hampered. No Survt^y
<ould, in fact, be properly conducted on such hand to
mouth principles. Accordingly Sir "William addressed
a most pathethic appeal to the Hon. Luther H. Holton,
then Minister of Finance under the McDonald-Dorion
administration, urging upon him in the strongest terms

354

AN APPEAL.

[1864.

'i I]

the necessity of more liberal action on the part of the
Government. X portion of the letter is reproduced here,
as it gives an idea, in his own words, of some of the
uncertainties and harassing difficulties with which Sir
William had to contend. His appeal, as we have said,
was sent to the Finance Minister ; but at the same time
he had little faith that it would accomplish much ; for a
few days after he wrote to a friend : " The present admin-
istration is before the country as a saving one, and I think
our Survey will get a black eye."

"Geoi-ogicai, SiiitvEY Office, ">

«' MoNTRKAL, 'Jlh. January, 1864. J

" Dear Sir, — As all Government matters relating to
finance must of course come under your revision, I am
induced to address you on the subject of the Geological
Survey. The fund provided for its maintenance for the
year 18H3 is exhausted, and it is desirable that I should
be informed, as soon as convenient, as to the future
action of the administration in regard to it ; as those
dependent on the Survey for subsistence are naturally
anxious that I should give them timely notice whether
or not their services may be required.

" In 1855 an act was passed establishing the Survey
for five years, and granting for its support |20,000 per
annum. $8,000 were also voted for the publication of
a Geological Map and condensed Report. A map on
the scale of twenty-five miles to an inch was constructed
from the various published maps of Canada, and the
neighbouring parts of the United States ; but from in-
accuracies in some of these, the result was found to be
60 unsatisfactory, that it was determined to compile the

1864 J

AN APPEAL.

355

fopOjC^raphy from orijjinal Surveys, eRtablishing by tele-
i:fraph the longitudes of several principal points. To
carry this into effect required some time, and in the
meanwhile the Survey was conducted on a scale com-
mensurate with the grant. In 18()1 the new map was
ready for engraving, and at the meeting of the legislature
for that year, the fund for the juihlication of it and the
Reports still remained intact; but the act supporti'^g
the Survey having expired, the Government instead of
placing $20,000 in the estimates for the Survey as pre-
viously, deemed it expedient to make $11,000, composed
of the fund reserved for the purposes of publication and
Sn.OOO w^hich had been saved, apart of the annual grant,
adding $9,000 to complete the usual sum. I was given
to understand that it was the intention of the then
existing administration to renew the geological act the
subsequent session, and it was hoped that during the
live years of life thus to be given to the investigation,
suflicient might be sav(>d from the expenses of explora-
tion to defray those of publication. By the Honourable
Mr. Howland's supply bill, $5,000 of the publication
fnnd was restored to the Survey in 1802; but the
general grant was reduced by a like sum, so that the
real financial conditionof the Survey was left as before.

" The Report has now been i>rinted, and the Govern-
ment having taken 750 copies at cost price, the outlay
oil it has been paid with the exception of about $1,200;
but the maps by which it is to be illustrated have yet
to be coloured, and 1 shall have to cross the Atlantic
to get them printed by chromo-lithography. The topo-
^'raphical lines of the large map on the scale of twenty-

356

AN APPEAL.

[l864.

five miles to an inch, whi«h is to be a separate work^
have been engraved and paid for, and the lettering
which is the most expensive part is in progress. All
the paloRontological publications up to the present time
have been paid for, with the exception of the 2nd Decade.
This was undertaken in 1854 by Professor Hall of the
New York Geological Survey, before the appointment
of a pahrontologist to the Canadian Survey. But various
circumstances have prevented the completion of it until
the present time. The engravings are now finished, and
the descriptions are in press, so that it will soon be
necessary to provide for the cost, which will probably
be over $1,500. ... It will thus be perceived that inde-
pendent of arrears, the grant of last session would not
be sufficient to pay expenses, while nothing is allowed
for publication, without which a geological survey would
be a dead letter.

" I am very much perplexed to know how any saving
can be made. If the artist were dispensed with, it would
save $750 ; but the means of securing and publishing
our paloGontological discoveries would be sacrificed. The
chief reward of a palteontologist worthy of the name,
is the publication of his discoveries. An efficient one
could not be obtained if these were sui)pressed, and
without a skilful palaeontologist great errors might be
made in describing the sequence and distribution of
formations. For my part I should be unwilling to con-
duct an important Greological Survey, like that of Canada,
without one.

" If the topographical draughtsmen were dispensed
with, it would be a saving of $1,000 ; but the labour of

1864.]

AN APPEAL.

fparate work,
the lettering
irogress. All

present time
e 2nd Decade.
• Hall of the

appointment
. But various
ion of it until
' finished, and

will soon be
will probably
ved that inde-
on would not
ing is allowed
[ survey would

ow any saving
with, it would
,d publishing
acrificed. The
of the name,
efficient one
ppressed, and
rors might be
listribution of
villing to con-
hat of Canada,

ere dispensed
i the labour of

topographical delineation would in that case fall heavily
on myself The calls upon our time to give information,
both verbally and by letter, in respect to economic
minerals, are augmenting so fast, that Dr. Hunt and
myself often find days in succession pass without being
able to do anything else ; and I am thus driven to the
necessity of working every night until about twelve
o'clock to get through the office details required for the
proper conduct of the Survey. The consequence is that
I have no time to read up in geology, and this I begin
to find a serious professional detriment. It will there-
fore be necessary for me, should the Survey be continued
to employ a competent secretary, if I can find one, at a
sacrifice of one-third of my salary, to relieve myself as
much as possible from office details ; particularly as my
health is beginning to fail from over-work.

" Before the geological grant was sufficient to permit
the supply of scientific publications, I had furnished the
library with about $2,000 worth out of my own funds.
I have disbursed also about $2,000 for surveying instru-
ments required for topographical and geological pur-
poses ; and the Survey has brought upon me in addition,
in various ways, an expenditure of about $4,000, for
which I make no claim on the Government. In order
to get the Eeport creditably printed, I found it expe-
dient ' advance a further sum of about $3,000 for the
purchase of type, and though I expect this sum to be
returned, it is nevertheless a present expenditure, and
must run the risks of fate. All this outlay would make
it inconvenient for me to contribute to the salary of a
secretary out of my own funds.

358

AN APPEAL.

[l864

1864.J

( «,,!

ill

" The only other sums which present themselves for
consideration are those connected with exploration. To
diminish these to any extent wonld redu(^e the Survey
to the condition of doing little work with a heavy statl"
a predicament which would be satisfactory neither to
the public nor myself. How distasteful such a predica-
ment would l)e to myself will be shown from the fart
that the Parliament having been dissolved last spring
without granting the supplies, it appeared to me expe-
dient, rather than allow the officers of thestaffto receive
their salaries in comparative idleness, to carry on the
work of tho Survey out of my own funds, and at the
expiration of the season I found myself upwards of
$10,000 in advance. But the discussion which occurred
in the house last session on the subject of the Survey
made me most painfully aware of the risks I might by
possibility run by such a procedure.

"The professional responsibilities and dilliculties oi
conducting n geological Survey over so large an area as
Canada presents are quite sufficient, without being com-
plicated with those of finance. But the minds of those
charged with the investigation can never be free from
pecuniary anxieties while the sui)port given to the
Survey lasts only from year to year, and has to be
struggled for every session of Parliament. No good plan
of investigation can be formed under such an arrange-
ment, and the officers and explorers on whom I depend,
uncertain of continued employment, may be tempted
away from mc. The peculiar training whic^h they re-
quire would make it very difficult to replace them, and
though, as you will understand from a reference to the

prefac(
paid n
"W]
a term
expedi(
sufficie
and to
as will
better t
of the I
Should
will be
poses to
this Coi
mind b(
be the r
detailed
public a
and wit
very mv
palaeont(
lected, h
present
museum
as well
explorati
" Wha
intention
Canada,
venient \
any mate:

K-li'

:'tl

■I. »s

1864.

continuance: op the museum

359

preface of the late Keport, some of them are not highly
paid men, they are all from their practice very valuable.

" Whatever the grant may be, it should be secured for
a term of years by an act. But if this is not considered
expedient, and the public finances cannot afford a sum
suflicient to ensure a Survey creditable to the country
and to those charged with it, instead of such a reduction
as will just cause it to be inefficient, it would be much
better to dispense with the paid services of all the officers
of the staff with the exception of the palreontologist.
Should the work of exploration be wholly suspended, it
will be necessary to support the museum. For the pur-
poses to which it is devoted, it is unrivalled by any on
this Continent, and to permit its extinction would in my
mind be a national calamity. Properly supported, it will
be the means of giving a right direction to all the more
detailed geological investigations of the country, both
public and private, that may hereafter be undertaken,
and with a moderate annual outlay it could be gradually
very much extended and improved. A large part of the
palceontological materials that have already been col-
lected, have still to be studied and described. If our
present palaeontologist were appointed curator to the
museum, he could by degrees work out these materials
as well as anything additional resulting from further
explorations.

*' Whatever may happen to the Survey it is not my
intention to abandon the geological investigation of
Canada. The provincial museum would be a very con-
venient workshop in which to elaborate my results, and
any materials that might be derived from my explora-

360

UNPAID COMMISSIONER.

tl8C4.

tions I should be happy to contribute to the provincial
collection. If the Government were disposed to permit
the employment of two of the less expensive explorers,
I should bo willing to direct their investigations as
heretofore, but as unpaid commissioner, receiving no
allowance except for travelling expenses actually in-
curred on Canadian work, and to give the results of theii
investigations as well as my own in an occasional report,
in furnishing which to the Government I should b«>
permitted to choose my own time. . . .

•'Should this arrangement be entertained by the
Government, it must be kept in mind that to secure the
work of last season's explorations by reducing them to
form and reporting, it will be necessary to continue the
Survey on its present scale until the spring, and that
arrears for work done and responsibilities for publica-
tions undertaken will have to be provided for.

*' If anything I have stated is not clearly understood,
Mr. Langton the Auditor-General, to whose enlightened
exertions while he was in the Legislature, the country
is greatly indebted for whatever has been done in Cana-
dian geology, w^ill be able to give you full explanations,
or I shall be ready to go to Quebec if required. — I am,
dear Sir, very respectfully and truly yours,

"W. E. Logan.
" The Honble. L. H. Holton, M.P.P.,
" Minister of Finance,
" Quebec."

Not long after this letter was written a change of
Ministry occurred, the Conservatives again coming into
power, and Mr. Gait, who had always been a warm

DEMANDS UPON TIME.

361

supporter of the Survey, being reinstated as Finance
Minister. It was proposed by the new Crovernment to
renew the act making provision for the Survey, for a
period of five years ; but the " anti-Silurian nonsense "
members were strongly opposed to pledging the country
to the live years An animated discussion of two hours'
duration took place, which was on the whole highly
complimentary to the Survey, and when the question
of tne five years grant was put to the house a largo ma-
jority voted in its favour. This was on the 8th of June.
In his letter to Mr. Holton, Sir William alludes to the
amount of his own and Dr. Hunt's time consumed in
giving information about the economic minerals of the
country ; and many indeed were the applications or
demands which were sent, often couched in anything but
graceful terms. The letter of one applicant may be given

as a sample. A Mr. F , residing in the country,

imagined that he had made a discovery of native lead
embedded in cerussite, and sent a box of specimens to
Sir William to have his discovery confirmed ; but on
being informed that the specimens were simply dolo-
mite and contained no lead whatever, he again wrote
as follows : —

" C , June 15<A, 18G3.

Sir, — On the first day of June last, I addressed to you
by express a box containing about six pounds weight oi
ceruse, carbonate of lead — not calcareous spar. If it was
calcareous spar when it reached you it must have been
changed on the way. I repeat, I sent you no chalk or
lime, or magnesia. When packed into the box and
addressed, it consisted of rich samples oi carbonate of lead,

362

APPLICANTS FOR ATD.

tl8C3.

containinj^ about 60 ounces of silver to the ton of lead.
1 did not send it to you to have you guess at what it
contained. I sent it to you in order to have it assayed
to know the penientage of lead and silver which it con-
tained, in order to know how you agree with an assay
which 1 have had made by other persons quite as expert
as yourseli. That it is what I call it I know, and more I
know that you, unless more than human, cannot tell the
difference between calcareous spar and carbonate of lead
by merely looking at it without a test.

" Will you inform me if you saved the samples or not.
If not I will procure more, for I intend going to Montreal
soon in order to have the ore properly examined. You
speak of metallic lead. I said the veins contained small
crystals of metallic lead. Perhaps the samples sent con-
tained none ; but the different veins contain more or less.
In fact small crystals sometimes appear completely sur-
rounded by carbonates. Please send me a line when you
get this.

" Hoping that there may be a better understanding, =*^
" Sir, I remain yours truly.

Logan was also constantly beset with applicants for
employment, and having acquired a reputation tor
generosity there were never wanting those who looked
to him for pecuniary aid. " May it please your Lord-
ship," writes one of the latter, " you will readily see

* On one occasion a man sent a sample ot ore to Sir William for analysis
and enclosed twenty-flve cents in his letter to pay for the work. He was
also good enough to state that he had other specimens for examination,
and that if the first analysis were satisfactory he would employ Sir William
again.

[l863.

IRlJj]

GOEH TO ENGLAND,

on of lead,
at what it
it assayed
hich it con-
h an assay
tc as expert
and more I
inot tell the
)nate of lead

[iples or not.
to Montreal
lined. You
tained small
les sent con-
more or less,
ipletely sur-
le when you

,stauding,=^

licants for
mtation tor
who looked
your Lord-
readily see

iam for analysis
work. He was
or examination,
)loy Sir William

from my petition the unfortunate position I am placed
in, and I am led to understand that your Loraship is a
benevolent and generous noble man. 1 shall be hapjiy
to have your Lordship head my list ot <'ontributors.''
The letter is addressed to "The Right Honourable Sir
\V. E. Logan." Another individual to whom Sir William
in his unsuspoct iiig way had already given considerable
pecuniary assistance, but who had subsequently proved
himself utterly unworthy of conlldence, finding it use-
less to apply for more money, makes known his wants
thus : " I write to ask you to be kind enough to intro-
duce me to some tailor who will make me a suit of
clothes on credit. I find all that I have much, too worn
and thin for the present season."

Although the text of the Geology of Canada had been
completi'd in 1808, neither the atlas by which it was
illustrattnl nor the large geological map of Canada and
the neighbouring States were completed, and it became
necessary for Sir William to go to London in 1804, in
order that the work might 1»(^ carried on under his own
supervision. After spending a few days with Professor
Hall examining the structure of a part of the coiintry
between Albany and New York, he sailed lor England
on the 10th of August. From London he wrote on the
20th of the same month : " I remained in Liverpool all
Saturday, my object being to ascertain whether my two
casks and box had arrived. But I found all the world
gone to a review of volunteers, Messrs. Allan Brothers,
among others, having locked \\\> their counting-house
and left nobody to answer for them. I therefore had to
remain until Monday. ... I have seen Sir Charles

■§■

ns;.

3G4

LEISURE MOMENTS.

[l8G4.

Lyell, who has asked me to lunch with him to-morrow,
to talk of the Laurentian rooks and the discovery of
Eozoon, which he calls a great event.

" On reaching the Great Western Hotel on Monday,
r considered myself fortunate to iind that Hart was here
in the hotel, and that Margaret and Mr. Ker were in
the Square. So we made up a good larg*^ party at seven
o'clock, and I had my adventures to relate." Sir William
had intended to get the pi inting of his maps done in Paris,
but iindingthat the work could be equally well (executed
in London by Stanford of Charing Cross, he changed his
plans and remained in England. Here he was for a
short time but little occupied, and took advantage of the
temporary leisure to visit some of his friends in Wales
and Kent, and also to attend the meeting of the British
Association at Bath. Speaking of his visit to Kent, he
says : " On Monday I went down to Waterbury in Kent

and stayed with Mr. and Mrs. B until Wednesday

morning, so that you will see that I have lost no time

in continuing my round of visits. Our niece M

has a pretty and comfortable house, garden and grounds,
and appears to be very happy. . . . On the morning of
Tuesday I took a long walk, following the escarpment
of the Chalk formation for several miles until I got to
Maidstone, where I turned. My walk lasted from 10|
a.m. to 4^ i).m., and I must have done sixteen or seven-
teen miles. The valley of the Medway is very pictur-
esque, and the country is covered with hops."

Accompanied by his brotl*er Edmond, he reached Bath
in time to be present at the meeting of the British Asso-
ciation, which opened there on the 14th of September.

EOZOON CANADENSE.

365

His principal object in attending the meeting was to
read papers on, and to show specimens of the recently
christened Laur(Mitian fossil Eozoon Canndense, concern-
ing which a few i'acts may be given here. As early as
May, 1858,* Dr. Hunt had argued from the chemical
characters of the Laurentian rocks the probability of
the existence of organic life at that early period, and
in the autumn of the same year specimens from the
Calumet Ita{)ids were brought to Montreal by Mr. John
McMullen, an explorer then attached to the (reological
Survey, which rec^alled the appearance of the Silurian
fossils known as Sfromato/iora. These forms were at once
compared by Sir William wilh some similar laminated
structures from the Laurentian of IJurgess, (Jntario, pre-
sented to the Survey by Dr. Wilson of Perth. The
specimens were examined microscopically by Dr. Daw-
son, but no minute structures could be detected in them.
As we have seen, however, Sir William ventured to
bring them before the American Association at the meet-
ing in Springfield in 1859, and argued their probable
organic character from their dehnite and limited forms,
and from the circumstance that the minerals filling the
supposed cavities were different in different specimens,
while the forms were the same. Sir William also carried
specimens with him to London, and showed them to
some of the geologists there, few of whom, however,
seemed inclined to believe in their organic iharacter.
Notwithstanding this, one of the Calumet specimens
was figured and introduced into the Geolog'f/ of Canada
in 1863, as a probable Laurentian fossil, though without

* American Journal of Scioncc II., xxv., 426.

-ill

366

EOZOON CANABENSE.

any name or technical description. Not long' after this
new specimens were obtained from a locality near Gren-
ville on the Ottawa, by Mr. James Lowe, one of the
Survey explorers, showing the characteristic structures
which have since become familiar to microscopists.
ThCiSe new specimens were submitted to Dr. Dawson for
microscopi(^ study, and he at once recognized in them
structures which he believed to be organic and to belong
to an animal of the group of Foraminifera. The results
of his examination he embodied in a detailed paper in
which he proposed Eozoon Canadense as the name of the

EozooN Canadense.

From a specimen collected by the liite Dr. Wilson, of Perth, Ontario.

Dawson — " The Dawn of Life.'

new fossil. The Chemistry of Eozoon was discussed by
Dr. Hunt in another paper, and the manuscript of these
was taken to London by Sir William at the time of which
we are now writing, in order that the whole matter
might be submitted to Dr. AV. B. Carpenter or some other
recognized authority on the subject of Foraminifera. The
specimens were submitted to Prof. T. Rupert Jones, but

EOZOON CANADENSE.

367

rvS

»,«»:'^o^;

jrth, Ontario.

EozooN Canauk.ssk.

(1) Small specimen disengaged by weathering. (2) Acervulinc cells of
upper part — magnified. (3) Tuberculatcd surface of lamina — magnified.
(4) Laminjc of Serpentine in eoction, representing casts of the sarcode —
magnified. (5) Section magnified showing canal system at (6) and tubuli
at (a). (6) Canals highly magnified.

