110 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [Mar. 9, 



whicli include the ordinary productive coal-measures resembles these 

 shales in lithological characters. 



The most abundant fossils in the Albert shales are the remains of 

 Fishes, some of which occur entire and in a beautiful state of preser- 

 vation. Most of these fishes belong to the genus Palceoniscus, and 

 several of the most perfect specimens are described and figured, and 

 referred to new species, by Dr. Jackson*; and Prof. Agassiz informs 

 me that the whole of a collection submitted to him belong to known 

 carboniferous genera. Fossil plants appear to be rare, as is generally 

 the case in beds of the period to which I refer these shales. I ob- 

 tained at the mine only a few slender striated stems, which, as far as 

 appearance goes, may have belonged to any geological period ; but 

 Dr. Jackson has figured a Lepidodendro7i, similar to, if not identical 

 with, a species found at Horton Bluif, a Flabellaria, and Calamites. 

 Collectively these fossils sufficiently establish the carboniferous age 

 of the deposit, and they have also a greater resemblance to the 

 grouping of organic remains in the Horton beds, than in any other 

 part of that system. 



It thus appears that the evidences of superposition, mineral cha- 

 racter, and fossils concur in placing the Albert shales in the lower 

 part of the Carboniferous system ; and I may add, that a comparison 

 of my observations with all the additional details given in the pub- 

 lished reports still further confirms me in this view, which, as I have 

 above mentioned, is also that of Dr. Percival, who seems to have 

 examined the stratigraphical relations of the deposit vdth great accu- 

 racy, although he was probably not aware of the analogies of the 

 deposit with beds of a similar age in Nova Scotia. 



2. Description of the Mine and its containing beds. — Under this 

 head, while treating only of facts ascertained by myself on the spot, 

 I shall omit such as are not necessary to the explanation of the 

 peculiarities of the deposit, referring for fuller details to the reports 

 of Taylor, Jackson, and Percival. 



The pit for the extraction of the mineral is situated on the south 

 side of Frederick's Brook — a small stream, running eastwardly into 

 the Petitcodiac, — and near the junction of two branches of the brook. 

 In approaching the mine from the south, the bituminous shales are 

 seen, in nearly a horizontal position, in a shallow road-cutting. This 

 may be a deceptive appearance. Dr. Percival, however, considers it 

 to be the true arrangement at this point. At the pit-mouth the 

 beds dip to the south, at angles of 50° and 60°, and consist of grey 

 and dark-coloured thin-bedded bituminous shales ; and these shales 

 appear with similar dips on the south branch of the brook. The 

 outcrop of the coalf is not now seen, but in a line with it I observed 

 a remarkable crumpling and arching of the beds in the bank of the 

 brook, at the point where the southwardly dipping beds above noticed 

 meet a similar or the same series dipping to the north-west ; this is 



* See ' Report,' above noticed. 



t I call the substance coal for convenience, without in the meantime pledging 

 myself to any view of its origin. 



