The PLANS of the various Lakes and Eivers
between Lake Huron and the Elver Ottawa,
shewn in the Index Maps bound up in the
volume, will be found in the Atlas accompany-
ing the Eeport,

Tor the Years 1853 - 54 - 55 - 56 .

^^rintelj Iig orbet of tje Eegi'slati&e ^sgemj^Ig.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

CANADA.

KErORT OF PROGRESS

TORONTO :

PRINTED BY JOHN LOVELL, YONGB STREET.

1857.

GEOLOGICAL SUEVEY OE CANADA.

Montreal, March, 1857.
Sir, •

I have the honor to request that you will do me
the favor to present to His Excellency the Governor
General, the accompanying Reports, showing the
progress made in the Geological Survey of the Pro-
vince, in the years 1853, 1854, 1855 and 1856.

The Reports are accompanied by Maps, in eleven
lithographed sheets, shewing the explorations of the
Muskoka, the Petewahweh, the Bonne-Ch^re, the
South-West Branch of the Madawaska, and the
sources of the Ottonabee ; and by three Maps in
manuscript, one of them a large one, illustrating
Lake Nipissing and several rivers of the surrounding
country.

All the Maps are required for the proper under-
standing of the Reports.

I am. Sir,

Your most obedient servant.

W. E. LOGAN,

To the Hon. T. Lee Terrill,

Provincial Secretary,

&c., &,C., &.C.

Provincial Geologist.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OF THE

REPORT OF PROGRESS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA
Fop. the Years 1853-54-55-56.

1 .

Report of Sir W. E. Logan,

Laurentian Formation, its nature and structure,

Crystalline limestone, gneiss and quartzite of Grenville ; their dis-
tribution and synclinal arrangement,

Intrusive syenite,

Section showing synclinal structure,

Distribution of the crystalline limestones of Harrington, Wentworth,

Chatham, Chatham-Gore and Argenteuil,

General section from Grenville to Argenteuil,

Intrusive Rocks: greenstone, syenite, porphyry,

Buhrstone,

Limestones and Lime-felspar Rocks of Morin and Mille-lsles,

Limestones and lime-felspars of St. Jerome,

Limestones and lime-felspars of Rawdon, Chertsey and Terrebonne,

Limestones and lime-felspars of Chateau-Richer, ]

Economic Materials: magnetic iron ore, molybdena, plumbago, mica,

buhrstone, garnet rock, renssellaerite, /

Syenite, porphyry, labradorite,

Limestones and lime-felspars, their relations to soils ; peat,

Gkolooical Map op Ca.vada: its preparation; topography, determinations
of longitude,

Page

18
26
26
31
34

38
45
48

11 .

Report of Alexander Murray, Esq., for the year 1853,

Geographical Descriptions : the Muskoka River,

The Petewahweh River,

Route by the Bonnechere to Balsam Lake ; levels, etc..
Levels from the Bonnechere to the xAIadawaska, etc., . !

Distribution op the Formations : Laurentian series,

Fossiliferous rocks; Lower Silurian,

Drift deposits,

CONTENTS.

III.

11 .

Page

Report of Alkxandeb Murray, Esq., for the year 18o4,

OHOOR.APUICAL DESCRIPTIONS : Meganatawan River, levels, etc., • ' ' ' ' ; ' ' ^

Lake Nipissing, its islands and tributaries,

Distribution of the Formations : Laureutian series, — y *

Fossiliferous rocks ; Lower Silurian *, drif ,

IV.

127

Report Of AtKXANOKR Murray, - ‘aod Ut'i;a

PossiupEROUS Rocks of Western Canada . " ,28

slate, 129

Hamilton and Portage and Chemung groups, ‘ ' ^ 132

Bapdoi^tion OF Lake Nipissing and the French River ; geographical d^^^^

criptions ; Lake Nipissing,

South channel of the French River,

Distribution of the Rocks : Laureutian series,

F-u : : ;»

Levels of the Wahnapitae River

White-fish River and Lakes, levels, etc.,

Distribution of the Rocks ; Laurentian series, ...... • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ’ •

Huronian series, Igtj

Section of the Lacloche Mountains,

Drift deposits, ; igg

Boonomic Materials: copper ores, limestones, etc.,

VI.

191

Report of Mr. James Richardson for the year 1856,.

Anticosti : character of the country and coast ; vegetation, 20 I

Harbours, rivers and lakes, wild anima

Distribution of the Rocks, 206

Division A, 210

Division 214

Division 218

Division ^ ^ ^ 226

Division 230

KcoNO^riirTERuVs:' building-stones, grindstones, fag

sea-weed and drift-wood, 239

MiNOAN Islands : Lower Silurian roeks, ! ' ’ ‘ ‘ V- ... 243

Section from the Mingan Islands across Anticosti, 244

Soil and climate of Anticosti,

CONTENTS.

VII.

Report of E. Billings, Esq., for the year 1856,

Arbanoements op the Geologicai, Museum : classification 0^1^ organic

remains,

Fossils of Anticosti ; Middle Silurian series,

Fossils from Anticosti, of divisions A and B, Lower Silurian

Fossils of division C, ’

Fossils of divisions D and E, '

Fossils of division F,

The Anticosti group or Middle Silurian, comprising C, D, E and F

Descriptions op New Fossils from the Silurian rocks of Canada,

Cbinoidea: Glyptocrinus, Thysanocrinus, Dendrocrinus, HeterocrinuV,
Hybocrinus, Carabocrinus, Cleiocrinus, Lecanocrinus, Poro-
crinus,

Cystide;e: Glyptocystites, Plenrocystitcs, ComarocystitVs' AmVgdalo'cVsl

tites,

A8TERIADE.1.: : Palmasterina, Palaeocoma, Cyclaster, Agelacrinites

Brachiopoda : Pentamerus, Orthis, ^

Gasteropoda: Murchisonia, Pleurotomaria, Cyclonema, Subulites,

Cephalapoda: Nautilus, Gyroceras, Ascoceras, Gomphoceras, Cyrtoceras

Orthoceras, ’

Crustacea : Bronteus, Triarthrus, Acidaspis,

Pasceolus, a genus allied to the Tunicata, ]

Plant^e : Beatricea,

Page

247

248

249

250

252

253
265

255

256

280

290

295

298

306

338

342

343

VIII.

Report of T. Sterry Hunt, Esq., for the year 1853, 347

Mineral TV aters op Canada, -their geological distribution, 347

Alkaline and neutral mineral waters, whence derived, 348

Saline waters of Whitby and Hallowell, 349

Mineral waters of Ste. Genevieve, Berthier, Rawdon, Joly, 352

TV aters of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, 357

Limestones and Dolomites, 355

Analyses of fossil shells ; assays of galena and gold, 368

IX.

Report of T. Sterry Hunt, Esq., for the year 1854, 373

Tbiclinic Felspars of the Laurcntian series ; hypersthene rock, 3^4

Labradorite, andesine, ilmenite, hypersthene, etc., 376

Relations between the triclinic felspars, 383

Silurian Rocks ; argillites, nacreous slates, pholerite, magnesite, 384

Ores of nickel, 399

Report of T. Sterry Hunt, Esq., for the year 1855, 391

Metallurgy of Iron : theory of the blast-furnace ; manufacture of iron and

steel; Chenot’s metallurgical processes, 392

Iron ores of Sweden, of Russia, and of Canada, 403

CONTENTS.

Page

Bxtbaction op Salts fhom Sea-water : salt-works of Bcrrc, . . . ..•••• • • • 404
Manufacture of potash, sulphate of soda and magnesia from the

mother liquors of sea-water, ,* * *

On the commercial importance of potash and soda salts,

Manufacture of salt in Lower Canada, * * *

Magnesian Mortars: theory of hydraulic cements; mortars for marine

constructions, ^^2

Magnesite of Canada as a source of magnesia,

On Plumbago AND ITS Purification: Brodie’s process,. .

On Peat and the products derived from it ; paraffine, oils, gas,

Asphalt, bituminous shales, etc.,

XI.

Report of T. Sterry Hunt, Esq., for the year 1856, • • • •

Parallelism of the metamorphic Silurian and Laurentian rocks, .... 431

Silurian Series : serpentines or ophiolites,

Diallage rock, actynolite, talc, chlorite, garnet rock,

Felspathic rocks : definitions *, diorites,

Euphotide and saussurite,

Petrosilex or eurite, chert, jasper,.

Magnesites and dolomites of the Silurian series,

On the probable origin of magnesites and dolomites,

Magnesian mineral waters, *

Waters containing carbonate of soda, their distribution and import-

471

Sea-water and the results of its evaporation, • • • • • ■

Metals of magnesian rocks; chrome^ nickel, vanadium and titanium, 4^^

Titaniferous chloritic limestone of Granby,

Rocks of the Onondago salt group ; ophiolite of Syracuse,

On the metamorphism of sedimentary rocks,

Laurentian Series: ophiolites, renssellaerite,

Igneous Rocks : white felspathic and zeolitic traps,

This volume contains a map illustrating the distribution of the
limestones, as deseribed in the Report of Sir W. E. Logan ;

Mr Murray’s explorations ; and a map of Anticosti, explaining Mr. Richardson
Report. It is also accompanied by an atlas, containing twenty ‘ ;

Murray and two sheets by Sir W. E. Logan, embracing the results of the
surveys of the region between Lake Huron and the Ottawa River.

TO HIS EXCELLENCY

SIR EDMri\D WALKER HEAD, BART.,

ONE OP HER MAJESTY’S MOST HONORABLE PRIVY COUNCIL,
eobcrnor ©mcral of ISritisfi America,

AITD

CAPTAIN-GENERAL AND GOVERNOR-IN-CHIEP

UVJSJt

ME PBOVINCES OP NOTA SCOTU, NEW BRUNSWICK, AND THE

ISLAND OP PRINCE EDWARD,

AND VICE-ADMIRAL OE THE SAME.

Montreal, 31s« MarcA, 1857.
Mat it please Your Excellency :

Though the duties assigned to me^ in the years 1854 and
1855 in making such a collection of the economic minerals of
Canada as the occasion required, and in displaying them before
Europe at the Industrial Exhibition of Paris, have greatlv
tended to spread a knowledge of that branch of the resom-ci
?!, ® a general acquaintance with her geolovv,

they have prevented me from placing before Your Excellency,
at regular intervals. Reports of the progress effected in the
Survey committed to my charge. I have now, in consequence,
the honour to transmit to Your Excellency the accumulated
Jveporfa of my colleagues, Mr. Murray and Mr. Hunt, for the
yeara 853, 1854, 1855 and 1856, with the Reports of Mr.
Hillings and Mr. Richardson, for the last season.

The Reports of Mr. Hunt comprehend various investigations
ot the hme-feldspar rocks and their associated minerals of the
Laurentian formation; researches on the composition of the
wa ers of the Ottawa and St. Lawrence, and various mineral
spnngs ; examinations of the serpentines and other metaraor-
P ic rocks of the Eastern townships, and of a series of traps

and intrude rocks. Having boon appointed
"n 1865, his Report for that year is

and mineralogical considerations connected with it, having
special reference to our native products and industry.

\r. Richardson’s Report relates to an ^^^h wRh
Island of Anticosti, the palaeontological results of which, with

“ “cripti™ « »f rr °J mzr

constitute the subjects treated in the Report of Mi. BiHu g •
During the four' years mentioned, Mr. Murray’s labom were
devoted to explorations of the country lying between Lake
Huron and the Ottawa River. In 1853 h^ m the firs p ,
ascended the Muskoka, discharging into

descended the Petewahweh to Lake Allumette, on the Ottawa ,
he then ascended the Bonne-Ch6re, and passing fiom it to the
Madlaska, and ascending the York or South-West Branch of
the stream, crossed various tributaries of the Ottonabee Rive^
and came out by Balsam Lake ; thus making two traverses acro^
the country, aU completing a lineal distance of about 500
miles In 1854 he examined the Meganatawan River, emp y
Tg Lo Lake Huron, south of the French River and com-
jneed an exploration of Lake Nipisaing, the
he completed in 1855. With the exception of the tiibutary
sources of the Ottonabee, which were only sketched, the nvem
mentioned and the shores of Lake Nipissmg w«re measured
topographically, by the aid of Rochon’s micrometer telescope
and riie maps resulting from the measurements of 1853 and
1854, bavins? been engraved on stone, on tbe sea e o
to a mile, accompany the Reports. These maps occupy ekven
sheets, and others now in hand, representing ®

and the work resulting from the last season s ?

the same general district, requiring as many more sheets, wi

follow so soon as they are completed.

