Section IV, 1889. [ 3 ] Tkans. Roy. Soc. Canada. 1. — Prenidential AddrcHS: On the Progress of Gtoloymd Inntatigatiuu in New Bruns- wii-lc. By L. W. Bailey. (Reud May 1.0, 188!».) It is, I believe, the custom in our Society, as in othiM's similarly constituted, and one the utility of -which has been justified by experience, that he who may have been honored by selection as the Presiding Officer of a Section should make to that Section something of the nature of a formal address, and that this should take the shapi; of a review, or at least be upon some topic of general interest, rather than upon one which is only local or technical. To one, therefore, whose labours, like my own, have been wholly (^onfinc^l to unravelling the intricacies in the geology of such little known and so com- plicated regions as that of the iuti'rior of New Brunswick, the attempt to meet the requirements of the custom referred to presents unusual difficulty. But, one source of satisfaction conuectinl with the working out of such problems is always present in the fact that their issue has often a bearing far beyond the immediate region in which they are undertaken. It has thus happened, at several diderent periods since the investiga- tion of N(;w Brunswick geology was begun, that discoveries, at first apparently of little value, have been found to really possess a significance of vast and general moment. I think, therefore, that I cannot do better, upon the present occasion, than to bring before you some facts referring to the progress and present status of New Brunswick geology, and while thus dealing with a theme upon which I may hope to speak with some degree of personal knowledge, to suggest at the same time some points and comparisons which may be found to have a much wider application. As regards the few members of the Section who are not geologists, I must ask their kind indulgence;, reminding them at the same time, that many most interi'sting facts connected with the botany, zoology, i;gri- culture, and climate of ditfisrent districts, are also connected with and dependant lipou their geology, some few of which in the present instance I may take occasion to noiice. The present time seems an appropriate one at which to make such a review as I have proposed, as this year witnesses the issue of the final sheets of the maps prepared by the Geological Survey, in illustration of the geology of New Brunswick. The first efforts in the direction of the preparation of such maps were made in the year 1870, but owing to the great difiiculty experienced i" obtaining even a probable solution of some of the problems necessary for that purpose, it was not until the year 1880 that the first sheets of the map were actually issued. These were three in number, two in illustration of the southern counties (Charlotte, St. John, and King's) and largely based upon work done in this region prior to the extension thereto of the work of the Geological Survey, and another embracing portions of Queen's, Sunbury, and York Counties, illustrating the position and relations of this Grand Lake coal-field. A special report and map, exhibiting the distribution of the Albert bituminous shales and Albertite deposits of Albert and West- moreland Counties, had previously been issued in 18*77. Following upon the investiga- 4 L. W. BAILHY : tion embodit^d in thc^c luaps and reports, thoso next vindorlakt'ii hud rclntion chiclly to th(> Ibrinntions l)ordi'riiig upon the (iulf (d' St. Lawrfuct^ and Bay di'S Chalciirs, while exiuiiiiiatidus were simultaneously made ol' portions ol' the Province lyiny to the north of till' great central eoal-liehl, and along the valley of the St. John. Maps, illustrative of the eastern coast, live in number, were prepared and issued, under direction of Dr. Ells, in ]88:i, while of those relating to the St. John River region, the first appeared in 1884, a second in 1880. and the hist two, iom]deting- ihe entire scries for TVew Brunswick, will be published in the present year. Prior to till! preparation of these inai)s, two geological maps of the Province had beeu published, viz., one by Prof James Robb, in I8r)(i, chielly based upon the earlier observations of Dr. A. (xcsner, though to some extent supplemented and modified by his own, and a second published by Sir W. Dawson in his "Acadian Geology," 188G, and further iiKjdificd in 1888. That those since issued ])y the Geological Survey should exhibit a great advance upon the former is no more than would naturally be expected ; lor though the map of Dr. llobb represents, in a large measure, ihe results of surveys made with provincial aid, these nevertheless embody the la])ors, at most, of but two observers, were undertaken at a time whe-n the country was I'ar less generally cleared and less aoces.sible than at present, and belong to a period whoi the science of geology itself was comparatively in a state of infancy ; while that of Sir W. Dawson, though far more advanced than tin' former, and far more ai;curate both in its topographical and geo- logical details, was also largely basi'd upon the scattered observations made by himself and others, and largely without governmental assistance. The progress made in the Survey maps, under the direction of Dr. Selwyn, is .specially marked in more exact topographical delineation, the result of car(d'ul and systematic instrumental surveys, and also in the more positive determination, through fossils and stratigraphy, of the age of the formations represented. In the later sheets, increased attention has been paid to the determination of elevation and the representation of reliefs, but owing to the increased cost involved in work of this kind, the maps, in this particular, are .still less complete than could be desired. These maps are then, for th(> present at least, to be