86 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



Apart from the areas of Asia and Africa not yet examined, and possibly of 

 Brazil, the work before the Geological Survey of Canada is the greatest in extent in 

 the world. The topographical work alone is enough to break the heart of any 

 director supported only by the meagre grants of our Government, and if we con- 

 sider the geological work, confined as it must be at first to the broadest generaliza- 

 tions, it is fairly certain that we shall not in another century reach the position 

 where our people will have before them the information regarding Canada which 

 is possessed to-day by the people of the United States regarding their countiy. 



Our Dominion Survey, since Confederation, has published its annual reports of 

 progress, and these have grown in size until they are among the most important 

 annual contributions to our knowledge of geology, but they are still only reports of 

 progress containing information largely topographical, accompanied by notes on the 

 geological and natural history features. These reports have been accompanied by 

 a liberal supply of maps, the majority of which are topographical and form 

 material for the complete map of the Dominion which we may hope to see in half a 

 century or so. In addition to the report of the director these annual reports of 

 progress contain in separate papers the results of the labours of the various explor- 

 ing parties and the reports of the section of chemistry and mineralogy and the 

 section of mineral statistics and mines. The work of the palseontological section is 

 published separately. These have appeared under several titles in a manner which 

 makes it diflBcult to at once appreciate just how much work has been done. There 

 are at least five distinct series, most of which are still in progress. There are the 

 ' ' Palseozoic Fossils ' ' of which the first volume preceded Confederation. The first 

 part of the second volume, containing work by Billings, appeared in 1874 and 

 remains unfinished. Of the third volume three parts have appeared — 1884, 1895 

 and 1897. Then we have the " Mesozoic Fossils " of which three parts of the first 

 volume have been published — 1876, 1879 and 1884. There is a series entitled 

 " Contributions to Canadian Palaeontology" of which the first volume was pub- 

 lished in five parts and is complete— 1885, 1889, 1891-, 1892 and 1898. The pre- 

 sent able palaeontologist, Mr. J. F. Whiteaves, Assistant Director of the Survey, 

 succeeded Mr. Billings and these volumes contain his work alone. The first part 

 of the second volume of ' ' Contributions to Canadian Palaeontology, ' ' which 

 appeared in 1895, is devoted to Canadian Fossil Insects and is by the eminent 

 authority on that subject. Dr. S. H. Scudder, of Cambridge, Mass. The first part 

 of the third volume, published in 1891, is the only quarto publication. It is by 

 the late E. D. Cope and is a valuable but all too small contribution to our knowl- 

 edge of the fossil vertebrates of the North-West. We have also a series called 

 "Contributions to Canadian Micro-Palaeontology," of which have been published 

 four slender parts of a first volume by as many authors, none of whom are members 

 of the Survey, bnt all experts in the particular subject. In addition to these series 

 Sir William Dawson contributed two monographs on fossil plants, published in 

 1871, 1873 and 1882. This sounds like a great deal of matter but when put 

 together there are less than 1,500 pages and about 185 plates, equal in quantity to 

 two, or at the most three, average reports in the United States. This is what we 

 have produced in thirty years from a countiy most notably rich in fossils, and 

 during a period when hundreds of volumes on palaeontology have appeared in the 

 United States. In botany there have been six extensive catalogues of Canadian 

 plants and several additional pamphlets mainly the work of the indefatigible 

 botanist of the Survey, Mr. J. Macoun. I do not remember a single illustration, 

 although in the United States Pacific Railway reports already referred to, there are 

 hundreds of engraved plates illustrating western plants. There are a few other 

 publications of the Survey and many contributions by members of the Survey to the 

 volumes of the Royal Society of Canada and to other journals, but they only serve 

 to emphasize the impossibility of making bricks without straw. I am verj^ happy 

 to hear that in addition to the contributions of Mr. Whiteaves we are to have 

 important contributions in the shape of a revision of the Palaeozoic Corals of Canada 

 by Mr. L. M. Lambe of the Survey and I hope we may soon see the results of Dr. 

 H. M. Ami's work in pi-int and plates. It is also gratifying to hear that Dr. G. F. 

 Matthew, of St. John, N.B., one of the most eminent authorities in Cambrian 

 geology and whose contributions to the Royal Society • of Canada form the most 

 important additions to ovir knowledge of this branch of palaeontology, is to do work 



