338 Canadian Record of Science. 



It has been suggested in Mr. White's paper on page 9_ 

 that " possibly the limestones of New Brunswick and 

 Nova Scotia which are regarded as Lower Carboniferous, 

 should be assigned to a higher position." In this connec- 

 tion it may be stated that the stratigraphical sequence of 

 the Carboniferous rocks proper has within the last 

 twenty-five years been so thoroughly worked out that 

 this assumption is scarcely tenable. Not only in the 

 celebrated Joggins section in Nova Scotia, but in many 

 other places both in that province and in New Brunswick 

 is their true position beneath the rocks which are 

 regarded as Millstone-grit well established. If we admit 

 the proposition of Mr. White, therefore, that the lime- 

 stones regarded as Lower Carboniferous may be assigned 

 to a higher position, the curious anomaly will result that 

 our Carboniferous rocks proper, representing many thou- 

 sands of feet of strata, must occupy the place now assigned 

 to the upper or Permo-Carboniferous or possibly to the 

 horizon of the Cretaceous. This would open an entirely 

 new field of investigation, and is a proposition not likely 

 to be favorably entertained, at least in the present state of 

 our knowledge on this subject. 



The age of the Lower Carboniferous limestones is, 

 however, held to be abundantly established from their 

 contained fossils which are well defined at many points. 



Much has been said in the several papers already pub- 

 lished on this question, as to the correlation of the several 

 formations known as Devonian and Carboniferous, and 

 this correlation has recently been apparently based 

 entirely upon a supposed similarity of plant remains 

 found over a wide area. The first correlation on the sub- 

 ject, however, was that made by Sir William Dawson, in 

 which he made the St. John Devonian the equivalent of 

 much of the Gaspe Devonian series.'' Until further evi- 



1 Acad. Geol. Suppl. , 1S78, page 70 ; Suppl. 1891, page 19. 



