A Last of Minerals and Organic Remains. 77 
temporaneous deposition; and further, that they are the 
representatives of the mountain or carboniferous limestone 
of England. 
I] make these statements with extreme diffidence ; being, 
in some degree, aware of the difficulties of the discussion, of 
the existence of contradictory facts, few but weighty, an 
of the defective state of our information respecting the vast 
calcareous formations of North America. he 
The universality of its debris, crowded with the appro- 
priate fossils, on the north shore of Lake Superior, argues a 
continuation of this rock from Lake Huron; but it has not 
et been discovered in situ. [| also anticipate that further 
research will assign the same date to the limestones of Mal- 
bay, Anticosta, and Gaspe, on the east; and on the north- 
west to those of the Lakes Winnepeg, of the Woods, Bour- 
bon, Cedar, La Crosse, and Beaver, and of the Rivers 
Mississippi, Saskatchawine, Red River, Brochet and Vo- 
leurs; all, excepting Voleurs, (if I recollect aright) dis- 
charging into Hudson’s Bay. 
The horizontal limestone of the Canadas first mentioned 
is placed on the northern limits of the Basin, occupying the 
valley of the Mississippi, and the western parts of the state 
of New-York; and rests upon the primitive and trausition 
ridge which separates the waters of the St. Lawrence from 
those of Hudson’s Bay. From the mouth of the St. Law- 
rence, upwards, these more ancient rocks border the river 
closely. They form its north bank as far westward as 
Cape Tourment, and receding there, leave a stripe a few 
miles broad up to Montreal, when retreating to the Falls of 
the Chat, on the Ottawa, they allow to the horizontal lime- 
stone an interval sixty miles broad between themselves and 
the river St. Lawrence, which, at the outlet of Lake Onta- 
tio, they again approach and cross, by a spur sixty miles in 
breadth, extending, mingled with occasional terraces of 
sandstone and limestone, from Kingston to Brockville. 
A line drawn W. N. W. from Kingston to Penctanguishene 
on the north-east coast of Lake Huron, and cutting the 
north shore of Lake Simcoe will trace the junction of the 
horizontal calcareous rocks with the inclined formations. 
© conchiferous limestone occurs on the northern shores of 
kes Huron and Superior ; but it ranges within from three 
to six miles of that of Lake Huron, and thence is continu- 
