Geology and Mineralogy. 317 
that the marine seashore beds, the Leda clay and the overlying 
Saxicava sand, occur around the Baie des Chaleurs basin, having 
a maximum thickness above the sea level west of Bathurst harbor 
of 125 to 135 feet (75+50 or 60); in the Restigouche estuary, the 
Saxicava sand is 150 feet thick ; and inSt. Ann Settlement the sand 
reaches an elevation of 150 to 175 feet. In the Bay of Fundy, 
the same two strata occur nowhere above 200 feet; on pp. 42, 
43, GG, a list of the fossils is given. Mr. Chalmers also treats in 
detail of the drift, and has along table of directions of glacial 
scratches. 
Mr. George M. Dawson has a preliminary report on the 
Physical and Geological Features of the Rocky Mountains be- 
tween latitudes 49° and 51° 30’ north of the headwaters of the 
Missouri. The Rocky Mountain region, or the Western Cordil- 
lera belt, becomes narrowed and runs to the 56th parallel with an 
average width of about 400 miles. It comprises four parallel 
ranges, (1) the Rocky Mountains proper, (2) the Gold ranges 
(next west), (3) the Coast Range, as a continuation of the Cas- 
cade Mountains of Oregon and Washington Territory ; (4) the 
Island Range including Vancouver and the Queen Charlotte 
Islands, outside of which the ocean bottom sinks rapidly to 
abyssal depths. Between the 2d and 3d of these ranges les the 
Interior Plateau of British Columbia, averaging 100 miles in 
width, and 3500 feet in mean elevation above the sea. The Rocky 
Mountains proper, about 50 miles wide, and N.N.W. in mean 
trend, have a well-defined valley on the west, occupied by the 
Columbia, Kootanie and other rivers, and known, to preserve its 
general direction and character for over 600 miles. The eastern 
base is about 4360 feet above tide level, the valley on the west 
2450 feet. The Cretaceous and Laramie rocks, much upturned tor 
a breadth of 15 miles, make the eastern foot hills. The rocks of 
the range are folded or upturned and consist chiefly of Cambrian, 
Devonian and Carboniferous strata; and the folding in some 
parts continues into the Cretaceous on the east. The highest 
summits, the culminating region of the Rocky Mountains, are 
found about the 52d parallel, and between this and the 58d, 
Mount Brown and Mount Murchison occur with reputed alti- 
tudes of 16,000 and 13,500 feet. These are a few tacts from 
the earlier part of Mr. Dawson’s report. 
Mr. Cu. Horrman mentions the occurrence at Aldfield, Pontiac 
Co.,Quebec, of the mineral molybdenite in large crystals, one of the 
less perfect weighing very nearly 24 pounds, and a very perfect 
tabular hexagonal prism measuring five centimeters across, or 
about two inches. 
7. Mineral Resources of the United States, Calendar year 1885. 
576 pp. 8vo. Washington, 1886.— This volume, the third of 
the series, contains like its predecessors, a large amount of valu- 
able and interesting information upon the mining industries of 
the United States. The preparation of the volume has been ac- 
complished in part by Mr. Atpert Wittiams, Jr., the former 
editor, and in part by Mr. Davip T. Day. A fourth report for 
