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Canada RED RIVER VALLEY. 3ts 6coloo^ ^i6cu£i£!c^ before t()e 1bic>torieal Soeiet\>. Scientific Vikw ok the Surhoundin<;s ok Winxipkcj. WllKUK THK ( 'ITV'S WaTKR Sll'PI.V Sllori.lt i!K ( )l!T.\IN[:i). OnSFJRVATroXS ON Tfl?: CoAL AND OTHKU ImI-oKTANT QrKSTloNS. Tht< regular niL'i'l ill:;; of t1i«! Ifistoricul and Scicniilic Society. Tlim-sflay evoniiiK, Dim-. 2Hth, was well alti'iidcd, and in- terest I'veri ;!;i-cal('r lliaii usual wiis iiiaiii- fcHted in tlie proceediiiKs. TIIK l'AI>RIt OF THK KVK.M.Xlii liigitfil features of the country lying be- tween tile Jjanrentiaii rocks to our east, and the lofty nionntains of the west. The former, rejireseiitalives of the first rocks to triuniiih over the universal wati-rs of {uimeval days and the latter belonging to Mr. J, II. Panton wasthea called upon to i * ^'.''''"'^ "*'''"' '^"' '""""'' "^ '^'^' geological series. Belsreen these j,'reat natural boun- daiies, we see stretching before us, the three vast juairie utepjies of the North \V(;st, rising in succession above each othei' and distinguished by ehnracleiislic jihysi- eal features. read liis pa])er Cle.iiiiiiKs I'roiii the (leolojr.V ol the RedKiver Valley, wiiieh follows: "- Mr. President and gentlemen: To-nl^'lit for a short time, we purpose direeliiiK your atteiUion to the fJook of Nature, and from tlie i'r;vgiueiUary leaves of the geo- logical refolds {.'lean somelliing about the ro<.'k.s beiie.ah our city, and the loose ma- terial which overlies them. J{ncks niay i Known as the Hed Kiver Valley, is .VJ exist in two forms, the .solid, wliich is | miles wide at the iiit('ii,ational boundary repi-eseni.l here some lifty feel below the ! hue, widening to the north, with an eleva- surla.e, and the pulverized. which i.- r^nne .1 1 i 1 i„:,.,ri. 1 ,. M 1 • """"'lion of M)() feel .above sea level aiul mingled uiih decomposing veyelabic mat- ter, forms the .soil of our lield.s. The soliil.- a , ■ "n.' '"" ^'•'•'•'<'-J»arJon..,wa,.,, j,. .. , '^'^; '^'-'^mn rock. TI,.. ,1,. • "^ ^"'''"■'« '»"fl- '"o**'- wl.au.d,. . f ,-. " '^"''■•' '^f ■•'1- tn „ t wi,l, , ,, -^ *^"»"t fail n'aik.s,.„ th,.u 'loMv f , ^"''^ ^•*- ^':'-"iK uur plain, w.. (inalv; . , ' ^''^- sun .' '^ T'^"'*'^' ■^'^'-•^ "'"••' ""''^t 'al.l.. land urTi T^' ^''eiouHM,. )„•„. i" ll. ;"^"'' "' '"-"^r to T;,:n::'''''--'''--.'.a:^ai;ir-i-r'-''''^^ '■'^'''■'•^•'' 'o .'IS o.rn,.,.i ''■^''''■''''•'''« '''•-' '•"<-k over vvi,:..- ""^ '•l,,„-a,,e,. „f ^^-^ a- ^H,n • "^ "V^- ^-'th ;'-'■>' 'on. ,.;;.r'r^''^'''-' '" ^"•■•l'eMnv..ti.„i.!" .^'" '':^"^'^'- A.|'--"-.abIe,oo,;;:':.^;^:; '"-^ -e "■'* have \N(! ••••in arrive ar 3 **-<'0])« befort. lis, '« marked iiaturnj '^■■^1 siillicierK to '»'« Comiljy this K'lit of iiatiiie. 'lUM-iitinn rcck« Lhc'd areailrart- '^'""■Jln l,i,ld,.n '"'"-* land.s of,d- ' ')'« ' wl iiiv,ir H'cui)ied. l'],e ''j''ateau with inyerJy sought ^""'■'. U'huf "lexhaustilJe " beneath the ttractin- a» a of Woodless unfilled to a 'f'oii iiiu^t be to some it- =* less reiiioti- !1.S to whirh ■^eekiii^. for order to •^'id. so \\t' geoloyicjil '■* to ,is( cr- '■«0olo;;i,..i] )!ied soiiif il ue l,,.„i '■« of drift '■••acter of •-ine.id in lliJit we ' '<'eord« I 'Hir re- ' <'.trtli-.s "i.'Hioiis le often ' fornia- 11. Hiid- 'e from "dntone 8 hfive luently ** at il pretty bure couelusion rt'pirdin^ when and how the foruuition was deposited, as *M!l1 as the nature of (he deposit. Anotiier iniportJint fact conceniiiiii; the formations is tliat tliey always occupy l lie same posi- tion reiativ(( lo caeli olliei'. I-'or exaini)Ie, if we represeni tiie formations byl,^, H, 4, etc., tlie lower tnnnhers oceiipyiuK tlie lower position, we sliail never llnd :ihe ow 2 or « lu'low 5. Si.