HAMILTON SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION. 13 



towering masses, castellated heights, rugged promontories, enor- 

 mous alcoves, rising out of the grey mist of the morning. These 

 mountains are tremendous uplifts of stratified rocks of the Devon- 

 ian and Carboniferous ages broken out of the crust of the earth and 

 slowly heaved aloft ; some pushed straight up, others tilted more 

 or less on edge, whilst others are bent and crumpled out of their 

 original form. 



Ascending the valley of the Bow river, we arrive at Banff, the 

 beauty and grandeur of which my pen cannot describe. 



The material for thought suggested by this trip may be 

 divided into three classes: First, the conditions of the present and 

 hopes of the future of this great and rapidly filling country ; sec- 

 ond, the history of the explorers, Indians, and fur trading com- 

 panies of the past ; and lastly, the more remote histor}- of the 

 geological structure of the country. The appeal of the latter being 

 strongest, the subject of this paper is Geology in general, with 

 special reference to the rocks of Canada. 



Numerous maps and charts were used to illustrate the subject, 

 which was treated of under the following heads : 



1. Origin of earth — kinds of rocks. 



2. Archaean period — rocks mostly crystalline — usually crump- 

 led— indications of life in this period— picture hot seas, heavy at- 

 mosphere, land emerging from water — a very long period. The 

 Laurentian and Huronian rocks of Northern Ontario, and around 

 Hudson Bay are of this period. These occupy an area of about 

 2,000,000 square miles in Canada and are important metalliferous 

 rocks. The latent mineral wealth of Northern Ontario is likely 

 very great. 



3. Palaeozoic period — stratified rocks contain first remains of 

 life — crinoids, coral, and marine shells in limestone — formed evi- 

 denth^ in shallow seas. I^aurentian rocks around Hudson Bay are 

 now being worn down to provide material for building up rest of 

 continent. Volcanic action very common, also frequent upheaval 

 "and subsidence of earth's crust. Life was more uniform over the 

 world. The same fossils have been found in Britain, Russia, 

 America, China and Australia. Climate also warmer, as fossils 



