﻿I] 
  Historical 
  Review 
  : 
  First 
  Period 
  37 
  

  

  State 
  Assayist 
  of 
  Massachusetts. 
  This 
  author 
  adds: 
  "This 
  

   lignite 
  has 
  a 
  specific 
  gravity 
  of 
  1.143, 
  it 
  is 
  nearly 
  black 
  in 
  color, 
  

   and 
  its 
  lignitic 
  structure 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  distinct 
  as 
  usual 
  ; 
  but 
  it 
  dis- 
  

   solves 
  completely 
  in 
  caustic 
  soda 
  solution." 
  

  

  Forshey. 
  — 
  In 
  1875 
  C. 
  G. 
  Forshey, 
  Assistant 
  Engineer, 
  pub- 
  

   lished 
  a 
  " 
  Report 
  of 
  Survey 
  and 
  Borings 
  Made 
  at 
  the 
  Proposed 
  

   Site 
  of 
  the 
  Lake 
  Borgne 
  Outlet."* 
  He 
  finds 
  that 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  

   the 
  Mississippi 
  slope 
  rapidly 
  back 
  towards 
  the 
  lake 
  and 
  reach 
  

   the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  swampland 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  from 
  3,000 
  to 
  4,000 
  

   feet. 
  He 
  reports 
  14 
  soundings 
  made 
  by 
  auger 
  and 
  casing 
  pipe 
  to 
  

   depths 
  of 
  from 
  70 
  to 
  100 
  feet. 
  The 
  moUusks 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  

   wells 
  were 
  submitted 
  to 
  Prof. 
  Carpenter 
  of 
  Montreal 
  and 
  found 
  

   to 
  belong 
  to 
  species 
  now 
  living 
  in 
  Florida 
  waters. 
  Violent 
  

   eruptions 
  of 
  hydrogen 
  gas 
  sometimes 
  brought 
  up 
  shells 
  and 
  mud 
  

   from 
  depths 
  of 
  60 
  to 
  70 
  feet. 
  The 
  gas 
  burns 
  with 
  a 
  reddish 
  

   flame. 
  He 
  notes 
  the 
  similarity 
  of 
  these 
  phenomena 
  to 
  those 
  

   seen 
  at 
  the 
  mud-lumps 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi. 
  

  

  Gabb. 
  — 
  From 
  his 
  studies 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  Indies 
  and 
  Costa 
  Rica 
  

   Gabb 
  concludest 
  that 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  shut 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  sea 
  in 
  

   Miocene 
  times, 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico 
  was 
  less 
  isolated 
  than 
  now 
  

   since 
  the 
  marine 
  Miocene 
  deposits 
  on 
  these 
  islands 
  and 
  shores 
  

   prove 
  the 
  islands 
  were 
  then 
  much 
  below 
  the 
  present 
  level. 
  

  

  Johnson. 
  — 
  In 
  1885, 
  L. 
  C. 
  Johnson 
  was 
  directed 
  by 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  

   Geological 
  Survey 
  to 
  investigate 
  the 
  iron 
  ores 
  of 
  I,ouisiana. 
  

   In 
  1886 
  he 
  was 
  requested 
  to 
  extend 
  his 
  researches 
  into 
  the 
  

   northeastern 
  counties 
  of 
  Texas. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  of 
  these 
  investigations 
  are 
  embodied 
  in 
  a 
  report 
  

   published 
  in 
  1888, 
  as 
  House 
  Ex. 
  Doc. 
  No. 
  195, 
  50th 
  Cong, 
  ist 
  

   Session 
  and 
  styled 
  "The 
  Iron 
  Regions 
  of 
  Northern 
  Louisiana 
  

   and 
  Eastern 
  Texas." 
  

  

  He 
  published 
  a 
  map 
  showing 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  ores 
  and 
  

   gave 
  figures 
  in 
  the 
  text 
  illustrating 
  characteristic 
  or 
  important 
  

   exposures. 
  In 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  stratigraphy 
  he 
  followed 
  Hilgard 
  

   closel3^ 
  He 
  has 
  nothing 
  new 
  to 
  offer 
  on 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  Mansfield 
  

   group. 
  He 
  did, 
  however, 
  collect 
  fossils 
  from 
  several 
  important 
  

  

  * 
  44th 
  Cong, 
  ist 
  Sess. 
  Rept. 
  Sec. 
  War. 
  Eng. 
  Rept. 
  vol. 
  2, 
  pt. 
  i, 
  pp. 
  

   622-629. 
  

  

  t 
  Amer. 
  Jour. 
  vSci., 
  vol. 
  9, 
  1875, 
  p. 
  3:0. 
  

  

  