-ine may not lie rei)re- tsenled in ('ertain lo.alilics, tliere may l)e no -1, (i, 7, hut if uc lind ;t, l', .'), I iliey'will oecuiiy the posit i(,u 1, 2, :f, r>. I''rom tins it will 1)« readily understood tliat as soon as we obtain a few elmraeteristie fossil- in the iieiKhhoihood of a place we c.-.n, with considerahle certainly, make out the position of llie rock in the Keolo^ieal series. \i Stony Mountain, along the lied River in the Parisli of St. Andrews, and at the C. i'. R. round liouse near Sel- kirk are found outcrops wliieh sujjply fossils peculiar to what is know n as the Hudson Hiver and Trenton formation-,, largely develoi)ed in the State of New York and in Ontario, especially in tlie Tieinitv of Toronto and east aloiiK the north shore of Lake Ontario. These out- crops, no doubt, belong to tlie same rock as that which is found some 50 feet below the surface at Wiunijje";;. The characters of the deposits at Stony Mountain are closely allied to those of the Hudson llivef formation in other localities, wliile the buH'-coIored lna^'nesian limestones of the Red River Valley arc likely repi'esentatives of the upper part of the Trenton liiue- htoiic. Roth foi'inations belong to what iH commonly known as the flower Silurian Series. FOSHILS OK TllK SILCIU.VX AdK. Refore a stratum of rock can he (orined, in most e;uses it is necessary that the place ut)on which it is laid be beneath a body of water, especially when Hie rock contains the remains of marine organisms. Now, since we liave a good stratum of Silurian rock some .50 feet below the surface, croj)- ping out west and north of us, we may assume that atone time this part of the country has been submerged and raised again from (he waters which I'overed it. On an examination of tln' rocks at any of tlie utiicropK referred to, you are ahuost certain lo find some traces of primeval life some bear a close resemblance to shells of our ow 11 day, some not unlike the b.ir'k- bone of fish, while others are readily rec- ognised as corals. All these peculiar re- mains are traces of animals, which occu- pied the waters when the site of Winni- peg was the floor of an oeean. These creatures dying their bodies be- I came entombed in the muddy bottom, af- : terwards petrified and as fossils have I come into our possession, serring as keys j to unlock the bidden secrets of the past. j As these animals, now known only by ; fragments of rock resemble those found only in salt water at the present time we at once infer, that the waters which cov- "'•ed this place in those early days were of a briny nature. Pursuing the same line of thought we can readily assume that in those days the climate v. as much di/lerent from the present. For as already men- tioned among the inhai)itants of our early sea were corals, a group of animals that can exist only in waters «hicli have a mean temperature of 00 degrees. The wedge shapeil fossils, which usually show a series of rings with a sort of rod runninu,- through their center are called Orthoceratites. they vary in size from a few inches to three feet in length. They are the re- mains of an'nials, which lived in shells consisting of many ehambors, tbe last l)eing occuj)ied by the animal, a represcn- tiUive of the cuttle fish family. Many of 'v.