12 THE CAKBONIFEKOLS. 



toxine tree, which seems very characteristic of the Permian and 

 lower Trias both in Europe and America. 



III. THE CARBONIFEROUS. 



For the extensive additions made to the stratigraphy of this 

 system by the oificers of the Geological Survey I must refer to their 

 Reports, which scarcely admit of condensation. An exception may 

 be made m favour of the coal-field of St George's Bay in Newfound- 

 land, not noticed in previous editions, and of which our knowledge 

 has been much advanced by the labours of the late Mr Murray, and 

 of his successor Mr Howley. It is of special interest also as an 

 addition to the coal resources of British North America, and as an 

 extension of the coal-field of Cape Breton.* 



Murray estimated the beds seen by him in 1873 at 6450 feet, 

 composed as follows in ascending order : — 



(a.) Coarse Conglomerate, witli boulders and pebbles cemented in 

 a greenish sand, also sandstones and sandy shales (this probably 

 corresponds to the lowest Carboniferous or Ilorton series of Nova 

 Scotia), 1 300 feet. 



(&.) Gypsum, dark-coloured limestone, and black shale, argillaceous 

 and marly shale (this is probably the lower division of the Windsor 

 or Gypsiferous or Carboniferous limestone series of Nova Scotia), 

 150 feet. 



(c.) Gray and black limestones, with marine organic remains and 

 veins of galena, included in thick beds of variegated marls and sand- 

 stones (this is probably the equivalent of the upper part of the 

 Windsor series in Nova Scotia), 2000 feet. 



(d.) Brown and reddish sandstones and conglomerates, with greenish 

 micaceous and arenaceous shales, carbonized plants (this is the 

 " Millstone Grit " series of Nova Scotia), 2000 feet. 



(e.) Gray and red sandstones, brown and black shales and clays, 

 abundant remains of plants, beds of coal (this is the lower part of 

 the productive coal-measures), 1000 feet. 



The sequence corresponds very closely in mineral character with 

 that in some parts of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton, but the develop- 

 ment of coal-measure strata appears comparatively small. Mr Howley, 

 however, in his later investigations finds that the upper members 

 should be greatly extended, and is now disposed to estimate these 

 upper members at not less than 7500 feet, which would better accord 



* Murray's Eeport, 1881, pp. 85 et seq., and 309 et seq.; Howley's lieport of 1889, 

 St John's, Newfoundland. 