Dawson — " Acadian Geolofftj^' arid " The Dawn of Li/e."

368

LYELL ON EOZOON.

[1864.

owing to ibsence in Wales and Ireland, and also to ill
health, Dr. Carpenter was prevented from examining
them until some time in October. In the meantime,
however, Sir William had introduced Eozoon to the
British Association at Bath, where he read a joint com-
munication on the subject by himself, Dr. Dawson and
Dr. Hunt.*

Sir Charles Lyell was the first president for the year.
Already he had satisfied himself as to the organic char-
acter of Eozoon, and in the closing part of his presiden-
tial address he alluded to the discovery as follows : —

" In reference to the .... earliest date of vital phe-
nomena on this planet, the late discoveries in Canada
ha' e at last demonstrated that certain theories founded
in Europe on mere negative evidence were altogether
delusive. In the course of a geological survey, carried
on under the able direction ol Sir William E. Logan, it
has been shown that northward of the Eiver St. Law-
rence there is a vast series of stratified and crystalline
rocks of gneiss, mica-schist, quartzite, and limestone,
about 40,000 feet in thickness, which have been called
Laurentian. They are more ancient than the oldest
fossiliferous strata of Europe, or those to which the term
primordial had been rashly assigned. In the first place,
the newest part of this great crystalline series is uncon-
formable to the ancient fossiliferous or so-called prim-
ordial rocks which overlie it ; so that it must have
undergone disturbing movements before the latter or
primordial set were formed. Then, again, the older
half of the Laurentian series is unconformable to the

• « On Organic Remains in Laurentian Rocks in Canada."

[l864.

also to ill

examining

meantime,

won to the
joint com-

lawson and

or the year,
rganic char-
is presiden-
)llows : —
)f vital phe-
in Canada
•ies founded
a altogether
vey, carried
E. Logan, it
er St. Law-
crystalline
limestone,
been called
the oldest
ch the term
? first place,
iH is uncon-
alled prim-
must have
le latter or
the older
able to the

1864.]

A GREAT DISCO VE MY.

369

newer portion of the same. It is in this lowest
and most ancient system of crystalline strata that
a limestone, about a thousand feet thick, has been
observed, containing organic remains. These fossils
have been examined by Dr. Dawson, of Montreal, and
he has del >cted in them, by aid of the microscope, the
distinct structure of a la;-go species of Rhizopod. Fine
specimens of this fossil, called Eozoon Canwleme, have
been brought to Bath by Sir William Logan, to be exhi-
bited to the members of the Association. We have every
reason to suppose that the rocks in which these animal
remains are included are of as old a date as any of the
formations named azoic in Europe, if not older, so that
they preceded in date rocks once supposed to have been
formed before any organii; beings had been created."

Altogether Eozoon met with a most favourable recep-
tion from the Association, and during the discussion
which took place after the reading of Logan's paper,
Lyell went so far as to state that he looked upon this as
the greatest geological discovery that had been made in
his time. The importance of the discovery was fully
recognized by Sir William. He saw that the structures
could not well be accounted for by any theory of ordin-
ary mineral deposit, and, as we shall see, he entered with
a warm enthusiasm into the defence and illustration of
the Laurentian fossil whose discovery changed the name
of Azoic to Eozoic.

After the meeting of the Association, Logan went for
a few days to Cromer in Norfolk, in order to join one of
his sisters and her family who were staying there at the
time. "I came down the day before yesterday," he

iii'l

370

GEOLOGICAL COLOURS.

[l864.

i.S'

writes, " and we are just now collected to the number
of twelve. To-morrow we shall be thirteen." From
London he wrote to his brother James, on the 6th of
October : — " On returnin^^ from Cronier last Monday, I
found here your letters of the 12th and 16th Septr. . . .
Mr. Bone, who colours the geological maps of the United
Kingdom, is still endeavouring to make my ^clours
match. ... No doubt it would be a benefit if one sys-
tem of geological colours could be adopted for all coun-
tries ; but the distribution of the formations is so capri-
cious that I fear that while the colours representing
them might harmonize for one country, they might have
a bad eifect on the eye for another. ... I have to-day
ordered my grand specimen of Eozoon to be placed for
show in the Museum of Economic O-eology, on Jermyn
Street, where I have no doubt it will be much examined
and criticised." Two days later he again writes : — " I
am to see Dr. Carpenter with the Laurentian specimens
this evening. I am told, however, by one of his friends
that he is by no means well, and that I must not
fatigue him too much."

Dr. Carpenter having seen the specimens of Eozoon,
at once expressed his belief in the correctness of Dr.
Dawson's views, and a few days after wrote to Sir
"William as follows : —

«< 8 Queen's Road Wert, ")
" October 14<A., 1864. j

" Dear Sir William, — I have been giving as much
attention as my present condition permits to the speci-
mens you have placed in my hands ; and I have found
nothing to shake, but on the contrary everything to
confirm, my first impression of the nature of your most

1864.]

intere

ideas

esseni

so I £

speciii

specin

Jermy

my im

interne

but on

a fragr

that th<

another

bility i\

type att

what w

two ind

ing to a

"Ify(

you, I h

Street ^

Believe

For soi
to be the
will be
written,

" Octob
Bone wit
I have sh

[1864.

the number
en." From
. the 6th of
t Monday, I
aSeptr. . - .
)f the United

my ..olours
t if one sys-
for all coun-
is is so capri-
representing
y might have
I have to-day
be placed for
y, on Jermyn
uch examined

writes : — " I
ian specimens

of his friends
I must not

bs of Eozoon,

jctness of Dr.

wrote to Sir

Ld West, \
Uth., 1864. i

Iving as much
|s to the speci-
I have found
jeverything to
of your most

1864.]

CARPENTER ON EOZOON.

371

interesting fossil. I will write you more in full my
ideas of its structures and affinities, which harmonise
essentially with those of Dr. Dawson. But before doing
so I am very desirous of seeing some characteristic
specimens of Receptaculites. Some years ago when
specimens of that fossil were first sent over to the
Jermyn Street Museum, Salter showed me some ; and
my impression was that if really fossils, they were the
internal casts of an organism nearly allied to Orbitolites,
but on a gigantic scale. I have been looking again at
a fragment which Salter gave me ; and it seems to me
that the two sets of specimens, so to speak, confirm one
another ; each independently affording a strong proba-
bility that at an early geological period the Rhizopod
type attained a development which, in comparison with
what we have since known, was colossal ; and these
two independent probabilities when combined amount-
ing to an almost absolute certainty.

" If you have not any specimens of Rereptac utiles by
you, I have no doubt that the authorities at Jermyn
Street would lend you theirs for my inspection. —
Believe me, yours faithfully,

'• William B. Carpenter."

For some time Eozoon and geological maps continued
to be the two subjects uppermost in Logan's mind, as
will be seen by the following extracts from letters
written, while in London, to his brother in Montreal : —

" October 2\st. : — I have now got my map from Mr.
Bone with the English colours on it. It looks very well.
1 have shown it in Jermyn Street, and they approve of

372

WOJtK AND PLAY.

[1864

1 M:.

it. ... I dined with Sir Edmund Head on Tuesday
Professor Tyndall was there, and I think there was a
plot between them to g^et mo to give a lecture at the
Royal Institution on Eozoon and matters connected
with it. The very thought of it would make me un-
comfortable all the time I am here, and interrupt my
work. I therefore civilly, but point-blank, declined.

" October 29th. : — I went afterwards [i.e., after visiting
a marble yard to see some Italian and other marbles] to
the Survey Office in Jermyn Street, where they havf
given me the corner of one of their large tables to work
at on my maps. Afterwards I went to the lapidary's to
look after more slices of Eozoon for Dr. Carpenter, and
the day went by before I knew it. "When I got to the
hotel the post hour had passed. Eozoon goes on swim-
mingly.

" November 5th. : — I am working without intermission
at the maps. I have to use a magnifying glass to follow
the limits engraved for the colours, and I assure you it
is very fatiguing to the eyes.

" November Sth ; — I am progressing here steadily but
slowly. The days arc so short that I cannot see to
colour ray map later than 4 o'clock ; and as I work at
a table which has been devoted to my use in Jermyn
Street and cannot get into the museum before ten, I can
with difficulty place more than two colours, sometimes
three, on the maps in a day. ... I have been invited
by Greneral Lefroy to dine with him at Blackheath. I
go down by a train which leaves the Charing Cross
Station at 6 p.m., and return the same evening. I am
to meet Captain Noble who used to be in Montreal.

1864] PAP

" Novemt

having no\

weather it;

middle of t

end a yelL

lines. We;

the smallest

been able h

'' Novemhi

sheets for tl

on account

" Novembt

before the G

23rd. inst., a

districts abo

the one I ht

mented to o

cal and geol

worked unti

tion to the tl

map, I have

burgh map.

" Novembe

Dawson's, H

Greological S

" I have \^

sion that I a

I have comn

ing and cont

last I kept a

map was in

[l864

on Tuesday
there was a
loture at the
:s connected
lake me uu-
nterrupt my
:, declined,
after visiting
er marbles] to
re they havo
ables to work
! lapidary's to
urpenter, and
n I got to the
nroes on swim-

t intermission

rlass to follow

assure you it

e steadily but
cannot see to
I as I work at
se in Jermyn

fore ten, I can
irs, sometimes

been invited

51ackheath. I

:^haring Cross

Irening. I am

Montreal.

1864] PAPER BEFORE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 373

" November 12//t ; — I have still six colours to place,
having now done twonty-three. "With the present dark
weather it is really distressing work. Sometimes in the
middle of the day there comes from the city to the west
end a yellow fog, rendering it impo.ssible to see the
lines. Were it not that I am near-sighted and can see
the smallest objects without spectacles, I would not have
been able to get on at all.

" November llth. : — I have just finished the thirty
sheets for the lithographer. It has been an awful job,
on account of the dark weather.

" November 19//t. : — I am to read the papers on Eozoon
before the Geological Society on Wednesday next, the
23rd inst., and I am preparing a map of the Laurentian
districts about Grenville for the occasion. It is a copy of
the one I had on a scale of three miles to an inch, aug-
mented to one mile to an inch. All the lines, topographi-
cal and geological, have been put upon it, and I have
worked until one o'clock for several nights. ... In addi-
tion to the thirty partially coloured copies of the general
map, I have now ready for Mr. Stanford the Phillips-
burgh map. Stanford has engraved it beautifully.

" November 24th. : — Last evening our papers (my own,
Dawson's, Hunt's, and Carpenter's) were read before the
Greological Society, and I think we had a success.

" I have worked so hard to finish a map for the occa-
sion that I am quite tired out. Ever since Friday last
I have commenced by candle-light at six in the morn-
ing and continued until midnight. The night before
last I kept at it until three in the morning. As the
map was intended for candle-light effect, I put on a

374

EOZOON ESTAIiLlSITED.

[l8C4

large part of the colour at night. Some that I had laid
on by daylight I altered at night, in consequence of find-
ing that tints which had been very distinct from one an-
other by day could not be distinguished by candle-light.

" December Hth. : — I think I told you that the Duke of
Argyll was to notice our Laurentian fossil in his address
to the Royal Society (Edinburgh) on Monday evening
last. . . .

" One objector to the organic character of Eozoon
was Mr. "Woodward, a naturalist of the British Museum.
But having shown him a specimen which I etched on
Monday last, he relinquished his opposition, and said
he was now convinced that Eozoon was an organic
entity. Mr. Maskelyne, the Mineralogist of the British
Museum, whose grand microscope was used for the
purpose of examining the specimen, said that he did
not know anything of organic forms, but that he would
assert that Eozoon was not an inorganic one.

" There is now no one that I know who has seen the
specimens and does not believe them to be fossils, so
that I think Eozoon is pretty well established.

" December \Ath. : — My sections have all been en-
graved on four sheets. I am correcting the proofs, and
much correction they require — not in the lettering,
which is well done, but in the lines showing the divi-
sions of formations and the surface. . . . Dr. Carpenter
is to explain the structure of Eozoon this evening before
the Royal Society, showing under the microscope the
specimens he has examined. Of course I mean to be
there if I can . but I have engaged to be with Mr. Salter
at 5 o'clock, this being his birthday.

[l8C4

1864-66.]

BEREAVEMENT.

375

I had laid
nee of find-
•omone an-
andle-light.
the Duke of

his address
ay evening

of Eozooii
ih Museum.
[ etched on
m, and said

an organic
f the British
ised for the
that he did
at he would

has seen the
De fossils, so
led.

ill been en-
proofs, and
le lettering,
ing the divi-
r. Carpenter
suing before
jroscope the
mean to be
th Mr. Salter

" December 11th. : — Dr. Carpenter read his paper on
Eozoon at the Royal Society on Thursday, and all went
off beautifully.

" December 22nd. : — On the subject of Eozoon I have
the honour to be in correspondence with the Duke of
Argyll, who has written to me to enquire whether the
specimen of Tyree marble in which Dr. Dawson got
traces of the fossil was the salmon coloured with green
spots (composed of sahlite), or the white with green
spots of serpentine ; for there are two kinds of Tyree
marble. I have informed him that I thought it was
the white with spots of green serpentine "

The first of January, 1865, came round, bringing to
Sir William many a kindly wish for a Happy New
Year. But kindly wishes could not avert impending
sorrow, and before the year had elapsed two of the
brothers whom he loved with all the intensity of his
ardent nature had gone to their last resting-place. For
some time Mr. Edmond Logan's health had been failing ;
but though his friends had experienced considerable
anxiety on his account, they had not anticipated that
his disease was so soon to terminate fatally. In January,
however, the news which Sir William received seemed
to be less and less favourable, and he determined to go
to Edinburgh " to see for himself." There ho soon learned
from the lips of both Dr. Simpson and Dr. Duncan that
recovery was impossible. Nor was the end long de-
layed, for on the 24th of the month the brother breathed
I his last.
I Sir William was not a man who talked much of his

3Vfi

JiAMSA Y ON EOZOON.

[l8CB.

the bitterness of pent-up grief. Deeply as he felt his
loss, however, his active mind could not long brood over
trouble, and though o}>liged to remain in Edinburgh for
several weeks to att< nd to his brother's allairs, the proofs
of his maps were regularly sent to him from London,
and as regularly correcttul and returned. The 22nd. of
February found him again in London, where he remain-
ed most of the time until the end of May, when he left
for Canada. Up to the time of his departure he con-
tinued to write regularly to his brother in Montreal, and
from the letters of this period we give a few extracts.

" March Wth. : — Last night Ramsay gave a lecture at
the Royal Institution on Eozoon and the Laurentian
rocks of Canada, and various considerations connected
with them in respect to geological time. It was very
well done, and surpassed the lecture given to working-
men. The audience was numerou.s, but not quite so
overflowing as it sometimes is, the evening being a
rainy one. The illustrations were excellent. Many of
them there were those used at the former lecture, but
some of them new. One of the new ones was a magni-
ficent mass of Eozoon, in the form of a retangular block,
supposed to 1)6 cut out of the rock, and to be uninjured
by pressure or destructive agencies of any kind. The
silicious skeleton was then supposed to have been dis-
solved away, so that what remained represented the
sarcode or animal jelly in all its details, the scale being
sufficiently large to indicate the larger and smaller
branching tubuli, as well as the small nummulitic
vertical tubuli lining all the chambers and cells. This
was very effective.

1805.]

PJtOaiiESS OP AfAP.

•• There were on one of the tables in the library of the
Institution some pieces of the Connemara marble, in
which it is said structure has been found ; but I must
confess they did not strike me as reKem})liiig Kozoon.
There were no slices for the microscope, however, and
of these I have not yet seen any. I am to dine with Dr.
Carpenter to-day, for the purpose of inspecting a micro-
scope which he has selected as one fit for good work
and int«>nded for the Survey. It is one of Smith and
Beck's, and 1 suppose the cost will be about £,'20. I
believe the Dr. has some thin slices of the Connemara
marble, of structure in which he does not speak with
much confidence, and I dare say I shall see some of
them. I fear that examiners in examining serpentinous
marbles with the microscope, will at first be very apt
to refer all eviden<'e of organic structure they may de-
tect in them to Eozoon, whether the organisms be Eozoon
or something else. . . .

" March 23rrf. : — ... In the American news among
other things it is said that Mr. Seward has rescinded
his passport system, and that the Americans do not in-
tend to increase their naval power on the lakes. If this
be true it will have an effect on Canadian securities and
stocks.

" On Saturday Mr. Stanford supplied me with the first
copy of the general map. I showed it to Sir Roderick
Murchison, Mr. Ramsay, Mr. Reeks, Mr. Ethridge, Mr.
Smyth, and others at the Museum in Jermyn Street.
The general effect of the colours was very much
admired by every one of them ; Mr. Ethridge said it
was the prettiest geological map he had ever seen. The

":3

CONFEDERATION,

[1865.

registering, however, is imperfect, and will require
many trials to get it right. There are still the map of
superficial geology and two sheets of sections to put on
the stones. Mr. Stanford now promises them in ten
days. ..."

Sir "William was greatly interested in the scheme for
the confederation of the Provinces, believing that if
carried into effect it would be for their mutual advan-
tage. At the same time he felt that in all probability
the Geological Survey would be placed under the con-
trol of the general government, and that the field of his
operations would be greatly extended. His letters from
London in 18G5 contain frequent allusions to the
subject.

'^ March 25th. : — ... The confederation scheme ap-
pears to be going astray in Nova Scotia and New Bruns-
wick, much to the regret of everybody on this side of
the Atlantic. It is said that there will probably be
another meeting of all the delegates at Montreal to see
how matters can be adjusted. , . .

" April 2Qth. ;— . . . Mr. Gralt and Mr. Cartier have
arrived and are staying at the Westminster Palace Hotel.
I saw them this morning for an instant ; but they were
going to wait on Mr. Card well, by appointment, and
had not time to say anything. I am to breakfast with
them to-morrow morning at 9 o'clock.

" There is a report in the city to-day that Mr. Presi-
dent Lincoln has been assassinated ; whether true or
false, or how the report has come, I cannot say. If
Johnson becomes President I think Canadian securities
will experience a fall, as he seems red-hot for hanging

[1865.

nil require

the map of

ns to put on

them in ten

3 scheme for
sving that if
utual advan-
[ probability
ider the con-
le field of his
s letters from
sions to the

1 scheme ap-
New Bruns-
this side of
probably be

ontreal to see

C artier have
Palace Hotel.
)ut they were
intment, and
eakfast with

at Mr. Presi-
3ther true or
inot say. If
ian securities
; for hanging

1865.]

ASSASSINATION OF LINCOLN.

379

everyone and making war upon England. The loss of
Lincoln would be a most serious affair for the world at
the present moment.

" April 21th. : — It turns out that the death of Lincoln
is too true. The Nova Scotian brought the intelli-
gence. ... I breakfasted with Gralt and Cartier this
morning and showed to G-alt the progress made on the
maps. The general map has still to be made to register
perfectly. Stanford now says I shall have it by Satur-
day. . . .

''May 4th. : — I have received your letter of the 17th
April, by which I regret to observe the decease of our
friend Judge Gale. Will you have the kindness to
express to the family the condolence of myself and our
sister Agnes for their loss. Warning after warning comes
that our own time will arrive at no very distant day.

' I called on Brown and McDonald on Monday, and
saw all the four delegates, but was not told anything
of how they were getting on. Mr. McDonald said that
the sympathy expressed by the Colonies for the death
of Lincoln had much changed the feeling in New York
in regard to them ; and I am sure the sympathy here,
which appears to be universal, ought to go far towards
smoothing asperities of sentiment with regard to
England.