- sliells found are readily identified u 1,1 lo/igijig to both groups of moUusks, tho! d with univalve and bivalve ! shells. Among the fossils of ourroeks are some of wormlike form. They vary from one to several inches in length. These are the stems of what are known as stone lilies. The stone lily is what remains of an organism, which flourished in the seas of tile past. Attached to the sea bottom by the expanded base of a jointed stem and surmounted by a flowerlike expan- sion, it bore some resemblance to a closed lily, especially when the tentacles of the animal were folded in. They seem to have been very numerous, for large por- tions of rock are found made up almost entirely of these eriiioid stems, not uncom- monly called Jincrinites. It is a rare thing to lind a complete form, tiiough at almost every ouicroj) innumerable fragments of stems are found. \\\' have now to call your attention to a fossil not common here, but some fragniciits have been found. THIS I'JH II.IAtl KOSSII,, lii>l uiillkf II hiUliTlly with I'xpiiiifiod wiiiK-^, Im only a fniKiiu'iii, ami rcprcsi'iits tlu' tail of the orKiini.iiii. Ki'a),'Tii(')itH of l.liN iiiiluri' lire coiriiuou, l)iiL coinploto forniH, micli lis the s)ifcimciiH before you, nrr very riiic. Tliis fo.s.sil l)(>l<>ii>r,s to u type of very uiiinue orgiviiisms coiiimoii in thf Siluriiii) sons. From the Irilobed up- p(;ar,'iiire of the aiiinml it has received tlie name Trilohite. These creatures seem to have betdi ahje to curl tliemselves up. eitiier for protrction or to ena hie tliem lo sinl< more rapidly. So eomplele h.'iH tlie process of rephice- moiit Kotie on in some of these trilohite foHsils that In many castss the structure ol the eyi^ is accurately jireserved as can he seen hy exiiniiidnLC the speeimet\s before you, which show all the parts very dis- tinctly. Some peculiar, tliiy saw-shaped markings also occur on the rocks of tlie Hudson Hiver formation; these are known as Uraiitolites. L'pon thetooth-like nientary nature. The only plants were seaweeds, and, as noted, the ardnial king- dom was hut scantily represented, the frenera and species were limited, but tlie individuals \n ere \cry numerous. I'p to this tinn- stillness was a leadiujr feature ill nature. No sound was heard except tlie lashing of the wavt'sou the lonely shores, or the liowling of winds unimpeded in their course across the bleak and solitary rocks. The contiiKMit, like its species, was submarine in its mode of exislence. It was outlined, but not till long periods had passed. duriiiK which great physical dis- turbnnces took place, was the present form brought into existence. Such was the diimh state of all'airs when the rocky foundation of our ambitious city was laid. THK WIS.Ml'Ki, DKIIT, Having directed your attention for a short time to the solid rock lying beneath our clay deposits, it now remains to con- sider hrielly some things in reference to this loose material, and endeavour to ex- l.rojeclions small cups were situated, , ,,iai„ i,„w it liiis been formed and reached each of which contained a small organism of very simple structure. A whole colony of those creatures were located upon the axis, and with their tiny tentacles were able to whip food into their rudimentary mouths. These fossils occur ill a variety of forms, some wiih a single row of tooth- like projections, others with a doulile. Many are not unlike a leaf and a few con- nint of many axes r.idiating from a coin- here in the liiioly divided condition we find it. The presence of boulders in tins so- ealled drift material, of the same composi- tion as rocks north and east Jif us, and the salty nature of much of the w.ater found in some wells would seem to indicate that our soil has been derived from other sources than the disintegration of the riH'k beneath, ;iiid tli;it much of our clay is an alluvial deposit brought here in past ages ))eg. Trom an interview with Mr. I'iper, known as having an e.xtensive experience in well boring throughout the city, we have learned that the average nature of a nioii centre. The GraptolitesandTrilobites