Although on these maps are marked all the rock masses m
with, yet representing mere lines of exploration, they are not
sufficient to give the details of the physical structure of
district. They give, however, a general idea of the g
groups to which the fonnations prevailing belong, and wi

aff^d many facts constituting valuable points from which to
start in prosecuting further investigation. They, at any rate
present prominent geographical features in a hitherto undeli-
neated and little examined part of the country, -a knowledge
of which may become of importance in the progress of its set-
tlement, and they are consequently deemed worthy of publi-

LAUEENTIAN FORMATION.

Mr. Murray’s lines of exploration traverse for the most part
those rocks whicli, in Canadian geology, have been termed
he Laurentian system. They are the most ancient yet known
on the continent of America, and are supposed to be equiva-
lent to the iron-beanng series of Scandinavia. Stretching on
e north side of the Saint Lawrence from Labrador to Lake
Supenor, they occupy by far the larger share of Canada, and
they have been described in fomier Reports as sedimentary
deposits in an altered condition, consisting of gneiss interstrati-
hed with important bands of crystalline limestone. The gneiss
proper, when it comes near to the surface, yields but an indif-
ferent soil, while the soil derived from the limestones, which
are usually in an easily disintegrating condition, is of a most
1 u descnption. The farms which have been established
upon the Laurentian formation, run almost wholly upon the
imestones and their associated strata, and afford a pretty dis-
inc pi 00 that the distribution of these calcareous bands beinw
once known, it would not be difficult to detennine in what
direcrion it would be most judicious to push settlement. It is
a so in contact with these limestones, or near them, that the
n ores are found, which so prominently characterise the
Laurentian series, as well as the lead-bearing veins belonging
to It ; and as the limestones possess external and internal cha-
rac ers, which render them more conspicuously distinct from
e gneiss than any of the component membere of the gneiss
are from one another, they afford the least difficult means of
tracing out the physical structure of the Laurentide district.

Ihe distribution of the limestones therefore becomes a sub-
jec both scientifically and economically important, but it is

one, the investigation of which will require a great amount of
patient labor. To deteimine the superposition of the compo-
nent parts of such an ancient series of rocks as the Laurentian,
is a task which has never yet been accomplished in geology,
and the difficulties attending it arise from the absence of fossils
to characterise its different members. Bands of the ciystallme
limestone are easily distinguished from bands of the gneiss, bu
it is scarcely possible to know, from mere local inspection,
whether any mass of the limestone in one part is equivalent to
a certain mass in another. They all resemble one another
more or less lithologically, and although masses are met with
running for considerable distances rudely parallel to one
another, it is not yet certainly known whether the calcareous
strata are confined to one group often repeated by sharp
undulations, or whether, as is probable, there are several
groups separated from one another by heavy masses of gneiss.
The dips avail but little in ascertaining this, for m the nume-
rous folds with which the formation is wrinkled, these dips
must very frequently be overtunied, and the only reliable
mode of pursuing the investigation, and of making even the
limestones available in working out the physical structure, is
patiently and continuously to follow the outcrop of each
important mass in all its windings, as far as it can be traced,
until it becomes covered up by superior unconformable forma-
tions, is cut off by some great dislocation, or disappeare by
thinning away to nothing. A labor such as this, in a district
without roads, and the topography of which is sca,rcely yet
known, with a surface much broken by the unequal wear ot
its rocks, and still covered by forest, must necessarily require

much time. . n- j.-

The occurrence of the crystalline limestones in many distinct

localities, ranging from the borders of Lake Huron to the River
Sa-iienay, is well known ; but no long continuous outcrop ot
any individual group of these calcareous strata, that I am
acquainted with, has yet been shewn, and vnth the ex^prion
of the connection of the different portions of that incidentally
traced by Mr. Murray in its windings through a part ot the
township of Bedford in 1852, while he was occupied m lol-

lowing out the junction of the fossiliferous and unfossiliferous
rocks between Kingston and Lake Simcoe, it had not been
with certainty proved that any two nearly parallel ranges of
the rock could be traced to a junction.

My attention was devoted in the season of 1853 to the exa-
mination of those masses known to exist in the township of
Grenville, and the facts then ascertained in that and neighbor-
ing to^raships, with the addition of othera which have been
determined since my return from Europe, will constitute the
subject of the personal explorations I have to report to your
Excellency on the present occasion.

Distribution of the Crystalline Limestones.

The limit of the Laurentian formation in the vicinity of
Grenville has been given in a fonner Report, where it has been
stated that it comes upon the Ottawa, a short distance above
the village. Within four miles above the village, on or near
the road running round the bay there presented by the left
bank of the river, two important bands of the ciystalline lime-
stone emerge from beneath the fossiliferous strata underlying
the flat country overlooked by the Laurentide hills. These
bands, separated less than two miles from one another, rise
into the flank of the hills, which exhibits a section transverse
to the general strike of the fomation in that part. One of the
bands is seen in the third range of the township, on the line
between the twelfth and thirteenth lots, and the other on the

Calumet River, on the sixteenth and seventeenth lots of the
second range.

The space between them is occupied by gneiss, the banded
structure of which is visible in a vast number of places, but a
large part of the rock is coarse-grained ; the feldspar being in
individuals, frequently attaining an inch and sometimes more
in diametei, while the mica and the quartz often accompanied
by hornblende, and the former sometimes replaced by it, are
distiibuted among the feldspar in such a manner as to give a
reticulated aspect to the surface. Beds of this character are
sometimes thin, but when thick and massive, which they usually

• The bearings given in this Report are magnetic j the variation of the com-
pass is about ten degrees west.

are, they might upon a first inspection be mistaken for igneous
instead of altered rocks. Upon a careful study of the case,
however, it will be perceived that this reticulated structure
is accompanied by an obscure arrangement of the meshes of
the net-work into parallel lines, which are found to be confor-
mable with the more distinctly banded portion of the strata.
The more distinctly banded part is possessed of less feldspar
than the reticulated portion, and often presents layers of quartz
rock, sometimes nearly pure, which seem to become more
abundant on approaching the limestones. The rocks, for some
distance on the outside of the two ranges of calcareous strata,
bear much the same character as those between them, the reti-
culated gneiss being perhaps more abundant and more massive.

In the mountain flank the two calcareous bands are almost
exactly parallel to one another, running about N. N. E., and
they both, as well as the gneiss between them, dip wdth many
irregularities to the westward. They keep nearly parallel for
several miles into the interior, but it will be expedient to
follow out one of the bands continuously.

The calcareous exposures on the Calumet are compnsed
within the space of between 200 and 300 yards across the
stratification, and they can be traced up the nver from the
position mentioned on the bay road in the second range, to t e
quarry in the third range, where Mr. Charlebois some years
ago erected a mill for sawing and polishing the limestone as
marble, and where, as was described in a former Report, the
rock, which is white, is much marked by spots and patches of
green sei-pentine. The quarry is situated towards the front of
the sixteenth lot, close upon the west side of the Calumet, the
channel of which is paved with the limestone, while very little
removed from the opposite side, the gneiss, limiting the calca-
reous group of strata to the eastward, rises in a heavy mass,
parts of which, not far from the spot, are marked with red

garnets. ^ xt w#

If a line be carried from this spot in a direction W. N. W.

across the seventeenth lot to the road running up between it
and the eighteenth, several exposures of limestone, in addition
to those already mentioned, will be met with. A little north
of the line, at least four are seen between Mr. Profit’s house
(which stands in about the middle breadth of the seventeenth
lot) and the road, separated from one another by beds of
pyroxenic gneiss and quartz rock, and about two acres west of
the road a precipice of reticulated gneiss presents itself, limit-
ing the whole. The transverse breadth from the marble quarry
to this precipice is not much under half-a-mile. Few of the
dips are less than fifty degrees, and many of them reach seventy
and eighty. But as the breadth stated greatly exceeds that
farther on, it is probable that a considerable part of it is due
to the repetition of beds through undulations, and in estimat-
ing the thickness of the group an allowance must be made for
them. It appears to me probable, however, that a liberal one
would not reduce the thickness to less than 1000 feet.

From the front of the third range, the calcareous group can
be traced to the rear of the fourth (nearly two miles), by seve-
ral considerable exposures of limestone and the limiting gneiss.
In this distance the strike is nearly N. N. E., and the belt runs
the whole way upon the line between the seventeenth and
eighteenth lots. Close on the rear of the seventeenth lot, it is
seen on the farm of Mr. E. Connely. Here four beds of lime-
stone appear to be separated by beds of feldspar and quartz rock,
the former weathering opaque white, and much studded with
patches of augite or pyroxene. The thickest bed of the lime-
stone appears to be on the west side of the group, and a heavy
bed of quartz rock, about fifty yards wide, intervenes between
it and the gneiss. Of the gneiss there is a wide exposure on
the west side, between the quartz rock and the River Rouge.

It measures 800 yards across the stratification, exhibiting dis-
tinctly marked beds, very regular in strike, but varying in
inclination from fifty-six to seventy-seven degrees. Including
the quartz rock, the breadth across the limestone group is about
500 yards. There are some twists in it conspicuously displayed
on the east side, but it is probable that the thickness of the
whole does not fall short of the 1000 feet already stated.

In the next half-mile the calcareous belt is cut by dykes of
greenstone trap, with a well-marked transverse columnar stmc-
ture. There appear to he two of importance, and one of these,
with a breadth of fifty yards, has been traced at a nght ang e
across the stratification, for a distance of three-quarters of a mi e
to the eastward. Although there are no exposures ot the
limestone, sink-holes in the same bearing as before, indicate its
course, still on the line between the seventeenth and eighteenth
lots ; and by means of them it is traced to a position in a valley
where its breadth is well bounded by precipices of the gneiss
on each side. In this valley it crosses the fifth range, still m
the same relation as before to the lots ; but no exposures o it
are met with. On the west side of the valley, however, within
a hundred and fifty paces of the rear of the range, there is
exposed an enoimious mass of white quartz rock. It is dis-
tinctly divided into beds, and with a transverse breadth of 150
yards it has a dip N. 80° W. < 61°. This would give it a
thickness of 400 feet, and between it and the gneiss on the
east side of the valley there is a breadth of exactly ten chaiim,
which, assuming the dip to be the same, wou d give a thick-
ness for the calcareous part of 580 feet, making the whole

thickness much the same as before.

This part of the valley is quite flat and even ; it possesses a
deep rich soil, and being wholly free from boulders, gives fine
arable laud. It continues of this character for
of a mile, and with a uniform breadth ; it h^ " ^old
on the east and the quartz rock on the west side. But thoiigh
there is not a single exhibition of the f

spring which issues from the soil near the hous • »

on the seventeenth lot of the sixth range, is so charged wiB
carbonate of lime that the water quickly leaves a coating ot
on the utensils in which it is boiled for culinary purposes.

Towards the rear of the sixth range the valley gia ua y
opens to double its last breadth, by a bend in the gneiss on
the east side, and while the quartz rock is still conspicuously

displayed on the west, an exposure of ®

c\oL by the gneiss on the other, in the vicinity of the tiont
post, be^tweeu the fifteenth and sixteenth lots of the sevent

range.

Though the strike of the belt up to this point is very nearly
the same as at the commencement, it has ceased to hold the
same relation to the lots as at first, in consequence of irregu-
larities in the onginal sui-vey of the township, which give them
a very marked turn to the left. Beyond this the strike veers
a few degrees farther from north, and after a gentle sinuosity
to the east in crossing the eighth range, the less northeni strike
IS maintained to nearly the centre of the thirteenth lot of the
eleventh range, which is the last of the township, the belt
runnmg in a valley all the way. But from the southern half
ot the line, between the fourteenth and fifteenth lots of the
ninth range, on which there are large exposures of the calca-
reous strata, there is a projecting spur of the limestone running
nearly south in another valley, in which the rock, often exhi-
bited to view, reaches the front half of the twelfth lot of the
eighth range, the distance being about a mile and a-half.

On the line between the tenth and eleventh ranges the lime-
stone IS larply displayed across the thirteenth tot, while no
other rock is seen in place, and the exposures extend about
200 yards beyond the lot on each side. The breadth of the
limestone would thus be from forty-five to fifty chains, and
from this as a base, its sides come to a point near the centre of
the thirteenth lot of the eleventh range, where it exhibits a
somewhat truncated apex, surrounded by gneiss, with some
beds of quartz rock between.