" Dr. Carpenter has communicated a capital paper on
the structure of Eozoon to the Intellectual Observer, of
which he means to send copies to Hunt, Billings, and
Dawson. It is illustrated by a first-rate coloured en*
graving showing a restoration of the animal, and by
other figures of particular parts."

380

PARTS EXPOSITIOM

[l8G5-Gr.

^Hf.

i\ i

Sir "William left for Canada on the 27th. of May, and
on reaching Montreal found a source of deex? anxiety in
the illness of his eldest brother, Mr. James Logan In-
stead of spending the remainder of the summer in the
field as he had contemplated, he was obliged to be fre-
quently in Montreal, and while there went out every
evening to spend the night with his brother at " Rock-
iield " on " Logan's Farm." After the death of Mr.
James Logan, which occurred on the 16th. of September,
Rockfield became Sir William's solitary home whenever
he was in Montreal.

Li 18G6 Sir "William devoted a good deal of attention
to the geology of a portion of New England, which he
thought would throw some light upon his investiga-
tions in Canada. Some time during the year, also, he
received instructions to prepare a collection of the
mineral products of Canada to be shown at the ap-
proaching Paris Exposition. Early in 18G7 he went to
London, and there worked so closely at the preparation
of a geological map for exhibition at Paris, that he is
said to have seriously injured his eyesight. Meantime,
Mr. Richardson had accompanied the mineral collection
to Paris, in order to attend to its arrangement there,
and during the Exposition the Survey was represented
by Dr. Hunt , whose thorough knowledge of the mineral
resources of Canada, as well as of the French lansruaffe,
enabled him to do good service for the country. As at
previous exhibitions, the Canadian geological collection
was much admired and was awardea a number of
medals.

Sir "William himself did not wait to receive his

[18G5-67.

if May, and
) anxiety in
jogan In-
imer in the
d to be fre-
out every
1- at " Rock-
;ath of Mr.
September,
e whenever

of attention
1, which he
; investiga-
3ar, also, he
tion of the

at the ap-
he went to
preparation
, that he is

Meantime,
il collection
nent there,
represented
the mineral
ti language,
itry. As at
il collection

number of

receive

his

■}.: . ,,.' 'mm

} If i
li

1861

hor
foil
oft
of:
ser'
san
hin
his
tioi
wh
18G
Ro]
vol
phc

day
awi
yea

giV(

^o^,
C
by
Eoz
boe
assi
Tud
was
ofi)
com
less
forn

1867. WELL-MERTTED ItONOUnS. 381

honours, but returned to Canada early in June. In the
following month his rank was raised by the Emperor
of the French from Chevalier to Officer of the Legion
of Honour, a just recognition of his long and valued
services in the cause of science. In the autumn of the
same year the Council of the Royal Society awarded
him one of the two Royal G-old Medals of the year for
his " geological researches in Canada, and the construc-
tion of a geological map of that colony " The friend
who proposed his name says in a letter dated Nov. 8th.,
18G7 : — " Some time ago I proposed you for one of the
Royal Gold Medals given by the Royal Society. We
voted yesterday in Council and you were carried trium-
phantly."

"I have just learnt," wrote Murchison on the same
day, " that the Council of the Royal Society have
awarded to you one of the two Royal Medals of the
year, and I hasten to tell you how much pleasure it
gives me, the more as it follows close on my dedication
to you of the new edition of Siluria."

On the 8th of May, while in London, he read papers
by himself and Dr. Dawson "On new specimens of
Eozoon ". The most important of these specimens had
been discovered by Mr. H. Or. Vennor, then one of the
assistants on the G-eological Survey, in the township of
Tudor, about forty-five miles north of Lake Ontario. It
was looked upon as particularly important from the fact
of its occurrence in a limestone which had undergone
comparatively little alteration, and which was therefore
less likely to contain dendritic concretionary mineral
forms simulating organic structures.

CHAPTER XVII

CLOSING YEAES.

ALTHOUGH Sir William's great geological map
bears date 1866, it was really not published until
1869, and in March, 1868, he was obliged to go to
London to attend to the work as it was in progress.
Early in June, however, he was back in Canada, and
shortly afterwards we find him busily engaged with
preparations for geological field-work. Accompanied
by the late Mr. W. B. Hartley, whom he had engaged
as his assistant, he left for Nova Scotia about the end of
of July, and began an investigation of the structure of
the Pictou coal-field, which long before he had visited
when making his researches concerning Stigmaria. For
many years his geological work had been almost en-
tirely confined to regions occupied by contorted and
folded metamorphi(3 strata, and it must have been plea-
sant for him once more to return to the Carboniferous
formation, from which he had derived his first geologi-
cal inspirations. And yet the Pictou coal-field offered
no easy problem in geology, but rather a sort of gigantic

PICTOU COAL-FIELD.

383

logical map

)lished until

^ed to go to

in progress.

Canada, and

igaged with

Lccompanied

lad engaged

it the end of

structure of

had visited

maria. For

n almost en-

ntorted and

been plea-

rboniferous

irst geologi-

field offered

t of gigantic

Chinese puzzle composed of numerous pieces due to a
complicated series of faults. This is made evident from
an inspection of the map of the Pictou coal-field accom-
panying the reports of Sir William and Mr. Hartley.
The map shows that the productive Coal measures are
on every hand bounded by rocks of the Millstone Grit
and Devonian formations, brought to the surface by
faults and limiting the area of the productive measures
to about twenty-two square miles.

In his report on the district examined, Sir William
groups the rocks as follows, in ascending section :

1. Conglomerates, quartzites and compact slates.

2. Greenish-grey and red sandstones, \

■with conglomerates and impure
limestones.

3. Red coarse conglomerates.

4. Productive coal measures.

Carboniferous.

The rocks of No. 1 are, on the authority of Dr. Daw-
son, stated to be Devonian. No. 2, again, are supposed
to represent the portion of the Joggins Section in the
Bay of Fundy referred by Dawson to the Millstone G-rit
formation. Though somewhat different in aspect, Sir
William regarded the rocks of this division as the equi-
valents of the series in Graspe, which he had many years
before called the Bonaventure formation. The red
coarse conglomerates of No. 3 are those which Dr. Daw-
son had previously described as the New Glasgow con-
glomerates. They have evidently been derived from
the Millstone Grrit formation, to which, according to the
evidence of Mr. Hartley, they are unconformable.
Group No. 4 includes the celebrated "main seam,"
thirty-five feet thick, and beneath it one of twenty-

384 RETIREMENT FROM PUBLIC LIFE. [i868-69.

four foet, one of five and one of eleven, all in a thick-
ness of 500 feet.*

Altogether, Logan spent only three months in Pictou,
and entrusted the further carrying out of the work to
his assistant, Mr. Hartley, in whose abilities he seems to
have had the greatest confidence. Mr. Hartley accord-
ingly returned to Pictou in 1869 and again in 1870, but
in the autumn of the latter year, through over-exertion
and exposure, brought on the illness which so soon
terminated his life.

In a previous chajitcr we have already seen how in
earlier years Logan looked forward to the time when
he should not only investigate the geology of Upper
and Lower Canada, but should extend his researches
from ocean to ocean, from Atlantic to Pacific. But the
years had swiftly passed, and now that Confederation
had widely extended the field of his operations, he
began to realize that he was fast becoming an old man
and had not the strength to cope with the enhanced
responsibilities. His estates, too, had greatly increased
in value, and daily required more and more- of his per-
sonal attention. Under these circumstances he resolved
to resign the position which he had held for more than a
quarter of a century, feeling that if relieved of the
duties devolving upon him as Director of the Survey,
he might with greater advantage devote himself to his
favourite science, and would also be free to spend such
time as he saw fit with his friends in Britain. His
resignation was tendered to the Government in the

* This is on the west side of the East iUver.

18G9-70.] RETIREMENT FROM PX7BLIC LIFE. 385

month of January (1869), and on his rocommendation
Mr, A. R. C. Selwyn, who for many years had directed
the Geological Survey of Australia, was in December
appointed as his successor. It was with feelings of
deep regret that the public received the announce-
ment of Sir William's retirement, and never was the
press of any country more unanimous in its expres-
sions of approval at the career of a public servant.
Not long after his retirement, he wrote to an old and
distinguished conchological friend in England : —

" ROCKFIELI), MONTIIEAL,

"18M. Feb., 1870.

}

" My dear Jeffreys, — .... It is quite true that
I have resigned the directorship of the G-eological Sur-
vey of our Canadian Dominion. It had become too great
an exertion for a man of my age to attend to so wide-
spread an investigation. I am not, however, quite free
yet, as I have to transmit to the Government printed
reports of explorations which were made under ray
authority in various parts of the country, and for the
results of which I am responsible. It has been my hope
to visit the other side of the Atlantic before the spring ;
but it is not quite a certainty that I shall g'^'t through
my task of attending to the press in time.

" It will be my wish to show myself on your side of
the Atlantic more frequently than I used to do ; but my
permanent residence is here, where I shall be happy to
dig up some of the soil to show you Arctic shells when
you come out. For even if I should be at some distance
when you present yourself in these parts, I shall make
a point of coming to meet you. One of my fields is

ilS'i

• ' T^

386

PROPOSED SCHOOL OF MINES. fi87o-7i

jin^^H'

'.uB^^i

fl^^^^B"

"f'iS^^^B

:^H

EIH

'^^m

•J^HK

f.i^S

I'l^^^^^H

T-J^tiffi

I'^^Hl

;< 11^

:3sB^

pretty well stored with these said shells, but the species
are only the oomraoii ones. I saw a good many of them,
just before our winter's snow fell, in two or three pits
which had been sunk for agricultural purposes. If you
should feel inclined to delve in this field of mine, bod,
board, men and tools will bo placed at your disposal,
and I shall deem it strange that we who used to dijr
together in the bone caverns of Gowerland should be
shell-grubbing together on my paternal acres in
Canada."

Before his retirement from the Survey, Sir "William
endeavoured to establish a School of Mines in connec-
tion with the Museum at Montreal, modelled after the
Jermyn Street School in London ; but unfortunately the
scheme fell to the ground. About the end of March
(1870) he sailed for Britain, in order to visit his friends
there and also to attend to various matters of business.
Harassed as he had for some time been by the multi-
tude of affairs to be settled in connection with his retire-
ment from public life, he greatly needed rest and change,
and the quiet of such a place as his sister's home in
Wales must have been particularly grateful to him. In
June he was back in America, and not long after we
find him in Massachusetts, striving to throw light upon
the geology of eastern Canada by a study of the Green
Mountain series as developed in that state.

Dreading the long Canadian winter, and no longer
tied down by official responsibilities, he again crossed
the Atlantic in January, 1871, and remained with his
friends on the other side until May, when he returned
to Canada. Before going to Montreal, however, he went

1871.]

WOJiK MESUMED.

887

to St. John's, Newfoundland, to visit his friend Mr.
Alex. Murray, the sharer of his toils in the early days
of the Canadian Survey. Sir William spent several
weeks in Newfoundland, studying a little of the g-eology
of the island and examining the interesting collections
accumulated by Mr. Murray. On his return to Montreal
he resumed the temporary directorship of the Survey
during the absence of Mr. Selwyn in British Columbia.
This, however, did not preclude him from returning to
the Eastern Townships, and devoting several months
there more particularly to a study of the rocks in the
neighbourhood of Melbourne. A new interest now
attached to the rocks of this region ; for the correctness
of the views which he had for years promulgated
with regard to them had recently been called in ques-
tion by Dr. Hunt, whose earlier opinions concerning
metamorphism had gone far in confirming Sir William
in his interpretations based upon stratigraphical evi-
dence. " My present investigations," wrote Sir William
to a friend, " have been undertaken with much incon-
venience to myself, in consequence of some of ray work
having been (needlessly, as I am persuaded) called in
question." It was indeed a sore trial for him thus late
in life to retrace the footsteps of past years ; but feeling
that his reputation as a geologist was at stake, he took
to the field at a time when his health demanded that
he should take rest, determined to settle the question
by observations on the ground. As is well known, he
continued his work in the Townships for several years,
but had not completed his investigations or published
any of his conr^Uisions when called away by death.

888

A LONdPROMISED VISIT.

[1871-72

After his return from the field in September, he was
delighted by a long-promised visit from his friend Mr.
J. Gvvyn JellVeys ;=*<= while in the following month he
was greatl y grieved by news of the death of Sir Roderick
Murchison, who, like Sir Henry de la lieche, had always
been his warm friend and supporter. The winter of
1871-72 was spent in Canada, and with the return of
spring he agpin went to the Townships for another
season's work. Most of the following winter was spent
with his friends in England, but by April he was back in
Canada,! and was soon hammering away as hard as ever
at the rocks of the Townships, Danville being his head-
quarters for most of the summer. In the autumn he

• Mr. Jeffreys refers to this visit in the following reminiscences, kindly
contributed for this volume ; " My earliest recollection of the late Sir
W. E. Logan dates from 1836, about which time he came to Swansea and
joined Mr. Starling Benson in taking some heaps of ' slag' or raetallurgic
refuse for the purpose of extracting copper. They also leased and worked
a colliery at Penclawdd, six miles from Swansea. The latter undertaking
led to Mr. Logan's investigation of the South Wales mineral basin, which
attracted the attention of Sir Henry De la Beche. Mr. Logan and I were
for some years the co-secretaries of the Royal Institution of South Wales;
and he was the geological, I the zoological curator of the Museum. After
he left Swansea I saw very little of my friend until I also left and went to
live in London. In 1871 I visited North America, and was his guest at
Logan's Farm, Montreal. We examined together the fossiliferous and so-
called glacial beds in that district. My long acquaintance with him,
although intermittent, left the impression on my mind that he was not
only very talented, but remarkably amiable. He was full of humour, and
the way in which he sang ' The Laird of Cockpen ' will not easily be
forgotten by those who heard him. His manner was delightful, and he
was a thorough gentleman."

t It was shortly after his return from England on this occasion that the
following incident occurred. We give it as related to uo by a gentleman
in Montreal : " On his return from England in 1871, Sir William called at
the office of a friend to obtain an address. The friend not being within,
the clerk to whom he addressed himself, and to whom Sir William was

[1871-72.

iber, he was
s friend Mr.
ig month he
Sir Roderick
;, had always
le winter of
be return of
for another
ter was spent
e was back in
5 hard as ever
ing his head-
I autumn he

1873-74.] DEATH OF MR. HART LOGAN.

389

received news of the death of his only surviving brother,
Mr. Hart Logan, and was much affected by the unex-
pected loss. Though his health was far from good, he
determined to spend the winter of 1873-74 in Canada,
and although he stirred little from his solitary home at
Rockfield, he occasionally visited the odices of the Sur-
vey, where every one was pleased to see him ; for his
face still wore its merry smile, and he still exhibited a
keen interest in every question connected with the
geology of the country. When at Ro(;kfield his even-
ings were often spent in reading novels, of which he
was always very fond and over which he many and
many a time shed tears like a school-girl. During the

iniscences, kindly
n of the lute Sir
e to Swansea and
g ' or raetallurgic
eased and worliod
atter undertaking
leral basin, which
Logan and I were
i of South Wales;
e Museum. After
3 left and went to
was his guest at
jsiliferous and so-
itanco with him,
that he was not
11 of humour, and
ill not easily be
elightful, and he

occasion that the
by a gentleman
William called at
not being within,
Sir William was

personally unknown, rendered the desired service. The slouched hat,
much the worse in colour for exposure to sun and shower ; the ill-fitting
suit, innocent of acquaintance with a clothes-brush ; the muddy knee-
boots, the long hair, shaggy beard and spectacles, altogether, gave him
the appearance of a gardener out of employment ; and his apparent
ignorance of some of the chief streets of the city, led the clerk to the
conclusion that he was a stranger from the country — so he good-naturedly
oflFered to pilot him to his destination. On the way the little old gentle-
man exhibited considerable power of walking, which, however, did not
interfere with a lively conversation. On being asked where he had been
living lately, he replied that he had just returned from Wales. ' I have

friends in Wales,' said his guide ; ' they live at C .' • Ah I that is on

the lime,' replied the active little stranger. ' My sister lives at L ,

which is on the slate.' Other places he had visited were described as
being on the coal, on the lime, and so forth. Such a strange description
of locality the guide had never heard before, and he wondered who his
odd-looking but interesting companion could be. Nor was his astonish-
ment less when he noticed that many of the gentlemen they met on the
vay saluted him with evident respect. It was clear, too, the little gentle-
man observed his guide's mystification, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Having
seen him safely to his destination, and having derived much pleasure from
the conversation, the clerk on his return, seeing one of the gentlemen who
had recognized his companion in the street, enquired who he was, and
was informed that it was Sir William Logan."

390

THE LAST VOYAGE.

[1874-75.

summer of 1874 he spent several weeks in the Townships
where he did his last geological work ; and in August,
accompanied by his secretary, Mr. Gr. R. Grant, he once
more sailed for the mother country. This was his last
voyage, although at the time he looked forward to
returning to Canada in the spring. During the winter,
while he was staying with his sister in Wales, the
disease which for some time had been insidiously creep-
ing upon him became rapidly aggravated. " 1 grieve
to say," wrote his sister on the 22nd. of January, " that
we are in a state of great anxiety about Sir William.
His disease has made great strides, but the doctors do
not despair of doing him good if we can but keep up
his strength ; but he is very weak. . . . We sit up with
Sir William every night now." On the third of Feb-
ruary his condition was somewhat improved, but he
evidently felt that he should never be well enough to
return to Canada. Writing at the time to a friend in
Montreal, his sister says : " He wishes me to tell you
that he is now disposed to take up his abode altogether
in this country, and I need hardly say what a satisfac-
tion the determination will be to all his friends on this
side the Atlantic." In another letter written on the
10th. of the month she again says : " I am very much
grieved to say that I see no improvement in my dear
brother since I wrote last. In spite of all the nourish-
ment he takes he seems weaker. . . . He wrote a short
note to Mr. Whitaker yesterday, and was dreadfully tirad
after it."

On the 16th. of February, as no change for the better
had taken place, Dr. Hulke of London was telegraphed

for; b

little t

Most c

write, .

which

negocii

persons

with a

carried

thoughi

ness of

the bor

much a

ations p

Wales t

after da]

Sir Will

that he

bore-hol

althouffl

able to r

sence th

cores fro

land for

On tht

letter to ;

may be ^

'• I dar

I have hi

present a

some imj

[1874-75.

e Townships
i in August,
rant, he once
was his last
. forward to
g the winter,
1 Wales, the
liously creep-
1. "I grieve
muary, " that
Sir William.
lb doctors do
but keep up
^e sit up with
third of Feb-
pved, but he
ell enough to
|o a friend in
e to tell you
ide altogether
ihat a satisfac-
■iends on this
ritten on the
:i very much
It in my dear
|l the nourish-
wrote a short
•eadfuUy tirad

for the better
is tolegraphed

1875.]

UNFTNTSHED WORK.

391

for ; but on his arrival the following morning he found
little to change in the treatment of the local physician.
Most of the time confined to bed and unable to read or
write, Logan's mind perpetually reverted to the work
which he had left behind in Canada. For some time
negociations had been pending between him and certain
persons in London with regard to boring operations
with a diamond drill which he wished to have
carried out in the Eastern Townships, and which he
thought would enable him to demonstrate the correct-
ness of his views. He was particularly anxious that
the boring should be begun in the spring, and was
much annoyed by the tardiness with which the negoci-
ations proceeded. A Mr. had promised to go to

Wales to discuss the matter with him; but as day
after day passed and he did not make his appearance.
Sir William grew very impatient and began to think
that he was " fighting shy of him." The site for the
bore-hole in Canada he had already indicated, and
although he had evidently given up all hope of being
able to return to Canada himself, he felt that his pre-
sence there was really not essential, inasmuch as the
cores from the hole could be forwarded to him in Eng-
land for his inspection there.

