338 The American Geologii<t. Decemijer, ism 
constMiuciil liberation of tlic iiiduniled resin. The suiiscciucnt 
action of water would tend to separate the two eoiupletel}', and 
thus establish the purity of the resin as now found. The only 
possibility of obtaining any support for this theory from modern 
vegetation, came to us at the close of my examination of these 
coals, in a report that certain spruce and tamarack trees now 
gi'owing in the Kootanie district do produce resin in large (juan- 
tity and in such a way as to determine their speedy l)reaking up 
when subjected to desiccation or to maceration, and that from 
them might 1>e deri\ed data which would have an important bear- 
ing upon the nature of these coals. As it was important that evi- 
dence of so promising a nature should be examined, I asked Mr. 
D. A. StcAvart, of Winnipeg, an engineer in the employ of the 
Canadian Pacific railway, if it would be i)ossible to procure 
foi' us, specimens of the trees in ((uestion. This he very kindly 
consented to do, and we have since ])een placed under obligations 
to both Mr. Stewart and other officers of the Canadian Pacific, 
b^' the receipt of four fine specimens measuring about two and 
one-half feet long, and with diameters of upwards of a foot. 
Since then all of the specimens have been carefully examined and 
with wholly negative results. The details of this examination 
will ui)pear later. It is sufficient for our present purpose to 
point out that the last hypothesis advanced to account for the 
origin of these coals receives no support from modern vegetation, 
and we can only hope, therefore, that in future examinations of 
these deposits, associated plant remains may be found which will 
throw light upon a now very obscure problem. 
A chemical examination of these coals has l)een made by Mr. 
G. C. Hoffmann, of the Geological Survey of Canada.* but as 
his results bear only upon their fuel value, they throw no light 
upon their origin. At ni}' request, Dr. Harrington, of McGill 
College, has kindly undertaken to determine the soluble constitu- 
ents in order to bring them into comparison with certain fossil 
resins from (/'edar Lake, which he had already examined.! The 
Cedar Lake resins show 21.01% soluble in al«olute alcohol, and 
24.84% soluble in ether. The cannel coals in question showonlj- 
4.6% soluble in chloroform, and 3.17% soluble in ether, the 
solution in each case being strongly fluorescent. It is, therefore, 
*Rept. Geol. Surv. Can. iv, 7 K. 
tAmer. Jul. Sci. xmi, 332. 