From this the trend of the belt is south, which it maintains
to the line between the sixth and seventh ranges, the distance
being about five miles. It underlies a valley the whole way,
bounded by a mountain of gneiss on each side, that on the west
separatmg it from the valley in which the belt was followed
northward. Across the ninth range it has a breadth of about
700 yards, being interstratified in some parts with quartz rock,
Md on the north half of the twelfth lot, occupied by Mr.
Wilson, a band of quartz rock occurs on the west side, with
gneiss beyond, studded with garnets; but no bands of quartz
rock were observed between the limestone and the gneiss on
the east side of the valley.

Across the eighth range the belt widens to 1000 yards, by a

bend on the west side ; and in this measure are
Lt side some hands of quartz rock and dolomite holding
grains of seroentine. These bandsand the bend mentioned occur
fbout half-way across the range, where the hill on the west side
being worn dLn, a transverse valley presents iteelf, reaching
to the spur of limestone which has been descnbed as proje
aolwTrd from the eastern valley. In this transverse valley
very little gneiss was met with ; but white quartz rock and
feldspathic rock are seen in several spots nearly all the way,
the Lance between the limestone exposures nearest to
another, in the two belts, being a little over half-a-mile.

A little south of the line, between the seventh and eig ■
ransres the valley we are tracing, and the limestone contained
infL suddenly contracted again to about 700 yards, leaving
a spJir of the calcareous rock on the west side in the 1« *

Thus reduced the band crosses the seventh range, and then
changing its north and south strike, traverses the sixth, bearing
about 8^300 w.,in which direction it imns from the seventh to
the tenth lot. All along the south-east side beds of
are seen, becoming more and more interstratified wit gn
as they recede from the limestone, but their continuity is bro-
L south-east comer of the ninth lot by an intrusive
mass of syenite, which will be spoken of farther on. Quartz
rock accompanies the calcareous band on the north-west side
also, with much constancy, though the frequency an

thickness of the beds are perhaps not so great.

From the line between the hfth and sixth ranges, the east side
of SXlt again gradually turns south, and in this beanng there
are large exposures of calcareous rock extending to the south
half of L ninth lot in the fourth range, a distance of a mi

A three Quarters. They are embraced in an area which has a
taelh » sao A the two eidee of -hich
Barallel. Well marked beds of quartz rock, separated by thi
Lers of gneiss, follow the rim of this area, with a bread*

^ ;r,fr from 150 to 200 yards, and rounding the southe

thSh aWti raogee. which they reach on the eleventh
+.xrolfth lots : but between the limestone at this pom an

the position from which we started on the same range line on
the tenth lot, there appears a projecting mass of quartz rock
and gneiss, which extends southward about thirty chains on the
line between the tenth and eleventh lots.

The limestone continues northward, with a few degrees of
^ting, across the sixth range, and about twenty-five chains
into the seventh, and here again turning in a deep triangular
recess of the gneiss mountains, it maintains a S. S. W. course
on the twelfth and thirteenth lots across all the ranges in
succession, to the middle of the third. The eastern margin is
pretty straight, and in this stretch of three and a-half miles it
runs exactly parallel to the western belt ; but on the west
side there are some irregularities. From the sixth to the
middle of the fourth range the belt gradually widens, attaining
at the latter part a breadth of three-quarters of a mile opposite
to a transverse valley, reaching across from the eastern to the
western belt, and affording a channel for the united branches
of the Calumet. A portion of the measure given to the eastern
belt, however, is occupied by a sub-lenticular shaped mass of
gneiss of about a mile and a-quarter in length, by a breadth of
a-quarter of a mile where widest. Between it and the gneiss
on the east, the band of limestone is narrow, not exceeding 200
yards, and while the gneiss on each side of it meets the lime-
stone with a straight face, the limestone itself appears to be
much twisted and broken, as are also some beds of quartz
rock, whose place seems to be on the east side.

Before reaching the line between the third and fourth ranges,
the limestone suddenly narrows to about 150 yards, but
increases to 250 yards before it disappears under the fossil-
iferous strata at the foot of the Laurentian hills, where it was
indicated at the commencement of the description as consti-
tuting one of the two bands rising into their flank.

These two bands are thus shewn to be traceable to a union,
and m reality to constitute but one ; and as the dips which they
shew, m so far as they can be measured by a clinometer, have in
almost all parts, on both sides, a more or less westward bear-
mg, it becomes a question to what form the belts are related
m the physical structure of the district. As the formation is

beyond a doubt of a stratified character, these belts of lime-
stoL are the outcrop of an undulating sheet, the ndges o
which have been worn down ; but in the honzonta sectji of
an undulating, surface, similar fonns in the distobution of t
horizontal rim may be derived from the anticlinal or
part of the undulation, and it is to be determined in the
present instance to which of these the area between the belts

"“ASon h.. been made to an exposure of
Which touches one part of the eastern calcareous band m the
south-east comer of the ninth lot of the sixth This

belongs to a mass of the same rock which has an area of abou
thirty^ square miles in the townships of Grenville, Chatha

and Wentworth. At its western extremity it P'^^^Y+rthe
and south face of a mile and a-half, running parallel to the
calcareous area wliich has been described as stretching to tiie
southern half of the ninth lot of the fourth range of
from the east side of which area its distance is ^Y^f
to half-a-mile. The south-west comer is on the eighth lot o
the same range, in which it does not reach quite so far south
I^tre limestone' does in the ninth. From this ite southern
face extends to the eleventh lot of the seventh range of

Chatham, in a general straight line, “ irLid thi

indentations. The distance is eight and a-half miles, and t
rock constitutes a continuation of the flank of the mountains

overlooking the fossiliferous plains, for ^ ® fYst

the way. On the north-east side it is limited by the West
Branch of the North River, from the position last mentioned
to the middle of the tenth range of Chatham, on the line
between the twenty-third and twenty-fourth lots ; and to the
middle of the twenty-seventh lot of the same range, lom i
position where it was first mentioned in Grenv le, its b^
ary runs E. N. E. and W. S. W. Between the two points
indicated in the tenth range of Chatham there is a f.,
about a mile, and from this breadth as a base, ^ tion

into Wentworth, in which its precise termination has no
ascertained, though it is probable it does not exten very

The intrusion of such a mass of ioneous ro/'t <>o +i,-

SwI '1 r. "T Z

attitude of the strata which surround it TIia /. + iv

condition of the oyonite chew, that it wa, aiowly coolTd ‘"Z
peat pressure, and we cannot now nay whethe/ir»i a len
seated part of an outburst which reached the surface as it wa^
then constituted, or whether it was originally overlaid bv
masses of gneiss and limestone which have since been worn
away In either case the probability is, that it would give to

nmb It anticlinal form. l/seems

probable, therefore, that the western dip, belonf^inc. tn T

^tremity of the syenite, is a true one, and that the form

!r+*Tr .T® synclinal. This appears to be corrobo-

rated by the fact that where transverse valleys occur between

“SreonVZS® r f immediate gneiss widens the
.nt"al ’ <^0 »»«. aad "a™„s the

The calcareous sheet having thus the form of a trou<rh the
western d.p of the western outcrop nrust be overtZi and
he two ,p„„ of the rock which point to one another, thL “e

threTs^ ‘ T ““'"“‘em belt, and the other north from
refe Constitute a subordinate antielinat. Without

wfuM”bo ''‘’™ ‘>1' ‘be area

mile Md a h^lf ^ d “ “bout a

the one trough

gives a vertical ^ictioSTLfo™!

Though the northern extremity of this double c«^care<ras
trou-h crops out in the middle of the thirteenth lot of the
elevLth range, the depression formed by the confluence of the
two valleys coinciding with its sides, does not terminate ther ,

It runs nLhward into Harrington, and while the
nected with the Grenville part of the depression run southward,
!:Llding their contribution to the Calumet River, those m ^e
Harrington part flow northward across the township, and jo
the River Rouge beyond the northern boundary.

Across the first and second ranges
Sion runs north, in a direct continuation of the east side of the
calcareous trough just described-, and after we leave this
trouo-h and traverse but a short interval of gneiss calcareous
Lks are again met with. They occupy a small portion of
th; rear of the thirteenth and fourteenth lots of the las range
of Grenville, and enter on the eighth and ninth of the fi
range of Harrington, the eighth lot in the occupation of Mr.
Sr O’Brien and the ninth of Mr, W. Fox. Other expo^
sures are met with more than half-way across the ^

aimears probable that the whole of them belcmg to

caJroo™ area whieh ma, reach “'nHh fte art

and eleventh lots of the second range. In length the area

would thus be about a mile and a-half, and its breadth n

the town line of Grenville and Harrington

gradually diminishing northward. From the

area to the Grenville trough, its form would of course be, lik

The^S^bound valley in which the area ^

the same directly north bearing, for another mile, to the middle
of the third range on the eleventh lot; then turning N. E.
runs about a mile in that direction and splits into two valleys,
Te continuing to bear in the same N E^directmn, or perhap
a little north of it, and the other about N. SQo E. Both these
values are paved with limestone. In the former the rock
occupies a Ladth of nearly a mile between two lakes, the
one Llled McCulloch’s Lake, from the name the on y setHe
1 its banks, and the other the Big Lake, because it s the
largest in Harrington ; beyond them it has been o owe

UWIUHiliUliWiHUUJillWiliUliUiillHti

to the ninth range of the township, while I have lately
received intelligence of its extending, as was to be expected.
11 the same course into Montcalm. In the opposite direction,
however, exposures have not yet been met with farther south
than the brook emptying McCulloch’s Lake into Bi.^ Lake,
h the other valley the rock has been traced from the head

Fraser in the front of
the eighth lot of the fifth range, to the first on the line
between the fifth and sixth ranges of Han-ington, and thence

eighth of the seventh range of Wentworth. The distance is
about three miles, the bearing, as stated, N. 80o E., and the
bieadth of the band varies from about one-quarter to three-
quarters of a mile. The house of Mr. Fraser, standing on the
imestone, is situated on a beautiful sheet of water called Gate
Bake which has an east and west length of about a mile, with a
breadth of half-a.mile. The lake lies chiefly in the sixth
range of Wentworth, but near to Fraser’s house there is a part
o It in the seventh. The limestone is seen on both sides of
t le lake as well as at the lower or western end of it, where it
forms a natural bridge, beneath which occurs the exit of the

ake, close upon the line between the two townships which
have been named. ^

From this lake the rock takes a turn to the N. E., towards
Sixteen Island Lake, a long stretch of water extending from
the rear of the first range in the township of Montcalm to
the twenty-fifth lot of the eighth range of Wentworth, and
emptying by a considerable brook into Gate Lake, which by
the calcareous valley we are following, is again tributary to
Big Lake, and ultimately to the River Rouge. The limestone
reaches the lower end of Sixteen Island Lake, and occupies its
eastern side to the twenty-third lot of the ninth range, where

it turns eastward from the lake ; but beyond this it has not yet
been traced. ^

From this position to the upper end of Big Lake the distance
IS about SIX miles, and the excellence of the soil prevailing in
e va ley has caused partial clearings to be effected in almost
every lot in that part of it which is in Harrington. Between

the upper end of Big Lake and the mouth of McCulloch s
Brook, in the other valley, there is a distance of about halt-a-
mile occupied by a ridge of gneiss, exposures of which are
seen on the east side of what is called the Narrows of Big Lake,
as well as in a knoll occurring on the west side, at the very
narrowest part, where the distance across the water is not over
fifty yards. The position of this knoll is near the line between
the ninth and tenth lots, and somewhat south of the middle of
the fifth range. In addition to gneiss, it shews beds of quartz
rock dipping N. 65 ® W. < 60 ®, which would give a strike
running with the valley, and between the knoll and the flank
of tlie western gneiss which bounds the valley, there is a fla
marshy surface with a breadth of some five or six acres.

