ABRAHAM GESNER — REVIEW OF HIS SCIENTIFIC WORK. 37 



■few years after his survey closed (1847) he said that the [red] 

 conglomerates alonis; the south side of the coal field might he so 

 classed. This is stated in his book on "New Brunswick," in 

 which he also inclines to defer to the opinion of Sir Charles 

 Lyell, who was " disposed to class these rocks with the Devonian 

 system, or the Permian rocks of Russia." Some years later Dr. 

 Gesner more distinctly avowed this opinion in reference to the 

 corresponding sandstones of Nova Scotia. 



There was, howevei', a modicum of truth in Dr. Gesner's 

 earlier view of the age of the red sandstones, because there are 

 certain small areas among the rocks referred by him to the New 

 Red Sandstone that actually are of Triassic age. These are small 

 isolated patches along the shore of the Bay of Fundy, and per- 

 haps some larger ones on the eastern coast of New Brunswick. 



But while we thus gladly give Dr. Gesner the credit of 

 having discovered certain small areas in southern New Bruns- 

 wick that are truly referable to the New Red Sandstone, there 

 are other larger areas of his map thvis colored, that must be 

 removed from this category. Such is the considerable district 

 on the Kennebecasis river and extending thence through West- 

 morland county. Such, also, is the eastern end of this county ; 

 and such, also, two oval areas on Grand Lake in Queen's C(Hinty. 

 These latter, by the Dominion Geological Suivey, are relegated 

 to the Coal Measures, and the two former to the Lower Carbon- 

 iferous series. 



When reduced b}^ the abstraction of these areas, the remain- 

 ing tracts of New Red Sandstone ai-e quite insignificant, and are 

 ■strictly confined to the southern coast. 



Lias Limestone. 



Having found salt springs and gypsum in the red sandstone 

 district of Sussex and elsewhere in Kings county, Dr. Gesner, as 

 we have observed, saw reason to refer the rocks to the New Red, 

 or Triassic Sandstone. Hence he naturally supposed that the 

 limestones which are found in these districts toward the centres 

 ■of the "New Red " basins were of the age of the Lias of Great 