On the 15th of March he was able to write a long
letter to a friend in Canada, from which a few extracts
may be given : —

" I dare say you will be glad to see my hand again.
I have hitherto been interdicted from writing, and the
present act will show you that there has really been
some improvement in my health. I need never hope,

392

LAST ILLNESS.

[1875.

however, to be in perfect health again. . . . My friends,
both here and in London, were anxious that some man
of confirmed reputation should be called in to give his

opinion upon Dr. N 's treatment. The gentleman

decided upon was Mr Hulke He is third in rank, but
first in authority, in the Middlesex Hospital, and enjoys
a reputation He is one of the surgeons who were
called in at the last illness of the Duke of Wellington.
He is a man to whom you take at once —gentle and
considerate in his manner, and extremely attentive to
every word that is said. . . . After mature consideration
[he] said that it was very gratifying to find that Mr.

N had done everything so nicely, and that I was

fortunate in having met with such a man, whom he
knew to be a warm-hearted fellow, one desirous of
sparing every possible pain, yet always acting up to
what he considered necessary. He (Dr. N.) has along
treated me with the utmost tenderness, more as if I had
been his father than his patient.

" Mr, Hulke's visit cost i)190. Last week I asked

Mr. N for his account for medical attendance up to

the first of March, as I was desirous of paying it period-
ically instead of waiting to the end of the complaint, as
one did not know how long it might last. He has
attended me from the middle of December, visiting me
twice nearly every day, and often remaining all night.

. . . Dr. N is in partnership with his father, though

from age the father can now do nothing. In paying
the account the jC57 13s. 6d. was in a cheque to the firm ;
but I made the son a present of iJlOO for himself. He
said it was the first large fee he had ever received, and

[1875.

1875.]

LAST ILLNESS.

393

. My friends,
lat some man
n to give his
le gentleman
•d in rank, but
al, and enjoys
ns who were
f Wellington
}— jrentie and
y attentive to
; consideration
find that Mr.
id that I was
lan, whom he
le desirous of
1 acting up to
N.) has along
ore as if I had

Iweek I asked
endance up to
ying it period-
complaint, as
last. He has
^r, visiting me
ling all night.
|father, though
In paying
liie to the firm ;
himself. He
received, and

was very thankful for it. The family is not very well
off. . . ."

In a postscript to the letter, written two days later,
he adds : —

"The moment I fell ill, Dr. N recommended

me to get a professed surgical nurse, and we were
fortunate in procuring one from the establishment

of Mrs. W , an institution from which nurses of

experience are supplied ai one guinea per week. , . .

The money is paid to Mrs. W at the expiration

of every month, and not to the nurse, who of course is

remunerated by Mrs. W according to agreement

between them. We are particularly requested to give
no money to the nurse, but we may give her a writ-
ing expressing our opinion of her and stating what
good qualities we consider her to possess. I am
ready to give mine — Mrs. Fletcher she is called — a
high character for care, cleanliness, experience, and
fifty other good qualities. . . . She is gentle, strong,
and never seems to be at a loss what to do in an
emergency. . . ."

By the middle of May, Sir William's health was so
far improved that he was able to go to Tenby and spend
a fortnight there. Not long before he had purchased a
carriage and pair of horses of which he was very proud,
and while at Tenby he went nearly every day for a
drive with some of his friends. The weather was fine
and at first his appetite improved daily ; but the im-
provement was only temporary. While at Tenby, still
intent upon the prospective boring operations, he
wrote : —

394

LAST ILLNESS.

[l875.

18TI

"Tknby, 26<A. May, 1875.

" My dear Mr. G., — I have to acknowledge your
letters of the 30th. April and 7th. May. The former
ought to have been acknowledged by the last post ; but
I took a driA'e to Carew Castle without recollecting that

it was mail day. Mr. L at length contrived to see

me here yesterday, and made his proposition for the
bore-hole in the Eastern Townships. It is to be 950 feet
and is to cost somewhere near the ^8,000. He is to
write me a letter from London to-morrow after seeing
his brother, with a statement of the conditions, and I am
to accept them by a return letter. One thing to be con-
sidered in the selection of a position is water, a good
deal of which is required. Not far from the spot which
I had indicated there is a marsh which is discharged
by a brook, and perhaps it will not make much dift'er-
ence if the vicinity of the brook is selected. The hole
would go through the same strata with a small addition
of chloritic slate at the top. ... It will be the middle

of June before Mr. L will be able to commence the

bore-hole. ... I do not think I have made any great
progress in health at Tenby. We mean to return to
Castle Malgwyn on Tuesday the 1st. June."

On the 4th. of June he wrote, though with an un-
steady hand : " The weather is nice and warm, and I
am a little stronger. Capt. Stewart has lent me a Bath
chair, and I was out up the dingle in it before seven
o'clock. The dingle and the garden and all the country
are looking beautiful and there is great promise of all
kinds of fruit." On the 12lh. of June he was again in
the garden peacefully drinking in the beauties of that

1875.]

THE CLOSE.

395

wondrous Nature which had so long been his delight
and inspiration. The balmy air, the flowers, the birds,
the very pebbles at his feet, all seemed to gladden his
heart and even to give him fresh bodily vigour. But,
alas ! it was only the glow preceding nightfall. The
garden was visited no more, and indeed from that time
he scarcely left his bed. Day by day he grew weaker,
and the w^eary watchers at his bedside saw that life
was fast ebbing away. As the end approached he
suffered much from pain and exhaustion, and when
death came on the 22nd. of June, " it was almost a relief
to his friends to see him at rest."

And now he sleeps iii the quiet churchyard of Llech-
ryd between his brother Hart, and his " great friend "
and brother-in-law, Mr. A. L. Gower. Peace to his
memory ! Honour to his name !

ties of that

^ # # * * #

Those who had the good fortune to know Sir
William Logan will remember him not merely as an
enthusiastic geologist, but as a frank, true and genial
friend. Many a fellow-creature was cheered by his
cheerfulness, helped by his kindly advice and sym-
pathy, or in the more substantial way which ample
private means rendered possible. In many respects
his was a solitary life. Unlike his great contempo-
raries, Murchison and Lyell, he never enjoyed the
sympathy and assistance of a wife. His over-active
mind, no doubt, needed to be drawn from the geological
grooves in which it ran, and if on returning to Eockfield,
after the worries of the office or the hardships of the

396

CONCLUDtm HE MARKS,

forest, there had been more of the attractions of home,
his life would have been happier and possibly even
longer than it was. As he grew old, he must have
often experienced a sense of his loneliness, and we
have already seen that during his declining years he
more and more turned for sympathy to the sisters who
had been the fond companions of his boyhood.

Though Sir William was possessed of a vigorous
constitution and great powers of endurance, enthusiasm
and interest in his work often carried him beyond his
strength, and caused him to undergo excessive hard-
ship and fatigue. As is so frequently the case with
men of note, his tastes were very simple. His dress
was the plainest, and he cared little for the luxuries of
the table. Though brought up in accordance with
the principles of Presbyterianism, he was rarely to be
found in the kirk, and seven days a week seemed all
too short for the absorbing pursuit of science. At heart
he was a true tory, but owing to his position as a
Government servant, he carefully avoided meddling in
any way with political matters. The skill with which
he steered his bark among the shoals caused by party
legislation, in the end winning for himself and his
work the praise and confidence of all, shows that he
was possessed of remarkable sagacity. There was never
any surrender of his personal independence, but by
tact and a quiet, good-natured, irresistible persistence
his objects were attained ; so that years before his death
he had the satisfaction of seeing the Survey established
upon a comparatively liberal basis, and of feeling that,
largely through his own exertions, the usefulness of

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

397

ns of home,
)8sibly even
must have
;ss, and we
Qg years he
sisters who
od.

a vigorous
enthusiasm
L beyond his
Bssive hard-
e case with
His dress
3 luxuries of
:dance with
rarely to be
" seemed all
, At heart
3sition as a
neddling in
with which
,ed by party
elf and his
ws that he
e was never
ice, but by
persistence
re his death
established
eeling that,
lefulness of

geology and a geological survey were far better
appreciated in Canada than when he began his work
there. When we bear in mind how late in life he
entered upon his career as a man of science, how many
difficulties he had to contend with in a new country
like Canada, and how much of his time was taken up
with European exhibitions and official drudgery, we
are surprised at the quantity of geological work which
he accomplished. It is true, however, that if he
laboured under some disadvantages, there were also
circumstances greatly in his favour. When he began
the Canadian Survey he was already personally known
to the principal geologists of Britain, who naturally
took a deeper interest in the work than if it had been
undertaken by one who was a stranger to them. He
came also to an almost entirely unexplored field, which
had all the charms of novelty and was ready to yield
up discovery on every hand.

Like many of the geologists of his day, Logan had
only a limited knowledge of chemistry, mineralogy
and palaeontology ; but he had the good sense to
recognize his deficiencies and to supplement them by
securing the services of men who were towers of
strength in the departments which they represented.
His own special field was that of stratigraphical
geology, and among the ups and downs of anticlinal
and synclinal he was most thoroughly at home.
Indeed, for such combined topographical and geologi-
cal work as he had to carry on he was eminently
qualified. As a close observer and careful delineator
of facts he excelled, but his mind was not of the

llli^r

ill

398

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

■;

speculative type, and he rarely indulged in the flights
of fancy so common among geologists.

Earnestness and singleness of purpose were among
the most marked features of Sir William's character.
From the time that he began the G-eological Survey
until the day of his death, the great aim which was
perpetually before him was to thoroughly elucidate the
geology of Canada, and to render the knowledge
acquired subservient to the practical purposes of life
and to the advancement of his native country. He
was continually beset with requests to examine and
report upon mines in various parts of the country, but
invariably refused, unless he felt that the information
derived would be of advantage to the public. Nor
would he on any such occasion accept of remuneration
for his services. Any bona fide attempt on the part of
individuals or companies to develop the mineral
resources of the country was sure of his encourage-
ment and advice if asked for ; but the impostors
who tried to palm off " salted " mines or impossible
geological discoveries upon the unsuspecting public,
he despised, and always took an intense pleasure
in exposing their schemes. " During the time of a
gold excitement in the Province of Quebec," writes
Professor H. Y. Hind, " he was not unfrequently urged
to give his opinion on gold-bearing quartz. On one
occasion a number of specimens were shown to him
by some speculators, in the presence of intending pur-
chasers of the property. Sir William's opinion was
asked whether the glittering metal visible at the
bottom of the little cavities in the quartz was really

gold.

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

399

1 the flights

vere among

s character.

ical Survey

which was

lucidate the

knowledge

]»oses of life

•untrv. He

xamine and

country, but

information

)ublic. Nor

imuneration

. the part of

he mineral

encourage-

impostors

impossible

ing public,

se pleasure

time of a

ec," writes

ntly urged

z. On one

wn to him

snding pur-

)inion was

ble at the

was really

gold. ' No doubt of it,' said the unmoved critic, after
eyeing it closely with a pocket magnifier. ' No doubt
of it ; and with this glass you can see ^he marks of the
punch perfectly.' On another occasion, when pestered
to give an opinion on a copper-bearing area, after
reiterating without avail that he was a geologist but
not a mining engineer, he was pressed for an answer
to the question whether there was not an enormous
quantity of copper within the area described ; he
satisfied both the intending seller and contemplating
purchaser by the reply, ' There is an enormous quantity
of copper — an enormous quantity ; and it is my opinion
that it will cost just a little more than it's worth to get
it out.' "

Sir William had little capacity for literary work, and
although he usually expressed himself with precision
and force, his style was lacking in ease and graceful-
ness. Fine writing, however, was not his object, but
rather to describe in simple language the results of
observations in the field. In addition to his valuable
reports to Grovernment, which together would make
several bulky volumes, he published a number of inter-
esting papers, some of which have been noticed in the
foregoing pages. ^ As he advanced in life, he found
the work of composition more and more arduous. For
some years before his death he contributed nothing
to the literature of science, and even ordinary corres-
pondence became increasingly distasteful to him.

Sir William's more important work in the cause of

• For a list of Sir William's more important reports and papers, see
Appendix B.

400

SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC WORK.

science may be brielly summed up as follows : —
(1.) Investigations with ro<^ard to the origin of coal,
whi(5h resulted in a much clearer understanding of
the subject than had been current before his time.
(2.) The establishment of the Laurentian system as a
great series of stratified crystalline rocks, divided into
several groups, and containing at certain horizons
evidences of organic life. (3.) The proof of the exist-
ence of a second series of crystalline stratified rocks
(the Huronian) resting unconformably upon the Lau-
rentian. (4.) The identification of the various formations
of Canada younger than the Huronian, and the estab-
lishment of the fact that the inferior rocks of the
Palaeozoic series rest unconformably upon the Lauren-
tian and Huronian. (5.) The production of a number
of admirable geological maps, giving not only the
results of his own explorations and those of his staff
in Canada, but including the work accomplished by
various geologists in the other British Provinces and
in parts of the United States. In the execution of these
maps he was very greatly indebted to the skill of Mr.
Robert Barlow, late Topographer of the Survey.

Sufficient has already been said to show that the
interests of Canadian science must have been greatly
promoted by Sir William's exertions at the great
exhibitions of London and Paris — exertions whose
value has never been fully realized.

Logan was not only a Fellow of the Royal Society
of London (1851), the Royal Society of Edinburgh
(1861), and the GTeological Societies of London (1837)
and Edinburgh (1867), but also a Member of the

Geolo
(1874),
Germ:
Scienc
the A(
can Ac
State I
the Ann
Society
the hon
Univere
of Laws
the rec
to him
scientiti

MEMBEltSHIP OF SOCIETTES.

401

Geological Societies of France (1842) and Belgium
(1874), of the Imperial Leopoldo-Carolinian Academy of
Germany (1857), the Philadelphia Academy of Natural
Sciences (1846), the Maine Historical Society (1847),
the Academy of Sciences of St. Louis (1857), the Ameri-
can Academy of Arts and Sciences, Boston (1859), the
State Historical Societies of Wisconsin and Iowa (1859),
the American Philosophical Society (1860), the Buffalo
Society of Natural Sciences (1863), &c,, &c. He received
the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Lavv^ from the
University of Lennoxville in 1855, and that of Doctor
of Laws from McGill University in 1856. He was also
the recipient of more than twenty medals, awarded
to him on various occasions as a recognition of his
scientific work.

in If

terra

ploxi

1838,

the C

were

great

and s

geolo;

and c

tlie m

'I'o mi

•lyes

contin

officcri

Sir
matior
des Ch
Upper
each 01
fossils,
More t
series,
logical
contaiii

APPENDIX A.

TllK Ql'HMKC (tROTTP.

Bv PiuNriPAi, Kaw.son, C.M.G., F.R.S.

When Sir William Logan comniencfM! the GeoloRical Survey of Canada
in 1842, thcHo rociiK, in so far as his field was (.oncernt^d, wore ahnoat a
terra incognita, and very scanty ineanK existed for nnravelling their com-
plexities. The "Silurian Systt'm" of Miirchisou liad been completed in
1838, and in the samo year Sedgwick liad published his classification of
the Cambrian rocks. The earlier fluul rejjorts of the New York Survey
were being issued about the time wlien Logan commenced liis work. The
great works of Hall on the Pal.eontology of New York had not appeared,
and scarcely anything was known as to the comparative palaionlology and
geology of Europe and America. Those who can look back on the crude
and chaotic condition of our knowledge at that time, can alone appreciate
the magnitude and ditBculty of the task that lay before Sir William Logan.
To make the matter worse, the most discordant views as to the relative
ages of some of the formations in New York and New England which are
continuous with those of Eastern Canada, had been maintained by the
officers of the New York Survey.

Sir William made early acquaintance with some of these difijcult for-
mations. His first summer was spent on the coast of Caspe and the Bale
des Chaleurs, where he saw four great formations, the Quebec group, the
Upper Silurian, the Devonian, and the Lower Carboniferous, succeeding
each other, obviously in ascending order, and each characterized by some
fossils, most of which, however, were at that time of very uucertjiin age.
More especially was this the case with the Lower and Upper Silurian
series, which differed considerably in mineral character from their chrono-
logical representatives in New York and Western Canada ; while the fossils
coutaine*;! in ihi-'va were often peculiar, and could only be roughly corre-

404

APPENDIX A.

lated with the few forms at that time published by the New York Survey.
Still this work of 1842 and '43 was plaia and easy compared with that
which arose in the tracing of these formations to the southwest. Sir
William's work on these rocks was characterized by extraordinary care and
exactitude, the stratigraphy and every feature of tlio rocks having been
elaborately observed and noted down. Much of the detail in these early
note-books of Sir William still remain'' unpublished. Tliose who would
detract from the work of Sir William nogan, if there are any such, should
remember these early beginnings, and compare them with the massive
foundations which have been laid for us to build upon.

This early work in Gaspe and its vicinity was only the commencement
of the labours of thirty years e.xtended over all parts of Canada, and re-
infurced by several able assistants, and more especially by Messrs. Murray
and Richardson. These labours are elsewhere referred to, and we may hero
sum up the general results with reference to the older formations, more or
less connected with the Quebec group. (1) All the comparatively flat and
undisturbed formations of the great plains of Upper and Lower Canada,
the Canadian portion of the interior continental plateau of America, have
been worked out and mapped, and their fossils characterized so that a child
may read them. (2) The complex hilly districts with their contorted,
disturbed and altered beds, which extend from New England to Gaspe,
have been traversed in every direction, the limits of their dlffjrent for-
mations marked, and a theory as to their age and structure put forth, which,
whether we accept it or not, has in it important features of the truth, and
rests on facts on which every disputant must take his stand. (3) Tho
still older formations of the Laurentido hills have been traced in their
sinuous windings, and arranged in an order of succession which must
stand whether the names given by Sir William, and now accepted through-
out the world, be objected to or not. After the work of Sir William Logan,
no cavilling as to names can ever deprive Canada of the glory of being the
home of the scientific exploration of the Laurentian ; and much examina-
tion of the ground which he explored enables nic to a(hrm that no one will
ever be able permanently to overset the general leading sub-divisions
which he established in the Laurentian and Huronian systems.

Befoie defining more particularly the work of Sir William in the Quebec
group, it may be well to notice some general geological facts which must
be j)reseut to our minds if we would enter intelligently into these discus-
sions. The formations with which we have to deal in the more ancient
geological periods all belong to the bed of the sea. Now in the sea bottom
there have been in process of deposition, side by side and conteraporane-
ouslj', four dilTerent kinds of material, differing extremely in their mineral
character and in the changes of which they are susceptible. The first of
these consists of earthy and fragmental mat r washed by water from tlie
surface or sea margins of the land and deposited in belts along coast-line.s,
or on broader areas where ocean currents have been drifting the detritus

gl-ound f
consists
in coral
in the ch
widely d
action frc
lava-flow
naturally
in long
canic ran
interstrat
descriptic
form froii
deposits 1
rence. S

Now it
geologica"
locally,
there was
in any pa
alternatioi
periods.

Again, a
water have
of the ear
changed, ii
chemically
morphic.
to such mt
igneous or
as of silicc
water, bec(
substances
when acte
silicates.

One oth(
the greatest
course of (
likely to o
where igne
deflected, s<

These coi
character, fi
origin, and
localities ; '

APPENDIX A.