In this flat area no exposures of limestone have yet been met
, with, but it appears to me very probable that it is underkid
by this rock, which, to support the view I am disposed to take
of the structure of the two valleys, would require to be
proiected from each to a junction in the one from which they
kanch. If this be confirmed, it will at once be concluded
that the distribution of the limestone in this part indicates the
continuance of the synclinal foim traced through Grenville,
with a turn to N. E. in its axis, from the third range ot Har-

The gneiss on the west side of the synclinal constitutes a
well marked bold and rocky ridge, which extends in a line
nearly straight from the front of Grenville to the rear of
Harringten, the distance being about twenty miles and the
bearing N. N. E. The ridge is not often broken through by
transverse valleys, and where such occur, they appear for the
most part to result from the weakness accompanying gieen-

stone dykes. . ,

In the front of Harrington this ridge has a breadth varying
from three-quarters of a mile to twice that measure, and on
the west side of it there occur two long areas parallel to it
and to one another, presenting the form of valleys, which
include so many exposures of limestone as to make it evident
they are underlaid by the rock. The more eastern of these
extends for a short distance within the last range of Grenville,

to nearly the rear of the fifth range of Harrmcrlnn .
flv« mile. It ha, a breadth of nearly half-a-milo ,“Z

part, which gradually diminishes northward. From its extre
ntfe, there flow two brook, in nearly the «tn.e Unf hTt ta
oppo,,te dtreebon,, and the«t joining in the ,eeond r.™ the
nntted ,t|eanr Dhnre’, Brook. oro„e, the more weetern .rea

extremity Of the western area also occurs in the fifth ranjre
IdThT . 1 gradually assume a wider

spread until reaching Dhure’s Brook, where they occupy

Sf rmilf th ^bout

but fortW on 7 "" Campbell-s house,

t farther on the area mns nnder a thick, flat and fertile

covenng of clay and it, limit in that direction ha, not be „

“llgLn. “»“■

The northern extremities of these two parallel areas are
about a mile asunder, and they are separated by a bold and
rocky ridge of gnmss, which gradually narrows aid dies down
g ng south, terminating altogether less than half-way across

ance m the same line south of Dhure’s Brook, and it is
fonnSted * calcareous areas are

The prevailing dips in connection with these two isolated
areas being still to the westward, it will be necessary to
aacertam the distribution of others farther to the north, bTfore
c form to be pyen to them in the physical stmeture, can be
determined with eptainty. They may be parallel anlicHna,:

lower J ^^77 belong to a

but inCT 7 described;

this view I am at present inclined to adopt.

^ smaller calcareous area which occurs
on the first, second and third lots of the tenth range of Gren-
VI e about three miles on the east side of the main synclinal,

from this patch, nses m Chatham the western side of the ridge

of syenite described as projecting northward from the mam
body of the volcanic rock, and pointing like a finger owar
Wentworth. Close on the east side of this finger t eie is me
with another calcareous hand. The most northern exposure
of it I have yet seen is on the line between the first and second
ranges of Wentworth, in the twenty-second lot. It has heie a
breadth of about 400 yards, and can be traced obliquely ^ross
the twenty-first and twentieth lots of the first range. rom
this last it crosses the town line and enters Chatham upon the
twenty-second lot of the twelfth range, from which it quickly
sweeps round to the twenty-third, the property of Mr. Brewer,
who has recently erected a kiln to bum the stone

It here becomes confined to a deep and narrow valley which
gives a channel to the West Branch of the North River. Bold
flanks of gneiss hem it in on both sides, that on the west being
a strip between the limestone and the syenite. In this gorge
the limestone may have a breadth of between 200 and 300
yards, and though not seen in its course for upwards of a mile,
it maintains a straight one, running S. S. W. with the lots,
across the twelfth and eleventh ranges. Several exposures of
the limestone occur on the front of the eleventh range in t e
twenty-third and twenty-fourth lots on both sides of the M est
Branch, and on the same lots in the rear of the tenth range, m

the vicinity of Mr. Cai’penter’s house.

In this part the calcareous rock comes close upon the
syenite, from which emanate one or two dykes intersecting it,
and as the main body of the volcanic rock rises to
the limestone must be either entirely cut off by it or deflected
to the eastward. I am inclined to think that it is deflected ; for
from this point the syenite runs across the lots to the south-
ward of east, and though I have not met with any calcareous
exposures running parallel with the syenite for about two
miles and a-half to the eastward, one with such a
then occur about the middle of the fourteenth lot of the tenth
range, and the gneiss runs nearly parallel with the syenite all
the way. The strike of this calcareous exposure is about
E S E., and traced to the thirteenth lot it turns southwm-d,
ferossing on it into the ninth range. About a mile farther

south it is again visible in the channel of the West Branch in

e twelfth lot, near the hne between the eighth and ninth

ittle farther to the south-eastward, but in this neighbourhood
It appears again to turn north, coming back to the road
between the ninth and tenth ranges at the church near the
line between the tenth and eleventh lots.

The breadth of the band, including several silicious beds,
here extends from Mr. McArthur’s house on the tenth lot to a
short distance westward of the church on the eleventh, the
measure being about 500 yards; while the breadth of the
gneiss which separates it from the position where it crosses
the road still farther west is about half-a-mile.

From the south-west comer of the tenth lot a road runs back
on the lot across the tenth, eleventh and twelfth ranges of Cha-
tham into Wentworth. It is underlaid by the limestone nearly
the whole way. Across the tenth range the course of the
limestone is N. N. E. ; across the eleventh it inclines more to
the east and it again resumes the previous direction across
the twelfth, and leaves Chatham about one lot more to the
eastward than its position at McArthur’s, and with a breadth
m^eased by one-half. In the front of the eleventh range one
part ot the belt becomes very coarsely crystalline, shewing
individuals of calc-spar of two or three inches in diameter, and
It here assumes the character of a fetid limestone, emitting

when rubbed an ovei-powering odor like that of sulphuretted
hydrogen.

It constitutes a valley across these ranges, as is indicated
by the coincidence with it of the course of the Big Creek,
a tnbutaiy of the West Branch, nearly the whole way ; but
e epression is not a deep one. It becomes more marked,
however, towards the rear of Chatham, across the twelfth
range, in the front of which limestone is burnt by Mr. ]\IcGib-
bon, and it is accompanied on the east side by a conspicuous
and of garnetiferous gneiss, in which the garnets, though much
cr^ked and broken, are of a deep red color and large size.

Entering Wentworth on the eighth and ninth lots, the belt
maintains its Chatham bearing across the first and the larger

part of the second range, with a pretty uniform breadth, which
however includes some bands of quartz rock, and one o
reticulated gneiss on the west side. It then turns to the east-
ward on the latter range, and crossing the lots gains the line
between the fifth and sixth. On these lots it makes a right
angle to the northward and passes into the third range. Up
to this point it still coincides with the upward course of the
Big Creek ; but immediately turning eastward again, while
the Big Creek inclines north, they separate, the north side of
the limestone running into a short spur at the point of separa-
tion on the fourth lot.

Proceeding eastward across the third and second lots, occu-
pied by Mr. Mann and Mr. Conlin, exposures of the limestone
are found on both sides of a small lake which is tributary to
the Big Creek, but on the north side of the lake there appears
a lenticular-shaped mass of quartz rock which extends eastward
for half its length. Beyond this lake the belt, much diminished
in its breadth, leaves the third range of Wentworth and enters
the third range of Chatham Gore, on the second lot of which
it turns more northward and passes into the fourth range,
attaining it on the third lot, where it is bounded on the north
side by a band of garnet-gneiss as conspicuous as that on the
opposite side in Wentworth. It returns again to the third
range on the sixth lot, after presenting a very irregular and
indented out-crop, through the influence of two small undula-
tions. Still running eastward it reaches the eighth lot, where
some of its beds have been burnt for lime by Mr. Parker, the
proprietor of the land.

From this position, where its breadth is scarcely over a
hundred yards, the calcareous belt assumes a S. W. course,
and after spreading out, through the effect of small undula-
tions, to the measure of nearly three-quarters of a mile on the
eighth, seventh and sixth lots of the third range, it again
contracts to its former dimensions and enters the upper end of
Long Lake on- the sixth lot of the second range, emerging
from the lower end on the fourth lot of the first range. A
bold precipice of gneiss limits the lake on the east side, which
suddenly breaks off some distance beyond the exit, and the

I!!i!;!i!!jiil!

country farther to the south becomes in general less rugged.
The limestone increases in breadth a little on leaving the lake,
and where it reaches the south line of the Gore on the third
lot, it may measure about 200 yards.

It enters the seigniory of Argenteuil on the fifth and sixth
lots, and advancing about half-a-mile, its western boundary is
seen in the former near Mr. Evans’ house. From this position
It IS with difficulty traced further south, only one exposure
occurring m the next three miles. This is at about one-third
ot the distance, near the school-house in front of the third
concession on the fifth lot, where the belt appears to have
very much decreased in width.

At about a mile and three-quarters from the North River,
on the Gore Road to Lachute, a trap dyke occurs running
eas an west , and to the south of this the limestone again
appears, and can be traced all the way to the river, 'where
It becomes covered up by the fossiliferous rocks. Before
sinking beneath them, however, the band spreads into a very
wide exposure and apparently chang'es its course, commencing
to run in a north-westerly direction, but gradually tm-nin-
ore west; and it is traceable for about a mile and three-
quarters m th^s bearing before it is finally concealed by the
Potsdam sandstone, the strike of which is oblique to the Llca-
reous band. In this last exposure, being conveniently situated
n respect to roads, and in a neighbourhood where the fossil-

LwT arenaceous, the crystaHine band is

greatly burnt for hme, the principal kiln being that apper-
taining to Mr. McGregor.

Between the position in Wentworth where the description

T.l.nH commenced, and the position on SiLen

a r terminated, there is

a distance of between seven and eight miles which remains

unexamined. But it appears to me probable that when the
investigation is further prosecuted these two bands will be
found to join. Should this prove to be the case, the whole
of the calcareous exposures, which we have thus followed
through their distribution in Grenville, Harrin-ton Went-
wort , Chatham, Chatham Gore and Argenteuil, to the vicinity

of Lachute will belong to one group only. The
lineal distance given by its outcrop in the various
windings which we have traced, is about eighty
miles. The distribution shews four main synclinal
foims, separated by three anticlinals, and these
being comprehended in a transverse distance of
eighteen miles, there would on the average be
about four miles between the axes of each two.
The accompanying wood cut exhibits a vertical
section across them all.

Before a more extended investigation, it would
be premature to say much of the general bearing
or parallelism of these axes, or of the effect the
intrusive rocks may have had in producing or
modifying the forms; but in respect to these
intrusive rocks a certain sequence in date is very
conspicuously displayed, which may be here
noticed. The oldest intrusive masses are a set of
greenstone dykes, composed of a greenish-white
feldspar and black hornblende, with a small
WM “ amount of iron pyrites. Their width varies from
ten to one hundred yards, and they all possess a
well marked transverse columnar structure. The
largest are occasionally moderately coarse-grained,
and the smaller fine-grained, but they are all dis-
tinctly ciystalline. Their general bearing is east
and west, but the main dykes occasionally divide,
a branch striking off at an angle of from twenty
to forty degrees.

One of these dykes was met w'ith cutting the
limestone on the thii-teenth lot of the fourth range
of Grenville ; its breadth was there about thirty
yards, and it was followed across the lunestone and
the gneiss for a mile and three-quarters, in w hich
with a few moderate zig-zags it maintained a course
of S. 85° E., until it was interrupted by the syenite on the eighth
lot of the range already mentioned. Across the limestone it
gave a ridge, but across the gneiss it was usually found in a

iwMuiuHniHiiUHlHilUHJUIUjUiMftifflJIlUliiflgiiy

depression, sometimes a very deep one. mere it mounted the
side of any ridge running with the stratification, the columnar
stnicture gave it the aspect of a flight of gigantic steps, well
presenting the character from which the Swedish name of
trap is derived. The columns were so truly at right angles
to the plane of the dyke, that they were always a sure means
of determining the underlie, which was towards the north.
A branch struck off from this dyke, on the eleventh lot of the
range, and after proceeding for about a quarter of a mile in
the direction S. 20® E., it turned to S. 40® E., and was followed
for three-quarters of a mile more, chiefly across the limestone,
in a remarkably straight line to the eighth lot, where having
gradually diminished from the width of eighteen yards to five,
it seemed to split up into a brush-like distribution of small
dykes and was lost.

Another dyke with a width of twenty-five yards was met
with south of one of the branches of the Calumet, on the
eleventh lot of the fifth range and followed for about a mile in
the bearing N. 77® E., until it was interrupted by the syenite
on the ei ghth lot of the same range.

A third has already been mentioned as cutting the limestone
on the seventeenth lot of the fifth range. Its width was
estimated at about fifty yards, of which thirty were seen, and it
was traced for about three-quarters of a mile across the gneiss,
close by the precipitous side of a valley running with it in the
bearing S. 65® E., and maintaining the same for a mile beyond ;
its underlie was northward.

