240 ANTS UAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



In the ri'i)ort of his explorations in California and Ores^on Prof. 

 Newberry liad described these laeustine deposits, and had shown 

 how the lakes at the bottom of which the}- accumulated had disap- 

 peared by the cuttin«j: down of their outh'ts, the gorges through 

 whii'ii the Columl)ia, Klamath, and Pitt Rivers now How. 



Tiie Khimath J.,akes, etc., were miniature representatives of 

 these ancient lakes, wliidi were apparently quite as extensive as 

 our present great lakes. 



Tiie fossil plants contained in the collection made by llev. Mr. 

 Condon were most beautifully preserved, and consisted of a great 

 number of species, most of which were new ; but a mimber were 

 iih'ntical with species found in the mioceue tertiary of the Upper 

 Missouri. 



Tliere are also some species which had been found in the mio- 

 ceue beds of Eraser's River and Greeidand. 



The present collection will add much to our knowledge of the 

 flora of the miocene period on this continent. 



The animal remains found in tiie same series of tertiaries with 

 the plants consist of fresh-water shells and fishes, with a few 

 mammalian bones. 



The shells are numerous species of Meladia, Plaiiorbis, Cerhic- 

 ula, and Unio^ — all, so far as known, new to science. 



The tislies were Cuponodonts allied to Mylophawdon, etc., — 

 the fishes now inliabiting the western rivers. 



Among the mammalian bones contained in this collection were 

 some that plainly belonged to the horse. 



The ijcds containing the animal remains were perhaps more 

 recent than the plant beds, but still tertiary. 



THE COAL-FIELDS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC COAST. 



The Pacific Railroad being now nearly ready for traffic, it be- 

 comes of importance to inquire what are the fuel supplies — on 

 the Pacific coast — to be relied upon to supply the fleets of steam- 

 ers and the branch railways which will soon strike oft" from the 

 main line into almost every valle}^ and to every little mountain 

 town. No doubt coal might be brought round Cape Horn, as 

 liitherto much of it has been, or across the plains with the railway ; 

 but both of these means of supply must necessarily be limited, on 

 account of the expense. It behoves us, therefore, to inquire some- 

 what narrowly what are the extent and nature of the native coal- 

 fields on the North Pacific coast. I nuist preface what I have to 

 sav by telling vou that what notes I mav have to lav before you are 

 the result of oecasioiuil observations in the course of my wandering 

 in the greater portion of certain regions — explored and unex- 

 plored — between California and Alaska (buing portions of the 

 years 18(33, 18C4, 18G5, and 18GG. Though 1 shall have occasion, 

 now and then, to refer to general geological (piestions, yet, for 

 the main part, what I shall have to sav will almost entirely be 

 l<K)ked at from a coal-supply point of view, and then as much 

 with the eye of a physical geographer as that of a pure geologist. 



