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aspects of the question has never entered into their calculations, since 

 the resulting benefits, even in the pecuniary sense, to every form of 

 industry now known, not merely in those more especially connected 

 with the study of the natural sciences, but in those which enter more 

 closely into the avocations of every day life, have only been obtained by 

 dint of hard, close and unremitting study of Nature's secrets by some 

 one of those so called cranks, whose greatest and sometimes only reward 

 very often is the inward satisfaction derivable from the thought that he 

 is at least doing something for the general good of man, to advance the 

 general interests of his country, or render more immediately and readily 

 available the boundless stores of wealth which our great mother earth 

 holds treasured up in her capacious bosom. 



It has been suggested that for this opening paper some account of 

 the progress of geological work in Canada might be acceptable. I need 

 not say here that the exposition of such a subject, to give it any small 

 measure of justice, would require a length of time much better measured 

 by hours than by the few minutes at my disposal this evening, even 

 were I in a position to discuss a subject of such magnitude, a subject 

 the extent of which is only equalled by the greatness of our country 

 itself. The only thing I can, therefore, hope to do in such a case is to 

 give you some slight idea of the early work and of the workers who 

 have labored in this field, to sketch briefly the outlines of the investi- 

 gations carried on by the members of the Geological Survey and by 

 others who have contributed in greater or less extent to the unravelling 

 of some one of the many problems of geological structure which are 

 everywhere presented, and to point out, if time permits, some few of the 

 difficulties that yet remain to be overcome in order to arrive at their 

 final and satisfactory elucidation. 



For this purpose, the progress of geology in Canada may perhaps 

 be divided into three parts, the first of which may be held to include 

 the work done before the establishment of the Geological Survey ; the 

 second, that of the period in which the late Sir William Logan directed 

 its operations ; and the third, that of the last twenty years, during 

 which the present director, Dr. Selwyn, has filled that position. 



The writings of the early explorers in Canada, say in the latter 

 part of the last and the beginning of the present century, do not contain 



