448 BEVIEWS — LAKE3 SUPEBIOE AND HUEON. 



to the conclusion that Sir William's statement respecting the silurian 

 age of the Quebec rocks, must be altogether wrong. It is but fair 

 that we should quote the Count's own words: here they are — "M, 

 Logan avoue qu'il a vu le calcaire oolitique.* Le calcaire oolitique 

 appartient au terrain jurassique, lequel est au-dessous de la formation 

 supercretacee, et immediatement au-dessus du terrain carbonifere." 

 We need scarcely say that the graptolites and other fossils in the 

 rocks about Quebec would enable the merest tyro to determine their 

 general Silurian character ; and that no Jurassic rocks are known 

 within the province. 



But to return to the Count's charge against Sir William, of ap- 

 plying local names to rock groups. Where a rock formation can be 

 strictly paralleled with another well-recognised group in Europe or 

 elsewhere, the origiual name is, of course, always retained, provided 

 this be not in itself a mere local designation ; but, except so far as 

 regards the broader subdivisions, and especially in the case of lo- 

 calities far distant from one another, it is very rarely that these exact 

 parallels can be determined in anything like a satisfactory manner. 

 Hence, in place of the forced comparisons of former times, which so 

 greatly retarded the progress of Geology, observers are now every- 

 where agreed as to the desirableness of temporary local names. If 

 the Count de Bottermund had fully comprehended this, and followed 

 a plan so universally adopted, he might have been spared the com- 

 mittal of a very glaring and mischievous error : namely, the an- 

 nouncement in his Beporfc of the occurrence at the north-east cor- 

 ner of Lake Superior, of both Old and ISew Bed Sandstone — that 

 is to say, of formations lying respectively below and above the great 

 Carboniferous system. We search in vain for the data on which 

 this startling announcement is founded. No structural details, no 

 sections are given ; and not a single fossil is cited. Little matters of 

 this kind were no doubt unnecessary. The only wonder is, that the 

 entire rock series was not discovered, when proceeding in so con- 

 venient a manner. Indeed, now that we think of it, the Count must 

 have come across the Cretaceous system also. He does not mention 

 this, it is true ; but then he provides us here with some fossil evi- 

 dence which admits of no other conclusion. At least if Cretaceous 

 rocks were not met with, all we can say is, that these fossils are in- 

 convenient things, and had better be let alone. In a list of rocks, 



* This is not exactly the case/ Mr. Logan's words, as quoted by the Count himself, were :— 

 '• II s'y rencontre beaucoup de dislocations surune puissante assise de calcaire gris oolitique, 

 etc- The article makes all the difference.— E. J- C. 