I from districts quile renio e from Winni are of especial interest in determining the age of a deposit. As yet none have been found in strata above the I.ower Carbon- iferous, conseciuently when we tln^ them on the surface we know at once thai we I verticil section of the deposits, overlying aro below the coal measures, and as far as the sold rock here is as follows: eoal is concerned we will .seek for it in j ,. Surface mould, one to four feet, .lark vain ( oal may appear above these fossils, ; ,,„,„, ,j,„, exceedingly fertile, but it has not been found below them. All ' these creatures, which inhabited the sea; -• '•^"•>"^^" S"'»l>o," two to three feet. in those early years of the world's hi.storv * '''''">' ^''^''>' ^'"'■'" oO»>!lowisli clay which have long been extinct, though at one ! "^""''>' '"''*''' considerable water, time they seem to have thronged the sea ! •'■ ^^'"'^ K''ii.v day, thirty to fifty feet, in myriads. j with boulders scattered throughout, some The animals to which reference has been I ^^ ""^^'" f""'" ^^''"^ "' diameter, and chiefly made were among tlie leading types then j K"Pissoid,and no doubt derived from Laur- in existence; for at that period in creation j ^"t'*" rocks. no Insects, no fishes, no birds, in short,! *• Ligbl-iotored clay, one lo three feel, none of the higher animals had as yet I containing many small stones. made their appear.ince. Life was con- , 5. Hard pan, two to ten feet, a very HiiokI chiefly to the sea, and of ;i very rudi- i solid and compact form of clay. (i. Sand, pravcl iiml IiduIiIi'I-s, live lo I svfnt.v-tlv(' feel. 7. Aiiniiliir rni;;imMits Id llirei' feel, ustially linii'sloiic. iiiil liirni'lv (If- rirt'il fmm tlic so'id lofU w liicli lii's iiiiiiit'- iliiiU'ly lii'linv it. ThiM loose mill iTiiil is far Iroiii tii'iuK uiiifonn, and vHrics «o miicli in it's iir- rilnm'nii'iiiH tliiit sciirci'ly any t wo tiorii^H show ll\i' ■iaiiic disirHuilion. Soinetiim's wliilc tlif forniiMlndon^rs to the riihiozor or'lVniiir.s inri'id: in oilier words, iisinii the jurniH Priumry, Si'iondary and Tcr- tiiiry as ai>plii'd lo tlio various foniprcln'ii- sivf pi-riods in ;ii'olo«icid iiistory, Wf Hud llif-Coal Mtasnri's" in tlic Primary and the l.i.u'nili' of llii' Norlli- Wfsl in lln- 'I'tTliury. Till' cMi'iisivf Coal inm- pasNi-d away wiihout I he Kfd Uiver Valley reeeivinji a there is litlle or n., hard pan. while in oth- ■ sin-le seam. The aKe<.rClialk •■"•''•'I. ;' "1 ral feel Miiek. However, .till onrslrali were not mereased. U liole er parts ii is sever lis a usual thinvc, ihi-e seven forms of stra- ta are passed ihrounh in liorinn, and varying! I thiekuess lo Ihe nmiiher of feel alre.idy mentioned. .si;itii:s w wriNc. .Vfter the formation ,)f the Hudson lliv- er linn!Stotu>, there seems lo have heen a j;reat hreak in the de)H)sition of rock in this pari of the coniitiN. for in oilier parts of the Dominion \\ e tind hundreds of feet in thickness, liein}i deposited while the ISed Uiver was, neolo>iieally speaking, al a stand still. Sueli miu'ht have h.-ippem-d hy its heiuijr raised ahove tlie sea and eon- linuinsso. while other places were suh- inefKed and iu a position I o receive fur- ther additions to their strata. It may have heeti, thouptii not likely, th.