SOUTHERN NEW BRUNSWICK. 19 D 



of the formation, especially in its upper part, specimens of Terebratula 

 sufflata&nd T. sacculus,wiih other forms, occur. Good localities for these 

 are at Rush Hill, in Wickham, and at Hampstead, on the shore of the 

 St. John River, a short distance below Otnabog Lake. Many of these 

 have been mentioned in the report of 1870-71. 



VII. Middle Carboniferous. 



In addition to the remarks on this group in the report of 1870-71, a Subdivisions, 

 special report was published, having reference principally to the Grand 

 Lake coalfield, in 1872-73. The group was then subdivided into Mill- 

 stone Grit, Middle Carboniferous and Upper Coal Measures, though on 

 no very good grounds, as no distinct line of demarcation between any 

 of the groups can be drawn, and it now seems highly probable, from 

 investigations made since that report, both from the character of the 

 rocks as compared with those of Cape Breton and Nova Scotia, as well 

 as from the Millstone Grit age of many of the fossils from the Grand 

 Lake and elsewhere, that the great bulk of the sediments composing 

 the central Carboniferous basin of the province, as well as those along 

 the southern shore, are of Millstone Grit age, and that the higher 

 members of the formation, if ever deposited, have been since denuded. 

 The general horizontality of the measures would indicate an almost General aspect, 

 entirely undisturbed condition of things since the deposition of the 

 beds in the central area, and would lead one to infer that the Carbonif- 

 erous rocks of central and eastern New Brunswick, although spreading 

 over a great area, are not only very thin but probably constitute simply 

 the western shallow border of the great Carboniferous basin which 

 underlies the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and which is 

 bounded by the southern shore of the Gaspe peninsula on the north, 

 and by the high ridge of the Cobequid Hills and the coast ranges of 

 western Cape Breton on the south and east, and upon which the Trias- 

 sic sandstones of the Island of Prince Edward were subsequently depos- 

 ited. One might, on this hypothesis, reasonably expect to find more 

 favourable conditions for the occurrence of thicker seams of coal along 

 the eastern coast of the province, where these rocks are more closely 

 associated with the productive measures of Nova Scotia, but this area 

 has never been proved, and only very general surface examinations 

 made at one or two points. 



The area, as contained in the counties of Queens and Sunbury, has Explorations 

 been pretty thoroughly explored. Borings with the diamond drill 

 were carried on at a number of points from 1872 to 1876. The local- 

 ities tested by this means were Newcastle bridge ; Newcastle Creek, 

 on the shore of Grand Lake, about one mile below the steamboat land- 



