1865.] DAWSON — THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 417 



leading geologists present, being content with the received ideas of 

 the joint action of icebergs and glaciers, there was little discussion, 

 although several valuable papers were read, the most important 

 being that of Prof. Phillips, on the physical conditions of the 

 existence of glaciers. 



Passing from the newest geological formation to the oldest, a 

 very important communication, by Mr. Salter and Mr. Hincks, 

 detailed the discovery of many curious fossils in rocks of the 

 Cambrian period, below the oldest fossils hitherto known in Eng- 

 land. They curiously illustrate the fact that, in the beginning of 

 the animal life of the palaeozoic period, all of the three lower pro- 

 vinces of the animal kingdom were represented ; a striking contrast 

 in this respect to the still older Laurentian, with its one fossil — the 

 Foz'6on—2L representative of one, and that the most humble of the 

 types of animal life. Mr. Salter also applied his discovery, in a 

 very happy manner, to the illustration of the parallelism between 

 the oldest silurian rocks of America and Europe ; and more espe- 

 cially to the connection of the gold producing rocks, with the old 

 slates holding Paradoxides, one of those curious connections 

 between fossils and useful minerals which are constantly occurring, 

 and which show the practical value of the study of fossil remains. 

 A paper by Prof. Harkness, on the limestones of Connemara, 

 supposed to contain fossils similar to the Eozbon of the Canadian 

 Laurentian, gave an opportunity of explaining to the section the 

 steps by which the discovery of the fossil and its determination had 

 been reached in this country. Prof. Harkness maintained, in 

 regard to the Connemara rocks, that they are really Lower Silurian 

 not Laurentian, and that they contain no true Foraminiferal 

 remains, but the Canadian discovery was accepted on all hands as 

 undoubted. 



The writer happened to be the only representative of Canadian 

 geology at the meeting, and, in- that capacity, was honored by 

 appointment as one of the vice-presidents of the section. He pre- 

 sented two communications, one on the succession of fossil plants 

 in the older geological formations as evidenced in America ; the 

 other on the conditions of deposit of our boulder clay, and the 

 evidence as to the climate of the period afforded by fossil plants. 

 Both were well received, and led to some discussion ; and he can 

 testify, on this as on previous occasions, of the scientific men of 

 Britain, that they are ever ready to receive a colonial brother on 

 equal terms with themselves, and show none of that mean contempt 

 for colonists which is too conspicuous in the political press of Eng- 



