﻿AGE 
  OF 
  THE 
  TACONIC 
  SYSTEM. 
  403 
  

  

  the 
  other 
  members, 
  in 
  his 
  earliest 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  later 
  publications 
  on 
  

   the 
  subject 
  ; 
  and 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  geologists 
  above 
  mentioned 
  has 
  

   referred 
  it 
  to 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  conformable 
  series 
  with 
  the 
  schists 
  

   and 
  limestones. 
  Prof. 
  C. 
  H. 
  Hitchcock 
  and 
  Mr. 
  "Wing 
  have 
  urged 
  

   strongly 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  probable 
  equivalent 
  of 
  the 
  Potsdam 
  sand- 
  

   stone. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  not 
  included 
  thus 
  far 
  any 
  notice 
  of 
  observations 
  by 
  Dr. 
  T. 
  

   Sterry 
  Hunt 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  Taconic 
  mountains 
  and 
  the 
  adjoin- 
  

   ing 
  limestone, 
  because 
  he 
  has 
  published 
  none 
  on 
  the 
  subject. 
  In 
  

   1871, 
  in 
  his 
  Address 
  before 
  the 
  American 
  Association*, 
  he 
  referred 
  

   the 
  Taconic 
  schists 
  and 
  limestone 
  to 
  the 
  Lower 
  Silurian, 
  making 
  

   the 
  limestone 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Taconic 
  range 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  Quebec 
  

   group, 
  as 
  done 
  by 
  Logan, 
  and 
  stating 
  that 
  the 
  conclusion 
  of 
  Bogers 
  

   and 
  Mather, 
  referring 
  the 
  Taconic 
  system 
  to 
  the 
  "Champlain 
  Divi- 
  

   sion" 
  [Lower 
  Silurian] 
  of 
  the 
  New-York 
  series, 
  had 
  been 
  sustained 
  

   by 
  subsequent 
  observations. 
  The 
  same 
  opinion 
  essentially 
  he 
  had 
  

   presented 
  at 
  various 
  times 
  since 
  1849. 
  In 
  1878, 
  but 
  four 
  years 
  

   since, 
  appeared 
  Dr. 
  Hunt's 
  first 
  published 
  statement, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  

   have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  learn, 
  dissenting 
  from 
  his 
  earlier 
  views 
  f 
  : 
  and 
  in 
  

   it 
  he 
  calls 
  the 
  system 
  the 
  Taconian, 
  and 
  makes 
  the 
  Lower 
  Taconian 
  

   to 
  be 
  an 
  equivalent 
  of 
  the 
  lowest 
  Cambrian, 
  or 
  still 
  older, 
  resting 
  

   his 
  proof 
  not 
  on 
  any 
  stratigraphical 
  observations 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  

   the 
  Taconic 
  schists. 
  In 
  his 
  recent 
  announcement 
  of 
  his 
  opinion 
  

   before 
  the 
  Geological 
  Society, 
  on 
  the 
  16th 
  of 
  last 
  November, 
  he 
  

   says, 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  Taconian, 
  Montalban, 
  and 
  Huronian 
  systems, 
  

   all 
  these 
  various 
  series 
  are 
  older 
  than 
  the 
  Lower 
  Cambrian 
  (Mene- 
  

   vian) 
  strata 
  of 
  North 
  America 
  ; 
  and 
  his 
  argument 
  against 
  the 
  strati- 
  

   graphical 
  evidence 
  as 
  to 
  age 
  and 
  conformability, 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  

   presented 
  by 
  others, 
  is 
  met 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  expression 
  of 
  a 
  doubt, 
  and 
  

   the 
  reason 
  for 
  it 
  above 
  cited. 
  

  

  My 
  own 
  detailed 
  study 
  of 
  these 
  Taconic 
  schists 
  and 
  the 
  associated 
  

   rocks 
  commenced 
  in 
  1870, 
  before 
  the 
  discoveries 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Wing 
  had 
  

   been 
  made 
  known 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  continued 
  through 
  portions 
  

   of 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  seasons 
  since 
  that 
  time. 
  They 
  have 
  extended 
  over 
  a 
  

   large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Green-Mountain 
  and 
  Taconic 
  area, 
  from 
  Middlebury 
  

   in 
  Vermont 
  to 
  New 
  York 
  City, 
  and 
  westward 
  through 
  Dutchess 
  and 
  

   Westchester 
  Counties, 
  in 
  Eastern 
  New 
  York, 
  to 
  the 
  Hudson 
  riverj. 
  

  

  * 
  Address 
  to 
  the 
  American 
  Association 
  for 
  the 
  Advancement 
  of 
  Science, 
  by 
  

   Thomas 
  Sterry 
  Hunt, 
  on 
  retiring 
  from 
  the 
  office 
  of 
  President 
  of 
  the 
  Associa- 
  

   tion, 
  August 
  1871. 
  

  

  t 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Boston 
  Society 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  vol. 
  xix. 
  p. 
  275, 
  

   1878 
  ; 
  Pennsylvania 
  Geological 
  Eeport 
  on 
  Azoic 
  Rocks, 
  part 
  i. 
  1878. 
  

  

  \ 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Quartzite, 
  Limestone, 
  and 
  associated 
  Rocks 
  of 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Great 
  

   Barrington, 
  Berkshire 
  Co., 
  Mass.," 
  Anier. 
  Jour. 
  Sci. 
  3rd 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  iv. 
  p. 
  362, 
  450, 
  

   1872, 
  v. 
  p. 
  47, 
  84, 
  vi. 
  257, 
  1873 
  ; 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Relations 
  of 
  the 
  Geology 
  of 
  Vermont 
  

   to 
  that 
  of 
  Berkshire," 
  ibid. 
  vol. 
  xiv. 
  pp. 
  37, 
  132,202,257,1877 
  ; 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Hudson- 
  

   River 
  Age 
  of 
  the 
  Taconic 
  Schists 
  and 
  the 
  dependent 
  Relations 
  of 
  the 
  Dutchess- 
  

   Coimty 
  and 
  Western 
  Connecticut 
  Limestone 
  Belts," 
  ibid. 
  vol. 
  xvii. 
  p. 
  375, 
  

   vol. 
  xviii. 
  61, 
  1879 
  : 
  "Note 
  on 
  the 
  Age 
  of 
  the 
  Green 
  Mountains," 
  ibid. 
  vol. 
  xix. 
  

   p. 
  191, 
  1880; 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Geological 
  Relations 
  of 
  the 
  Limestone 
  Belts 
  of 
  West- 
  

   chester 
  County, 
  New 
  York," 
  ibid, 
  vol. 
  xx. 
  pp. 
  21, 
  194. 
  359. 
  450, 
  (1880), 
  vol. 
  xxi. 
  

   p. 
  425, 
  vol. 
  xxii. 
  pp. 
  103. 
  313, 
  327, 
  1881. 
  

  

  