regarded as the final results of the ofiicial surveys of New Brunswick. It will, howcA'er, be readily understood that, in the (Muirse of labours extending over eighteen years, carried on by various observers, and that too in a region remarkable for the complexity of its structure, some diversity of opinion should exist, and that results obtained in the later ye-irs, and in the portions of the Provinc(! last examined, shoiald, by reilection, tend to modify, to some extent, those gathered in the districts first studied. It will probably, therefore, not be without advantage to make here a brief n'survey of tht? field, stating which of the earlier con(dusions, of general interest, have stood their ground, those which require modification in the light of more recent knowledge, and in what directions further information is desired. Commencing with the earlier formations, it is gratifying to know that the ret;ognition of Azoic or An.lnean rocks, as occurring near the city of St. John, and which was first announced by Mr. Matthew and the author, in 18(55,' has been amply and fully conlirmed. Between these rocks and the overlying Primordial, the evidences of unconformability art; ' Oliservations i>n Ooolo^y of Southern New Urnnswick, Frodericton, 1S<>5. T'JIKSIDKNTIAL ADDUKSS. g clear, varied and widely di.strihuted. It is einiiilly evident that amon<«- thesi' Arehtoan rocks, lit least two li'ri'al groups ol' sediments are to be distini>-aishe(l, wliieh, in a y'eiieral way, hear many leal ures ol' resemhlam'e to those whirli in other parts of Canada are known as the Liinrentiai) nnd i'.uronian systems. At th" sume time it is ini|)ossil)ie lor any one I'amiliar with the rocks ol' the first named of these i^'reat systems not to see ihat between them and the supposed l/iureiitian roeks ol' St. John thiTe are equally striking dill'erenees. This is esi)ecially to be seen in I lie greater proportionate amount, in the ease ol' tho distriel, last mentioned, ol' disliiK'tly stratified roeks, such iis slates iind (juartzites, in the comparative iihsence ol' coarsely crystalline deposits, of crystalline minerals and ore-beds, and in the much urcali-r regularity and uniformity of tli(> wliole. But too much w<'ight must not be given to diU'ereiues of this kind, mon^ especially as the area, in qiu'stion is itself but very limited. A more satisfactory ]»asis of comparison miiiht perhaps be found in the examination of the microscopi(; characters all'orded Ijy the rocks of the two series, but neither in the case of the supposed Laurentian, lujr in that of the Iluronian strata, has tiiis yet been done. As regards tho Hurunian rocks, such examiiuition is especially to be desired, as the greater part of the rocks which nnike up the bulk of tho formation, and which have ])eeu rel'erred to as felsites, clay,>tones, porphyries, pctrosilex, etc., were described sonu' years prior to the introduction of the present methods of petrological research, and their names, in some instances al least, iire i)robably misapplied. Aiu)ther desideratum in coinioction with these two ancient systems is a better undei- staiuling of their tr\ie relations to each other, for, though im (h)ubt is entertained by the author as to the fact that the felsitic and schistose rocks referred to the Iluronian arc more recent than the granitoid and giu-issic rocks and thci great belts of crystalline lime- stone which have been regardinl as Laurentian, a contrary view has been taken by others ; while neither has any satisfactoiy <'ontact of the two formations been ob.served, nor any instance in which the conglomerates of ihe one arc unquestionably made up of material derived from the other. In addition to the iireas above referred to as Archu'au, several other tracts, of more or less considerable extent, occur in the northern part of the Province, and have also been represented as of I'n-Camljrian age, but the evidence as to these is of less satis- factory character, no overlying Cambrian beds having been here observed, while botli their limits and rehitions are rendered diificult of determination by the unrl-ared, rugged iind almost inaccessible character of the region in which they are found. Judged, how- ever, by their lithological asi)s'ct, and the fact that they are bordered in places by rocks which are at least as old as the so-called Quebec Group, a good degree of probability is given to the belief that a belt of such rocks traverses the northern interior of the Province, where it also constitutes its most elevated s(>ction, and forms the Avatershed from which ilow many of its most important streams. Of the formations succeeding the Archtean, to none does a greater interest attach than to the Primordial or Cambrian, so assiduously and so successfully studied by our associate, Mr. Matthew^ As the important results of these studies have been given to the world through the medium of ourowni Transactions, it will be unnecessary to speak of them here at length ; but to convey some idea of the extent to which they have added to our know- ledge of this ancient launa, it may be sullicieut to state that whereas, in the first publi- 6 L. W. BAILKY : cation rt'liitiiig Iht-n'to l)y the latf I'rol". Ilartt,' thi- total iminbfr of organic- IbrinH rccog- nizt'd waw liniitfd to cii^ht genera (four gcnciii, imhiding Ihirtuoii tspccit-N, oi" TrilobitcH, and six spccifh oi' Ihacliiopods) tlicr*; arc nt»\v recognized I'roni tlie Name formation four species of Proto/oa (sponges), two of Ilydrozoa, ono C'ystid, twelve Brachiopods, seven rteropods, two Gasteropods, six Thyllopods, four Ostracoids, and at least thirty-two species of Trilobitcs ; among the latter ono, the PuradoxideH legi/ui, being the largest fairly complete example of the genus yet I'ound in any part of the world. But it is not solely, iior even