ON THE EOZOIC AND PALiEOZOIC KOCKS OF CANADA. 797 



45. On the Eozoic and PALiEozoic Rocks of the Atlantic Coast of 

 Canada, in Compaeison with those of Western Europe and of 

 the Interior of America. By Sir J. William Dawson, K.C.M.G., 

 LL.D., F.R.S., &c. (Read May 23, 1888.) 



Since the year 1845 the author has contributed from time to time 

 to the Journal of this Society more than forty papers on the 

 geology of ISTova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, 

 in which frequent comparisons were made between the rocks and 

 fossils of the Atlantic coast-region and those of the inland plateau 

 of the iS'orth- American continent on the one hand, and those of 

 Europe on the other *. Many additional details bearing on the more 

 uncertain parts of these subjects have been accumulated in unpub- 

 lished notes in recent years, while large additions to our information 

 have resulted from the extension of the Geological Survey of Canada, 

 under Logan and Selwyn and their assistants, to those provinces, 

 and from the Geological Survey of Newfoundland under Murray and 

 Howley t, while new facts have been accumulating with reference to 

 the continuation of the Atlantic rocks southward on the coast of the 

 United States, and also with regard to the intermediate or " inner 

 marginal " series observed on the Lower St. Lawrence and thence 

 southward. The time seems thus to have arrived when some 

 further and useful comparisons may be made, as well as corrections 

 and amplifications of previous statements ; and these seem to be the 

 more necessary, inasmuch as it is evidently difficult for geologists 

 who have not personally studied these districts to correlate with 

 accuracy the geological features of the marginal belts of the two 

 sides of the Atlantic. 



The subject is, however, so extensive that within the limits of 

 this paper it will be necessary to confine attention to the most sa- 

 lient points, and to state these as briefly as possible. I shall also 

 confine the descriptive part to the rocks of the Atlantic border of 

 North America, especially of Canada, and shall merety mention the 

 parallel formations of other districts. 



It may be useful to explain that I shall use the term " System " 

 for the larger divisions of the great geological ages, and " Series " for 

 their most important subdivisions, and the term " Group " in its 

 ordinary sense as indicating a number of associated beds without 

 reference to precise classificatory value. 



* I find that, of forty-three papers on the Geology of Canada which I have 

 contributed to the Society's Journal, ten are on subjects connected with the 

 Eozoic and older Palaeozoic rocks, twenty-nine relate to the Devonian and 

 Carboniferous, and four to the Mesozoic and Modern. 



t Though Newfoundland is not, politically, a portion of Canada, it is neces- 

 sary to include its geology in anv general survey of that of the Canadian coast. 



Q. J.G. S. No. 176. ' 3o 



