232 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [May 22 
was a specimen of remarkable interest. In its lithological characters 
this rock closely resembles the Triassic sandstone so much used in New 
York for architectural purposes, but it contained numbers of very beautifuliy 
preserved impressions of angiospermous leaves. No plants of this kind 
were known to exist during the Trias, or before the Cretaceous; but we 
know of no such Cretaceous or Tertiary sandstone on the North Ameri- 
ean Continent. The mass from which this specimen was taken was a 
bowlder and the associated transported blocks were granite, porphyry, 
greenstone, dolomite, etc., plainly refererable to well-known localities 
north of New York. But no such sandstone as this was known, and it 
became a matter of extreme interest to ascertain what was its origin. 
Again, at the meeting of March 23, 1874, as reported in the 
Proceedings, 2d Ser. No. 4, pp. 126, 127, the matter came up 
in the following form : 
The President described a sandstone containing angiospermous leaves 
very similar in aspect to those of the Raritan and of the Lower Creta_ 
ceous in the far west, which occurs in bowlders at Lloyd’s Neck, L. I. 
This is undoubtedly the same rock with that of the Williamsburgh Gas 
House, as he was satisfied by comparison. It is totally unlike anything 
known in this vicinity, and unfortunately, has not yet been found in situ. 
Whenever it is, some interesting light will be thrown on the whole ques- 
tion. But its presence under these circumstances, points to its existence 
in place, at some locality not far away. 
As previously stated, we have since found it in place at Glen 
Cove, and can account for other masses on the theory of glacial 
transportation and subsequent hardening of incoherent creta- 
ceous material. The demonstration of these facts, however, 
came too late for their appreciation by Dr. Newberry. Our 
present interpretation of the facts is also of importance, as 
indicating the former existence of cretaceous strata in localities 
where their presence was not suspected, or if suspected, could 
not be demonstrated. By means of similar facts I was first able 
to trace the extent and positive existence of the cretaceous 
formation on certain parts of Staten Island, and reasoning 
from similar premises and facts in Long Island, we must con- 
clude that at least a portion of New York Harbor and the East 
River to the north of Brooklyn was occupied by cretaceous 
strata, It is probable that the archzan axis, which extends 
through Staten Island and thence diagonally across the harbor 
to New York, with extensions up the river valleys, was the old 
shore line in this vicinity, as we find it to have been the case 
elsewhere. Further eastward, there seems to be no question that 
