8 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Europe. He was a constant friend and admirer of Lyell, to whom his 

 "Acadian Geology" was dedicated. 



Acadian geology also owes much to the labours of other pioneers 

 during this early period. Dr. Abraham Gesner submitted five reports 

 to the Legislature of New Brunswick on the geolo'gy of the province 

 between the years 1839 and 1843. Dr. James Robb published a map 

 of New Brunswick with observations in 1850. Dr. G. F. Matthew, 

 whose name has subsequently become so closely connected with the 

 Cambrian of Eastern Canada, began his work on the rocks at St. 

 John in 1851, and in 1863 published a revision of Dawson's subdivi- 

 sions. Dr. Bailey worked on the Tobique and Nipisiguit rivers in 

 1864 and with Matthew and Hartt in 1865. An important result of 

 this joint work was the announcement of a "Primordial Fauna at the 

 base of the St. John group representing a Silurian Horizon lower than 

 any previously determined." 



The stratigraphie succession, as recognized in the maritime pro- 

 vinces in 1870, is given by Matthew and Bailey as follows: — 



MATTHEW AND BAILEY's TABLE OF 1870 



Triassic or New Red Sandstone 



Carboniferous or Coal Measures 



Lower Carboniferous 



Perry Group 



Granite 



Devonian 



Upper Silurian 



Lower Silurian or St. John Group 



Huronian 



Laurentian 



In connection with the work in the maritime provinces during 

 this period, mention should also be made of the work of Gesner in Cape 

 Breton in 1846, of Rev. Dr. Honeyman at Arisaig, and of Mr. R. 

 Brown, also of the assistance of the great vertebrate palaeontologists, 

 Owen and Marsh. 



It is now necessary to glance briefly at the beginnings of geological 

 explorations in the prairie regions of the West and it is again to the 

 south of the boundary that we must go for the initiation of the accepted 

 nomenclature. 



In 1804-05-06 Lewis and Clarke conducted an expedition to the 

 source of the Missouri and across to the Columbia; subsequently 

 Nuttall and Long brought fossils from that region which were recog- 



