214 The American Geologist. March, 1892 
subjected to denuding agencies, at the time when the Cambrian sedi- 
ments were being deposited in the submarine valleys near St. John. 
Further—there is much negative evidence pointing to the same conclu- 
sion. If these limestones are post-Cambrian, to what age shall we assign 
them? The Cambrian terrane here includes the Lower Ordovician, and 
is an unbroken series of sediment. (See last volume this Journal, p. 289.) 
The Silurian (Upper) is present within twenty miles of St. John, and is a 
series of calcareous slates and earthy sandstones with characteristic fos- 
sils. The Devonian shales and sandstones, with plant remains, lie imme- 
diately south, separated from the limestones only by the basin of Cambrian 
rocks at St.John, about a mile wide; and the Lower Carboniferous 
conglomerates and shales actually overlie the limestones unconformably. 
There remains only the Upper Ordovician, which could possibly be rep- 
resented in these limestones, and in limestones so little altered as some 
of these are, some trace of the abundant marine life of the Ordovician 
period should show itself; but none such has been found. 
Altogether we see no reason to depart from the decision on the age of 
these limestones arrived at twenty years ago by the officers of the Dominion 
Geological Survey, that this calcareous series, isolated amid the Laurentian 
gneisses, mica schists and quartzites, is essentially of pre-Cambrian age. 
Before closing | may say a word about the Cambrian rocks themselves. 
In my conspectus of the succession of faunas inthe St. John group, 
given ina foot note on page 290 of the last volume of this journal, a 
section of “Upper Paradoxides beds, no fauna known,” was introduced. 
By this it is not intended to be asserted that any of the later species of 
Paradoxides are known in the Cambrian rocks of the mainland of Amer- 
ica; but only that the horizon indicated is the place where, if present, 
they should be found. 
Another point of interest to students of the Cambrian is that Hyolithes 
billingsi, or a species very like it, has been found in the basal Cambrian 
rocks, near the middle of that series. This species was found by Dr. 
Charles Barrois and myself last summer, when examining the section in 
the eastern part of St. John county. The species is of interest as a com 
mon one of the Olenellus beds, being at the same time, according to Mr. 
Walcott, a species of great vertical range in the Cambrian rocks of the 
Rocky mountains. G. F. Marriew. 
St. John, N. B., Canada, January 13, 1891. 
PERSONAL AND SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 
THE WINTER MEETING OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 
was held at Columbus on Dec. 29, 30 and 31. The members were wel- 
comed by the mayor of the city, Mr. G. T. Karb, whose address was re- 
plied to by the president. 
The treasurer’s report showed a balance of $280 unexpended, and that 
of the secretary, Prof. H. L. Fairchild, of Rochester, N. Y., showed the 
society to be in a prosperous condition. 
At the first session the officers for 1892 were announced as follows: 
