THE HAMILTON ASSOCIA'ITON. 35 



forwarded to Washington from this, have been received. They con- 

 tained 112 GraptoHtes, and one of them contained quite a number 

 from the upper or glaciated chert, which appeared to represent new 

 genera or species. We must not forget several specimens recently 

 have been found in Europe, and described by Lapworth and others 

 who take great interest in the ancient Sertularians. Including small 

 parcels transmitted through the post-office, and ones previously 

 received, probably the Smithsonian Institute is in possession of 400 

 from Hamilton alone. 



When these organic remains are examined and described by 

 Dr. Gurly, we hope some at least will afford connecting links in the 

 chain of life, with specimens obtained from the well known Quebec 

 group of the Canadian Geological Survey and of the late Sir W. Logan. 



Perhaps second only to the Niagara Graptolites in interest are 

 our local Sponges, and, unfortunately, as yet few have been figured 

 or described. 



When Dr. Head, of Chicago, was in the city recently, we called 

 his attention to a few specimens he had not seen before, and offered 

 to loan them for description. We believe he declined these on the 

 ground that his work on the Niagara Sponges was already completed. 

 Merely a portion of Professor Rauff's magnificent monograph on 

 Fossil Sponges, etc., is known to us here, viz. : the beautiful illustrations 

 accompanying the work, owing to unacquaintance with the German, 

 for unfortunately in the Dominion modern languages, outside of our 

 own, are looked upon as possessing a tendency to disunion. Of 

 course we recognize, as Canadians of this Province, Ontario, that it 

 would be better for the Dominion if all its inhabitants adopted the 

 language usually spoken on this continent. Now it appears, how- 

 ever desirable this may be, we ought to recognize the colonists of the 

 older Province, Quebec (of French extraction chiefly) are unani- 

 mously opposed to such a proceeding. You may recollect a paper 

 published in our Proceedings for Sessions 1890-91, written by a 

 member (H. P. Bonny) ; in that you will find the following remark 

 referring to this subject : " When you find a body of over a million, 

 compact and autonomous, it is absurd to expect that they will change 

 their speech." If such is the case, and if we are ever to become a 

 united people here, would it not be of some little advantage to make 

 French in our schools compulsory, or substitute this for one of the 