-il depos- its were laid down ami afterwards disap- peared hy denudation duriii!.; lonj; periods of time, or as some have thon;lht tlie place formalions lliuusands of feet in thickness weiehuill ii)) and millions of years passed away while the rocky foundation of Win- nipejr seemed to idly wait wiihout further , addition. Iievoud the Intluenee of the sea. Still the siirlace of our rock would he un- derp)infi soiiie channes. Winds m.ay have e.vercised an inllnence in disinle;j;ra(inK the rock. Kains, loo, may have hattered upon the exposed surface now no loiiKer heueath the sea. The action of these forces, tonetlu'r with frost durini; the eouiilU'ss a>,'es eniplosed ie buililin|.' u]) immense rock formations elsewhere would aid lo M.iiie extent in prep.irin^' tlie ground material of which our soil I is composed and w hich al present ' hides our solid rock from viesv. Hut now. after a ji;real iiorlion of I lie lirst j;reolo;;ic.il avie of the world, the whole of i the second, and mu< had tinue pnshin- out into the water j lapsed sinee the person who nuide them Kioundinw upon the sea bottom until the , passed that way. ,Insi „. with re-iird to depth of the water is suttieient to (ioal it. j Kla.iers Ix-in^ In the .Norlh-West Their As soon as this oeenrs portions oflhe ^la- j traces are here ..nd ihunnh absent them- .■ler will hreak away and (lo.-it off, forniin- I selves have l.-ft sil.-nt i niments, which what are known as in ber^H; hence, ihe indicate their course frmn northern le- Kions to those farther south of uh. North and west of U8 near Nelson Hiver. Knee Lake and pl.ui^s in that vi- eiiiily glacial striie, in other words. ori^xin of iceberijcs is, to a p-eat extent, the terniinus of a glacial stream whose mouth enl(!rs the sea. This phenomenon is now- seen ill countries far north, where the line of perpetual snow is near the sea. In such , nuirkioKs upon the rocks in the form of places -laeiers appear issuiiiR f'-<>m | groovs, s.-raiches and polished surfaces. the ;uountain tops, passim? onward throut^h valleys until they reach the sea, where Ihe lloat awav such as are found ujion rocks where gla- cial action is now koIuk on, have been ob- ends break off and j served in over *ven!y-four places wi.lely as leebei-Ks into warm- ; separated I rum each other. They all indi- er regions. But in .•ountrics where the .aie a, -•onrse from iiort h to south In a snow line is much hi-her we notice dilfer- ; more or less sonth-w.-sterly direction" Of ent phenomena. The glacial stream nev- ; all observed oiilv three show a course er reaches the sea in the lu.m of ice, for I. south-east. .\ortl.-wesi of us in lon-ereitgetslhetemper.atureof theat-:thc vieiniiv of J,ake Athabis.-i mospliere has melted it, and a river of i especially at the western end llie cold water flows into the country below, j rocks present .all the characteristics Hn.l becomes in many cases the source of; of hjiving undergone glacial actim. a river. Such is the origin of the Canges, : If the surface of the rock, which crops out which rises at the base of the Himalaya , at .Stony .Mouuiain. be closely examined Mountains from Hie end of a glacial ' we ( liink that in some places glacial striie ^'''..''"'r; , ' " '" ''"^ "•'^'-■'•ved. In inanv part.s of Oii- C (.uld we examine the rocks upon which | tario rocks with abraded surface are very this immense body oflce has been grind- i common. So uniform and over such M.gin lis course w-e would li.ul it very , broadareasdo these glacial markings occur niu.-h scratHied and abraded. As the j that there can be no doubt .as to their gla.Mer moves on through the v.iUey, poi- ; origin, especially when wc remember that tiousot rook .are continually dropping up- ; similar markings are bei,,;. ,„ade ou the on it from the heights above; conser,uent- | surface of rocks in other .ountrics which ly. where the the glacial stream is long, ii is loaded with fragments of rock, which, in transportation, by continual grinding, become more or less rounded. If the glacier terminates bel^ore re.aeh- iiig the sea, these rounded pieces of rock will be deposited near its mouth and where it has contained for many years an iinmense he.ap of stones will be formed, which in years after when the .aspect of affairs has ehang'-d. may have we know are now undergoing glacial .