406

New York Survey,
(inpared with that
le southwest. Sir
;raordinary care and
rocks liaviag boea
letail in these early

Those who would
re any such, should
L with the massive

the commencement
of Canada, and re-
' by Messrs. Murray
to, and we may hero
formations, more or
imparatively flat and
and Lower Canada,
iu of America, have
erized so that a child
■ith their contorted,
England to Gaspe,
if their different for-
:ure put forth, whicli,
res of the truth, and
lis stand. (3) Tlio
een traced in their
ession which must
accepted through-
Sir William Logan,
le glory of being the
and much examina
im that no one will
ading sub-divisions
systems.

Uiam in the Quebec
al facts which must
y into these discus-
in the more ancient
iw in the sea bottom
md conteraporanc-
ely in their mineral
ptlble. The first of
by water from the
ts along coast-lines,
ifting the detritus

gtound from the land by ice or washed down by great rivers. The second
consists of organic remains of shells, corals and foraminifera, accumulated
in coral reefs and the debris washed from them, in shell beds and
in the chalky ooze of the deep ocean. Some beds of this kind are very
widely distributed. The third is composed of material ejected by igneous
action from the interior of the earth, and either spread in the manner of
lava-flows or of beds of fragments and fine volcanic ash. Such rocks
naturally occur in the vicinity of volcanic orifices, which are often disposed
in long lines along coasts or crossing ocean basins, but fragmental vol-
canic matter is often very widely distributed by ocean currents and is
interstratified with other kinds of aqueous deposit. The fourth and last
description of bedded matter is that which is deposited in a crystalline
form from solution in water. In later geological times at least, such
deposits take place in exceptional circumstances, not of frequent occur-
rence. Such beds are dolomite, greensand, gypsum, and rock salt.

Now it may be afiirmed that at each and every period of the earth's
geological history, all or most kinds of these deposit were in progress
locally. But it may also be affirmed that in certain geological periods
there was a predominance of one or more over very great areas; and that
in any particular area, even of considerable size, there may be definite
alternations of these different kinds of material characteristic of particular
periods.

Again, along certain lines of the earth's crust, the beds deposited by
water have been folded and crushed together, probably by the contraction
of the earth's shell in cooling, and along these lines they have been
changed, in the way of hardening and becoming crystalline or in being
chemically recompounded — alterations which are usually known as meta-
morphic. But still further, some kinds of deposit are much more liable
to such metamorphic changes than others. More especially the beds of
igneous origin, from their containing abundance of basic matter, as well
as of silica, very readily change under the iufluence either of heat or
water, becoming it may be highly crystalline, or having new mineral
substances formed in them by new combinations, or, on the other hand,
when acted on by water combining with it and forming hydrous
silicates.

One other curious coincidence it is necessary to mention. — It is where
the greatest deposits of sediments are going on along coasts or in the
course of currents, that crumpling and bending of the crust are most
likely to occur, and igneous ejections to be thrown out ; and conversely,
where igneous ejections are piled up, coasts may be forming or currents
deflected, so as to cause at these points the greatest deposit of sediment.

These considerations are sufficient to show the true value of mineral
character, first as a means of distinguishing rocks of different nature and
origin, and secondly of separating rocks of different ages within limited
localities ; with the entire worthlessuess of the criterion when applied to

406

APPENDIX A.

distinguish tho ages of beds in widely separated localities. There are in
America rooks as widely apart in time as tho Huronian of the East and
the Carboniferous of the West, which are scarcely distinguishable in
mineral character : there are rocks of identical age, as for instance tho
Lower Silurian of New York and Western Canada and that of Nova Scotia
and the North of England, which are as unlike in mineral character as it
is possible for rocks of the most diverse ages to be.

But can wc trust implicitly to stratigraphy ? Certainly, when we find
one rock directly superimposed on another we know that it is the newer
of the two. But when we find old rocks slid over new ones by reversed
fault.", when we find sharp folds overturning great masses of Iteds, and
when we find portions of beds hardened, altered, and become more resist-
ing, standing up as hills in the midst of the softer materials, perhaps of the
same age, which have been swept away from around them, then we have
the real difficulties of stratigraphy.

We may have difficulties in fossils as well. Nothing is more common
than to find in the modern ocean areas traversed by cold currents which
have very diff'erent animals living in them from those in the same latitude
where the water is warmer. The same thing occurs in older formations.
The abundant corals and large shell-fishss in the North American lime-
stones of the Trenton age, show a condition of things in which the great
area of Central North America was covered with warm waters from the
south, teeming with life, and was sheltered from the northern currents of
cold and muddy water. But in the Utica shale wliich succeeds, wo have
the effect of these cold currents (lowing over the same area, loading it with
mud, over which lived Graptolites and old-fashioned northern Trilobites
like Triarthrus Beckii, instead of the rich life of the Trenton. This is a
mere change to a cold or glacial age, and there must have been through-
out geological time not only such changes in any given locality, but areas
which at the same time presented the diverse conditions of warm tropical
currents and those derived from the Arctic regions, and in which conse-
quently very difi'erent forms of animal life must have flourished.

It is only when we consider that all these causes of error embarrass the
study of the Quebec group of Sir William Logan, that we can appreciate
the difficulties of the case. Crossing a narrow line, a mere crack of the
earth's crust, the great reversed fault of Eastern Canada and Lake Cham-
plain, we pass at once from the tlat uniform deposits of the great conti-
nental plateau of America to entirely different beds, formed at the same
time along its Atlantic margin. These beds were affected by volcanic
ejections, mixing them with ash rocks and causing huge earthquake waves,
which tore up the rocks of the sea bottoms and coasts, and formed great
irregular beds of conglomerate, sometimes with boulders many feet in
length. In the intervals of these eruptions the area was overflowed by
cold Arctic currents carrying sand and mud, sometimes altogether barren
of fossils, or again loaded with cold water creatures like the Graptolites

APPENDIX A.

407

3. There are in
of the East and
stinguishablc- in
for instance the
t of Nova Scotia
l1 character as it

r, when we find
,t it is the newer
nos by reversed
ses of beds, and
ome more resist-
Is, perhaps of the
n, then we have

is more common

1 currents which

he same latitude

ilder formations.

American lime-

which the great

waters from the

;liern currents of

icceeds, wo have

a, loading it with

"thern Trilobites

nton. This is u

e been througli-

)cality, but areas

if warm tropical

n which conse-

rished.

or embarrass the
e can appreciate
re crack of the
,nd Lake Cham-
the great conti-
1 at the same
ted by volcanic
rthquulie waves,
d formed great
s many feet in
8 overflowed by
together barren
the Graptolites

which occur in vast quantities in some of the beds. Alternating with all
this were a few rare lucid intervals, when fossiliferous limestones, just
sufficiently like those of the great interior plateau to enable us to guess
their similar age, were being produced here and there. Farther, this heap
of most irregular and peculiar deposits was that along which subsequent
flexures and igneous eruptions and alterations of beds both by heat and
iicated waters wore most rife, all the way down to the Devonian period.
It is difficult without personal examination in the field to realize the
actual character of the Quebec group rocks as exposed on the south side
of the St. Lawrence between Point Levis ard Cape Rosier. Fine black, grey
and red shales are seen to alternate in the most abrupt manner witli sand-
stones and coarse grits, and with conglomerates filled with boulders and
angular stones sometimes several feet in diameter, and some of them
sliowing evidence of neighbouring igneous ejections. These coarser beds
thicken and wedge out with singular rapidity, so as often to appear as
irregular masses rather than beds, while the whole formation is crumpled
into sharp folds, whose complexities are aggravated by the original ine-
quality of the beds in thickness and in resisting power. Only the con-
joined action of Arctic currents bearing mud and ice and of the earthquake
waves connected with the igneous action proceeding at the time to the
southward, can account for such a formation.

At first the real conditions of this problem were hidden from Sir William
Logan, by the error of supposing with most of the geologists of the United
States, that the great reversed fault was a true stratigraphical superposi-
tion, and consequently that these strange deposits were newer than those
to the west of them. lUit so soon as the actual nature of the case was made
manifest, and this was first due to a right apprehension of the fossils, for
which Mr. Billings deserves much of the credit, Sir William at once and
for ever apprehended the real conditions of the problem, and set himself
to work it out on the true line of investigation.

In evidence of this, and as presenting as clear a view of the whole
matter as wo can give, up to the jiresent time, 1 (pioto from a note by Sir
William appended to Mr. Murray's report on Newfoundland for 1865, and
which is less known than his utterances on this subject published in the
Canadian reports :

" The sediments which in the first part of the Silurian period were do-
posited in the ocean surrounding the Laurentian and Huronian nucleus of
the present American continent, appear to have differed considerably in
different areas. Oscillations in this ancient land permitted to bo spread
over its surface, when at times submerged, that series of apparently con-
formable deposits which constitute the New York system, ranging from
the Potsdam to the Hudson River formation. But between the Potsdam
and Cbnzy periods, a sudden continental elevation, and subsequent gradual
subsidence, allowed the accumulation of a great .series of intermediate
deposits, which are displayed in the Green Mountains, on one side of the

408

APPENDIX A.

ancient nucleus, and in the metalliferous rocks of Lake Superior, on the
other, but which are necessarily absent in the intermediate region of New
York and central Canada.

"At an early date in the Silurian period, a great dislocation commenced
along the south-eastern line of the ancient gneissic continent, which gave
rise to the division that now forms the western and eastern basins. The
western basin includes those strata which extended over the surface of the
submerged continent, together with the Pre-Chazy rocks of Lake Superior,
while the Lower Silurian rocks of the eastern basin present only the Pre-
Chazy formations, unconformably overlaid, in parts, by Upper Silurian and
Devonian rocks. The group between the Potsdam and Chazy, in the east-
ern basin, has been separated into three divisions, but these subdivisions
have not yet been defined in the western basin. In the western basin
the measures are comparatively flat and undisturbed ; while in the eastern
they are thrown into innumerable undulations, a vast majority of which
present anti I'lal forms overturned on the north-western side. The general
sinuous LXbh cast and south-west axis of these undulations is parallel
with the great dislocation of the St. Lawrence, and the undulations them-
selves are a part of those belonging to the Appalachian chain of moun-
tains. It is in the western basin that we must look for the more
regular succession of the Silurian rocks, from the time of the Chazy,
and in the eastern, including Newfoundland, for that of those anterior
to it."

In studying these rocks, as Sir William well knew that the great
line of disturbance and igneous action lay to the east, as he fur-
ther knew that in this belt of country, rocks all the way up even
to the Carboniferous had been profoundly altered, he was not sur-
prised to find that in tracing the Quebec rocks to the south and cast,
the clay slates, still holding the same fossils, became micaceous or
nacreous slates, the bituminous shales graphitic slates, the limestones
crystalline marble , and that even serpentine, chloritic slate and hard
felspathic rocks appeared to take the place of ordinary aqueous sedi-
ments. Consequently he arrived at the largo generalizations on the
subject embodied in his map of Canada, and to which I believe he ad-
hered to the last.

Was he right in these generalizations ? In part, at least, it is certain
that he was. Distinct Lower Silurian fossils occur in the nacreous slates
and graphitic slates of the Eastern Townships of the Province of Quebec,
and these slates alternate with hard quartzites, and felspathic and brecci-
ated rocks, and so far as can be made out by stratigraphy, also with
chloritic rocks, crystalline dolomite, soapstones and serpentine, these
rocks seemingly representing the shales of Point Levis if not still newer
members of the series. Professor Dana has shown that rocks in Connecti-
cut, usually referred to the Quebec group, or even in the Lower Taconic
series of Emmons, and often in a highly crystalline state, actually con-

APPENDIX A.

409

iperior, on the
region of New

m commenced
it, which gave
1 basins. The
I surface of the
[.ake Superior,
, only the Pre-
sr Silurian and
zy, in the east-
se subdivisions
I western basin
! in tlie eastern
ority of which
le. The general
ons is parallel
iulations them-
ihain of moun-
for the more
of the Chazy,
■ those anterior

that the great
ist, as he fur-
way up even
was not sur-

;outh and cast,
micaceous or

tlio limestones

slate and hard
aqueous sedi-

;ations on the
believe he ad-

ist, it is certain
nacreous slates
ince of Quebec,
hie and brecci-
phy, also with
rpentine, these
Inot still newer
iS in Connecti-
M^cr Taconic
I, actually con-

tain fossils newer than those of the Quebec group, or of Hudson River
age.*

Murray in Newfoundland has found the most unequivocal superposition
of serpentine and chloritic slate on fossillferous ro( ka of the Quebec
group, and intervening in age between them and the Hudson River group.
Ward has described the superposition of the Volcanic Borrowdale series on
the Skiddaw slates of Cumberland, which aro tlie undoubted equivalents of
the Quebec group, and similar relations have been observed in Norway.
Thus, on the one hand, there is no doubt that the Quebec group rocksi
become altered in proceeding to the south and south-west, and there is
nothing unprecedented in the actual replacement of some of their upper
beds by volcanic or aqueo-volcanic rocks, in tracing them toward the line
of the great igneous outbursts to the southward. On the other hand, taking
into account the complexities of all the parts of this troubled sea of eastern
Palajozoic rocks, it cannot be denied that there may exist crests of beds
older than the Quebec group projecting locally and perhaps largely through
these rocks. I am the more inclined to believe this, since there is the
best reason to hold that the unaltered members of the Quebec group, as
mapped by the Survey on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, include, as
we shall see presently, beds ranging all the way from the Lower Cam-
brian up to the Ghazy. Similar, perhaps older, beds, no doubt exist
largely, mixed with igneous outflows and breccias, in the hills of the
interior

But if any one thmKS proper to put down a hard and fast line on the
map of Eastern Canada, and to maintain that all the crystalline rocks which
apparently project through and rise above the Quebec group, are of greater
age, I must decline to go with him in this assertion, since it seems certain
that such an extreme view cannot be in accordance with facts. No one,
however, I feel persuaded, will now go so far as this; but I believe the
pendulum has already swung farther than it should in this <lirection, and
must go back again nearer to Sir William Logan's position.

At the present day these points are still subjects of discussion, and
several eminent geologists are more or less inclined to dispute Sir
William's conclusions. Dr. Sterry Hunt has endeavoured to show that
large portions of the rocks considered by Sir William as altered represen-
tatives of the Quebec group, are of much greater age and named by him
Taconian, Montalban and Huronian. Hitchcock and Macfarlane have
advocated similar views, though with differences in details; while Dr.
Selwyn, Sir William's successor, has been disposed to regard the altered
rocks lying to the south-eastward of the typical Quebec series as belong-
ing to two older groups.

Before discussing these new views, we may sum up Sir William's results

• American Journal of Science, 1879. One of the fossils recognized by Dana seems
to bo the Stromatopora compacta of Billings, really a Slenopora, known in Canada both
below and abovs the Levis.

410

APPENDIX A.

as they appear in liis latest publications. They may be stated thus:— .
(1) The general diversity of mineral character in the PaLneozoic sediments
on the Atlantic slope as compared with the internal plateau of Canada. In
tliese results Bailey, Matthew, and Hartt in New Brunswick, and the
writer in Nova Scotia have also borne some part. (2) The establishment
of the Quebec group of rocks as a series equivalent in age to the Calcifer-
ous of America, and to the Arenig and Skiddaw of England, and the
elucidation of its peculiar fauna. (3) The tracing out and definition of
the peculiar faulted junction of the coastal series with that of the interior
plateau, extending from Quebec to Lake Champlain. (4) The definition
in connection with the rocks of the Quebec group, by fossils and strati,
graphy, of formations extending in age from the Potsdam sandstone to the
Upper Silurian, as in contact with this group, in various relations, along
its range from the American frontier to Gaspo ; but the complexities in
connection with these various points of contact and tlie doubts attending
the ages of the several formations have never yet been fully solved in their
details. (,5) The identification of the members of the Quebec group and
associated formations with their geological equivalents in districts where
these bad assumed different mineral conditions, either from the associa-
tion of contemporaneous igneous beds and masses, or from subsequent
alteration or both. It is with reference to the results under this head, the
most difficult of all, that the greater part of the objections to Sir William's
views have arisen.

Let us now shortly t^xamine Dr. Selwyn's results, with reference to
these conclusions, especially to the last.

The first point deserving of notice here is the inability of Dr. Selwyn to
recognize in the extension of the Quebec group eastward and westward of
Quebec, those subdivisions which have been named the Levis, Lauzon, and
Sillery. Originally Sir William recognized two divisions only, the Levis
and Sillery. Subsequently he introduced, on tlie ground merely of
convenience, the intermediate Lauzon ; though apparently not regarding
the three-fold division as at all important, but merely as provisional.*

Of these subdivisions the most important is the Levis, which forms the
most highly fossiliferous and most readily recognized horizon of the Quebec
group, being that wliich has afl'orded the greater part of the numerous
species of Graptolites described by Hall and the Trilobites described by
Billings. About the precise base of this division, held to be the lowest of
the group, there is some uncertainty. Sir William has referred to it as
resting on Potsdam rocks in the vicinity of Lake Champlain, and farther
east on older shales and limestones ; and Mr. Richardson has endeavoured
to separate from it certain sandstones and associated beds on the Lower
St. Lawrence. More especially I may refer to the sandstones and shales
near Metis, holding Astropoliihon, Scolitkus, and Arenicolites .ipiraUs, and to
beds near Matane holding species of Conocephalites of very primitive type

(

Ropbrt of 1800,11.4.

In NewfoT
than el.sev
of beds u
fossils unc]
and below
thepc beds
along with
it at all u
with the I

With re;

members o

present sta

Levis or f

Levis then

its charact

group, as y

Sillery of

recognized

in the souii

and really

Quebec gro

occurrence

conglomera

their origin!

of succcssio

holding Tri

while the la

Arenig or SI

equivalent f

to suggest tl

It is to be ot

from j)ebble

possible alk

Cambrian, w

life as not t

any case regr

possibly i);irt

that, on the <

series, while,

beds of grea

which may i

thus constiti

Lowest Ciimli

holding Luw(

Lawrence this

stated thus:—
ozoic secliments
I of Canada. In
iRwick, and the
,e establishment

to the Calcifer-
ngland, and the
id definition of
it of the interior
) The definition
ssils and strati-
sandstone to the
1 relations, along
complexities in
loubts attending
ly solved in their
uebec group sind
1 districts where
rom the associa-
from subsequent
ler this head, the
8 to Sir William's

?ith reference to

of Dr. Selwyn to
and westward of
evis, Lauzon, and
s only, the Levis
round merely of
ly not regarding
s provisional.*

which forms the
<on of the Quebec
)f the numerous
tes described by
be the lowest of
referred to it as
)lain, and farther
has endeavoured
Is on the Lower
;ones and shales
es Kfiiralis, and to
y primitive type

APPENDIX A.

411

In Newfoundland also, where the sequence of these beds is better seen
than el.sewhere, there are, according to Richardson and Billings, 2,000 feet
of beds under the typical Levis and over the Lower Calciferous, holding
fossils unquestionably of the second fauna of Barrande, or Lower Silurian,
and below there is a great thickness of Calciferous and Potsdam. All
thcFo bods must exist in the Quebec group districts of Canada, folded up
along witli the Levis, and as yet very imperfectly separated from it, nor is
it at all unlikely that in some localities they may have been confounded
with the Lauzon and Sillery.