chieily, in the recognition of new species that these researches arts important. It is largely in the information which they allord as to the relationships of specilic types and the phases of their developmental history that they acquire greatest interest and value. They are still further of importance as helping to esta})lish more exactly the range and relations of the entire ('am])riau fauna, both as regards its own subdivisions and those oi' subsequent periods. As originally described under the name of the St. John Group, the formation was regarded as including only the seriey of dark slates and sandstones, at the base of which were found the Paradoxi- des and other forms by which I'rof. llartt was enabled, in 18G8, to fix their age as Primor- dial, and the probable equivalent of Burraude's Stage C, as represented in Bohemia. At the same time a series of red beds, of considerable thickness, was I'ound to intervene between these fossiliferous strata and those of the older volcanic or llurouian Group, and though at first referred to the latter as an upper member, was subsequently regardi;d as being more intimately associated with the former. At a still later period, the uncou- I'ormability of the Primordial series, as including these red beds, to the underlying lluronian, was placed beyond question by investigations extending along their entire lines of contact ; but it is only quite recently that evidence has been found, by Mr. Matthew,- tending to show that between the Paradoxides beds and the supposed equiva- lents of the Huroniau, two physical breaks, rather than one, intervene, the red rocks being really uuconibrmable to the overlying as well as the underlying series. A dis- covery of still greater interest, made at the same time, was that of the occurrence in these same beds, of organic remains which, though few and somewhat obscure, seem sufficient to show the existence, in this part of America, of a fauna older than that of the Paradox- ides zone, and the equivalent of the Lower Cambrian fauna of Newfoundland, or that of the Caerfai CJroup of "Wales. Thus, the whole Cambrian system at St. John, originally described collectively as Primordial, has now been shown to be divisible into two dis- tinct si'ries, of which the lirst, Series A-B, the Basal or Georgian Group, includes th(! Olenellus fauna, while the second. Series C, thi; St. John Group or Cambrian proper, includes part of the Lower and the whole of the Middle Cambrian as recognized in Europe, being equivalent to the Solva and Meni^vian groups of Hicks, and the Lingula Hags of Murchison, as well as the Eegiones B and C of Augelin. Series D, the equiva- lent of the Potsdam Sandstone, so far as known, is absent from Acadia. Of the groups represented, the St. John Group is further regarded as embracing three stages or divi- sions, including in the first division four subgroups or bands, each characterized by its own peculiar forms of organic life. Thus, so far as the Maritime Provinces (and New- ' Geolofry of Soutliern New Brunswiitk, I'retlerictoii, 1865. -' On a Ba»al Series of Cambrian Kocks in Acadia, fun- Record of Scieiu'e, vol. iii, no. 1, 1888. PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 7 foundland) are fonioriicd, tho Cambrian HucocBHion may now h\' n'gardud as having been placed upon a HubHtnntial banis, and may servo as an invalua])l(! guide towardH rt'moving or leHHeiiing the obseurily still cnveloijing that succession elsewhiTo. The possibility of making siach divisions as have been rcrcrrcd to, and oi' satislactorily establishing their correspondence with those ol' the Cambrian zones recognized in other parts of the world, is siillicient ju'oof of the zeal, care, and ability with which these minute investigations have been carried ou by our associate ; but I cannot let this oppor- tunity pass without adding my testimony, as that of one personally c(mversant with the facts, to the energy and untiring perseverance which has led to such important results in the face of dilhculties which se(Mned at one time to be well-iiii>h insuperabh'. It may IxMidd'Hl that the field in this direction is even now only partially explored, and the studies still in progress can hardly fail to enlarge still further our knowledge of this ancient and earliest known era of undoubted organic existence. Our attention is again directed, in this connection, to the importance of the use of the microscope in geological investigation, not only as revealing petrologiciil distinctions and conditions of origination not oth('rwis(*recoguizable, but also as an aid in the search for minute organic relics. Through its means, a series of rocks lying altogether below the f?.rst trilobitic beds of the Cambrian, and to ordinary observation utterly barren of fossils, is now known to be filled with the remains of sponges, radiolarians, etc., and therefore^ shows what we may reasonably expect when the same method of study is aj/plied to the study of like formations, both in the old world and in the new, in which as yet but few observations of tLis kind have been made. Of the formation next succeeding the Cambrian, that of the Cambro-Silurian or Ordovician, as occurring in New Brunswick, our knowledge is much less complete and satisfactory. Very large areas, it is true, have, in reports of the Survey, been referred to this horizon, and are so represented upon the accompanying maps, but always with some degree of hesitation, and rather for the reason that this reference is more consistent with such facts as we happen to possess, than that thesis facts are, for all the areas so re- presented, entirely conclusive. At one point only, viz., on Beccaguimic River, in Carle- ton County, have fossils been found, including such genera as Oholella, Acrolreta, Lingiila, Lepfama, Ortkis, Strophomena (?), Camerelhi or Rhi/nchotiella and aTrilobite apparently identical with the Trinuclens selicornis of Hisinger, as well as crinoidal or cystidmm fragments and sponge-like sj)icules, which, are certainly Lower Silurian (or Ordovician) ; but the rocks in which they occur, consisting of hard black siliceous and pyritiferous limestones, are exposed over a very small area, and an^ quite dilferent in character from anything which has been elsewhere observed in the areas referred to this system. It is certainly very remarkable that nothing corresponding directly either to the thick limeston(>s of the Trenton formation or the Utica shales, with their abundant fossils, has be(>n met with here. The bulk of the strata would seem rather to correspond to the less altered portions of the so-called Quebec Grroup, consisting chiefly of slates and sandstones, which are occasionally highly colored, but even with the latter, the correspondence, except over limited areas, can hardly be regarded as very close, there being but little to represent the coarse grits of the Sillery formation, and almost nothing to represent the heavy beds of white quartzite, of limestone, or of limestone-conglomerate, which are so conspicuously displayed along the south shore of the St. Lawrence. Another element of doubt in con- 8 L. W. BAILEY : iK'ctiou with llio iirt>iiH mrcrrt'd lo this horizon iirisfH IVom Uio fiiulin;^-, iil diliVrt'iil. points witliin liic hitter, ol' IohnHk wliich iiuliralc a iiiort' recent orij^in Ihiin lliiil assigned to the hirj^er districts ill whieli lliey occur. Thus, in tlie very heart ol' the supposed Caiiibro- Siluriaii band, in Yorii Couniy, n nnrrow belt containing i'ornis ol' transitional charaotor between tho Silurian and I)t*vonian, was found as early as iKf.', by the late (Mias. liobb; and (|uile recently si ill oilier rorius, somewhat obscure })ut apparently Devonian, have been discovered, by Mr. W. T. II. lieed of I'Vederii'ton, in the slates a I'mv miles north ol" tliat city, It may I bus eventually (nove to be the case that within the area ascribed to the (^anibro-Siluiian, there are considerable tracts of younger strata, either Silurian or J)ovonian, or both ; but th<' I'act that on the north side ol" the central granite belt the slates in (juestion arc so obviously and at so many points nu^t and overlapped by undoubted Silurian strata, taken with the knowMi occurrenco of Lower Silurian I'orms on the Beccaguimic, and ol'graptolitic slates which are probably Lower Silurian, in the eastern extension of the same belt, near Bathurst, would scimu to be sufliciont reason Tor continu* ing for the present to assign this age to the group in question. It may bo added that rocks very nearly resembling many ofthos<' which have in New Brunswick been regarded as Lower Silurian, have recently been oltservod by the writer in northern Maine, where they would seem lo be uiicon forma bly covered by Silurian conglomerates, made up of their debris ; but the determination of the exact age of all these slaty rocks in bi)th countries, is among the most important problems in the geology of this region still requiring solution. I may add that the same uncertainty rests upon the age of the so-called Kingston Hroup, of southern New Brunswick, and which in its westward extension becomes, in part at least, continuous with that to which Prof Shaler has assigned the name; of " the Campo Bello Series." By that author, who assigns to strata of the group a thickness of at least 4,000 feet, and compares them with the slates of the Cambridge district in Massa- chusetts, they are regarded as being Lower Cambrian ; biit as beds of very similar charac- ter occur within a very short distance of the known Cambrian of St. John, and yet bear but little resemblance to the latter, this supposition seems untenable. As they arc; certainly older than Silurian, and in all probability not Cambrian, they must either be regarded as I're-Cambrian, the view adopted in the Survey reports, or as Cambro-Siluriau. The rocks of the Silurian system are among the most widely spread and most in- teresting of those found within the district to which this paper relates. No other forma- tion has determined so large an extent of arable land ; none is more remarkable for its phy si(ml features, whether of moixntains, lakes or rivers, and over none is the distribution of native plants more peculiar. Within it are included the Aroostook region, so well known for its fertility, in northern Maine, and a corresponding " fertile belt" in northern New Brunswick ; and it was long since pointed out, by Prof. G-. L. Goodale, that many of the spcci(>s of plants here met with are such as naturally belong to a more southern parallel. Finally, the formation is the iirst one in which is indicated anything like a definite idea of the early geography of this portion of America. Although the general age and distribution of the larger part of the rocks referred to this system has been long known, it is only quite recently that any attempt has been made, so far as New Brunswick is concerned, to effect any subdivision of the latter or to determine the relation or equivalency of its dift'erent portions. Indeed, this could not F'RKMIDI'INTIAT; AnFmilHS. 