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VII. Notices respecting New Books. 



Geological and Natural-History Survey of Canada. By Alfred B. 



C. Selwyn, LL.D., F.R.S., Director. Report of Progress for 



1879-80. Montreal : Dawson Brothers, 1881. 

 HPHE Geological Survey of Canada, under the direction of 

 -*- Dr. Selwyn, appears to make steady progress. This volume 

 refers mainly to the work of the Geological Corps during the 

 season 1879-80, which embraced further explorations in parts 

 of the North-west Territory (the Souris-Biver Coalfield), Hudson's- 

 Bay basin, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the 

 Magdalene Islands, as well as the results of the survey in 

 1879 by Dr. G. M. Dawson of a portion of the northern part of 

 British Columbia, and of the Peace-Biver country, which will be 

 found to embody the best and most reliable information on this 

 vast and interesting region. 



The other Beports comprise many valuable details bearing on 

 the physical features, geological structure, climatal conditions, 

 soils, and economical minerals of the different provinces explored, 

 of which that on Hudson's Bay by Dr. Bell (in continuation of 

 the survey of the two previous years) is very interesting; for 

 perhaps comparatively few people have any adequate conception of 

 the extent of this great Canadian sea, which is the central basin of 

 the drainage of North America. Geologically this basin, excluding 

 the "Winnipeg division (the rocks of which range from the Lau- 

 rentian to the Tertiary), lies within the great Laurentian area of 

 the Dominion ; resting upon these, the Cambro-Silurian rocks 

 form an irregular border along the south-western side of the bay; 

 while to the south and Avest of James' Bay these latter are over- 

 lain by Devonian rocks, which occupy a considerable area. The 

 chains of islands which fringe the east coast to the northward of 

 Cape Jones, and also the mainland near Bichmond Gulf, are com- 

 posed of bedded volcanic and unaltered sedimentary rocks, which 

 may be of Lower-Cambrian age ; on the western side the quartzites 

 and other rocks, rather largely developed, probably belong to the 

 Cambrian system. The Beporter considers that few of the varied 

 and numerous resources of Hudson's Bay are at all developed, that 

 the fur-trade and oil are the principal ; but that the most important 

 of the undeveloped resources are the soil, timbei', and minerals, and 

 that the latter may become in future the greatest of the resources 

 of the shores of Hudson's Bay. The concluding part contains a 

 very suggestive paper (with a map) on the northern limits of the 

 principal Eorest-trees of Canada. In the Report of British 

 Columbia, Dr. Dawson also gives an account of the distribution 

 of the more important forest-trees of that province. 



The geological structure of Northern New Brunswick and 

 Eastern Nova Scotia is fully described in the respective Beports. 

 The Lignite Tertiary formation in the Souris valley (North-west 

 Territory) is reported on by Dr. Selwyn, with appendices on the 

 nature of the strata and their plant-remains by Dr. G. M. and 