-«:■ tion. Sec(;reenland,Alps, Xorway and Him- alaya Mountains. Although our .soil here is conipar.itively free from stones, still a little west of us many stones are seen which are not of the same composition as t he rock below, hut precisely the same as those lying north and east of us. By .some agency or ot her they have h,.pn transported here, and as no view has yet been given to account for their presence so far south of i i r tin- urlniiial rock, wt- an- Inrred to fU'cept till- ihi'orj lli;il lli('> li.uf fi'iichcfl llicir [iii'sfiit lociilioii tliriMiKli the ant'"<"y of iff. «'ii licr ill ttic roriii of ;^iiiciiil Hiri'iiiUM 01' iffiif rus; iliit I lioHf .u;l;;iiiilif lioilies of iff III oiif I iiiif iiiovfil OS fr tills i'f;fioii of fuuiitrv loadfil wilii rouiulfd fiNiKiiifiilH of rofk, sonic of wiilfh lie on llic iimiiic wcrtt of us and iiiaiiv ii'ciir in ilic ciiiv upon wliicii ^^■illlli()c^? siands. Not loiiK ago \vc were slio\\ n a piece of rock svliicli liad liffii lii'okf II .ill' a lionldcr sixty feet liftowtlif surf.vfi'. Ii could be readily idfiitillcd as a piece of nm-'''<'<"J'eiii>^ a wl.tcial and -t- Klacial dt'pusii, uhile llie upper la. a- cuslrine in their origin. From wlia. as been .said you will observe that the site of WiniiipeK must have been at one time covered by the waters of a nameless sea, a seaaloiiK whose shores no mortal c\er irod, a sea inhabited by animals cxiiiici niillions of years a>;o. Further, that it was raised again al)ove the waters, and fm- countless ages its rocky surface ex- posed to the weiUlieriujj; action of wind, rain, siu)w and frost. That either iceber;rs floated and stranded along the sliore of a \ ast body of water, which again covered it, or that glacial streams, coming from the north glided along, polishing and abi-adiiig the surface of the rocks over which they passed. WI.VNlPi;(i WA'tKli. After an interval of some time, this place seems to Iiave been again submerged by the waters of an inland sea, the shores of which extended along the elevated ridge from Pembina to l{iding Mountain. Into this great lake the rivers of the Xorlh West poured their muddy waters.charged with saline substances derived from de poMitsover which they passed. This mny have continued for a long time, at least '""K "kI> to form the alluvial deposits of the |{fd Kivcr Valley, whicli we find now largely made up of (iriely divided flay, strongly ch.u'ge.l uiih saline siib- stances. This inland sea has passed away, whether by subsidence of lard north of us or the ehnation of that on which we stand, we cannot s,iy, but the fact presents itsell thai all that remains now is the river ami the lake into which it empties, with a country on either side showing all the characteristics of a deposit which settled on the bottom of a lake no longer in ex- istence. Viewing tlie forinatioi ni the Red liiver Valley from this standpoint we can scarcely hope to get good water in our clay beds, which are no donbi impregnated with impurities (h-rived froni the rivei drainage of the saline deposits west and noit h of us. A coini)arison of an analysis of the lied liiver and tiiat of the Assini- boine will at once show how widely they diller. In each case the number of grams in an imperial gallon in given: Iteil Hix'r. a.2K n)..n) ;i.-K .iasinibuinu 7.71 I. .-{9 7.a". IM) 7,Sl ■■■>.18 !l.7.i I. Orwiiiic nmlter L'. ( uTciuiii siilnliutc,. :(. < alciiiiii carfiOMuli'. I. iron. aliniiiiiu. silica 5. Mujjiu'si u III sul- pliate ti. Alkaline aaltB, cliielly UH chlo- rides From an examination of this analysi , it w ill be observed thai the water from'the , Assiniboine contains .!