Dawson.] 208 [May. 



one (within five days), was announced by Mr. T. P. James, 

 who, on motion of Dr. Coates, was appointed to prepare an 

 obituary notice of the deceased. 



The Secretary presented the following communication from 

 Prof. Dawson, of Montreal, and, on account of the notice 

 given of an address by Mr. Price upon another subject to 

 which the evening would probably be devoted, moved the 

 postponement of its consideration until the next meeting, 

 which was so ordered. 



Dr. Dawson desires, with reference to the rejoinder of Mr. Lesley 

 to his objection to the views of the latter, on the Coal Formation of 

 Nova Scotia, to make the following explanations. 



1. Dr. Dawson is not aware that he has, at any time, maintained 

 that the '^ coal-measures proper " of Nova Scotia are 25,000 feet in 

 thickness. In speaking of their enormous thickness, he referred to 

 the actual measurements of Sir W. E. Logan at the Joggins, which 

 give for the whole of the Carboniferous rocks seen in that section, 

 a vertical thickness of 15,570 feet, and for the coal-measures proper, 

 or Middle Coal Formation, a thickness of rather less than 10,000 

 feet. The objections based by Mr. Lesley on this supposed thick- 

 ness of 25,000 feet, are therefore quite inapplicable to the views of 

 Dr. Dawson. 



2. Dr. Dawson does not admit the interpretation of his views as 

 to the unity of the coal flora given by Mr. Lesley. The " inconsis- 

 tencies" alleged by the latter, depend in part on the imaginary thick- 

 ness of 25,000 feet attributed to the Middle coal-measures. The 

 identity of the flora throughout the Middle coal formation, and the 

 distinctions between this and the assemblages of plants in the Lower 

 and Upper coal formation, admit of being readily ascertained, where 

 good exposures exist, as in Nova Scotia ; and it is to be borne in 



>mind that the investigations of Dr. Dawson on this subject have ex- 

 tended over more than twenty years, though many of the details 

 ascertained have not yet been published. 



3. It should be understood that the Carboniferous system in 

 Nova Scotia consists of the following members : 



(I.) The Upj)er coal formation, containing coal formation 

 plants, but not productive coals. 



(2.) The 31icldle coal formation, or coal formation proper, con- 

 taining the productive coal-beds. 