On Mr. Donald Frazer’s land, the eighth lot of the fifth range
of Harrington at the head of Big Lake, a fourth was about
twenty yards wide, and it was traced, for a quarter of a mile
running under Mr. Frazer’s house in its course ; the bearing of
it was N. 52® E. Another one constituted prominent points on
opposite sides of McCulloch’s lake towards the rear of the sixth
range ; it was evidently an important dyke, though its exact
breadth was not ascertained. Its bearing seemed to be at
about a right angle with the length of the lots, so that it
would run about S. 70® E. A sixth one ran boldly out into
the water at the eastern end of Gate Lake, on the twenty-

sixth lot of the sixth range of Wentworth. It might have
been about fifty yards wide, and in its course in the bearing
N. 4G‘> W., it tipped the point of the next promontory. This
bearing would carry it to some position on the north side of
the lake at the west end, but it was not there obseiwed. It
appears to me probable that the last three dykes, though they
were not traced far, will be found connected, in the relation of
a main dyke with a branch emanating from it.

From the sixth lot of the fourth range of Chatham Gore,
where it cut the limestone, another of these greenstone dykes
was traced for upwards of two miles to the first lot of the third
range of Wentworth. Its width varied from fifty to one
hundred yards, but it appeared to maintain a very unifom
bearing, and though an inteiwal of seven miles is a long one at
which to recognize it again, yet an exposure of greenstone on
the front of the first range of Wentworth, on the division
between the twentieth and twenty-first lots, is so exactly in
the line, that I am disposed to consider it a continuation of the
same dyke. At the latter spot it is from 110 to 120 yards
wide, and about eleven chains to the westward it is cut off by
the syenite.

Still another of these dykes was observed as has been
mentioned in the seigniory of Argenteuil, about a mile and a-
half from the North River on the road from Lachute to Chatham
Gore. It appeared to be about twenty-five or thirty yards
wide, and it was followed in the bearing N. 75“ W., for about
a mile and a-half from a point eastward of the road, to the
town line of Chatham, which it crossed towards the rear of the
the ninth range; and although it would require a change in
its direction to bring it to a dyke seen on the road between
the seventh and eighth ranges on the ninth lot, I am inclined
to suppose they will be found identical. Running about west
from the latter spot, it comes against the syenite in the eleventh
lot of the seventh range, and is there cut off by it.

These greenstone dykes being always cut off by the syenite
where they have been observed to come in contact, it is plain
the syenite must be of posterior date. The area which the
syenite occupies has already been described. In its litholo-

gical character the rock is very uniform, being composed
for the most part of feldspar, either of some tinge of red, or
a dull white, with black hornblende, and a rather sparing
quantity of translucent quartz. The red tinge prevails more
on the west side, the white on the east. In the spur which
runs into Wentworth, mica wa^ occasionally found to accom-
pany the hornblende. The rock was rather coarsely crystal-
me in the mam body, but dykes of it were sometimes observed
cutting the limestone and the gneiss, in which the grain was
hner, but they were never traced from any distance up to the

The syenite was found to be cut and penetrated by volcanic
rock of a porphyritic character, which is therefore of a still
later date. The larger masses of this porphyritic rock consist
of fine-grained, dull reddish-buff feldspar, with which is
mingled a sparing quantity of fine-grained black hornblende
the mixture constituting a base in which well defined crystals
of the same reddish feldspar, of various sizes from one-eighth
to three-eighths of an inch, are thickly disseminated; the
base IS compact, presenting an impalpable grain, a con-
choidal fracture and a jaspoid aspect, with various colors,
from light to dark grey, brownish-black, and dull green
In addition to crystals of red feldspar, this jaspoid base often
contains a multitude of fragments of gneiss, greenstone and
syenite varying in size from small grains to masses several
feet in diameter, and these are occasionally so abundant as to
give the rock the features of a tufa.

The green base is rather more compact than the grey, and
i^t does not usually contain so many imbedded crystals of
cldspar, but both would afford fine material for ornamental
puiposes, and when the grey is very dark, approaching black,

and the feldspar a decided red, the polished stone has a very
beautiful aspect. •'

The principal mass of this porphyritic rock occupies a pear-
shaped area of about 250 acres, with the small end pointin.r

Tf “'I"'*"'''' “■» “h «”<1 ra„g«

of OronvUle, from which, on the east side, a portion is projected
into the second lot of the Sfth range. The mass U wholly

surrounded by the syenite, and a large part of it constitutes
a mountain or group of hills, intersected by one or two
ravines. In about the centre of the mass, on the summit of
one of the hills, there exists a circular depression of about
one hundred yards in diameter, nearly surrounded by a
tufaceous porphyritic rim of about thirty feet in height. In
this depression, which is situated in the sixth range on the
line between the third and fourth lots, about fifteen chains
from the front, there is held a turf bog, with an even surface,
from which springs a growth of good sized greenwood trees;
and on sounding the depth of this bog with a boring rod, the
rock beneath was iound to present the shape of a cup, with
the depth of twenty-five feet in the centre, so that mcluding
the rim, the depression w'ould be about fifty feet deep, with
the exception of a break down to the level of the bog on the
east side. The nature of the rock, and the difficulty of
accounting for the depression by any mode of wearing, gives
to it in some degree the air of a small volcanic crater. But
if it were such it must represent only the deeply seated base
of the crater, as the evidence which is seen in the ice-
grooves of the vicinity makes it probable the countiy liM
been much worn down by denuding agencies. In this
vicinity some entangled beds of gneiss were met with, one
of which was traced for upwards of a hundied yards running
about N. 70® W. It was surrounded by the poiphyritic
rock.

From this porphyritic nucleus one or two poqihyritic dykes
were traced cutting the syenite for short distances, and some
of a similar character were met with at such a distance as to
make it probable that there are other poiphyrjdic nuclei.
One of these dykes about seven yards wide, affording a beau-
tiful example of the brownish-black and red variety, occurs on
the south side of the road between the seventh and eighth
ranges of Chatham, on the eighth lot. Its bearing, which was
N. 85® W., would carry it to the south of the poiphyritic mass
described, from which the position in which the porphyry cuts
the gneiss, is removed seven miles, though it is not more than
one from the syenite, into which I was not so fortunate as to
be able to trace it.

i\^other dyke of this aspect was seen in the ninth range near
he line between the tliirteenth and fourteenth lots, but in addi-
tion to the elements already mentioned it held disseminated
w Its course appeared to

be S. 540 W., and it intersected a poiyihyritic rock of the same

colour and texture as the porphyiy which was first described r
which however like the dyke, contained grains of trans^
parent quartz Grains of this mineral were also observed in
ano lei poiphyritic mass, whose course was N. 150 W about
a-quarter of a mile from the front of the twenty-fifth lot in
the seventh range, and in the very front of the lot many loose
fragnients occurred, m which grains of transparent quartz and
c^stals of light flesh-red feldspar were imbedded in a com-
pact feldspar base of a somewhat deeper flesh-red.

A po^hyritic dyke was observed on the road between the
sixth and seventh ranges on the twenty-third lot ; with a reddish-
grey finely granular base, it presented grains of quartz and
Smeter^^ flesh-red feldspar, some of them half an inch in

Of the tufaceo-porphyritic variety of rock, a lenticular mass
crosses the seventh and eighth lots, close upon the rear of the

W « I* a length of nearly half-a-mile,

by a breadth of about 150 yards in the middle, and lies between '
e gneiss on the north and the syenite on the south. It has a
bearing nearly west, with a tum-up a few degrees northward
at the west end, and in this direction another and apparently an
olated mass was observed towards the front of the ninth lot
0 the sixth range, a short distance removed from the syenite,

hmertone ^ by the quartz rock and gneiss nir the

In the vicinity of the pear-shaped porphyritic intrusion
whicli was first described, there are met with two veins of a
fecial character cutting the syenite, that deserve to be noticed.

ley consist of a white, yellowish-brown or flesh-red cellular
cliert, the colors in some cases running in bands parallel to
one another, and sometimes being rather confusedly mingled,
giving the aspect of a breccia. The cells are unequally distri,
buted, some parts of the veins being nearly destitute of them.

while in other parts they are very abundant, and of various
sizes, from that of a pin’s head to an inch in diameter. On the
walls of some of these cells or druses small transparent crystals
of quartz are implanted, and in some there are the impressions
of cubical forms, resulting probably from crystals of fluor-spar
which have disappeared. On analysis, Mr. Hunt finds that the
stone yields eight per cent, of soluble silica, and approaches in
its composition to the nature of flint. From its cellular stiuo
tui'e and other mineralogical characteristics, it belongs to
the silex meulihre of Brogniart, or what in England is called
buhrstone.

One of these veins was observed in the north half of the first
lot of the sixth range of Grenville belonging to Mr. John Stone.
It was traced for about a hundred yards running in an east and
west direction. It was difficult to determine its exact breadth,
as it was not very well defined, and it appears to be less cel-
lular than the other.

The second was traced in a nearly parallel course across the
very front of the second lot of the sixth range, the property of
a Mr. F. Kelly, from a position on Kingham Brook, and farther
across the south half of the first lot, belonging to Mr. James
Lowe, who was the first person to draw my attention to it as
* affording buhrstone. On his ground the vein has been more
examined than elsewhere. It appears to run in a very straight
line, of which the bearing is about east and west, and it stands
in a vertical attitude, while its breadth varies from four to
seven feet, being apparently however in one place nearly
twenty. In the wider parts there are seen in the middle of
the vein, masses six or eight inches thick of the syenite which
constitutes the wall-rock. Where the vein is banded, the
colors run parallel with the sides. The attitude and associa-
tions of the mass clearly show that it cannot be of sedi-
mentary origin, and the soluble silica which it contains, with
the volcanic character of the district, suggests the probability
of its derivation from hot springs similar to the Geysers of
Iceland. Waters holding silica in solution, have deposited
this material upon the walls of crevices in the syenite, ulti-
mately filling them up.

The intrusive rocks which have been described have a date
antenor to the deposit of the fossiliferous formations. None
of a similar character have been met with breaking through
these formations, and the relations of the base of the Lower
Silurian group along the foot of the hills composed of the
syenite, are such as to make it evident that the fossiliferous beds
in some places overiie worn-down pai-ts of the volcanic rock.
But all these intrusive masses are cut by a set of dykes whose
relations to the fossiliferous strata are not so certain. These
dykes are composed of a finely granular base, with an earthy
fracture, consisting of feldspar and pyroxene, and having a dark
brownish-grey color. In this base are imbedded rounded forms
of black augite giving brilliant cleavage surfaces, and varyin<r in
size, from masses not bigger than a pin’s head to some of
several inches in diameter. These are associated with various
Hzed nodules of calc-spar, filling cells that do not attain the
diameter of the largest masses of augite, and with small span<rles
of mica, grey in fresh fractures, but weathering to a brtss-
yellow, on the surfaces of slightly weathered cracks and joints •
small crystals of sphenc were occasionally obseiwed in the
rock. In the nomenclature of D’Halloy the rock would be
called a nieZupAyre, and it is the aughe-pmyhyry of some German
authore. By many geologists, from the accidental presence of *

the calc-spar nodules, it would be called an amygdaloidal
trap.

One of these intrusive masses having a width of from three
to ten feet was traced from the south half of the first lot of the
sixth range of Grenville, not far from Mr. Lowe’s buhrstone,
where it cut the syenite, to the third and fourth lots of the
same range, where it cuts the pear-shaped mass of porphyritic
roc , thence across all the lots in succession to the eighth lot
of the fifth range, where it cuts both the syenite and porphyry,
and farther to the tenth lot of the same range, where it inter-
sected the quartz rock and limestone. The whole distance is
upwards of two miles and a-half, and the bearing N. 88® W.

Another was met with intersecting the limestone on the
south half of the thirteenth lot of the same range. It appeared
to be divided into several branches, two of which joining, the

united mass with a thickness varying from one to three feet,
was followed across the limestone and the gneiss for upwards
of half-a-mile, in the bearing S. 80® E. These dykes bear a
striking resemblance to some of those which intersect the
Lower Silurian group in the vicinity of the mountain of
Montreal, and may be possibly of the same age ; but none of
them have yet been traced continuously from the Laurentian
into the fossiliferous rocks.

The various exposures of crystalline limestone which have
thus far been described, appear as has been stated, to belong
to one and the same belt or group of calcareous strata. But
in Chatham Gore, under a mile to the north of the exposures
across the western lots of the third and fourth ranges, others
were traced from the fifth lot of the fifth range of the Gore to
the first lot of the fourth range of Wentworth. In a similar
relative position exposures w^ere obseiwed on the banks and
islands of the Great Lake of Wentworth, reaching from the
northern extremity of the lake to the fifteenth lot of the first
range, at the point separating the two southern bays, and back
by the western side of the lake to the fourteenth lot on the
line between the second and third ranges.

