REPORT 



To the Honorable the Board of Regents of the University of the 

 State of New York : 



Gentlemen: — During the past year, as in the several preceding 

 years, the time of the State Geologist has been almost entirely 

 devoted to the collection, preparation, systematic arrangement and 

 and study of material for, and the preparation and publication of 

 the Paleontology of New York. Volume VIII is now in press 

 and the printing had progressed to more than 300 pages in Febru- 

 ary last, since which time no printing has been done. The manu- 

 script for the completion of the volume, and that for the explana- 

 tion of the plates has been ready for the printer since before that 

 date, and nearly all of it was in hand at the time of suspension 

 of printing. The plates for the illustration of the work are all 

 completed. 



The condition of this work, both as regards the volume in 

 press and the preparation of the material, manuscript, drawings 

 and lithographic plates for the succeeding portion of the work 

 on volume VIII, part ii, will be given in detail further on. 



During the past year it has been necessary to turn aside from 

 this work to give attention to a subject of much interest and 

 importance to our knowledge of the character, mineral and fossil 

 contents and succession of the strata in central New York, from 

 the horizon of the Genesee slate to the Salt group of Onondaga. 



In November last the State Geologist received a letter from 

 M. L. Townsend, Vice-president of the Livonia Salt and Mining 

 Company, of Livonia, Livingston county, and of Broadway, New 

 York, of which the following is a copy : 



Livonia Salt and Mining Company, ^ 

 Livonia, N. Y., November 3, 1890. i 



The Honorable the State Geologist, Albany, N Y. : 



Dear Sir. — We are engaged in sinking a shaft 12 by 24 feet at 

 this place f on the purpose of mining salt. The depth of the shaft will 

 be about 1400 feet, and we have to go through from 600 to 700 feet 