((.(« grains of solids I in an imperial gallon, while that of the ' Ked River contains only 21.88. The former carries dow n the drainage of the w est, where many of the deposits are largely impregnated with alkaline salts, while [ the latter tlows chiefly over rock com- posed of limestone; lieuce tlie Ked River ! has more carbonates and less sulphates. The presence of so mmli magnesium sul- , phate and Kpsom salts in tlie water of the Assiniboine is rather striking. If we wish to secure good «ater, we must bore . through our impure clays into solid rock : beneath, or bring it from a di.st.Tnce Such might be obtained from Lake of the Woods, which is supplied from rivers whose drainage is over rocks of tlie Lau- <•••">< i.i'i stTicN, ujmn whic!, w,il.-r lij.s '"" ■•> -liylil solvLMU L-Heci a.ul c.ms,.- Mueialy of a purer a.1,1 softer iialun- tluw, t'hiil «l,i Assinilioiiu' :>l.,s,s i„ one from the Ited Kiver, Nvlii)e in water from U.eOti.uv.i we hn.l only 1.K4 Kniins and that from the .St. Lawrenee U.TL The Ottawa .Iniins ,i I'ou.itry in whieh the n.eks are iari^elv of tlie Laurent ian series while llie others '■ome more in eontaet witli lin.eslone rocJss. 'i'lie li.irdness of tliese waters is ren- ' relented aeeordir:o.,o Clarice's method .as follows: Assiniboine. lo.r,-; J{..d Hiver !)-• M. Lawrence, :).:,-, Ottawa, 2.:r. This shows eoneiusiveiy the nmrket-on,an,lth,uifwe seek pure w.ater we , mis, have its soun-e in roeks upon vvhirh water lias hul little elleet. PRACTrCAI, eONCHTSIO.VB. Let us now .sum up tlie practical infonua- f '<>u derived from the yeologieal gleaming. ' gathered from an examination of our.solhl i rock and the material which covers it { '• 'file constituents of our soil have i ^een derived from the disintegration ofi t>'I«Man hmestone beneath, ecposed to I agencies at .vork during the ..oimtle.J yea,., that preceded thegiaciul period after I •1»" deposition of the.se rocks, also from ! maienals obtained by the grinding uiM.f! I^aurentian rocks at ,-, distance, dnrin-' the i , xacial epoch and transported in gkeial I '•'nd i.ost-glaeial .tavs. To the ground up ' mntertal of these long periods mixed witlV b-'ul.ler.~, miLst be added the rich ,t 11 u vial depo.sits brought down bv rivers and I spread over the bottom of a lake which seems to have eovrre,! at one time the wh,de Red River Valley. Thes,. material- togellu-r witii .lerompoM-d organic juatter larg(dy derived from plant growth of com- paratively recent time, colored .Inrk no doubt to .some extent, by the charred re- mains resulting fr supp Iv thi 1)10 lf| e Cnlislil Uelll- -ale ..f under the cruci-tl te-t of the chemi.st, ami the experience of the |iractical agriculturist hss been jireved tn |i(issess wonderful fertility. The alkaline snlls al ju'esent fmind in some jiarts of mir \'alley and .ijipaiently obnoxiou>< to cegetalion, must pass away as tlie land comes under cullivntiun liv skilled farjuers. These substances bein'" easily soluble, readily pass down into the sub-soil from which they will he (mriied off by a proper system of drainage and what may still remain will .soon be ex- hausted by the projicr aj.iilication of manure. The experience of ihe few farmers that i liave as yet tilled these patches with 1 "alkali" shows that manure destrovs it and that in Manitoba manure is valuable a> well as in the impoverished districts of eastern provinces. ■2. That most of tlie rounded boui.lers in our days and tho..e on the surface west of us have been transported from n,cks of the Laurentiau serie., at a distance, through the agency of ice. 