It appears probable that these exposures all belong to one
band, which would run parallel to the one further south, with
a great body of gneiss between ; and from the fonn the southern
band has been shown to present, the northern one would be
above it. The whole distance, however, between the extremes
of its yet known out-crop, seven miles, is not sufficient to
justify any very positive assertion on the subject. The breadth
of the belt does not in the parts observed appear to exceed from
120 to 220 yards.

Another calcareous area was partially examined in the rear
of the seigniory of Mille Isles and the front of the township
of Morin. In the seigniory the exposures extend from the
fourteenth and fifteenth lots of the south range of the Saint
Gabriel concession, the latter belonging to Mr. Constantineau,
along the River Simon to the road into Morin, between the
thirty-first and thirty-second lots. The breadth they occupy
on the foui*teenth and fifteenth lots is about 300 yards, which

appears to be maintained with considerable nniformity to the
twenty-fifth lot ; but here, by a southward bend in the south
limit, it seems to widen to about three-quai-ters of a mile and
again contracts on entering Morin.

Exposures of the rock are seen in Morin near Mallet’s Mill
on the Simon, which is on the thirtieth lot of the first range
of the township. Otliers were observed in the first ran-e to
the eastward, in the rear of Mr. J. Saele’s lot, which is the
thirty-sixth, and towards the front of a lot supposed to be the
fortieth, being a few lots to the N. E. of Mr. G-. Hamilton’s,
which IS the forty-third. Other exposures were found towards
the rear of the second range on the forty-first lot, belonging
to Mr. Baldwin, on the fortieth, and at Wilson’s Mill on the
t irty-ninth, as well as the next to the north-eastward, where
Its presence is indicated by a great circular sink-hole nearly
an acre in superficies. ^

The course of the belt from Constantineau’s, in llfille Isles,
appears to be a little south of west, but about the line between
the first and second ranges of Morin the belt appears to split
into two, one set of exposures striking off to the south-west-
ward. I have been informed that both branches extend into
Wentworth, but what form is to be inferred from this will
require further investigation. The extension of the exposures
from the eastern extremity of the area in Mille Isles, thoiK^h
diligently searched for, was not discovered. °

On the north side of this calcareous area there arises a
mountain range of rock, the peculiar characteristic of which
IS, that in this and some other probably related localities it is
c le y composed of lime-feldspars, varying in composition
between labradorite andandesine, and marked by the presence
of hypersthene and ilmenite.

In the present locality the rock is chiefly labradorite, and
consists of a fine grained paste of this mineral, of a purplish-
grey, weathenng to an opaque white, and holding cleavable
onus of a lavender-blue feldspar, several inches in diameter.
Many of these forms exhibit a fine golden-green and deep blue
opa escence, and the same hues occasionally emanate from
minute points in the paste. The rock is generally massive,

and it is occasionally very difficult to find any indication of
those parallel planes which are so generally present in common
gneiss. The large cleavable forms of labradorite, however, as
well as the hypersthene and ilmenite, are found to prevail in
belts that appear to be parallel to one another, and garnet-
iferous or micaceous bands occasionally indicate the same

arrangement. • . , •

The limits of the rock characterised by the labradonte in this
neighborhood have not yet been ascertained. It extends north-
ward in Morin to the eighth range, a distance of eight miles,
probably entering Beresford further on, and from the position
where the north edge of the limestone meets the line between
Morin and the seignioiy of Mille Isles, it continues to the
eastward across the north part of Abercrombie.

At St. Jerome a belt of the ciystalline limestone was found
to exist on the west side of the river ; it was traced along its
bank for a distance of a mile and a-half in a N. N. E. bearing,
with a breadth of apparently about two hundred yards. The
rock on the east side of it is composed to a large extent of lime-
feldspar, but holding a considerable admixture of other min-
erals, it is not of so conspicuous a character, and does not so
readily attract the eye.

The minerals have a reticulated an-angement, as in the
case of the gneiss. Darker and lighter bands run parallel
to one another, the shades being occasioned by the greater
or less abundance of a fine-grained greenish lime-feldspar
weathering opaque white, which occurs in spots surrounded
by a darker coloured net-work, consisting of dark green
pyroxene and magnetic iron ore, with small disseminated clust-
ers of yellowish-red garnets. In this mass large and small
individuals of labradorite, some of them two or three inches in
diameter, are irregularly disseminated, and irregular veins or
apparent segregations occur here and there, composed of flesh-
red orthoclase and translucent colorless quartz.

On the west side of the river, rock of a similar character is
met with, but there is seen also an interstratified mass of
reddish hornblendic gneiss, the feldspar of which is an ortho-
clase. The breadth of the mass js 200 yards, and it is marked by

beds darker than other parts from the presence of more horn-
blende Iron pyrites and molybdenite were observed in the
rock, and it was cut by veins of pegmatite composed of a very
pa e flesh-red feldspar, weathering white, and translucent
colomless quartz. Occasionally the pegmatite holds crystals
of dark brown mica. One of the veins was large and very
coarse grained, and they were all more or less characterised
by the occurrence of schorl and what appeared to be small
zircons. On the west side of this mass of gneiss smaller bands
of a similar nature seemed to alternate with those containing
hme-feldspar ; beds of quartz were also interstratified, and
some of these were in one place so loaded with small garnets,
as to torm a fine granular garnet-rock. The strike of the
masses on each side of the limestone runs N. N. E. with it
and all to the westward at a high angle.

Lime-feldspar rock more resembling °that of Morin in its
opaque white massive aspect, was met with at New Glas<row
on the Achigan, in Terrebonne Seignioiy ; the stratification,
however, was well marked by bands of garnets and pyroxene,
and by alternations of the rock on the west side with common
^eiss. The strike is a little to the eastward of north, with a
dip to the westward, and the breadth observed was about
three-quarters of a mile, without, however, the ascertainment
ol the eastern limit of the belt.

Similar rocks were observed by Mr. Hunt in Rawdon and
Chertsey. In the former, a band of crystalline limestone of
some importance runs in about the bearing of the north and
^uth diagonal of the township, and somewhat east of it.
Westward from this calcareous band, lime-feldspars were met
with extending nearly as far as the west comer of Chertsey.
Allowing this a strike parallel with the limestone, which was
the stnke generally obseiwed, the western limit would run
own to the New Glasgow exposures, and the breadth of the
area charactenzed by the rock in this part would appear to be
about twelve miles.

A large development of labradorite and andesine rock was
also m 1852 observed on the Sault-k-la-Puce brook in Chateau-
Kicher, below Quebec. From a narrow calcareous belt about

two miles from the bank of the Saint Lawrence, its breadth
extended northward to the rear of the settled parts on the
brook, about four and a-half miles, and in its course to the
eastward it was supposed to run north of Ste. Anne Mountain.
This latter Laurentian mass appears to possess a character
more approaching the common gneiss, as do also the preci-
pices on the bank of the St. Lawrence at Cape Tournient.

The feldspars of Morin, Rawdon, Chertsey, and Chateau-
Richer, with then- associated ilmenite and hypersthene, are
described at length by Mr. Hunt in his Report for 1855. The
ilmenite is most abundant in the last mentioned locality ;
and it is not improbable that this mineral, still farther increas-
ing in quantity to the eastward, may be found to culminate
in the enoimous mass described in a former Report as exist-
ing in St. Urbain at Bay St. Paul.

How these lime-feldspar rocks, and their associated lime-
stones between Morin and Chateau-Richer, are related to one
another has yet to be traced out ; but it seems not improbable
that they may all belong to one great undulating mass the
whole way.

ECONOMIC MATERIALS.

Most of the economic minerals existing in the district of
which the physical structure has thus been partially examined,
have been described or alluded to in former Reports ; one or
two, however, have now been met with for the first tune in
Canada, and in respect to others a few additional localities
require to be mentioned.

Magmtic Oxijd of Iron.— Of this ore of iron the only new
locality which came under my observation, bearing an aspect
of some importance, was on the south half of the third lot of
the fifth range of Grenville, the property of Mr. Thomas
Loughran. The bed was from six to eight yards in breadth,
and it was traced nmning westward and then turning south-
west, the whole distance being about 150 yards. The rock on
each side of it appears to be a micaceous gneiss interstratified
with many bands of quartzite. The iron ore and the strata

run parallel with one another. The syenite flanks the gneiss
a little distance on the north and cuts the stratification to the
east and the west, leaving only about 350 yards of the gneiss
on the strike. The bed of iron ore is of course cut off’ by the
syenite in the same way, and the greatest extent of the bed
can scarcely exceed the measure just given to the gneiss. The
iron ore is somewhat mixed with the earthy minerals of the
gneiss, but not so much as to reduce its produce in iron below
a fair workable per centage. The specimens brought away
from the bed and analysed by Mr. Hunt give 52*23 per cent,
of pure metallic iron.

On the north half of the same numbered lot in the
foui-th range, belonging to Mr. Frazer, there are less impor-
tant indications of the same description of ore. The bed did
not appear to be over a few inches in breadth, and the largest
lumps which had been obtained did not exceed a foot thick.
The ore was traceable for about a hundred yards, by surface
indications, from the same syenite interrupting the gneiss on the
west side in the previous locality, and the beaiing was across
the lot about parallel with the other band ; but the syenite on
the west and on the east diverging from one another going
southward, there would probably be a greater length of the
smaller band on the strike than that given to the larger.

Indications of magnetic iron ore were pointed out to me also
on the fifth lot of the eighth range, on the rear of that part of
it which belongs to Mr. D. Kemble, which I believe is the
south half. The rock is gneiss, and in it about an inch of the
ore runs in a straggling manner with the strike of the rock.
Indications are also met with on the fourth lot of the seventh
range, belonging to Mr. Cousins. None of the specimens from
this position shewn me presented a thickness over an inch, and
none were reported over three inches, and though beds of such
dimensions would not be workable, these two are worthy of
remark, from the fact that striking toward one another they
may probably belong to one and the same band, the place of
W’hich would be about a mile from the outside of the limestone
trough, of which the range lias been traced through the town-
ship.

The more important ore bed in the fifth range, though on
the opposite side of the syenite, is in the strike of those more
to the north, and though twice as far removed from the lim^
Btone, that may arise from the influence of the fold which
carries the limestone more to the westward in the fifth range,
to the turn produced by which, the westward strike of the ore

*at Loughran’s may be conforming. ^ i j

Tlie intrusive syenite, breaking the continuity of the beds,
makes it difficult to speculate on the point, but it is one to be
kept in view, as should the ore in the three localities belong
to one band, the fact that it becomes of a workable thickness
in one of them, affords a ground to hope that it may become
BO in others, while the relation of the band to the limestone,
which has been traced about eighty miles through the country,
would greatly extend the area in which it might reasonably
be expected to be found, and in some measure guide the direc-
tion in which a search for it should be made. The small ore
seam on Mr. Frazer’s land would bo a parallel one, still further
rpi-nrtvftd from the limestone, but like the other it might perhaps

in some parts of its distribution become laigei .

Sulphurct of Molybdenum. — Molybdenum is a rare metal,
which, in some of its combinations, is found to be a useful
chemical re-agent, and has been recently employed as a blue
dye for silk and cotton. The value of the sulphuret, which
is one of its ores, is about fifteen shillings the pound, but
the commerce in it is of a very limited nature. As has
already been stated, a specimen of the sulphuret was met with
in the flesh-red gneiss on the west side of the band of crystal-
line limestone at Saint Jerome, and though the quantity was
no more than a mere trace, it is here noticed, as it is the fourth
instance of its occurrence in Canada, and the ore is to be
kept in mind as one of the substances which may be hoped
for in larger abundance.

The first locality of its occurrence was in a vein in granite,
on the west side of Terrace Cove, Lake Superior ; the second,
that mentioned by Mr. Murray in his Report of 1852, on the
west side of Mud-turtle Lake, north of Balsam Lake ; speci-
mens from a third locality were sent me from the River Dord,

“‘‘’“P'"'*™' ™ Superior. The
locality uientioued by Mr. Murmy, like tlio one at St. Jerome
occurs in the Laurentian series of rocks. ’

Plumbago.-Tv^o localities of plumbago occuring in the
area which is the subject of the present Report, have been
mentioned on a previous occasion by Mr. Hunt and myself, as
met with m the tenth lot of the fifth range of Grenville. To
these may now be added one on the north half of the second
wLrl rr T®" Grenville, belonging to Mr Dolan,

Inl f ^“other on the fifth

lot of the fourth range of Chatham Gore, wliere consider-
able lumps of It, strewed over the surface in the vicinity
o he ci-ystalline limestone, appear to indicate the chance
of a workable quantity. The plumbago associated with the
auientian limestones is of a gray colour and foliated struc-
ture, resembling that of Ceylon ; its price would not exceed
ft 0111 ,£3 to £o the ton when clean.