With regard to the di.stinction of these last-named formations as upper
members of the Quebec group, we must agree with Dr. Schvyn that in the
present state of our knowledge they cannot be clearly separated from the
Levis or from one another. Neverthulcss it is true tliat on the typical
Levis there rest sandstones and shales of considerable thickness, not hold-
its characteristic fossils, and forming an upper member of the Quebec
group, as yet not well defined, but representing in nature the Lauzon and
Sillery of Logan. It would thus appear that in addition to the rocks
recognized by Sir William as Levis, Lauzon and Sillery, there must occur
in the somewhat wide area of the Quebec group, rocks older than the Levis
and really Cambrian in age, but not yet definitely separated from the true
Quebec group. The evidence of this is farther strengthened by the
occurrence of large slabs of limestone holding Cambrian fossils in the
conglomerates of the Quebec group, and evidently not far removed from
their original seats. Still another (piestion has been raised as to the order
of succession in tlie Quebec group itself. At Point Levis the limestones
holding Trilobites appear to overlie the shales holding Graptolites. But
while the latter are of Lower Silurian age and equivalent to those of f lie
Arenig or Skiddaw series of England, the former present an older facies
equivalent to the Lingula Flags of England. This has induced Dr. Hunt
to suggest the hypothesis that these beds have actually been overturned.
It is to be observed, however, that some of the Trilobites have been taken
from pebbles in the lime conglomerates ; and though, even making all
possible allowance for tliis, there remain forms wliicli may be termed
Cambrian, we must fartlier admit that Graptolites are animals of so long
life as not to fix geological horizons very minutely. Hence we may in
any case regard the Levis rocks as constituting a Lower Silurian group or
possibly partly transition group between the Cambrian and Silurian, and
that, on the one hand, they underlie, perhaps unconformably, the Trenton
series, while, on the other, they rest upon arj^^illaceous and arenaceous
beds of great thickness, as yet not perfectly separated from them and
which may in part be even of Lower Cambrian age. This great series
thus constitutes a thick and peculiar mass of beds, reaching from the
Lowest Cambrian upward, until in its higher members it passes into beds
holding Lower Silurian forms. While in the typical sections on the St.
Lawrence this great series has not been fully separated into its constituent

412

APPENDIX A.

parts, still greater difficulties attend the disentanglement of its subdivisions
in its extension inland.

But again, Dr. Selwyn is disposed to separate from the Quebec group
the greater part of those altered and crystalline rocks associated with it
and which appeared to Sir William Logan to be metamorphosed equiva-
lents of this group, and largely of its upper or Sillery division. Of these
rocks ho forms two series, which, however, he regards as closely associated,
and probably not unconformable with each other.

The first and nearest in age to the Quebec group is defined as including
"felspathic, chloritic, epidotic and quartzose sandstones, red, grey and
greenish siliceous slates and argillites," with " breccias and agglomerates,
diorites, dolerites, and amygdaloids," as well as serpentine, dolomite, and
calcite. In short this formation is one of mixed igneous and aqueous
origin, non-fossiliferous, except in the case of a few microscopic fragments,
and mostly crystalline. As regarded by Sir W. E. Logan, these rocks, in
consequence of their apparent conformity with the Levis series, and their
apparent superposition in some sections, were held to be an upper member
of the Quebec group, and were mapped as Sillery. They were thus placed
in the same position with the serpentine and chloritic formation of New-
foundland, as described by Murray, with the Cobequid scries as I have
described it in Nova Scotia,* and with the Borrowdale igneous rocks
resting on the English equivalents of the Levis beds as defined by Ward
in Cumberland.

Dr. Selwyn, on the other hand, thinks that the main mass of these
peculiar rocks either comes out unconformably from beneath the Levis
series or is separated from it by a fault, and is in all probability older,
though the obscure traces of fossils found in some of the beds would indi-
cate that they are not older in any case than Lower Silurian or Upper
Cambrian.

It is obvious that with reference to a formation so greatly disturbed,
either of these theoretical views may be correct, or that there may be two
cryslalllue series, one below and another above the Levis beds.

Had Sir W. E. Logan lived, it was his intention to have, at his own cost,
bored through the crystalline rocks at some selected site, in order to obtain
positive proof of the subterposition of the Levis beds. The expense is not
now likely to be incurred, but the whole question will in course of time
be settled by the careful re-examination and mapping, which now that
new views have been suggested by the head of the Geological Survey, the
district ought to receive.

Dr. Selwyn's third division, supposed to be still older, possibly Lower
Cambrian, in some respects resembles the second, but is predominantly
slaty and quartzose, though still with dolomites and other magnesian
rocks. These would naturally fall into the place assigned to them, if the
age attributed to the second series be admitted, otherwise they come into

Acadian Geology, third edition.

'its subdivisions

le Quebec group
ociatcd with it
rphosed equiva-
ision. Of these
osely associated,

led as including
8, red, grey and
id agglomerates,
e, dolomite, and
us and aqueous
copic fragments,
, these rocks, in
scries, and their
n upper member
ivere thus placed
rmation of New-
scries as I have
e igneous rocks
lefined by Ward

mass of these
neath the Levis
)robability older,
beds would indi-
lurian or Upper

reatly disturbed,
lere may be two
aeds.

, at his own cost,
1 order to obtain
e expense is not
course of time
which now that
ical Survey, the

possibly Lower
predominantly
ther magnesian
to them, if the
they come into

APPENDIX A.

413

the period of the Sillery, or some newer formation, in an altered condition.
I do not know that fossils have been found in these rocks, within the
limits of Canada at least, but if they are really of Cambrian age, the rich-
ness of this fauna elsewhere in N.E. America would warrant the hope
that the age assigned to them may be indicated by fossils, while, if like
some similar beds to the southward, they hold Silurian species, these also
must in some cases be recognizable ; so that if they finally fail to afford
fossil remains or yield Lower Cambrian species, this, with their mineral
character and apparent distribution, would sustain Dr. Selwyn's view ;
while, on the other hand, the discovery of a few distinctive Silurian forms
might suffice to overturn it.

It would appear that the third and second series of Dr. Solwyn, above
mentioned, are the same with the rocks which in Hitchcock's map of New
Hampshire are named Montalban and Huroniau. The former term has,
however, been applied by Dr. Hunt to a series newer than the Huronian,
called by Hitchcock the Coos group, and maintained to be distinct from
the Montalban, which, however, it resembles iu mineral character, and
there seems to be no section showing the succession of the two supposed
formations. Thus Dr. Hunt maintains that the Coos group is identical
with the Montalban, while Hitchcock considers them distinct. Farther,
Hitchcock regards the Coos group as Silurian, in which case the so-called
Huronian and Montalban may be Silurian or Cambrian. There is thus in
all this discussion no really certain advance on the position of Logan, while
Dana and others, repudiating the views of Hunt and Hitchcock, still regard
the greater part of these disputed crystalline rocks as representing the
Quebec group, or as even in some cases newer. It is due here to Dr. Hunt
to explain that he has for many years on independent grounds regarded
the beds of Dr. Selwyn's second and third groups as, for the most part at
least, Huronian in age, and a similar conclusion was also arrived at from
comparison with the older formations of Scandinavia, by Mr. Macfarlane.
Thus in one way or another all these gentlemen dissent from Sir William's
concluf ions, while also differing from each other, a sufficient evidence of
the complicated character of the problem with which he had to deal, and
whose ultimate solution may embrace elements of all the generalizations
which have been put forth.

Some suggestions may at least be offered toward the solution of these
questions, which deserve the attention of those who have been occupied
with them. The first is that wo should accustom ourselves to the antici-
pation that contemporaneous Pal.Tozoic rocks in the regions of the western
lakes, of the plains of Ontario and Quebec, and of the eastern slope, are
not likely to be identical in mineral character. Farther, that oven in the
central of these three regions we may expect differences in approaching
certain parts of the older rocks. At Murray Bay, for example, on the
border of the Laurentian, we find the Black River limestones in great part
represented by coarse sandstone, and we find similar changes in the

414

APPENDIX A.

Chazy near Grenvillo. A third HUKgestion is, that in order to under-
stand the caKtcrn members of tlio Lower Silurian, it is necesHary to bo
acquainted with tlio < ontemporaneouH ic;neouH ejectiouK mixed with these
rocks, and if possible to distinguish them from those of similar character
so largely present in the Hiironian. This is well exemplified in the rock
belt of Lower and Upper Silurian age in the Acadian Provinces.* Another,
to wliii h Dr. Hunt lias directed attention in his report in connection
witii the Survey of Pennsylvaniii, is the importance of inquiry as to
wiii( h of tiie many successive movements and plications of the earth's
crust occurring in I'ala'ozoic time, have most seriously affected the now
so gnuitly plicated and disturbed rocks of the Quebec group. Still
another, and one of the most important, is the study of the various kinds
of alteration which these rocks have undergone. We have la eastern
Canatla rocks as young as the Devonian which have hcx'Xi sensiiily affected
in this way, and there can bo no doubt that largo areas of the Quebec
group have suffered similar changes, and tliat on the one liand it is
possible that these metamorphosed portions have heen confounded with
older series, or that on tin; other these older series have heen inadvert-
ently mixed with them.

The value to hi' attached to fossils is another point of much importance.
Long experience has convinced me that in the Cambrian and Silurian
ages this kind of evidence is the most conclusive of all ; hut then it must
Oe rightly understood. As already observed, we must discriminate tho
animals characteristic of the cold Atlantic waters loaded with Arctic sedi-
ment, from those of the sheltered continental plateau. Wo must also
bear in mind that oceanic and probably floating forms of low grade, like
the Graptolites, have an enormous range in time, as compared, for example,
with the Trilobites, and the same remark applies to some mollusks proper
to sandy or muddy bottoms, like the Lingulffi and their allies, as compared
with other mollusca.

All these precautions must be taken in the study of these rocks, and it
involves no depreciation of the geologists above mentioned, to say that
the different conclusions at which they have arrived, depend very much
on the different degrees of importance which they have attached to the
various kinds of evidence accessible. To sum up, we may conclude (1)
That the Quebec group of Sir William Logan constitutes a great Lower
Silurian formation, extending along the east coast of North America, and
corresponding in fossils, age and conditions of deposition to the Arenig
and Skiddaw of England. (2) That there are associated with it beds of
greater age, Menevian or perhaps even Longmynd, not yet perfectly
separated from it. (3) That in their extensioa to the south the Quebec
group rocks and those associated with them became altered and mixed
with igneous ejections as well. (4) That locally ridges of still older
metamorphic rocks, not yet perfectly separated from tho Quebec group or

• Supplement to Acadian Geology, 1878.

APPENDIX A.

415

I order to under-
s necosHary to bo

mixed with these

Kimilar character
l>lified ill the rocii
vinces.* Another,
)rt in fonnectioa

of inquiry as to
>ns of the earth's
' alYucted the now
bee group. Still

the various kinils
J have ia eastern
1 sensibly affeetod
as of tlie Quebec
e one hand It is

confounded witii
vc been inadvcrt-

mucli importance,
rian and Silurian
, but then it must
discriminate the
I with Arctic sedi-
.. Wo must also
of low grade, like
arcd, for example,
u moilusks proper
Hies, as compared

hese rocks, and it
oned, to say that
epend very much
3 attached to the
may conclude (1)
es a great Lower
rtli America, antl
)n to the Arenig
1 with it beds of
ot yet perfectly
outh the Quebec
tcred and mixed
es of still older
Quebec group or

from one another, project through the anticlinal folds or rise unconform-
ably, or are brought up by faults.

One word, b(;foro closing, respecting names. These are of little import-
ance in themK(!lve8, but it is of conseiiuenco that they should not bo
needlessly changed, and that they should not bo misapplied.

The name "Quebec Group,' introduced by Sir William Logan, should
be retained for tliat peculiar developmentof the rocks of tlu! second fainia,
eminently exposed and accessible in the vicinity of Quebec, to whatever
extent its extensions east and west may bo circumscribed ; and whatev(!r
value may be attached to the local subdivisions into Levis, Lauzon and
Sillery. On the one hand, the use of one of these terms, Levis, for the
whole, leads to misconception ; and the absurdity of the term " Canadian "
becomes apparent when we see it made correlative with a purely local
name like "Trenton," and when we consider that Canada is a region
greater than the United States of America, and with equally varied geologi-
cal structure.

The more recent developments in the geology of North America require,
as Dr. Hunt and Dr. Selwyu have urged, that the (Jambrian system should
be recognized as a group altogether distinct from the Silurian ; and what-
ever views as to the use of these names may ultimately prevail in England,
for us the dividing line between the Cambrian andtaoSiluro-Cambrian or
Lower Silurian, unquestionably comes al)Out the horizon of the Potsdam.
As to the foruiutions older than the Cambrian, I am disposed to regard the
Jlontalban and Taconian of Dr. Hunt as representing definite groups of
rocks, which may, however, eventually prove to belong to the base of tho
Cambrian, with which equivalent strata in the Maritime Provinces of Canada
seem to be associated. The Huronian series of Logan represents another
great fact in the geology of North America, namely, a period of great
igneous ejection and disturbance intervening between the Laurentian and
the Cambrian. In the typical Huronian area of Lake Huron it unques-
tionably rests unconformal)ly on the Laurentian, and is itself overlaid by
rocks of Cambrian or still greater age. It has precisely tho same mineral
characters and position as far east as New Brunswick and Newfoundland,
and as far west as the Pacific slope,* and is thus one of tho most widely
diffused of American formations, though I believe it has locally been
confounded with rocks of similar mineral character but of newer datt;.
Tlie Upper Laurentian of Logan, the Norian of Hunt, is entirely different
in mineral character from the Huronian, and stratigraphically is related
to the Middle Laurentian rather than to the Huronian, notwithstanding
local unconformity. Tho Lower Laurentian of Logan may now, since tho
explorations of Vennor,f bo safely divided into a lower and middle group,

* Cliircuco Kins's Report of the ■lOtU Parallel. Tho rugged features and precipi-
tous side.s of the Laurentian and Huronian cxpo.sures in tins region correspond with
Log.m s view of tlio steep slope of tho Laurentian laud at tho time of tho depositioa
ot' the Queljec Group rocKS.

t lleports Geological Survey of Canada.

416

APPENDIX A.

the formtT being, however, nothing more than the grtiiit. gneiHHic forma-
tion recopniz' I hy Logan us the Trembling Moimtain gneiHH, wliicli forms
the base (>f his well-known Laurentian Hcction, and the Bojiau gneiHH of
European observers. The idea that tlio Middle Laurentian, the horizon
of Eozoon (; madtiiso and of the great Plumphate and Graphite depoHits,
JH identical with Ihe Hastings group, or with the lluronian, has, 1 am
fully convinced, after some study of the Lake Huron, Madoc and St. John
exposures of these formations, no fo'indatioii in fact. There Heems, how-
ever, good reas'n to believe that the gap between the Lower Laurentian
of Lake Huron and the Huronian, is to be filled not merely by the Middle
Laurentian and the Norian, but by such hkUh as those described by Dr.
Bigsby, Dr. Hell and Ur. G. M. Dawson on the Lake of the Woods and
other regions west and north of Lake Superior, and at present included in
the Huronian, to the base of which many of them no doubt belong.*

It may perhaps be well to exhibit diagrammatical ly, in a sectional man-
ner, the view promulgated by Sir W. K. Logan in lH(i;}and ISOT) with
reference to the general structure of the Atlantic slope of (Janada.

According to this generalization, at the close of the Cambrian age and
beginning of the Silurian there occurred an elevation of the Laiuentian
nucleus of the American continent, which caused either an absence of
depositor the accumulation of only shallow-water beds over the great areas
now occupied by Ontario, New Vork and part of Quebec, while thick
tleposits were formed in deeper water on the Atlantic border of the con-
tinent and in the Lake Superior region. Hence the great lithological
difference between the Cambrian and lowest Silurian beds in the east and
west as compared with their representatives in the central region. This
diflfercnce and its causes are represented in ideal Section No. 1. In con-
nection with this it is proper to observe : (1) That disturbances antici-
patory of this state of things had begun in the Huronian age, and are
indicated by its unconformability to the Laurentian, and b> the igneous
products included in it. (2) That extensive igneous outbursts occurred
at the margins of the sea areas, both in the east and west, in the Cambrian
age, as indicated by the Kewccnian volcanic rocks in the west, and by
the conglomerates with volcanic fragments and evidences of violent wave-
action in the Quebec group of the east.

Early in the Silurian period there followed on the previous unequal
elevation one of the great crumplings of the crust of the earth, which
crushed the thick and soft deposits of the Atlantic area against the edge
of the inland Laurentian area, producing foldings, flexures and faults of
the Atlantic rocks, but leaving the thinner layers deposited upon the
upraised plateau comparatively undisturbed. In this way the state of
things represented in Section II. was produced. Thus the beds of the
typical Quebec series, which represent the Atlantic deposits laid down iu

• G. M. Dawson's Report on 49th Parallel.
Canada.

Bell, Reports Geological Survey of

at gneiHHJc forma-
ntiiHH, which forruH
ti Rojian gnoiHH of
iitiati, the horizon
Omphlto doposlts,
I'oniun, hiiH, I am
luioc iiud St. John
Tlicri) HfuniH, how-
Lower Laurisntian
oly by tiio Middlo
e doHcrihod l)y Dr.
•t tho Woods and
rcHunt incliidud in
iiht belong.*
II a Koctional inan-
103 and 18<Jr) with
>f Canada.
Cambrian age and
of tiio Laiirentian
ler an absence of
ver the great areas
eboc, while thick
Jorder of tho con-
great lithological
[Is in tho east and
;ral region. This
a No. I. In con-
iturbanccs antici-
lian age, and are
id b_y the igneous
iitbursts occurred
, in the Cambrian
the west, and by
8 of violent wave-

jrcvious unequal
the earth, which
against the edge
res and faults of
osited upon the
vay the state of
the beds of the
sits laid down iu

ological Survey of

o
o

APPENDIX A.

u ^u

la'

'e1

-!l

«o

U rS

((('

i5i^

1=:/

ini?-i

Rll

pJ3

417

418

APPENDIX A.

comparatively deep and cold water, were thrust against the flat beds of
the inland Potsdam and Calciferous and piled up in gigantic earth-waves.
At the same time these crumpled beds were necessarily hardened, rendered
slaty and otherwise modified by pressure and heat.

Lastly, the denudation which occurred subsequently has no doubt
exposed in places the older Huronian and even Laurentian rocks, thrown
up in the axes of the folds. The extent to which this has occurred is in
reality the main point in dispute between Sir William and his later
critics, whose new views in no respect otherwise affect his larger generali-
zations as above stated.

The discussion of these controverted questions may long continue.
The facts are obscure, and are complicated by the great disturbance of the
beds, the partial alteration of some of them, the varying mineral character
of others in different districts, and the absence of well characterized
fossils from great masses of deposits. Their final settlement, though
locally important and much to be desired in the interest of geological
mapping, is of less consequence to theoretical geology than the broad
views above stated.

It is not denied that similar views to those of Sir William Logan have
been held by several of the more eminent geologists of the United States,
and that questions may be raised as to priority in their first announce-
ment. Into these questions it is not necessary to enter. Sir Wiliam has
himself referred to all the views promulgated before his time. It is only
desired here to vindicate his accuracy in the results which he attained as
to the Geology of Canada.

Qst the flat beds of
jantic earth-waves,
hardened, rendered

itly has no doubt
ntian rocks, thrown
! has occurred is in
liam and his later
his larger generali-
ty long continue.
t disturbance of the
g mineral character
well characterized
settlement, though
terest of geological
»gy than the broad

i^illiam Logan have
f the United States,
leir first annouute-
er. Sir Wiliam has
lis time. It is only
hich he attained as

APPENDIX B.

