248 THE CAMBRIAN. [bull.8L 



ACADIAN. 



The name Acadian was proposed by Sir J. W. Dawson in 1867 for 

 the series of rocks represented in New Brunswick by the St. John slate 

 of Mr. G. F. Matthew. 1 In 1868 these observations were reprinted, 

 with the statement that the discovery adds a new formation to the Pa- 

 leozoic period in America. He says : 



This formation has as yet been known as the "St. John group," but I think this 

 name unsuitable, both oti account of the number of places known as St. John and on 

 account of the variety of formations occurring near St. John, in New Brunswick, and 

 would propose for the group now under consideration, characterized by Paradoxides, 

 Conocep halites, etc., and the oldest known member of the Paleozoic of America, the 

 name Acadian group, by which I hope it will be known to geologists in whatever part 

 of America it may be recognized.* 



In a recent paper on the fauna of the St. John group, Mr. G. F. Mat- 

 thew limits the term Acadian to his Division 1 of the New Brunswick 

 Cambrian section. This includes the fauna of the Paradoxides zone. 3 



ST. JOHN'S. 



Prof. J. Beete Jukes in 1843 4 used the name St. John's slate for the 

 slate as seen near St. John's, Newfoundland, beneath the Signal Hill 

 sandstone. When referring, in 18G2, to this work 5 he states he did not 

 find any fossils in the lower slate formation, but that Mr. C. Bennett, 

 subsequently found trilobites of the genus Paradoxides in the slates on 

 the west side of St. Mary's Bay. These were named P. bennetti by Mr. 

 J. W. Salter. On the map accompanying the report of 1843, the slates 

 of St. John's extend southward from St. John's and around the southern 

 point of the Avalon Peninsula to and about the Bay of St. Mary's. 



The investigation of Dr. Alexander Murray and Mr. J. P. Howley in 

 connection with the geological survey of Newfoundland, have shown 

 that the slate carrying Paradoxides about St. Mary's Bay is a later 

 formation than the slate at St. John's ; and that the Paradoxides slates 

 are unconformably superjacent to the slates to which Prof. Jukes gave 

 the name of St. John's in 1843. This restricts the name as given by 

 Prof. Jukes to the slate series of St. John's, described as from 2,000 

 to 3,000 feet thick. It was in this series of slates that the Rev. 

 Moses Harvey discovered the fossil which Mr. Billings described as 

 Aspidella terranovica. The entire series, along witli the Signal Hill 

 sandstone of Prof. Jukes, was referred to the intermediate or Huronian 



1 On recent geological discoveries in the Acadian provinces of British America. Proc. Am. Assoc. 

 Adv. Sci., vol. 16, 1867, pp. 117-119. 



2 Acadian geology. The geological structure, organic remains, and mineral resources of Nova Sco- 

 tia, New Brunswick, and Jf rince Edward Islands. 2d ed., London, 1868. p. 638. 



3 Illustrations of the fauna of the St. John Group No. 5. Trans. Boy. Soc. of Canada, vol. 8, 1891, 

 p. 129. 



4 General report of the geological survey of Newfoundland in 1839 and 1840. London, 1843, p. 59. 

 • The Student's Manual of Geology. 2d edition, Edinburgh, 1862, p. 457. 



