26 THE DEVONIAN AND CARBONIFEROUS. [bull. 80. 



kill coal mines in tbe neighborhood of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 

 which were then being worked to the extent of 1,500 tons annually sent 



to market. 



In 1823 ] Ami BorrC discussed "European Geology, with remarks on 

 the prevailing geological arrangements." The nomenclature is mainly 

 Wernerian; such terms as "Encrinal limestone," "Old Red sand- 

 stone," and "Coal Formation" are associated with " Grauwacke," 

 " Floetz," and " Red Ground," and in the next volume, 2 Conybeare and 

 Phillips's Geology is reviewed. 2 In the review the supposition is made 

 that our salt and gypsum beds may belong to the "original marl" of 

 the authors, and doubt is expressed as to the Connecticut Old Red 

 sandstone being really the equivalent of the "red marl." 4 



The "Rhode Island anthracite " is referred to " transition slates," 

 gray wacke slate. 5 It is distinctly stated 6 that in this country no 

 distinction had theretofore been made between " rothe todte liegende '> 

 and the English " Old Red sandstone," and the argument is set forth 

 that since the red sandstone in Connecticut lies below the coal measures 

 therefore the "rothe todte" is not uniformly above the coal, as it is 

 claimed to be by the authors, the Connecticut sandstone having been 

 recognized by its fossils as equivalent to the " rothe todte." 



Again, in this same year, Prof. Edward Hitchcock gave a considerable 

 account of " the Geology, Mineralogy, and Scenery of the Connecticut 

 River." He recognized the sandstone along the Connecticut River as 

 unmistakably the "Old Red sandstone" of the English authors. 7 



Also, he referred to the occurrence of the " coal formations " along the 

 river, at Chatham, at Middletown, and at Berlin. 8 The occurrence of 

 fish in these coal beds at Westfield and Sunderland is mentioned on 

 page 76, where one of them is referred to the genus Palethrissum. In 

 the next volume 9 the " Rhode Island coal formation " is said to be 

 older than that of Connecticut, and the supposition is made that they 

 are both " transition." Hitchcock in his classification evidently fol- 

 lowed Conybeare and Phillips's Geology, and from a foot note 10 it is 

 evident that he regarded the red sandstone to be the same with the 

 " rothe todte liegende," " which," he says, " lies immediately below the 

 bituminous marl formation of Germany, and below the coal formation 

 in England." He quoted Conybeare as considering them distinct, and 

 ventured the supposition that the " red sandstones of the Connecticut 

 Valley" are not " Old Red" but " rothe todte," although he still con- 

 sidered the sandstones west of the Connecticut River as true Old Red 

 sandstone. 



This confusion in regard to the determination of our red sands was 

 not altogether due to faulty stratigraphic observation on the part of 



•Am. Jour. Sci., vol. 6, pp. 188-192. 6 Ibid., p. 230. 



2 Ibid., vol. 7, pp. 203-240. 'Ibid., vol. 6, p. 39. 



3 This was published in 1882. 8 g ee ibid., pp. 41, 44. 



4 Red marl of Conybeare and Phillips is in the 9 Ibid., vol. 7, p. 28. 

 Triassic. "Ibid., p. 27. 



6 Am. Jour. Sci. vol. 7, p. 224. 