LIST OF SIR WILLIAM LOGAN'S MORE IMPORTANT
PAPERS, REPORTS, &c.

On the Character of tlie Beds of Clay lying immediately below the Coal-
seams of South Wales, and on the Occurrence of Coal Boulders in the
Pennant Grit of that District. — Trans. Geol. Soc, 2d. Ser., VI., 1842,
p. 491.

On the Packing of Ice in the River St. Lawrence ; on a Landslip in the
Modern Deposits of its Valley ; and on the Existence of Marine Shells in
those Deposits, a. well as upon the Mountain of Montreal. — Proc. Geol.
Soc, III., 1842, p. 766.

On the Age of the Copper-bearing Rocks of Lakes Superior and Huron,
and vaiious facts relating to the Physical Structure of Canada. — Proc.
Brit. Assoc, 1851 ; Am. Jour, of Sci., 2d. Ser., XIV., p. 224.

On the Occurrence of a Track and Foot-prints of an Animal in the
Potsdam Sandstone of Lower Canada. — Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc, VII. 1851,
p. 247.

On the Foot-prints occurring in the Potsdam Sandstone of Canada.—
Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc, VIII., 1852, p. 199.

On the Physical Structure of the Western District of Upper Canada. —
Can. Jour., III., 1854-5, p. 1.

On the Division of the Azoic Rocks of Canada into Huronian and
Laurentian.— Can. Nat., II., 1857, p. 255 ; Can. .lour., N.S., II., 1858, p. 439.

On the probable Sub-division of the Laurentian Rocks of Canada. —
Can. Nat., II., 1857, p 270 ; Can. Jour., N.S., III., 1858, p. 1.

Relative Dates of various Intrusive Rocks cutting the Laurentian Series
in Canada. — Can. Jour., N.S., III., 1858, p. 107

420

APPENDIX B.

On the Track of an Animal lately found in the Potsdam Formation .

Can. Nat., V., 1860, p. 279 ; Am. Jour. Sci., 2d. Sut., XXXI., p. 17.

Remarks on the Fauna of the Quebec Group of Rocks, and the Primor-
dial Zone of Cinada, addressed to Mr. Joachim Barrande.— Can. Nat., V.,
1860, p. 472 ; Can. Jour., N.S., VI,, 1861, p. 46 ; Am. Jour. Sci., 2d. Ser.,
XXXI., 1861, p. 216.

Considerations relating to the Quebec Group and the Upper Copper-
bearing Rocks of Lake Superior. — Can. Nat., VI., 1861, p. 199.

On the Rocks of the Quebec Group at Point Levis (Letter addressed to
Barrande, March 15th, 1863). — Can. Nat., VIII., 1863, p. 183.

On the Geology of Eastern New York. By Professor James Hall and
Sir W. E. Logan.— Can. Nat., N.S., I., 1864, p. 368.

On the Occurrence of Organic Remains in the Laurentian Rocks of
Canada. — Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc, XXI., p. 45 ; Can. Nat., N.S., II., 186j,
p. 92.

On new Specimens of Eozoon. — Quart. Jour. Geol. Soc, XXIII., p. 253;
Can. Nat, N.S., III., p. 306.

GOVERNMENT REPORTS

Report of Progress to 1843. Published Montreal, 1845. This was
the first of the regular Reports of Progress published after the appointment
of Logan as Provincial Geologist, and gives a general notice of the Geology
of Eastern and Western Canada so far as then ascertained. It l.s premised
by '< Remarks on the '^ode ot making a Geological Survey of Canada,"
and by a short "Preliminary Report." Logan's celeb. d section of the
measured at the Joggins is given as an Appendix, and occupies about sixty
pages.'

Report of Progress for 1844. Published Montreal, 1846. Contains
Logan's topographical surveys of the Chatte and Cascapedia Rivers, and
an account of the geology of a large part of the Gaspe Peninsula. An
Appendix of thirty-three pages contains a section of the coal measures on
the south side of the Baie des Chaleurs, and various detailed sections of
the Gaspe sandstones.

Report of Progress for 1845-6. Published Montreal, 1847. Con-
tains Logan's surveys of the Ottawa River and Lake Temiscamang, and a
description of the Geology of the Ottawa Valley.

* This and the following vohimcs contain, in addition to Loptan's Reports, tho.«o of
thevarious members ot' hiss atl'. Forparticulars coucerning tlium (icu ' Li^t tt' Pub-
lications of the Geological Survey of Canada," prepared by the wriiur aad pubLsliod
in 1879.

■ ;

tsdam Formation.^
XXI., p. 17.

;k8, and the Primor-

ndt;.— Can. Nat., V.,

Jour. Sci., 2d. Ser.,

the Upper Copper-
., p. 199.

(Letter addressed to
, p. 183.

ssor James Hall and

iaurentian Rocks of
Nat., N.S.,II., 186j,

3oc., XXIII., p. 253;

APPENDIX B.

421

-eal, 1845. This was
fter the appointment
otice of the Geology
lied. It i.s premised
Survey of Cauada,"
d section of the
occupies about sixty

real, 1846. Contains
capedia Rivers, and

ispe Peninsula. An
coal measures on
detailed sections of

ontreal, 1847. Con-
Temiscamang, and a

iSiJn'a Tleports, those of
hemfoo Li^tut' Pub-
■lO wriior aud pubLsliod

Beport of Progress for 1843-7. Published Montreal, 1847. Con-
tains a description of the geoloi^y of tlie north shore of Lake Superior.

Report of Progress for 1847-8. Published Montreal, 1849. Con-
tains a description of the geology of the Eastern Townships.

Report of a Geological Exploration of Part of the North
Shore of Lake Huron, made in 1843. Published Montreal, 1849.

Report of Progress for 1849-50. Published Toronto, 1 850. Con-
tains an account of a geological examination of St. Paul and Murray Bays,
and of portions of the south side of the St. Lawrence.

Report of Progress for 1850-51. Published Quebec, 1852. On
the gold of Eastern Canada.

Report of Progress for 1851-2. Quebec, 1852. Contains a descrip-
tion of the geology of the Counties of Beauharnois and Lake of the Two
Mountains ; also a notice of the London International Exhibition and of
the Canadian minerals exhibited there.

Report of Progress for 1852-3. Quebec, 1854. Contains a geologi-
cal description of the north shore of the St. Lawrence between Montreal
and Quebec, with details concerning economic minerals.

Report of Progress for 1853-56. Toronto, 1857. Contains a
description of the Laurentian rocks of the Ottawa and the economic
materials found in them. Also remarks on the preparation of a geological
map of Canada.

Report of Progress for 1857. Toronto, 1858. Contains remarks
by Logan on the various labours of tlie Survey.

Report of Progress for 1858. Montreal, 1859. Contains Logan's
topographical survey of the Rouge, with descriptions of the Laurentian
limestones; also details concerning the Ramsay Lead Mine, the Acton
Copper Mine and miscellaneous economic minerals.

Geology of Canada ; Report of Progress of the Geological
Survey from its Commencement to 1863. A large octavo of 983
pages (Ficfe ante, p. 350.) The Atlas accompanying the Geology of Canada
contains Sir William's beautiful map showing the distribution of the
Laurentian rocks of the Grenville region.

Report of Progress, 1863-66. Ottawa, 1866. The introductory
Report of this volume is by Sir William Logan, and refers to the geologi-
cal work of the Survey in the Eastern Townships, on the Ottawa and else-
where, as well as to the subject of Eozoon.

Report of Progress, 1866-69, A short " Summary of Geological
Investigations-" Ottawa, 1869.

422

APPENDIX B.

Sir William's large Geological Map is a work which cost him a great
deal of thought, time and toil. Not satisfied with giving the results
obtained by his own Survey in the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada,
he determined to include the geology of the British Maritime Provinces
and of the Northern United States. In this latter work of compilation he
had the cordial co-operation of Professor James Hall, Dr. Dawson and
other geologists, whose assistance he fully acknowledged.

End.

Abbotspord
Abraham, IV
Accounts ol
Acknowledi

320.
Adamson, J
Address fro

310.
from 1

317.
to the

299.
Advantages
Advice to b
Agassiz, Pre
" Air-Breatl

extract fn
Albany, vis;
Albion Mil

bourhood
Allan, Mr. (
Altered Que
America, er
American

Meeting,

Spring

Amphibian
Ancient gee

of, 404.
Anecdotes, \
Animikie gi

1 cost him a great
jiving the results
nd Lower Canada,
[arltime Provinces
of compilation he
Dr. Dawson and
1.

INDEX.

Abbotspord, visit to, 8.
Abraham, Mr., 273, 288.
Accounts of expenditure, 239.
Acknowledgment of Testimonial,

320.
Adamson, Mr., 316.
Address from Canadian Institute,

310.
from Natural History Society,

317.
to the French Emperor, 298,

299.
Advantages and disadvantages, 397.
Advice to brothers and sisters, 14.
Agassiz, Professor, 297.
" Air-Breathers of the Coal Period,"

extract from, 114.
Albany, visit to, 181, 183.
Albion Mines, geology of neigh-
bourhood, 120.
Allan, Mr. G. W., 309.
Altered Quebec group, 344.
America, emigration to, 1.
American Association, Montreal

Meeting, 1857, 324.

Springfield, 332.

Amphibian footprints, 117.
Ancient geological periods, deposits

of, 404.
Anecdotes, fund of, 56.
Animikie group, 251.

Annual Reports, 138, 140.

Anse i Beaufils, 167.

Appeal to Finance Minister, 353.

Applicants for aid, 362.

Appointment confirmed, 132.

Argyll, the Duke of, interest in

Eozoon, 374, 375.
Artistic tendencies, 21.
Artist to the Suryey, Logan as, 1 78.
Assassination of French Emperor

attempted, 298.
Astor House, 102.
Atlantic border, geology of, 416.
Audubon 60.
Aurora described, 78.
Azoic, name changed to Eozoic, 369.

Baddeley, Lieut., 333.

papers by, 123.

Bagot, Sir Charles, appointment of

Logan by, 126, 131.
Bale des Chaleurs, 144, 211.

St. Paul, reported coal at, 202.

Bailey, Proi'essor, 410.

Ballahulish, 43, 44.

Ball at Hotel de Ville, 301.

Basque, John, 147.

Basque's wigwam, 149.

Batrachian tracks of Horton Bluffi

114.
Bayfield, Admiral, 12^, 333.

424

INDEX.

Bay of Fundy, section on, 143.
Beauhamois, tracks from, 273.
Belfast, visit to, 276.
Bell, Dr. Robert, 251, 343, 416.

Rev. Andrew, 282, 288.

Ben Logan, 185.

Bigsby, Dr., 122, 123, 333, 341,416.

Billings, Elkanah, 288, 326, 407.

discovery made by, 343.

on the Gaspe limestones, 220.

Birch-bark, 160.
Birth at Montreal, 2.
Black walnut, 272,
Bonaventure conglomerate, 168.

formation, 224 '^26.

Island, 163, 165.

Bonnycastle, Capt., 123.
Bore-hole in townships, 391.
Borrowdale, igneous rocks of, 412.
Boston in 1841, 111.
Bowman, Capt., 108.
Bowmanville coal, 263.
Boyd, Mr. A., 8.

British Association, 127, 268, 364.
Bruce Mines, 259.
Buckland, Dr., testimonial from,
130.

letter to Bishop of Oxford, 132.

Burdett, Sir Francis, 38.

Burns, Robert, son of the poet, 18.

Cambrian System, 415.

Canada at Exhibition of 1851, 269.

■ interest in, 72.

vi8itedinl823andl840,31,72.

the steamboat, 76.

Canada Club, Vice-President of, 72.
Canadian coal mines, 262.
Canadian geology, early work in,

122.
Canadian Institute, President of,

310.

address from, 310.

Canadian Survey, early thoughts of,

111.
Canal-boat, travelling by, 102.

Canoes of spruce-bark, 191, 203, 207.

Cape Bon Ami, scenery at, 156.

Chatte, 190.

Gaspe, 156.

Maquereau, 170.

Rosier, 186.

Carpenter, Dr. W.B., letter from,370.

papers on Eozoon, 375, 379.

Cartier-McDonald Ministry, 348.

Cartier, Sir George, 378, 379.

Cascapedia River, 190, 204, 205, 209.

Catanach, Mr. J., 2.

Cathcart, Lord, letter to, 245.

Chairman of committee for meeting
of American Association, 325.

Chairof geology, endowmentof, 176.

Chairs for England's Queen, 271.

Chamberlin, Mr. Brown, 346.

Chapman, Prof. E. J., 282, 316.

Characteristics, 395.

Charlottetown, 174,

Chatte River, 190, 195.

Chemical assistant, 179.

Chemical department of Survey, pro-
posed separation of, 255.

Cheerful disposition, 395.

Chelonian footprints ? 274.

Chemung group, 223.

Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.
304.

Chief Commissioner, 346.

Clarkstone, 13, 27, 39, 134.

Clear Grits, 266.

Clyde, Falls of the, 46,

Coal at Albion Mines, 120.

growth of in situ, 70,

in Gaspe, 263.

material of, 71.

origin of, 62.

of Baie St. Paul, 262.

of Bowmanville, 263, 323.

probability of finding it in

Canada, 145.
Coal-fields, importance of American,

110,

aark, 191,203, 207.
enerjr at, 15G.

170.

B.,letterfrom,370.
ozoon, 375, 379.
I Ministry, 348.
e, 378, 379.
,190,204,205,209.
2.

itter to, 245.
mittee for meeting
380ciation, 325.
;ndowmentof, 176.
id's Queen, 271.
Brown, 346.
1. J., 282, 316.
)5.
'4.

,195.
t,179.

ent of Survey, pro-
n of, 255.
on, 395.
its? 274.
23.
iCgion of Honour.

er, 346.
39, 134.

I, 46.

nes, 120.
situ, 70.

ml, 262.

lie, 263, 323.

>f finding it in

mce of American,

INDEX.

425

Coal-fields, western, 235.

Coal-viewer, talk of becoming one,
110.

Cobequid series, 412.

Cockayne, Mr., 18, 21.

Colborne, Sir John, 123.

Colours for geological maps, 370.

Commercial pursuits, 12.

Commissiontr (it Paris in 1855, 298.

Complex geology, 258.

Complimentary dinner at Toronto,
315.

Confederation, 378.

Conglomerate limestone, 216, 224.

Continuance of the Survey, 265.

Coos group, 413.

Copper of Lake Superior, 244.

Copper ore, 51, 81.

Copper-bearing rocks of Lake Su-
perior, paper on, 268.

Copper-smelting, 52.

Corniferous formation, 223.

Correspondent, Logan as a, 13.

Country life, fondness for, 39.

Cromer, visit to, 369.

Crystalline rocks of Eastern Canada,
343, 409, 412.

Curator of Museum at Swansea,
60.

Curiosity unrewarded, 154.

Cuthbert. Mr» 210.

Dana, Prof J. D., 408, 413,

Dawson, Dr. G. M., 416.

Dawson, Dr. J. W., 121, 175, 176,

224, 305, 383.

Eozoon named by, 366.

on air-breathers of Coal Period,

114.

on spore-cases in coal, 71.

on tlie Quebec group, 403.

on value of fossils, 414.

Deblois, Mr., assistance from, 75.
De la Beche, Sir H. T., 55, 268.

letters from, 134, 138, 228.

letters to, 136, 181, 229.

De la Beche, Sir H. T., offers of
assistance from, 135, 141.

— — testimonial from, 126.

Dcmanda for information, 30 1.

Denbigh, Lord, 299.

Deposits of ancient sea-bottom, 404.

De Rottermond, Count, 179, 185,
199, 232, 254.

Devonian fishes, 224.

of Gasp6, 221.

" Dialogue with the Queen," 303.

Dickson, Dr. Robert, 49.

Mr. Sheriff, 288.

Difficulties, 136.

Discontent, 348.

Discrepancies in maps, 286.

Drudgery, 239.

Dufrenoy, Mr. A., 269, 300.
I Dunlop, Mr. R. G., efforts in favour
of a geological survey, 124, 125.

D'Urban, Mr. W. M. S., 331.

Early geological work in Canada,
122.

Early work of Logan, 403.

East India Company, offer from the,
228.

Eastern Canada, crystalline rocks
of, 344, 409.

Eastern coal-field of America, limit
of, 226.

Eastern Townships, bore-hole in the,
394.

complex geology of, 258

rocks of the, 341.

Eaton, Professor, 333, 344.

Economic specimens, 180.

Edinburgh, Logan's father goes to
reside in, 6.

Edinburgh High School, 4.

progress of the Logans at, 7.

Edmond, Miss Janet E. (Sir Wil-
liam's mother), 2.

Education begun at Montreal, 3.

Emmons, Professor, 344.

426

INDEX.

Emperor of France, attempted assas-

Bination of, 298.
Empress Eugenie, 399,
Endowment of geological chair and

medal, 17G.
Enthusiasm, 396.
Eozoic rockH of Canada, 340.
Eozoon, Dr. Carpenter on, 375.

history of, 365 .

lecture on by Prof. Ramsay,

376.

Lyell on, 368.

papers on before Geological

Society, 381.
Evidence before Select Committee,

284.
Exhibition of 1851, 267, 268.

of 1855, 281,297, 300.

of 1862, 346.

Exhibitions, exertions at, 400.
Eyre, Sir William, 325.

Failing health, 329, 357.
Faraday, Professor, 269, 352.
Farmers, information from, 288.
Feathers MT-SMS pebbles, 159.
Fees of honour, 305.
Fellow of Royal Society, 270.
Finsbury Square, 12, 4S.
Fishes, Devonian genera of, 224.
Fishing establishments, 180
Fitzroy, Sir Charles, 75.
Flambeaux of birch-bark, 159.
Fort William, 44, 45.
Fossils in nacreous slates, 408.
of same age different in differ-
ent regions, 406.
value of, 322, 414.

Gale, Judge, death of, 379.

Gait, Sir A. T., 347, 348, 360, 378,

379.
Gannet shooting, 165.
Gaspe, a terra incognita, 147.

Coal and Fishing Comp'y, 263.

. explorations, 143, 177.

Gaspe, geology of, 216.

journals, 148.

limestone, 202, 216, 219, 221.

sandstone, 202, 216, 221.

second season in, 184.

Generalizations concerning Quebec
group, 408.

Geographical dinner, 347.
Geological bill, Logan's, 227, 232.
Geological maps, 314, 354, 363, 370,

382, 400.
Geological nomenclature, 184, 415.
Geological Society, elected Fellow

of, 59.

papers before, 83, 373, 380.

Geological structure of Atlantic

elope, 416.
Geological Survey of Canada, origin

of, 122.

Select Committee on, 282.

Geological tastes, development of,

59.
" Geology of Canada," publication

of, 350.
Geology of Eastern Canada, 146.

of Lake Superior, 246.

study of begun, 49, 50.

under difficulties, 200

Gillespie, Alex., Jnr., 16

Mr., ' 18.

Glamorg, jbire coal-field, geologi-
cal work in, 54, 127, 129, 131,

132, 349.
Gneiss, characters of Laurentian,

334.
Gold from Canada, 274, 275.
Gold medal, the Logan, 176.
Goldsmith, Lady, 348.
Gordon, Duchess of, 40.
Gower, Mr. A. L., 39, 395.

Mrs., 267, 276,302.

Grand gold medal of honour, 304.

Grand River, 168.

Grant for Geological Survey, 126,

327, 331.

16.

, 216, 219, 221.
, 21G, 221.
in, 184.
cerning Quebec

r, 347.

m's, 227, 232.