9 well l(f (Idiif until the t'liliic licUl liad brcii surveyed 1111(1 llic lot'kN (>r lliiH I'loviin'f l»r<»uj;lil iiilu comieelioii vvilli the pveviouNly Nludied mid more lypicnl HeelioiiH allni'ded l>y I lie iHlaiid i)i" Alitieosti mid Ihe CJiispo reiiiiiHVlln. Tliis liiis now to a large exteiil. l)eeii ell'eelcd, i)artly by tlu' explorations ol' Dr. U. W. lilLs and lii« uMfioeiates, in ilie peii- iiiNulii referred to, and more recently l)y the author, in eoiiiieetion with TVlr. MeJniieN, in the distriet lyin<;- between the Metapedia River and Lake Teiiiiseouata, In the saine eoii- iieetion a eoiiMiderahli' amount of exploration has been inas, Ihf litlioloifjciil n'.si'ial)hiii(i',s urc ol'ti'ii so dost" as to iniilvi' their recof^iii- tion tliliieiiil. I'tir this rensoii, mid in coiiHeqiienie of the not inl'requent, ehme iissociiition of Ihe two HysteniH in the simie dislriel, Meveml ruiisideliihh' iireus hiive heeii idtematoly reieiied to one or tlie other oi' theMi^'ornnitions ; Inil it is prohnhle thiit ii (lower niicroMcopif! Htudy ol holh — !i work whi<'li is ^reiilly needed — will do mneh io remove this diliimUy. Still another mosl inlereslinn' lUei in eonneelion with onr knowledge of the Silnriau rocks ol" New lirunswiik has been the disi^overy, made by Mr. Matthew in iSHtl, of Ihe remains of I'l. riihpidian iishes, related to tlm <^enus Ci/allias/iis oi' Lankester, in J)iviMion ill ol' that Hysleni, or in roc^ks whieli are about of llui age of the Lctwer Lndlow, and prubal)ly of about the same au'e as those whieh in Pennsylvania hold the I'd/adsjtis oi' Prof. (Maypole. This is believed to be our lirst knowledge of the oceurreuee of this typi' of animal life in wirata of so great antiquity, so far at least as Canada is concerned. The most important I'acis in our knowledge of (he Devonian system in New Ibuns wick were obtained prior to the extension thereto of the work of the Caiuidiaii Srrvey, the rich llora of Perry, Maine, and Carleion, N. P., together with the interesting insect- remains of the lailer, having l)een previously made known to the world through lh(! labours of Prof. Ilartt, Mr. Matthew and Sir \V. Dawson. A very important limitation, both in the supposed distribution and bulk of this formation, was, however, made in the first year of the survey by th»^ transference to a very much lower (Pre- Cambrian) horizon of a great mass of uou-ibssiliferous roiks, occupying chietly the north side of the tJay of Pundy, and whieh, from their apparently confornudile superposition upon \indoubted Devonian strata at St. John, had been regarded as a portion of the latter system. In the same year (IST*^) the rocks of Perry, with their supposed equivalents at St. Andrew's and Point Lepreau, were described by the present author and his associate as much more nearly resem])ling, both ia character and position, the rocks of the Lower Carboniferous formation than those which, at St. John, held similar plant remains. At that time, how- ever, the rocks of St. John were looked \ipon as the equivalents of the Chemung and Portag<' Groups, whereas later investigations showed that their position was rather that of the Hamilton formation, if not even still oUKt. At ^hat time also but little had been done in the study of the Devonian basin of lUiy des Chaleurs, whi re our knowledge of the relations of these two formations has since been so greatly enlarged by the observations of Mr. R. AV. Ells and others. They bear to each other, in this latter region, the same resemblance lithologically as that which led to their association in Passamaquoddy Pay, but both their relative position and their contained fossils are, according to Mr. Ells, such as render their separation comparatively easy. In view of these facts, it would seem ;u-o- bable that the rocks of the " Perry Group," as all along maintained by Sir "VV. Dawson, mudt be accepted as true Devonian, though occupying in that system a position consider- ably more recent than that of the St. John and Carleton roi-ks, and being probably the equivalents of the Catskill beds, which in charact(>r they nearly resemble. , The discovery, iu connection with the Devonian rocks of Bay des Chaleurs, of fossil fishes {Pterichthi/s, Coccosletis, Pteraspis, etc.) of the same typo as those of the Old Red Sand- Can. Kecord of Science, vol. ii, no. 4, Oct., 1886. I'UKSlDKNTIAfi ADDIiKSH. 11 stone of SfolliUKl, iiml llicir riiii'lul iiiid cliibnriiic (Icsrripiion hy Mr. AVhitf.'iVi'H, in the 'ri'iiiiHiiclioiiH ol'diir Society, roii.slitiiti' (tllicr and most ini|ioi't!inl slcps n|' pni^n'NS in Ihc (Icvflopiiiciil of our ivnowlcdj^f of tliis Ny.sli'Ui, ii.s llicy NUi)i»ly iiuollirr link Itflvvccii Hie ^i'l-oloyy ort'sistcrn AiiiiTifii and lliai ol' I'luropc A nIIM more recent dincovery in conncclion willi our Kcvoniiui sysleni is llial oI'mcw iypesoi' insects and crusluceans, i'ouud only last suinnicr l)y Mr. \V. J. Wilson in tlw same pinnt-lx'ds id Carlcton, near St. John, as llidse in which Devonian insects were liiHt I'ound l)y liartl. 'I'lie hdler, and wliicii were lor a h>nj;- time the earliest insect-reiiiainM known IVoni any part of the world, were synthetic I'ornis, condtininy- i'ealures ol' thi- neuropterous and orlhopteroiis orders. They have since heen placed hy Scuddi'r in :i new Palaeozoic order, on the yround that they antedate hotli those modern orders and that they represent the source from which these latter have sprunii'. The I'act that consideralde tracts in northern Maine, descrihed in the U'eports of the Survey of that State, have heen found to contain a well-marked Silurian fauna, has already been referred to. On the other iiand, small ar as, carryint"- diaracteristic fossils of Oris- kany a"s, Albert and Westmorland Coun- li<'s, was worked out in considerable detail, with special refereuiH? to the so-called Albert shah s and the unicjxu' and valuabh' mineral, albert ite, associated with the latter." These investigations amply conlirmed the idea of albertite beinj^ an altered mineral oil, and distributed much after the manner of ordinary mini ral veins, with few, if any, of the characteristics of a true coal, and also indicated the wid(> extent of the area, fully lifty miles, over which the conditions resulting- in these produels had operated. In the very sanit' year, however, the orin'inal (b'])osit of the Albert mines, which had been so long and so prolitably