Mica.— The cleavable character of mica, its transparency.
Its el^ticity and refractory nature, render it valuable for
several puiposes, the more important of which relate to it as
a substitute for glass for ship windows, and in some countries
or house windows, for stove fronts, and such like applications.

01 the last purpose it is greatly used in North America,
le prices at which plates of five by seven inches sell in Mon-
treal, IS about five shillings the pound.

Mica occurs in great abundance in small scales in the
c^stalhne limestones of the Laurentian series, but sometimes

avtillll w. sufficiently large to be economically

availably When these are met with they are generally near

iirterstTn^T ^ limestone, or near some

mterstiatified mass of similar character, and they are associated

tion ‘ minerals; among them, in addi-

iron Dvrites^^n’ pyroxene, apatite, sphene,

time,! corun’dln?””' “reon, and »mc-

met mica were

met w th was the ninth lot of the sixth range of Grenville,

belonging at the time of my visit to Mr. Iidy, who subse

quently mined end prepared the “ “to'cSe

Sniy^ndr th?ptu SSL a ehLt me.enrin, two

“nL.t“tthe same 78“”*“^

crystals of good promise was the tenth lot

Monoing to Mr Johnstone, and another was on the land of

""r»7 z: — St

proper yo ‘ ^ ^nd cuts a mass of syenite, in

LSI LSSvertieal, whilst its course is ahout east

“Br'he French mineralogists the general name of sto is

gifen to all those compact nnerystallired forms of qn*

Lich, among English authors, are Bering

names of flint, chert and hornstone, which, though dittering

rXtly from ^ne another, have a general aspec m comm n
a^d if any of these are of such a porous character as to yieW
a materill fit for grinding wodd beamed*

muliere hy the French and buhrstone by the En^ •
best three varities of millstones exhibited m Pans >

Id prehab^ the best that are known, are the grey «
Indemach iSrnssia, which are made from a porous

lava, and are not buhrstone ; the stonM of Namur m B^e •
which are manufactured from a fossiliferom chert of the to
honiferous epoch, in which the cells arise from the m^d^-
by organic remains that have been dissolved out , 7 Ih
of La-Fertocous-Jonarre, m France, preferred t ’

which are made from a sUex meulih-e approaching o opa
nature, and derived from deposits of the tertiary aje.
stone the cells are irregular and numerous, and do

their origin to fossils. ^ r

The Grenville stone in its mineral character is most
of Namur, being a flint or chert, while m its
that of La-Fert(S. These cells, however, are not very equa J

distributed, and some parts of the vein are much more solid,
aud therefore not so good as others.

Until practical experiments have been made to try this
matenal, it cannot be asserted with confidence how the stone
would compare with either the Belgian or French, but it
appears probable that enough of it could be procured to
yield a large supply of good millstones, if the expense of
working it should not prove too great.

To quarry it effectually it would be necessary to blast away
the syenite, which is not a soft rock, from one side, in order to
make room for forcing the stone away, by means of wedges,
from the wall on the other; and it is almost certain that it
would be necessary, as in the case of the French buhr in
orining mil stones, to build them up of pieces fitted together
and secured by means of an iron hoop.

Garm-rocL— Garnet possesses a liardness between that
0 crystalline quartz or rock crystal and topaz. When
re uced to a powder it is therefore a better material than
8 larp SI icious sand for the puiqiose of giving a smooth surface
o metal and stone work preparatory to polishing, and for cut-
mg gems, and though inferior to emery in hardness, is
occasionally used as a substitute for it.

On the west side of the crystalline limestone at Saint Jerome,
beds of garnet-rock are interstratified among the quartzite
of tlie locality. They vary in their composition, and sometimes
consist of a number of hyacinth-red garnets weathering pink,
with yellow sh-white prisms of diopside, among which are
p *^mt small grams of greenish feldspar weathering opaque
white, a few miimte scales of graphite, and still fewer and
oie minute brilliant black grains, supposed to be schorl.

u some layers the garnets almost exclude the other minerals,
but many variations occur in the proportions in which they
of undulating bands, in the thickness

tfiA * composing the escai-pmerit in which

of (mart f being separated by thin divisions

Drew n r ^ O'* tbe whole the garnets greatly

• ' *V- appear to be in sufficient quantity for eco-
nomic application. ^

A similar rock was observed by Mr. Hunt on the twentieth
lot of the seventh range of Rawdon, belonging to Mr. Corcoran,
where on the west side of the band of crystalline limestone
which runs through the township, there is a great exposuie o
quartzose and quartzo-feldspathic rock, all more or less imxe
with garnet. In one part of this there is a bed of massive
garnet-rock nearly pure, with the exception of a few scales ot
black mica and grains of schorl. There run through the bed,
a few thin layers of quartz rock, which enclose rounded
dodecahedrons of garnet about the size of peas; but the
whole mass, which is about three feet thick, would yield
a great abundance of ganiet for economic purposes.

Renssclaeritc. — This mineral is a hydrous silicate of magnesia
very much resembling soapstone to the touch and to the eye,
as well as in its refractory nature ; it is, however, compact or
sub-granular instead of foliated, and not so soft as soapstone,
its hardness being about that of calc-spar. It differs also from
soapstone in containing a somewhat less proportion of silica.

Professor Emmons, of the New York Geological Sui-vey,
who was the first to distinguish its mineralogical character-
istics and give it a specific name, describes it as economically
applicable to all the purposes for which soapstone is used, and
several others besides. Being of a tougher nature, and not
liable to exfoliate, it is more durable ; receiving a higher pohs ,
it is capable of greater embellishment ; and it can be readi y
sawn and carved into furnace linings, ingot moulds, chimney
pieces, inkstands, tables and a multitude of other useful forms.
According to Professor Emmons, its color varies from greenish-
white to brownish-black, and it occurs in rock masses.

A mass of this silicate of magnesia of a greenish-white color,
was met with on the thirteenth lot of the fifth range of
Grenville, and appeared to run into the same numbered lot on
the sixth range, the property of Mr. Cowie. Only the edge o
the bed was seen, where it occupied a place between the gneiy
and the crystalline limestone there exposed. It appeared,
however, to extend under the soil sufficiently far to authoiize
the expectation of a workable quantity of the mineral.

With it was associated on Mr. Cowie’S land a hydrous

8 hoate of magnesia very much resembling aj^lroditc in its
haiactcns^cs, or the meerschaum of Longbanshyttan, in
Sweden The Canadian mineral is a cream-white, Lctuous
compact earthy looking substance, polishing under the knife’
and strongly adhering to the tongue. It is lieavier and harder
than the meerschaum of Natolia. Its hardness is rather lower
than tliat of rensselaerite. and it can readily be carved into
the bowls of tobacco pipes, for the manufacture of which it
would-form an excellent material.

The syenite which is largely spread in Grenville
and Chatham would afford an inexhaustible amount of excel-
lent durable building stone, though it would perhaps for the
piesent be m this country, where limestone is so largely used
too expensive to work. In consequence of the color of the
feldspar, which is an orthoclase, the blocks obtained in Clia-
tham from the eastern side of the mass would be a grecnish-
uhite, xGnle those from the western side, in Grenville, would
be some tinge of flesh-red, deep or pale. The rock ili some
places IS divided by parallel joints, which would greatly
facilitate the operation of quarrying it for the sizes of
stones applicable to the construction of dwelling houses but
pel liaps weaken it for the very large blocks required for use in
public works. The parallel joints are at right angles to one
anothei only in two planes, and the stones would require dress-
ng on the third, to reduce them to the forms of cubes and
rectangu ar prisms. In some parts, however, where the
natural planes of division are far apart, blocks suited for any
purpose of construction may be obtained, and the stone splits
wdjMnuch regularity in any direction required by the aid of

A beautiful variety of the rock is obtained in the south half
the second lot of the fifth range of Grenville. The feldspar
IS deep flesh-red and the hornblende black, and the stole

ma^al 3 1 P°'“' »

matciial as the red granite of Aberdeen.

/V;%ry.— It has already been said in the geoloo-ical part

would ' r‘ intei-soct tfo syenite

would, ,n several parts, y.cM a of a superior c Jaoter

for ornamental purposes. Some of them present a striking
and harmonious contrast of colours, particular y those m
which deep flesh-red well defined crystals of feldspar are set
in a dark grey, blackish-brown, or velvet-black ground. 1 he
texture of the stone renders it capable of receiving a bri lan
polish, and for all the objects to which materials of t is
Lscription are applied in the arts, few porphyries, in my
opinion, would surpass it. The best example ot this porphyry
bLg that in which the crystals of feldspar are the argest
and most pronounced, occurred, as has already been stated, on
the eighth lot of the seventh range of Chatham.

The green variety, to which also allusion was made, occurs
on the east side, in about the mid-length of the fourth lot of
the sixth range of Grenville. It is still more compact, and has
a more conchoidal fracture than the black and red, and 'vou
probably take as fine a polish as the best jasper, to which it
is about equal in hardness. The color is a leek-green, passing
into a blackish-green, and it is marked with smal red, brpn,
and black spots, from the presence of some crystals of feldspar
and many minute accidental grains and fragments of foieigm
rock. There appeared to be a width of about seventeen yar s
of the greenish colored rock, running in a course N. 70“ W.,
crossing which northward, the green gradually passed into a
brown, intermediate between olive and chocolate-brown,
while the rock preserved its hardness, compactness, and
other characteristics for about 150 yards.

Labradonte.—T:he great beauty of the opalescent vaneties
of labradorite, which are used in jewellery, is too well known
to require mention. They occur as cleavable masses enclosed
in a finer grained paste of the same mineral character, consti-
tutimr great mountain ranges of rock, and when they are
thickly disseminated in the paste, the stone would become an
unrivalled decorative material, applicable to architectura
embellishment and articles of funiiture. Its hardness is about
that of ordinary feldspar; it would, in conseqence, be more
expensive to cut and polish than serpentine or marble, but it
would not be so readily scratched or broken, and would,
therefore, prove more lasting. Professor Emmons states that a

block of the stone, submitted experimentally to the action of a
comuion saw (such, I presume, as is used in sawing marble),
attached to tlie waste power of a mill, was cut to the depth
of two inches in a day, which I understand to be about oL-
fifth the process that would be made in a block of good
marble, m the same time, by the same means. It wLld

lahr.T^r'i''^* operation is slower in the case of

abiadorite, there is no greater amount of mechanical con-

tnyance required in regard to it, and that slabs could be
prepared for chimney-pieces, pier-tables, and other articles of
furniture, at a cost beyond that of marble not greater than is
materiar"''*^ superior beauty and durability of the

The locality in which the best opalescent specimens were
observed, was at Cap Mahue, in the tenth range of

Abercrombie Here the rock is composed of a lavendei- blue

-gi allied labradorite, which includes cleavable opalescent
forms of various sizes, up to ten inches in diameter, givimr a
play ol colors, which, in some instances, is a golden-neen
m others a bronze-green, and occasionally an Sltra-marine-
ue. Exteriorly the rock weathers to an opaque greyisli-white.

thr^. '"v ? of it would be Listed by

three sets of parallel joints, two of whicli give the precipices

third S. <7 . Tlie rock occasionally holds garnets in some
abundance, and these appear to run in layers, with a dip
noithward. There are a few patches of quartz-rock which
run parallel with the garnets. ^

Boulders, holding opalescent masses, are met with in
abundance in the neighboiirbood of Grenville, and sLral

MontrelMr?heP ^ F fi forwarded to
& Co I teoL tl E'diibition, by Messrs. Sykes, de Bergue

in Sm Lnds f

esteblishment for working into’ ornaLntLfoZ L^‘“he

maLLTm^'T/ ^ c

. The color of the stone, in fresh factures.

before being worked, appeared to be a lavender-grey,
polished surface of the vase presents a general blackish-gree
ground, with purple and grey spots, as well as opalescent por-
tions, reflecting, when in a proper position, an nltra-maim -
blue. The high polish and beautiful colors render this vase

a verv ornamental object.

