18 BILLETIX OF THE XATUKAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



During the fourth year of his survey, Dr. Gesner was engaged 

 in extending the work of previous years to the United States 

 boundary and Woodstock, on the one hand and to the mouth of 

 the Miramichi on the other. He traced a belt of " primary " 

 rocks (granite, etc.) from the Cheputnecticook Lakes to the 

 sources of the Miramichi, marked the boundaries of a large 

 forked area of Cambrian rocks, and located the western and 

 northern bounds of the large central carboniferous area of New 

 l^runswick. 



At this time, aj^parently. Dr. Gesner became acquainted with 

 the Glacial theory, and refers to the inquiries of Agassiz, Buck- 

 land, Lyell and others into facts connected with the glaciers of 

 Switzerland, Scotland and Ireland,* and he thinks it probable 

 that many parallel ridges of sand and gravel in New Brunswick 

 have been produced by the operations of ice ; but we do not find 

 that he used this theory subsequently' in accounting for grooved 

 surfaces on the rocks, which he still attributes to diluvial floods 

 from the north. "The Glacial Period," says Gesner, "intro- 

 duces the opinion that between the period of the enoi'mous 

 animals, the bones of which are buried in diluvial districts, and 

 the present epoch, there was a period of intense cold.'t 



The fifth report (entitled " Report on the Geological Survey 

 of New Brunswick with a topographical account of the Puljlic 

 Lands and the district explored in 1842) describes the country 

 of the Upper St. John and the wilderness and forest country on 

 tlie headquarters of the Tobique and Restigouche rivers. In 

 this area Dr. Gesner found an extensive area of Silui'ian slates 

 anfl overlying tracts of red sandstones with limestone and gypsum 

 deposits. 



Through tlie information on the geology and natural products 

 of the province which these reports contained, a great deal of 

 interest in her mineral wealth was excited, and the popular mind 

 was filled with large expectations of the development of her 

 mines. A numlier of mining adxentures were undertaken, some 

 of which were successful, but maiiv the reverse. In Albei-t 



Fourtli Ki'port. p. 1)9. I Fourth Kciiort. p. 1; 