worked, was found to have so greatly decreased in amount as to render its further prosecution useless, and thus what had been for many years the seat of a most active industry as well as a sourct^ oi considerable revenue to the Province, had to be abandoned. This was not done without long and expensive sear<'h for further extensions of the deposit, l)ut th(mgh these, aiul explorations since made, resulted in the discovery of the mineral at quite a number of points, at none of these have the veins proved sullieiently large to warrant their further prosecution. The existence of true eoal in the Grand Lake district in Queen's County was discovered soon afti»r the first settlement of the Province, and the subsequent explorations of ])r. Gesner and others sulliced to show the eiU)rmous area over which the rocks of th(^ coal formation are spread within its limits. Prior, however, to the year 18*72, but little was definitely known either as to th«' true thickness of the formation or its probable productive (nipacity. The idea haA'ing been generally entertained by those resident in th(i Grand Lake region that other and much thicker beds really existed there than the small twenty- two-ineh seam which had been so long known and worked near the surface, the members Geological Survey, Report lS8(i. ■ Report of I'roj,'re.ss, Geological Survey, ISTfi-Tr 12 L. W. BAILHY : of the Geological Stuiriil Hint time cinployt'd in the rrovince were, iu the year above men- tioned, direcied l)y the Govevnnu-nt oi" ('iiniida lo .see whiji definite ini'orniiition could ))e o])liiined upon the suljjiict. The result of the enquiries thus niiide was to show that tlie rocks of the Grand Lake coal-iield are disposed in the form of a very shaHow hasin, having a nuiximum depth of n.)t over 400 fi'ct, and having, on at least three of its borders, rocks older than the coal-formation coming to the surface. The employment of a diamond drill, under the direction of Mr. l-llls, gave further coniirmalion to the results thus obtained, by showing that at many dill'crent points, and at depths averaging about 'JOO feet, similar I're-Carbouiferous rocks were penetrated, and that without passing through any additional seams of coal. Thus, for this particular district at least, the facts ascer- tained would appear to be decidedly unfavorable to the belitd" in the existence here of any t'onsiderable thickness of coal-rocks or of any great productive capacity. At the same time, howevr, th(> remarkable fact was brought to notice;, and was subsequently conlirmi^d ed in other parts of tlw I'rovince, that the rocks of the coal-formation are unconformable not only to the Devonian, Silurian and other older i'ormations, but to the Ijower Car- boniferous as well, and may rest directly upon either of these, without the interposition of the others. It may hence follow that thi; coal-rocks, being deposited horizontally over a folded and eroded surface, may differ greatly in thickness in dilferent loialities, and while evidently shallow in the Newcastle region, may elsewlnn-e attain greater volume. So far, however, as observations have yet bei-n made, but little has beciu found to confirm this belief. The only other point to whid by the former, and synchronous, in all probabiliiy, with that of Ihe similar volcanic out- bursts of Lakes (Superior and Huron. These oi\tbursts were accompanied by, or were attendant upon, movements which chielly alfected the southern border of the I'rovince, adjacent to the Buy of Fundy ; the Huronian rocks being here piled up to an enormous thickness, with evidences of frequent changes of level in the course of their accumuhi- tion, whih' in the interior ol the Province they are comparatively scarce. The nature of the deposits would indicate a somewhat rapid deposition, and mostly in shallow water. (3.) The s. l)mcrgence of portions of the basin beneath the sea-level in the Canadian era, as indicated by the limestones of this age bordering the Straits of Belleisle, as well as the boulders, containing relics of the Georgia or Olenellus fauna in the limestone- conglomerates of this Quebec Group. Portions of the rim of the basin were also sub- merged, as indicated by the character and fossils of the Cambrian formation at St. John and elsewhere, but the movements here would seem to have been quitt; various, as indicated by the following table, based upon the ob.servations of Mr. Matthew : — A-B. Hasai, or tilOOKCIIAN SkUIBS. (_ fiaiTijiun SUkji:. a St. .Idiix OK AcAiiiAN Skrihs. I Congiomeratus, &v., sliowiiig littoral origin. f Elchcmimun Stor/e. ] Fine sliales indicating lieeper water. I [Sliales and sandstones,.,of shallow water origin. "I I ( Glanconite slialo.. 1 1 Shales, i- licating deeixir waters. I I [Shales, J f a. Sandstone, ] I I). .Sandstone I I <■• l^iifk shale, formed in deejier waters. I ''• 151a<;k shales, formed in the deep sea. formed in .shallow walerri. Stdi/i' iSOii/i .Singe 3. ' Sandstones,. worm burrows and 1 i. Coarse .shales, J '''PP'^ murks, ' shore and shallow wator.