152 
president’s address. 
coast of Disco Island, and the southern side of the Nonrsoak 
Peninsula in West Greenland. 
No trace of Eocene marine deposits has as yet been discovered 
in the Polar area, which perhaps may he accounted for by the 
entire North Polar region liaving been dry land during that 
geological epoch ; but it may also be owing to the imperfection of 
our geological record, and future research in the far north may 
reveal to us traces of an Eocene period. There is, how^ever, no 
doubt that there was a vast extension of land around, and probably 
at, the North Pole during the Miocene period. Dr. A. Geikie writes ; 
“ One of the most remarkable geological discoveries of recent times 
has been that of Tertiary plant beds in North Greenland. Heer has 
described a flora extending at least up to 70° N. lat., containing 
one hundred and thirty-seven species, of which forty-six are found 
also in the central European IMiocene basins. More than half of 
the plants are Trees, including thirty species of Conifers {Sequoia, 
T/iuJopsie, Salisburia, etc.), besides Beeches, Oaks, Planes, Poplars, 
Maples, Walnuts, Limes, Magnolias, and many more. These plants 
grew on the spot, for their fruits in various stages of growth have 
been obtained from the beds. From Spitzbergen (78° 56' N. lat.) 
one hundred and thirty-six species of fossil plants have been 
named by Ileer. But the latest English Arctic expedition brought 
to light a bed of Coal, black and lustrous like one of the Palseozoic 
fuels, from 81° 45' N. lat. It is from twenty-flve to thirty feet thick, 
and is covered by black shales and sandstones full of land plants, 
lleer notices thirtj^ species, eighteen of which had already been 
found in the Arctic Miocene zone. As in Spitzbergen, the Conifers 
are most numerous (Pines, Firs, Spruces, and Cypresses), but there 
occur also the Arctic Poplar, two species of Birch, two of Hazel, an 
Elm, and a Viburnum. In addition to these terrestrial Trees 
and Shrubs, the stagnant waters of the time bore Water- 
lilies, while their banks "were clothed with Pecds and Sedges. 
When we remember that this vegetation grew luxuriantly 
within 8° 15' of the North Pole, in a region which is in dark- 
ness for half of the year, and is now almost continuously buried 
under snow and ice, we can realize the difliculty of the iiroblcm 
