12 L. W. BAILEY : 



of the G-eological Staff at that time employed in the Province wore, in the year above men- 

 tioned, directed by the G-overnmeut of Canada to see what definite information could be 

 obtained upon the subject. The result of the enquiries thus made was to show that the 

 rocks of the G-rand Lake coal-field are disposed in the form of a very shallow basin, having 

 a maximiim depth of not over 400 feet, and having, on at least three of its borders, rocks 

 older than the coal-formatioii coming to the surface. The employment of a diamond 

 drill, under the direction of Mr. Ells, gave further confirmation to the results tliiis 

 obtained, by showing that at many different points, and at depths averaging about 200 

 feet, similar Pre-Carbouiferous rocks were penetrated, and that without passing through 

 any additional seams of coal. Thus,' for this particular district at least, the facts ascer- 

 tained would appear to be decidedly unfavorable to the belief in the existence here of any 

 considerable thickness of coal-rocks or of any great productive capacity. At the same time, 

 however, the remarkable fact was brought to notice, and was subseqiiently confirmed 

 ed in other parts of the Province, that the rocks of the coal-formation are unconformable 

 not only to the Devonian, Silurian and other older formations, but to the Lower Car- 

 boniferous as well, and may rest directly upon either of these, without the interposition 

 of the others. It may hence follow that the coal-roiks, being deposited horizontally 

 over a folded and eroded surface, may differ greatly in thickness in different localities, 

 and while evidently shallow in the Newcastle region, may elsewhere attain greater 

 volume. So far, however, as observations have yet been made, but little has been found 

 to confirm this belief. 



The only other point to which allusion need here be made, in connection with the 

 Carboniferous system, is the reference of considerable portions of that system, in New 

 Brunswick, as well as in Prince Edward's Island, to the Permian G-roup by Dr. R. W. 

 Ells. The grounds for this reference will be found in the Report of the G-eological 

 Survey for 1883. 



It may be in place to observe that, in connection with the identification of our 

 different geological formations, and the study of their distribution, character and contained 

 fossils, endeavours have been made to employ these data as a means of working out the 

 varying geography of the periods which they represent, and thus of tracing the historical 

 and physical growth of this portion of America. Among articles bearing upon this sub- 

 ject are some by Mr. Matthew relating to Quaternary changes in the vicinity of St. John, 

 one by the present author relating to ancient erosion in New Brunswick, and another on 

 the history of the St. John River in .the same Province, both published in our Trans- 

 actions ; the paper by Prof Shaler on the geology of Cobscook Bay previously referred to ; 

 and finally, an elaborate paper by Sir "W. Dawson on the Eozoic and Palœozoic rocks of 

 the Atlantic coast of Canada (Quarterly Journal of Geological Society, November, 1888.) 

 From the observations thus made, the following general conclusions may be regarded as 

 fairly established : — 



(1.) The origination of an Acadian basin, as distinct from the other great basins of 

 the continent, by a series of great uplifts antedating the opening of the Cambrian era. 

 "While on the north the basin was chiefly limited, as now, by the great chain of the 

 Laurentide hills, with possibly a few ovrtlying islets in the Gaspé peninsula, it was, 

 upon the south, similarly but less completely limited, and separated from the Atlantic, 

 by a series of long and probably low ridges stretching along the southern coast of New 