«. ( Black shales, ■I Ctenopyge bods, ,' with deep-water sponges. I Grey shales,. | It is not a little singular that the formation ends with deep-sea deposits, there 1> i no- nothing to mark that return to or above the sea-level which would naturally usher in the changing conditions and the changing life of a succeedino- era. (4.) A more gemn-al sii])mergence in the Cambro-Silurian or Ordovician era, deter- 14 L. W. MAI7' I ho Ibrimiliou ol' liiuctoncs sii Aniirnsli and to Komc cxlcnf aloiii>' tlio St. Liiw- ivm'i; valloy, but mostly nuiikcd by sluilhnv-walcr st'dimcuts, iniiiiilcd, according to Sir "W. Dawson, with the products of ice-drift a l^c ; and followed by a period of distvirbance in which these same sediments, incliiding those of the so-called Quebec Group, were compressed and uplilted into the ridyes now constitutinu' the Notre Dame rantie and the axis of the Gaspe peninsula. Further south, similar movenu'uts may have a(F<'cted the C'ambro-Silurian strata of <;entral and northern New l>ruuswi<'l\, producing a partial sub- division of the basin into a northern and a southern area. (').) A continuation during the lirst half of the Upper Sihirian, of conditions similar to those of the Lower Silurian in soiilh-eastern (Quebec and ncn'thern Maine, \iz., of shallow water sediments, including locally heavy beds of conglomerate, and thick accumulations of volcanic origin, but chiclly linu>stones at Anticosti ; followed, however, by movements which in the northern lialf of the basin led to a greater depression of the hvtter and the formation of impure limestones and calcareoixs shales oamt muc^h of northern Maine, as well as New Brunswick, biit in the south l)y a iuovement of elevation which, except at a few points along the coast, raised this region above the sea-level. (G.) The apparent limitation of purely marine deposition in the Devonian to the northern division of the Aciidian basin, and mostly to its lirst or Oriskany period. Along the southern coast the plant and insect-l)earing beds of SI. John and C'arleton n^ferred to the Hamilton Group, point to their probable origin along the northern l)order of a trough coinciding in the main with that of the present l?ay of Fundy, and al>out the mouths of rivers which may in part mark the beginning of the modern St. John ; while the character and fossils of the slate.s bordering the central coal-field indicate the con- tinued existence there of the great central basin. The distril)utiou and (character of the rocks bordering Bay des Chaleurs, with their remarkable assemblage of land plants and of lishes, both ranging from the Lower to the Upper Devonian, clearly indicate the existence of the depression during the continuance of these periods, as well as its general correspondence with that which now exists. The abundance of trappean deposits in association with these rocks would further indicate that the region was one of consider- able instability, and subje("t to frequent igneous outbursts. Near the Bay of Fundy, and in the interior of New Brunswick, such trappean masses do not accompany the DcA'onian strata, or only to a limited extent, but important physi("al movements are indicated by the marked discordance of attitude between the lower and higher beds of the formation. (*7.) An epoch, or epochs, of excessiA'e disturban<'.e, pli(^ation and uplift, accompani- ed by regional metamorphism, and the extrusion of great masses of granite, in the interval between the close of the Silurian era and that introducing the Carboniferous age. The granites have iuA^aded and altered the Silurian strata upon an extensiA^e scale, while they are not known, at least in New Brunswick, to ha^a* so invaded the Devonian rocks. The fact, however, that the latter, in common with all the Pre-Carboniferous strata, show abundant evidence of alteration and a parallelism with the granitic axes, gives support to the view that the period of origination of these granites was the close of the Devonian era. (8.) A general depression in the Lower Carboniferous era, affecting but slightly the northern and western portions of the New Brunswick, but to a greater extent its central and southern parts, submerging all prci'xisting valleys, both in New Brunswick and rUKSIDENTFAL ADDI.'RSS. 15 Novii Sioliii, iiirluding- (ho givat couiral l)iisiu of lln^ IVirmcr, mid pnitiiiUy siibiucruiny tlu'ir ])ordt'rin!4' hills, to an amcmnl cinial, in sonic casfs, (o 1,(H)() I'ct'l di' llu'ir present iu'iyht. Tilt? chavactor orthesi'diuieiits (lari^'ely coarsi! rod sandstone and cont'-lomeratcs, with inipurt! limt'stoncs and beds of y'ypsimi), their iniprejinalion wiih salt and couipara- tive pauiity oi' marine fossils, indicate a shallow water origin and lienc ral conditions similar to thosi; of llu! Salina period oi' ihe Silurian >!' New York. The close of ihe era is marked hy i'requeni igneous oxil Hows, by long-con! inued and extensive denudation and, in some instances, by iiplil'ts, leading to unconformity with ihe overlying coal- measures. (It) The replacement, in the Coal era, of the hays, straits, shallow l)asins and evaporating Jlats of the Lower Cirbonilerous by fresh-water swami)s and bogs supporl- ing the coal vegetation. In northern and central New Brunswick, the movements iuvolved in this and succeeding changes, though affecting large areas, were but small in amount, the coal seams being few, and the entire thickness of the formation but sliiiht. lu Nova Scotia, as is well known, the thickness is enormous, aud includes coal beds remarkable alike for their number and magnitude. In the former, over the central coun- ties, the strata are still very nearly horizontal ; along the Bay of Fundy they are more highly inclined, with numerous faults and dislocations; in Nova Scotia they are thrown into numi'rous basins, showing similar evidences of powt'rful physical movements. (10.) Finally, with the changes marking the New Ked Sandstone era, a depression and deepening of the Bay of Fundy trough, followed by igneous extrusions along its bed, and subsequent elevation to form the North IMountains of Nova Scotia and the Island of Grand Manau, the Acadian basin assumes essentially its present physical aspect, subsequently to be broken only by the events conuected with the origination and declim> of the groat Grlacial era, synchronous in all probability with the first appearance of man. Passing now^ to these more recent formations, we Hud, as regards the Quaternary geo- logy of New^ Brunswick, that, in addition to numerous more or loss scattered observations made by nearly all the iield observers, special