184 cruise of THE NEPTUNE 
trained men, and to such work being of secondary importance 
among the objects of the expeditions. 
The observations of these earlier explorers were carefully 
gathered from the different narratives, and ably summarized 
by Dr. G. M. Dawson in a report on the Geology of the North- 
ern Portion of the Dominion of Canada, published in 1886. 
This work has been largely followed in the present report, but 
such corrections have been made as are justified by the know- 
ledge gained in explorations since the date of its publication. 
The notes on the geology of the southern part of baffin island 
are from the observations of Dr. R. Bell, while those on Elles- 
mere island and the Sverdrup islands are based on the work of 
P. Schei, the geologist of the fram. 
The rocks of the Arctic islands and of the northern coasts of 
the continent present an almost continuous ascending series 
from the Archaean to the Tertiary, while the upper loose mate- 
rial represents various phases of the Glacial age and of the 
subsequent Post-Glacial deposits. 
Only isolated attempts have been made to subdivide the 
Archaean complex into Laurentian, Huronian and other mem- 
bers of the system. This lack of subdivision is due to want of 
detailed knowledge; not to the absence of the various members 
of the complex in these "northern regions, where the greater 
number of the members are known to occur. 
The Palaeozoic rocks are well represented on the islands by 
thick deposits extending upwards in a continuous series from 
the Cambro-Silurian to the upper beds of the Carboniferous. 
Rocks older than the Galena-Trenton are only found in the 
northern part of Ellesmere island, where a series of beds ap- 
pears to connect the Upper Huronian formations with the lower 
members of the Cambro-Silurian. 
Mesozoic rocks are found on the northern Parry islands, on 
the Sverdrup group and on the western and northern sides of 
Ellesmere  