4, 354, 363, 370,

ature, 184, 415.
elected Fellow

83, 373, 380.
re of Atlantic

f Canada, origin

tee on, 282.
evelopment of,

la," publication

Canada, 146.
or, 246.
, 49, 50.

ies, 200
.,16

I-field, geologi-
127, 129, 131,

of Laurentian,

274, 275.

;an, 176.

40.

I, 395.

302.

f bonour, 304.

il Survey, 126,

INDEX.

427

Grant, Mr. 0. R.,390, 391, 394.
Granville, Lord, 348.
Graptolites, 297, 342,414.
Graptolitic shales, 216.
Green, Mr. William, 123, 333.
Greenshields, Mr., 48.

Mr. John, of Montreal, 72.

Grenville, 279, 329.
Gulls and gannets, 156.
Gum-trees of Canada, 273.
Gzowski, Mr., 316.

Halibdrton, Judge, interview with,
114.

Halifax, arrival at in 1840, 74.

— — journey from to Pictou, 75.

Hall, Professor James. 181, 278, 282,

283, 297, 329, 366.
Harbours on Lake Superior, 245.
Hartley, Mr. W. B , 382, 384.
Hartt, Professor, 410.
Hastings series, 339.
Head, Sir Edmund, 309, 325, 372.
Health failing, 329, 357.
Helderberg series, 220.
Highest land in Canada, 185.
Highlands, a tour in the, 39.
Hind, Professor H. Y., cited, 398
Hitchcock, Professor, 409, 413.
Holmes, Dr. A. F., 79, 122, 240.
Holton, Hon. L. H., letter to, 354
Honesty the best policy, 256.
Honorary member, Natural History

Society of Montreal, 319.
Hooker, Sir William, 328.
Horton Bluff, discovery of batra-

chian tracks at, 114.
Hospitality, 118, 213.
Hotel of Mr. and Mrs. Paddy, 185.
Houghton, Dr., 242, 246.
Hubbard, Mr., 242.
Hulke, Dr., 390, 392.
Humour, keen sense of, 56.
Hunt, Dr. T. Sterry, 258, 297, 337,

342, 351, 357, 387.

Hunt, Dr. T. Sterry, appointed

chemist to Geological Survey,

257.

Associate Juror at Paris, 302.

elected member of Geological

Society of France, 302.

labours of, 257.

Montalban series of, 413.

— — name Keweenian proposed by,

252.

on chemistry of Eozoon, 366.

on Lake Superior geology, 251.

on metamorphism of rocks.

293.
on Nipigon and Auimikie

groups, 252.
paper before Institute of

France, 301.

services at Paris, 380.

views concerning Quebec

group, 344, 409.
Hurlburt, Mr. J. B., 346.
Huronian system, 239, 250, 337, 344,

413,415.

Igneous ejections, 405, 409, 414, 416.
lUat Pictou, 175.
Incident on Lake Huron, 260.
India, offer of appointment in, 228.
Ingall, Lieut., papers by, 123.
Inscription o:i testimonial, 320.
Ipswich, meeting of British Associf^

tion at, 268.
Ireland, visit to, 20.
Isle Perc6e, 155, 163.

Royale, 249.

Italian, study of, 16.

Jackson, Mr. C. T., 251.
Jeffreys, Mr. J. G., letter to, 385

reminiscences from, 388

visit to Canada, 388.

Joggins section, 143, 182.
Jones, Professor T. Rupert, 366.
Journals, 72, 80, 148, 193.
Judicial work, 241.
Juror at exhibitions, 268, 347.

428

INDEX.

Kkepkr, Mr. Thomas, on ridgicg

of the St. Lawrence, 84
Kelland, Professor, 328.
Kent, visit to, 3G4.
Kentwell, estate of Logan's uncle,

32.
Ker, Mrs. (Logan's sister), 267, 276,

364.
Keweenaw group or Keweenian, 252.
Peninsula, copper mines of,

244.
Key to American geology, 184.
Kingston, 132, 181.
Knighthood, 304.

Labrador feldspar, 337.

Lafayette, funeral of, 59.

Lake Huron, copper-bearing rocks
of, 249.

geological work on, 259.

Lake Superior, explorations on, 240.

geology of, 246.

Lake Temisoamang (or Temisca-
ming, 237.

Landslide on the Maskinonge, 83,
84, 93.

Langton, Auditor-vieneral, 309, 300.

Large specimens, 180.

Last illness, 392, 394.

• voyage, 390.

Laurentian, fossil from, 332.

name used in 1854, 278.

■ Sir William's work in connec-
tion with the, 332.

subdivisions of the, 338, 415.

Laurentides, among the, 279.

Lefroy, General, 312, 372.

Legion of Honour, 304, 381.

Lehigh mines, importance of, liO.

Letters to —

Sir H. T. De la Beche. 136,

181, 229.

Mr. G. R. Grant, 391, 394

Hon. L. H. Holton, 354.

Mr. J. Gwyn Jeffreys, 385

— — Mr. Hart Logan. 56.

Letters to —

Mr. Henry Logan, 49.

Mr. James Logan, 7, 9, 15, 17,

18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 28, 34, 39, 50,
242, 244, 265, 271, 274, 298, 302,
304,314, 315, 347, 363, 371-375,
376-379.

Miss Mary Logan, 45.

Mr. Alexander Murray, 179,

237.

Mr. Rawson W. Rawson, 144,

178.

Letters from—

Sir H. T. De la Beche, 134,

138, 228.

Dr. W. B. Carpenter, 370.

Professor Faraday, 352.

Sir R. I. Murchison, 307, 328.

Levis formation, 343, 410.
Lincoln, assassination of President,

378, 379,
Literary and Historical Society of

Quebec, 125.
Literary capacity, 399.
Little Bon Ami Cove, 157.
Little Gaspe, 153, 158.
Liverpool, detained at, 363.
Logan, James (the grandfather), 1,

6.
William (the father), 2, 15,

28, 29, 133.
Mrs. (the mother), 2, 9, 28, 33,

133.

— Hart (the uncle), 1, 16, 19, 61.

— James (the brother), 6, 177,
380. Letters to, see above.

— Hart (the brother), 22, 25, 302,

389.

Edmond, 13, 15, 20, 22, 25, 28,

32, 33, 302, 331, 364, 375.

— Henry, 13, 15, 20, 2 2, 25, 28.

— Miss Agnes (Mrs. Stewart), 15,
17, 19, 21, 24.

— Miss Eliza (Mrs. Gower), 22,
28, 29.

■i '■

Jgan, 49,
)gan, 7,9, IS, 17,
5, 28, 34, 39, 50,
1, 274, 298, 302,
17, 303, 371-375,

>gan, 45.

LT Murray, 179,

N'. Rawson, 144,

I la Beche, 134,

penter, 370.

iday, 352.

bison, 307, 328.

13,410.

on of President,

rical Society of

99.

•e, 157.

58.

at, 363.

grandfather), 1,

father), 2, 15,

ler), 2, 9, 28, 33,

e), 1, 16, 19,61.
rother), 0, 177,
see above,
ler), 22,25,302,

, 20, 22, 25, 28,
54, 375.
!0, 22, 25, 28.
rs. Stewart), 15,

•s. Gower), 22,

INDEX.

429

Logan, Miss Margaret (Mrs. Ker),
24, 28, 29.

Miss Mary, 22, 28, 29, 45.

I.ugan gold ni^dal and chair of
geology, 176.

[jOgiiii's farm, 380.

London, lifu in, 12.

Long Milford, home of Logan's
uncle, 32.

Longui'uil, ferry to, 79.

Louis, 207.

Lowe, Mr. James, 331, 366.

Loyalist, Logan's grandfather sup-
posed to have been one, 2.

Lyell, Sir Charles, 102, 103, 364.

on Eozoon, 368.

Mrs. (Lady), 103.

McDonald, Attorney-General, 309,

316.
Macfarlane, Mr. Thomas, 409, 413,
on crystalline rocks of the

Townships, 344.
on geological formations of

Lake Superior, 251.
McNabb, Sir Allan, 266,
McNaughton, hospitality of Mr. and

Mrs., 118.
McMullen, Mr. John, 365.
Madawaska River, section on, 336.
Maine, journey to, 79.
Map exhibited at meeting of British

Association in 1837, 127.

of Grenville region, 279.

of South Wales coal-district,

59, 127.

publication of large, 382.

Marcellus shales, 223.
Marcou, Mr. Jules, 251.
Maskelyne, Professor, 374.
Ma8kiuong6, landslide in valley of,

84, 93.
Mather, Prof., 410.
Mauch Chunk, 106, 108.
Medals, 304, 305, 381,401.
Membership of societies, 400.

Metamorphic rocks, 333, 334, 412.
Metamorphism, 405, 414.
Michigan, surrender of, 23S.
Middle Laurentian, 338.
Miller, Hugh, visit to, 268.
Mineral characters in distinguishing

rocks, 405.
Mineralogy, study of, 50.
Mining locations on Lake Superior,

240.
Moffatt, Hon. George, 320.
Molson, Mr. John, 78.
Montalbau seriep, 413, 415.
Montreal, birth-place, 2.

arrival at in 1840, 78.

journey from to New York,

101.
Morristou, near Swansea, 54.
Mount Logan, prospect from, 191
Mules, 107.
Murchison, Sir R. L, 270, 275, 305,

329, 388.

letters from, 328, 307.

testimonial from, 128.

Murray, Mr. Alexander, C.M.G., 232,

259, 260, 333, 336, 344, 404, 409,

412.

choice of as assistant, 141.

letters to, 179, 237.

reminiscences from, 142.

Museum of Geological Survey, 178

239, 240, 278, 279, 359.
Musical tastes, 35.

Napier, Lord, residence purchased,
from, 6.

National Museum, 279.

Natural History Museum, Montreal,
79.

Natural History Society of Montreal,
125, 131, 240, 316.

address from, 317.

honorary member of, 319.

— — invitation to American Asso-
ciation, 324.

Newcastle, Duke of, 347.

430

INDEX.

Newfoundland, visit to, 387.
Now York, tedious journey to, 101.
Nipigon series, 251.
Noble, Capt, 372.
Nomenclature, geological, 278.
Norian or Upper Laurcatian, 338.
Notre Dame range, 192.
Novels, fondness for, 389.

Offick worii, 239.

Older formations, Logan's work in

connection with, 404.
Olmsted, Mr. Denisou, Jnr., 257.
Oneida conglomerate, 219.
Oregon, coal of, 235.
question, settlement of the,

235.
Origin of Canadian Survey, 122.
Origin of coal, 62.
Oriskany formation, 224.
Ornitiiologicul tastes, 60.
Ottawa lliver, survey of, 237.
Ottawa series, 338.
Owen, Professor, 273, 275. 276.

Pacing, 173, 276, 287.
Packing of ice in St. Lawrence, 84.
Paddy, his hotel, 185.
Palaeontologist, appointment of a,

827.

importance of a, 356.

Paper on underclays, 64.

Papers at meeting of American

Association, 329.

on Eozoon, 373.

Paris Expositions, 281, 297, 380.

visits to, 34, 58, 298.

Parisians, the, 34.

Paspebiac, 147, 174.

Pecuniary sacrifices, 357.

Pen-and-ink sketches, 148.

Perce, 162.

Percy, Dr., information from, 52.

on Logan's work, 348.

Perry, Mr. Alfred, 271.
Petroleum of Ga8p6, 159, 222.

Philadelphia described, 104.

Phlebotomy, 191.

Phosphatic nodules, 275.

Pianori, 298.

Pictou, ill at, 175.

Pictou coal-Ueld, HI, 118, 382.

Pigeon IMver, 2 17.

Pillans, James, 5.

Pillar sandHtones, 216, 218.

Playtair, Dr. Lyon, 271,

Point Levis, 83, 281, 341.

Political rumpus, 231.

Politics avoided, 231, 396.

Polmont, 276.

Poole, Mr., 118.

Porcupines, 151, 188, 196, 203.

Porpoises, 188.

Portage group, 223.

Port Daniel, 171.

Portrait painted, 309.

Pottsville, visit to, 106.

Practical results, 292.

Preliminary report, 133.

Presentation of testimonial, 320.

Presentiment, 235.

President of Canadian Institute, 310.

Primary rocks, 332.

Prince Albert, 267, 270, 302, 303.

of Wales, the, 302.

Prince's Harbour, 244.
Prizes at school and college, 7, 9, 10.
Prospect from Mount Logan, 191.
Protichnites from Beauharnois, 273.
Provincial geologist, appointment
as, 126.

QoBBEC, experiences at, 82.

to Montreal in 1840, 76.

Quebec group, 342. -

conditions of deposition, 406.

Dr. Dawson on the, 403.

equivalency of, 410, 414.

rocks to which the n&nae

should be applied, 415.

subdivisions of, 343, 410.

suggestions concerning, 413.

Queen Vi(
Canadiiii
Exhibit!

at Pa

Ramsav, r

329, 37(1
Uawson, M
Report on

of Bel

. lorts, 3J
Resigns po
Retirenieii
Retrospect
HichanlMoi

274, 287
Rochon's n

194.
Rockfield,
Rosier, Cai
Rouge, Riv
Royal Inst

60.
Royal Soci

1851, 27(

medal

Royal visit
Russell, Ml
Rustic hoB]

Sagacity, ]
Salter, Mr.,
St. Gabriel

musei

St. James f
St. Lawren

packi

Saskatche\
Saturday I

«if Canad
Sault Ste. :

sands

Scenery or
School of :

lish one.
Scientific ^

INDEJr.

431

ed, 104.
276.

, 118, 382.

}, 218.

Jl.

341.

396.

196, 203.

33.

onial, 320.

Institute, 310.

[), 302, 303.
2.

liege, 7,9, 10.
Logan, 191.
iharnois, 273.
appointment

82.
40, 76.

)8ition, 4C6.
e, 403.
0, 414.
the n&nae
15.

3, 410.
ning, 413.

Queen Victoria, Her Majesty visits
Canadian division of London
Exliihition, 271.

at Paris in 1855, 302.

Ramsay, Professor (Sir A. C), 328,

329, 37(i.
Rawson, Mr. R. W., 133, 144.
Report on Oaspo, 216.

of Belect Committee, 283.

- lorts, 399.

Resigns position in Wales, 61.

Retirement from public life, 384.

Retrospect, 230.

Hicliardson, Mr. James, 218, 241,

274, 287, .34.1, 380, 404, 410.
Rochon's micrometer telescope, 190,

194.
Roclifield, 380, 389
Rosier, Cape, 147, 156.
Rouge, River, ascent of, 329.
Royal Institution of South Wales,

60.
Royal Society, elected Fellow in

1851, 270.

medal from, 381.

Royal visitors, 271.

Russell, Mr. Alexander, 282, 284.

Rustic hospitality, 119, 213.

Sagacity, 178, 396.

Salter, Mr., 374.

St. Gabriel street, church on, 2.

museum on, 278.

St. James street, museum on, 184.

St. Lawrence, freezing of the, 83.

packing of ice in, 84.

Saskatchewan, coal of, 235.

Saturday Review on the " Geology
<if Canada," 351.

Sault Ste. Marie, 242.

sandstonfes of, 249, 250, 251.

Scenery on Lake Superior, 245.

School of mines, attempt to estab-
lish one, 386.

Scientific work, summary of, 400.

Scott, Sir Walter, kindness to Logan,

8.
Seaman, Dr. Borthol, 338.
Secretary of museum at Rwanscs,

59.
Section at South Joggins, 14 3, 182.
Sedgwick, Professor, testimonial

from, 129.
Select Committee on the Geological

Survey, 282.

Selwyn, Dr. A. R. C. S., 385, .387, 409.

views concerning the Quebec

group, 345, 410, 412.
Serpentine noticed in 1840, 82, 83.
Seward, Mr,, 377.
Sowell, H. D., paper by, 123.
Sheppev, excursion to, 55.
Sherbrooke in 1840, 80.
Shickshocks, 191, 197.
Ship Head, a stormy cape, 159.
Sigillaria, 70, 71.
Sillery sandstones, 219.
Silurian, nomenclature, 278.
— Murchison on, 306, 307.
Simpson, Sir George, 245.
Skakel, Mr. Alexander, 3, 10.
Sketches, 148.
Skiddaw slates, 409.
Smollet, 41.

Societies, membership of, 400.
South Joggins, section at, 143, 182.
Spain, visit to, 58.
Spanish friends, 36.
Speech-making, dislike of, 308, 315.
Sperm-whale fisheries, 273.
Spore-cases in coal, 71.
Spruce-bark canoes, 191, 203, 207.
Stephenson, George, aided by
Logan's investigations, 83.

Stevens, Mr., 146.

Stewart, Mr. Alexander, 17, 24, 29.

Mrs., 33, 348.

Stigmaria, 62, 68, 106.
Stirling, early home of the Logan
family, 1

:iP::

432

INDEX.

Stratigraphy under diflSculties, 279.

value of, 406.

Suffolk, Logan's uncle member for,

32.
Summer residence of an Indian, 149.
Summary of work, 400.
Suigeon, Logan as a, 183, 191.
Swansea, 2TG.

Sydenham, Lord, death of, 126.
Palace, 303.

Taciu;, Mr. C. C, 298, 300.

Taconian series, 409,415.

Temiscamang (or Temiscaming),
rocks of, 238, 239, 336.

Testimonial from citizens of Mon-
treal, 319.

Testimonials from De la Becho and
others. 126.

Thunder Bay, 247.

Time, demands upon, 357, 361.

Tin, a search for, 80.

Topographer to the Survey, Jlr. R.
Barlow, 400.

Topographical work, 233, 276.

accuracy of Logan's, 284.

Topography, relaticns to geology,
285.

Toronto, 265, "'D.

Tour'ille, pillar .andstoncs of, 218.

Tracks from Beauharnois, 2TJ.

Tudor, Eozoon from, 381.

Turtle, a pet, 102.

Tyndall, Professor, 372

Underclays, 63.

Union of Geological Surveys of
Britain and Canada, 138.

University of Edinburgh, a student

at, 8.
Unpaid Commissioner, 360.
Upper copper-bearing series, 250,

25 1.
Upper Laurentian, 337, 415.

Valdb of large specimens, 180.
Vennor, Mr. H G., 339, 381.
Vermont, crystalline schists of, 343.
Vice-President of Canada Club, 72.
Vigorous constitution, 396.
Volcanic formations of Lake Supe-
rior, 247.
Voluntary assistants, 288.
Volunteer on Britisii Survey, 55.

Wales, removal to in 1831, 54.

workin, 127, 129, 131,132,349.

Western coal-fields, 235.

Whiteaves, Mr. J. F., 224.

Whitehall canal, 102.

Whitney, Professor, 249.

Wigwam, John Basque's, 149.

Wilkcsbaire, 108, 110.

Wil.son, Dr. J., 122, 133, 288, 289,

333, 365.
Wimpole street, residence on, 48.
W indsor, N.S., meets Haliburton at,

113.
Wollaston medal, 305.
Workshops of the world, 110.
Worm-tracks in Gaspe sandstone,

161.
Wyoming coal-fi< id, 109.

York Literary and Philosophical
Society, 124. _

irgh, a student

sr, 360.

ig series, 250,

$7,415.

lens, 180.
39, 381.
schists of, 343.
ada Club, 72.
, 396.
)f Lake Supe-

288.
Survey, 55.

183], 54.
,131,132,349.
}5.
224.

19.

e's, 149.

33, 288, 289,

!nce OD, 48.
Jalibufton at,

Id, 110.

36 sandstone,

D9.
Philosophical