r^n_ •-^ — 



520 



THE AZOIC SYSTEM AND ITS SUBDIVISIONS. 



nature atid order of succession of the rocks wliicli cover so largo a por- 

 tion of the region in question from the study of that which has been 

 pubhshed with regard to them. We beheve that we are justified in 

 going still farther, and saying that our chances of our having at some 

 future time a clear understanding of the geological structure of J^orth- 

 eastern North America would bo decidedly improved if all, that has been 

 written about it were at once struck out of existence. That this con- 

 dition of things is largely due to the erroneous observations and theories 

 of the Canada Survey, which to a largo extent have been adopted and 

 blindly followed on this side of the Dominion boundary, is a statement 

 the truth of which we think no one who has carefully studied the evi- 

 dence presented in the preceding pages will not feel obliged to admit. 

 While not desiring to conceal the fact that some of the problems pre- 

 sented in the course of the study of the older rocks are extremely 

 difficult, we find it clearly proved that want of knowledge, want of 

 experience, and a desire to produce sensational theories, have brought 

 about this condition of confusion. Some of the salient points which 

 have presented themselves in the course of this investigation into the 

 history of geological opinion in this country will therefore now be passed 

 in review, and the subject then left, for the present, to the reader's 

 candid consideration. 



The establishment of the Silurian System by Murchison opened the 

 way to the discussion of the question whether the lowest limit of life in 

 the geological series had been, or was hkely to be reached. The fact 

 that in England the lower fossiliferous rocks are greatly disturbed and 

 metamorphosed, and that consequently their order of succession is very 

 difficult to make out, rendered it much less easy to arrive at any defi- 

 nite conclusions in regard to this question than it was in countries like 

 Bohemia and the United States, w^here the Silurian strata, over large 

 areas, rest in undisturbed succession upon each other. Before, however, 

 the investigations of Barrandc had led him to infer that there was a 

 distinct limit to traces of life in the descending order of formations, 

 Murchison had arrived at this result, led thereto by his geological work in 

 Scandinavia, which country he had visited in connection with his recon- 

 naissance of European Kussia, and where a large amount of detailed 

 investigation of the lower rocks had already been made by the able 

 Swedish geologists, all of which was placed at his disposition. 



The first use of the term "Azoic," with an approach, to a definite 

 meaning, was made by Murchison, with reference to the rocks of Scan- 

 dinavia. His statement was as follows : 



