1864.] 463 [Lesley. 



Prof. Cresson was excused from preparing an obituary 

 notice of Mr. Wain. 



Mr. T. P. James read a paper on the New Mosses whicli lie 

 had detected within the limits of the United States, east of 

 the Mississippi River, intended for the Transactions. On 

 motion the paper was referred to a Committee consisting of 

 Messrs. Durand, Porter of Lancaster, and Aubrey H. 

 Smith. 



Mr. Lesley described a recent discovery of Lignite in 

 iron ore at Pond Bank, ten miles east of Chambersburg, in 

 Franklin County, Pennsylvania, and described the impor- 

 tance of the discovery in a theoretical point of view, its 

 analogy with the Brandon deposit in Vermont, and its in- 

 fluence on the determination of the age of the present sur- 

 face of the land. Specimens from the deposit were exhibited 

 to the members. Mr. Lesley said : 



A few days ago, a remarkable instance of the discovery of a tertiary 

 deposit among the Appalachian mountains, similar to that of the 

 celebrated Bi-andon Ugnite deposit, in Vermont, has occurred in 

 Southern Central Penn.sylvania. The geological importance of these 

 two cases, so far as I am aware the only two on recoi-d, can hardly be 

 overestimated. They open again, in the most embarrassing manner, 

 the discussion of the age of the present Silurian, Devonian, and Car- 

 boniferous surface. They suggest an entire revolution in the gene- 

 rally accepted modes of regarding the production of our Appalachian 

 topography. They lend a novel interest to the glacial hypothesis ; 

 and they help to settle our views on the difficult subject of the con- 

 finement of the New Red within its well-known limits, along the 

 south foot of the South Mountain or Blue Ridge range, which I dis- 

 cussed in a brief manner, at the last meeting of the Society. 



The lignite was struck in a shaft, at a depth of 40 feet below the 

 surface. It was between 4 and 5 feet thick ; under it a stratum of 

 very solid gray sand,* of equal thickness (5-6 ft.); and then lignite 

 more solid and glossy, for seven feet more, to the bottom, f as far as 

 sunk. I have not been able to visit the place, and give this descrip- 

 tion as it is reported by the shaft-sinker. Large logs of wood were 

 taken from the deposit, specimens of which, I have the pleasure of 



* ("Like disintegrating sandstone."; 



t (" With here and there a thin streak or vein of hard gray sand.") 



