WILLIAMS.] j. W> DAWSON. 233 



iferous rocks are especially well developed and lie unconformably upon 

 the Devonian rocks. The author proposes to outline the equivalency 

 of these Canadian geological changes and formations with those of the 

 American Paleozoic and Mesozoic in the United States. 



After enumerating instances of modem changes of level evidenced by 

 submerged trees and stumps in situ, found along the Bay of Fundy and 

 near Fort Lawrence, and probably connected with those in progress in 

 Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and the coast of New England, 

 together with an outline of the distribution of bowlders and direction 

 of transportation, he described the New Eed sandstone immediately 

 underlying the above series, which are well developed in Nova Scotia 

 and Prince Edward Island, the latter not associated with traps. 



The Carboniferous series was described in descending order under 

 five stratigraphic divisions. 



(1) " Upper or New Coal Formations," consisting ot several thousand 

 feet of sandstones, shales, gray beds with fossil plants, but without 

 workable coal or massive limestones. 



(2) The "Productive Coal Measures," presenting three different types 

 of structure; (a) a large number of alternating beds of coal and stig- 

 maria under clays ; (b) the coal accumulated in a few large seams, but 

 destitute of marine limestone and with erect trees ; (c) presenting the 

 aspect of the first series, but without coal and its accompaniments. 



(3) A very thick series of " gray and red sandstones," barren of coal 

 plants, corresponding in part to the " Millstone grits" of England and 

 the "Conglomerates" of the Appalachian and Western coal fields. 



(4) The." gypsiferous series," consisting of red sandstones, red and 

 green marls, limestones with fossils, and beds of gypsum ; this series 

 is wanting in the Appalachian, but is well developed in the West and 

 South. It was noted that when the Carboniferous beds of limestone ap- 

 proached the older ridges of rocks the limestones diminished and were 

 replaced by conglomerates marking ancient sea beaches, while the depo- 

 sition of limestone took place in deeper waters, thus presenting an anal- 

 ogy to similar facts observed in the United States. 



(5) At the base of the system occur "estuary deposits" of dark cal- 

 careous shales and sandstones, with coal plants and fish scales, to which 

 series the author refers the fish-bearing shales of the Albert mine in 

 New Brunswick. 



He noted the great similarity of the coal flora of Nova Scotia to that 

 of the Southern and Western States and of England, while the marine 

 fauna seemed to be more closly allied to that of western Europe. 



The features of the Devonian and Silurian rocks were outlined. Before 

 the dawn of the Lower Carboniferous period violent disturbances had oc- 

 curred, elevating and fracturing the rocks. The first fossiliferous beds 

 of great thickness were supposed by Prof. Hall to belong to the 

 Clinton and Oriskany sandstone of New York. In some parts the or- 

 ganic life is remarkably like that of the English Upper Ludlow. These 



