"NEW BRUNSWICK. ACADIAN GROUI'. 639 



Lower Silurian as developed at St Jolm and in Nova Scotia. The 

 following remarks on their age 'are from a paper by Mr Matthew, 

 already quoted : — 



" A px-ovincial collection in the University Museum of the rocks 

 in this quarter closely resembles those of the Lower Silurian slates 

 of St John, and differs essentially from the Upper Silurian and 

 Devonian deposits which have been recognised in this region. 



" In the alternations of arenaceous and dark-coloured clay slate 

 with intercalated quartzite, this formation, which is also auriferous, 

 resembles the gold-bearing series of the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, 

 long ago recognised as Lower Silurian by Dr Dawson. If both 

 prove to be on the same horizon geologically as the St John series, 

 namely, the lower part of the Lower Silurian, our knowledge of the 

 age and relations of the older metamorphic rocks of Acadia will be 

 placed on a firmer basis than heretofore. 



" So far as our knowledge goes, they differ from contemporaneous 

 deposits to the westward in being conformable to the Huronian 

 series ; and also in the rarity of calcareous and magnesian sediments, 

 there seeming to be little else than shales of various degrees of fine- 

 ness, flagstones, and quartzites." 



Professor Hind, in his Preliminary Report, regards these rocks as 

 equivalent to the Quebec group, which is now recognised by the 

 Canadian Survey as between the Calciferous and Chazy ; but whether 

 this is their real age, or that somewhat lower horizon which is marked 

 by the fossils of the St John group, we have at present no certain 

 means of determining. The rocks above referred to constitute two 

 broad bands flanking a ridge or series of interrupted parallel ridges 

 of granite, believed to be of Devonian age. In the maps of the 

 Province these belts have usually been marked as uniform and regular, 

 with an aggregate width of 35 to 50 miles, but Professor Bailey 

 informs me that many facts known to him render it probable that 

 their limits are more irregular and not well ascertained. I have 

 marked them in the map as nearly as possible in accordance with 

 the views of Professor Bailey and Professor Hind. 



A shorter belt of mica schist and other metamorphic rocks associ- 

 ated with granite, which runs parallel to the south-eastern side of 

 the New Brunswick Coal-field, and near the St John River, comes 

 into contact with the supposed Upper Silurian belt of Kars and 

 Havelock, is believed by Professor Bailey, on the evidence of mineral 

 character, to be probably of Lower Silurian age. This belt, extending 

 to the south-west, unites with the others above mentioned in the 

 south-western corner of the province, the greater part of which is 