'i. We need not be in susptitise regard- ing a supply of good water to our city however large it may iiecoine. If the wells, with (heir .sources, in some ca>es, ill the sands of the lower strata in (.,tlu-r,, the solid rock, are not suHicient, can we not look forward to a titne when the characteristic energy and enterprise of our I citizens will undertake t,) have a supply j brought from the j.ure waters of the Lake I of the Woods to the inhabitants of the ! great metropolis of the North West/ Water brouglit from Lake Winnipeg, as some iiave suggested, can .scarcely be^ex- pectsd to eipial that from the east'since it conm-cts with a system of lakes into which are now (lowing, waters highly eharge,! with salt and otli.r mineral -ubstaiices. Th.'se lakes receive the saline deposits brought by the river drain.ige ,,f the we4 and which in early years rea.-he,i here, so as to iinpregn.ate \Viuni])eg ci.iys as vv-« prairie lires, I tiiul them al the [.reseni time. Lak a Slid will cli, j Winnijicg receives ti le waters o|' riv';r.- 9 which drain an area of 400,000 square miles in parts of which are found pools and lakes containing salts of sodium and magnesium that must tind their way into these waters and afl'uet tlieir chemical composition to some extLMit. The waters of the Red River are comparatively good, if rid of the suspended material. This i.- o1)served to be the ciise especially during the[,winter months when little or no mud from its Ijanks dissolve and mingle with the stream. Another objectionahle ele- ment likely absent to a great extent in winter is organic matter which is not so readily, formed at a low temperalure n> during the summer months. The mud and other suspended impuri. ties of our river wa' ' might be Ccasily got rid of by filteratioi , d very good water be obtained. The calcium carbonate in the water lean''. 'carcely be considered a deleterious substance. To some this is a necessaiy ingredient and nearly all spring water possesses more ordess of this com- pound. This brings to a dose our Gleanings from the (ieology of ihe lied River Valley. There are some things which we desire lo investigate further, and when more leis- ure occurs, we may again trespa.ss on your patience by,"giving additional evidence re- garding the history of ihe country imme- diately surrounding Winnipeg, long he- fore the advent of man npon the earili. OBSERVATIONS BY MKMBKltS. A desultory discussion folloNved tlie reading of Mr. Panton's paper, in wliich remarks of n>ore or less interest were made. Rev. Professor Bryce said there was a possibility of Tertiary strata being found on some of t he islands of Lake \Vln- nipegin whichcoal mightjbe fonii/H. Lumps of coal had also heen taken from the Roseau River, an eastern tributary of the Red River, and some geologists had sur- mised that they had come from ligmte coal beds in Tertiary strata formed in some phenomenal manner near.the head waters of tlie Roseau, The likelihood of coal being found in any quantity in either place was very small, lie also spoke of the in- feriority of the water of the Assinihoine to that of the Red, but pointed out the unsuitability of either for summer use. A supply would have to be procured from SI )nu> other source. .Mr. McArthur rclcii-iMl to the good quality of the water in I wo wells on the Red Hiver flat which did not reach the rock, and also .asked a tiuestiou as to the relative purity of \\ ;iter from Mow ingaml deep wi-lls. Mr. I'iiiiKm suggested that the two wells spoken of, and the \ario\is llowing veils which gave pure water, inusi taji il;e (juicksand un- dei-neath the hard|iun, through which water ])ercolates from I lie surface some distance awa.v,