study^ of this subject has been made both by Mr. Matthew and Mr. Robert Chalmers, the last named gentleman being still engaged in the prosecution of this work. The members of the Section an; probably already familiar with the more important conclusions of Mr. Chalmers, as set forth in an elaborate contrib- ution to the memoirs of the Society, and in an article on the glaciation of eastern America in the ' Canadian Record of Science.' Those views are of great interest and importance as tending to modify, to a large extent, the opinions proAaously held as to ihe charac^ter, amount and direction of ice-action in this region in glacial times, and as giving coniirma- tion to the view, so long and ably advocated by Sir. "W. Dawson, that the glaciation of this part of the continent was the result of local rather than continenlal glaciers, assisted by icebergs, at a time when the country stood betotv its present level. A highly import- ant work in this connection is the prei^aration, by Mr. Chalmers, of a series of maps, duplicating the geological maps referred to in previous pages, but in which the geologi- cal distinctions are replaced by others showing the surface features of the > >untry, the distribution of the various Quaternary deposits, the character of the soil, the distribution of forests, peat bogs, plains, etc. These, when completed, will be of the greatest pos- sible service, not only in connection with the wants of intending settlers, but also in any discussion of the facts of our Quaternary history. 16 L. W. BAILEY : The Kvibjcct ol" Ihf prehistoric humsin occtipation oJ' Aciulia is one of eonsidcrabie interest, and although, according to the orgrnization of our Society, it is one which pro- perly ai)pertains to another St^ction, it is really quite as appropriate to our own, and a few facts relating thereto may be acceptable. Among the most important investigations connected with this subject, so far as New Brunswick is concerned, are those of the recognition and exploration of the shell-heaps, which are found at dilferent points along the (!0ast, and esp(!cially about the shorcu of Passamaquoddy Bay. Some of these were very fully examined by the lat(! Prof S. F. Baird, about lifteen years ago, and many interesting articles were obtained, which aro now in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution at Washington, but of which no puldished description has yet been made. Others were explored by a committees of the Natural History Society of St. John, and in their Proceedings is contained a very iuteresl- ii)<^' acc^ount, from the pen of Mr. Matthew, of what was evidently an ancient Indian village, at the mouth of Bocabee River, in Charlotte Connty. In the interior of the Pro- vince, scattered relics, chieily the coarser stone implements and arrow-heads, are of com- mon occurrence, and with these are sometimes found such articles as pipes, pottery, wampum, net-sinkers, pendants etc., often somewhat elaborately ornamented. The coarser and finer relics, including both chipped and polished implements, are, however, promiscuoufly mixed together, and no facts have been observed from which, in any case, any high degree of antiquity can be inferred. An article by the author, summing up the facts upon this subject, and accompanied by photographic ilhistratious, is contained in the Sixth Bulletin of the Natural History Society of St. John (1887). This, it is hoped, will soon be followed by a similar article, by Mr. Matthew, upon the prehistoric relics of the coast. The author cannot (^lose this brief rcA'^iew of scientific^ progress in New Brunswick without some reference to work which, though not directly geological, must be of some interest to the geologist, as it will also be to other members of the Section. I allude to the advances made in our knowledge of the botany and zoology of the Province. As regards the former, much interesting and valuable work has been done by various local observers, in the way of adding to the lists of species occurring within our limits, or of more accurately defining the range of their distribution ; but by far the most import- ant contribution to the subject is that of the systematic synopsis of our entire flora, by Prof. James Fowler, and which has since been incorporated in the still more extensive and elaborate flora of the Dominion, published under the auspices of the Geological and Natural History Survey, by Prof Macoun. A valuable supplement to the work of Prof. Fowler, which is confined to terrestial forms, is that of Mr. Gr. U. Hay and Mr. A. H. MacKay, on the marine Algae of New Brunswick, and which was published in Volume V of our Transactions. An interesting and thoughtful article, showing some of the relations of our plant distribution to the climate and physical conditions aiFecting it, was published hj Mr. Matthew in 1869, under the title " The Occurrence of Arctic and Western Plants in Continental Acadia," ' and a somewhat similar article, by Prof. Fowler, "Arctic Plants growing in New Bxui^swick," in Volume V of our Transactions. Among important papers bearing upon the subject of our zoology are those of Mr. Can. Naturalist, June, 186'J. PTlKSIDENTfAT. ADDRESS. 17 Mont!i'>uo Chainbcrlin on the distribution iiiul liabits ol' our iiaiivt' birds; tbosc of Mr. W. F, Ganong on th.» distrihution ol tho cray-fish ; on the introduction of Li/Zorh/n lillorm ; on tho marine MoUusca of New Brunswii k, and llnaliy, williin thr last year, on tho I'^'hinodcrniata of New Ib'uuswick. It will, I thiiik.be adniitl.'d that scientilic work lias iioi been backward in tho Hi'ction of the Doniinion to wlii.h I have this cveniim' directi'd your attention, while to the Royal Society is due, in no small measure, the possibility of makiu--' known its results to the scientific world. Sec. IV, 1889. 3.