A block of the jasper conglomerate of the Huronian series,
sent to me by the Hon. W. B. Robinson, ft’orn the Bruce
mines, was likewise placed in Mr Hermann s hands,
vase wrought from it, with its whitish quartz ^

blood-red jasper pebbles, has a very striking and beautiful

^^Tlmcstone and Limcfddspars. -The crystalline limestones of
the Laurentian series are quite as good for all the economi
purposes to which carbonate of lime is applied as the earthy
limestones of the fossiliferous formations. It is from the
latter, however, that is obtained nine-tenths of the material
used throughout the country, for the very good leason
that more than nine-tenths of the works of construction
both public and private, arc raised upon the fossiliferous l ocks,
and for such present works, these rocks therefore afford the
nearest sources of supply. Thus the inhabitants are well
acquainted with the aspect of the fossiliferous limestones, and
can easily recognise them, but very few of them understand the
nature of the highly crystalline calcareous beds of the Lauren-
r^rseries. Hciici it is that settlers in the back townships,
who have dwelt many years upon these rocks, have been accus-
tomed, when in want of lime for the manufacture of po ash, o
the construction of their chimneys, to send to the fossilifeioiis
deposits for it— the distance being sometimes thirty miles
when it might have been obtained at their own doors. In
following out the calcareous bands of the gneiss district, m
1853, therefore, especial pains were taken to point out their
character to the settlers, wherever exposures were met vvith,
and in visiting some of the same localities last season, 1 ha
the satisfaction of finding lime-kilns erected, and lime burnt in

four of them. ^ ...

The fossiliferous rocks, in a large part of Canada, maintain-

mg an attitude approaching horizontality, give a much more
even surface than the corrugated series coming from beneath
them, and this, combined with a generally good soil, renders
them more favourable for agricultural purposes. It ig over
them, too, that the River St Lawrence maintains its course
affording an unrivalled means of exit for the produce of the
land, and of entrance for the materials that are to be received
m exchange. It is only a natural result of these conditions
that the area supported by the fossiliferous rocks should be the
first settled. This area, however, constitutes only between
60,000 and 80,000 square miles, while the whole superficies
of Canada comprehends 330,000 square miles, or about five
times the amount.

Four-fifths of Canada thus stand upon the lower unfossili-
ferous rocks, and it becomes a question of some importance,
before it has been extensively tested by agricultural experi-
ments, to know what support this large area may offer
to an agricultural population. An undulating surface, derived '
trom the contorted condition of the strata on which it rests
will more or less prevail over the whole of this region: but

the quality of its soil will depend on the character of the rocks
from which it is derived.

These rocks, as a whole, have very generally been called
granite, by those travellers who with little more than casual
observation have described them, without reference to geolo-
gical considerations. The ruins of granite are known to
constitute an indifferent soil from their deficiency in lime, and
fience an unfavourable impression is produced in respect to
the agricultural capabilities of any extended area, when it
IS ca e granitic. Such soils are however never wanting
m those essential elements the alkalies, which are abundant
in the feldspars of the granite.

In the Reports of the Survey, the Laurentian rocks have
been doscnbed m general terms as gneiss, interstratified with
Mportant masses of crystalline limestone. The term gneiss,
rictly defined, signifies a granite with its elements, quartz,
feldspar and mica, amnged in parallel planes, and containing
a arger amount of mica than ordinary granite possesses, giving

$ 9

to the rock a schistose or lamellar structure. When hornblende
instead of mica is associated with quartz and feldspar, the rock
is termed syenite, but as there is no distinct specific single
name for a rock containing these elements in a lamellar
arrangement, it receives the appellation of syenitic gneiss.

Gneiss rock then becomes divided into two kinds, granitic
and syenitic gneiss, and the word gneiss would thus appear
rather to indicate the lamellar arrangement than the mineral
composition. Granitic and syenitic gneiss were the terms
applied to these rocks in the first Reports ; but as granite and
syenite are considered rocks of igneous origin, and the epithets
derived from them might be supposed to have a theoretical
reference to such an origin of the gneiss, while at the same
time it appears to me that the Laurentian series are altered
sedimentary rocks, the epithets, micaceous and homblendic
have been given to the gneiss, in later Reports, as the best
mode of designating the facts of mineral composition, and
lamellar arrangement, without any reference whatver to the
supposed origin of the rocks. When the general term gneiss
therefore is used, it may signify both kinds, or either ; and
the epithets micaceous and homblendic are applied to the rock
to indicate that the mica greatly preponderates or excludes
the hornblende, or the hornblende the mica.

In no part of the area included in this Report is hornblende
completely absent from the gneiss, and sometimes it predomi-
^^ates over the mica ; hornblende contains from ten to fifteen
per cent of lime, so that the ruins of the rocks of the area»
Ruch as they have been described, whether gneiss, green-
gtone, syenite, or porphyry, would never give a soil wholly
destitute of lime. Of this necessary ingredient, the lime-
feldspars would be a more abundant source. Difierent species
of them from andesine to anorthite, may contain from about
ftve up to twenty per cent, of lime, and the range of those
Canadian varieties which have been analyzed by Mr. Hunt,
is from seven to about fifteen percent. The personal explora-
tion which is the subject of the present Report, has shewn, for
the first time, that these lime feldspars occur in this province,
and probably in other regions, in mountain ranges, belonging

to o stratified deposit, and not in disseminated or ■
mas»,s. The breadth of these displayed to L Tr!
exammed, demonstrates their importance , and tte fact Z-
the opa eseent variety of labradorite was ascertleX “
B jby to ex„t „ Sira, on an island on the eas eoL rf
Lake Huron, while the name of the mineral reminds Zotul

pototT^UhaUhrr ” 7“''"”“^ “Hiciently

p nts out that the lineal range of the lime-feldspars will be

iS|.SH3r“ri3

range. In these limestones phosphate of lime is sooip-
mes present in great abundance, and there is scarcely ever

ihosphate are not discemable by the naked

tanr*nts‘Znto‘“’ rd’’-'''””*’

«Smy petr i:nz“:it:rr ;-

limestones and lime-feldspara are not however co„hhend ,! ,r
mmediate localities in which the beds arc found, for bolldera

:r ~

quantity of will rather be in the

q tity of soil covering the rocks in elevated parts than

"tr I®'" a«Ia4d.

materials is peat, o'f thich'’four den' V *“ *'"*

i* ^ wmcn tour deposits were met with in thp

f^TcSdl “i f”™- “ W‘»f ab!„

acres m width, across the middle of the fourth and fifth lots

rf fte fifth range of Grenville. The area of the bns “ “
thirtv-six acres, and its depth ten feet. Mr. Lougl ,

Kttler in the neighbourhood, who undoretanda the ^ of peat,

has tried its quality, and ‘t, ,f 'nl' firtuot of

There is a similar deposit on the north ““f

the sanre ™„ge, with an area Jet

has been driven down into it, to th P ^ ogyenth

Another peat bog exists on the fourth »
ran-e belonging to Mr. K. Cousins. It trenches a little upon
the°fifth lot,\nd may contain altogether about thirty acies.
rfourth d;positwaI seen in

over about forty acres of the fourth and fifth lots of the first
range of Hamngton. The depth tried in several places varied
from ten to t^Ave feet. There would be no great
difficulty in draining all the areas which have been mentioned.

geological map and eeport.

A sum of money having been voted by the legislature, among
the contingencies of 1854, for the publication of a Geological
Map of Canada, exhibiting the facts that had been ascertained
by the Survey up to that time, I had hoped to make available
for the purpose a map which I had caused to be prepared for
the Paris Exhibition. The topography of this map was a
reduction by pantagraph to a scale of twenty-five miles to the
inch, from various maps in general use in the provmce.

The short time given for the preparation of the Canadian
contribution to the Paris Exhibition, and the duties assignedme
in respect to the minerals, necessarily made the map a hasty
production; but desirous of rendering my sojourn m Pans
available for its speedy publication, I ventured to place it in
the hands of Mr. Dufour, one of the first map engravers of the
French metropolis, recommended to me by Mr. Hector
Bossange, who, with Mr. De Puibusque, Mr. R. F. Maitland,
and Mr. W. Bolton, as honorary commissioners, resident in
Paris, by their taste and their knowledge of business, afforded
most essential service, both before and after the arrival of the
special commissioners, in securing the success which attended
the Canadian part of the Exhibition.

It was not until some progress had been made in the en-
graving, and after my return to Canada, that a more leisurely
comparison of the topography with original surveys, made me
aware of several distortions in it, produced by the difficulty of
reconciling the discrepancies of different surveyors and pub-
lishers, who are considered authorities. In consequence of
these distortions it appeared to me expedient to abandon the
map and undertake the construction of another from original
documents, in which labour considerable progress has now
been made.

From the geographical position of Canada, it is scarcely
possible to represent the topography of the province without
including that of several of the sister colonies, and a con-
siderable portion of the United States. This is of advantage
to a map of Canada, in making her commercial relations
understood, while it is almost indispensable to a clear appre-
ciation of her geological structure, that the geology of a
portion of the surrounding countries should be given at the
same time. It was in endeavouring to unite the topography
of some of these surrounding portions to the delineation of
Canadti, that the chief difficulties occurred.

Guided by Bayfield’s surveys, most of the published maps
represent with considerable accuracy the geographical relations
of those parts of Canada east of Detroit, but errors creep in
when an attempt is made to superadd the delineation of Lake
Michigan. This is not surprising when the differences between
authorities are considered.

Ihus, for example. Farmer’s map of Michigan, for 1844,
(the one to which I had recourse) appeared to be a most
elaborate representation of all the townships and measured
lines that could be obtained from the most authentic sources,
and while it agreed nearly with Bayfield at Detroit, it shewed
the longitude of Chicago to be 88“ 23' W. from Greenwich.
Colton s map for 1853, which was recommended by scientific
men for pneral accuracy, also nearly agrees with Bayfield at
Detroit, but shews the longitude of Chicago as 87 ° 28' W.,
making a difference of about 55'. There was thus between
armer s and Colton’s maps, both of which were entitled to

respect, a discrepancy of upwards of forty-seven miles in the
position of an important commercial city, and with it of the
whole of Lake Michigan. A recent edition of Farmer s map,
that of 1866, now published by Colton, of course obviates the
difference.

Belcher’s map of the province of Nova Scotia, compiled
from actual and recent surveys, under the authority of the
provincial legislature, by W. Mackay, in 1834, and corrected to
1855, gives the longitude of Cape Chignecto, a most promi-
nent point in the Bay of Fundy, as 64® 57' 50" W., while a chart
of the coast of North America, constructed and drawn by
J. S. Hobbs, F.R.G.S., hydrographer, in 1848, gives it as
64® 36' 30" W. The diflerence is 21' 20", or seventeen and
a-quarter British miles. Hobbs’ chart is used by navigators ,
,80 also is a chart, published by J. Embray & Sons, in London,
in 1853, said to be compiled from surveys made under the
authority of the Admiralty ; in this the longitude of Cape
Chignecto is the same as that given by Hobbs.

Another chart guiding navigators, published by E. & W.
Blunt, New York, in 1863, compiled from the surveys of the
United States Coast Survey, and surveys under the British
Admiralty, gives about the same longitude to Cape Chignecto
as Mackay, and a general sketch, on a small scale, of the
coast of the Bay of Fundy, which appears in the reports of
the United States Coast Survey, for 1855, coincides with it.

With such discrepancies among the best authorities in
regard to neighboring parts of both extremities of the pro-
vince, and many others in intermediate positions, it is very
obvious that much enquiry and correspondence have become
necessary to arrive at even proximate results.

The most effective means now employed to determine the
relative longitudes of places is the electric telegraph, i*
has been extensively resorted to by the eminently scientific
men directing the Coast Survey of the United States.
All the positions ascertained by it are reduced to the
standard of Cambridge Observatory, near Boston, which
is supposed to be the position most accurately compared, in
various ways, with Greenwich Observatory, in England;

Atlantic wire is

^tabhshed. By means of the electric wire, Admiral Bayfield
hM ascertained the astronomical place of Halifax Dockyard
Ohservatory in relation to Cambridge, and having, by this
means, proved the general correction to be applied to the
lonptudes m his survey of the Gulf and River St. Lawrence
he has been so obliging as to transmit tome a list of corrected
ob^rvationsover the field of his labours, that can be relied on.

Dr. Toldervy, and Professor Jack, of King’s College, Frede-
ncton have compared the position of their observatory with

at of Cambridge, and subsequently with several places on
the nver St. John. Professor Jack has kindly furnished me
with a list of these, and with a considerable number of places
othei^se astronomically determined. Lieutenant Ashe, of
the Quebec Observatoiy, with the aid of Professor Jack, has
fixed the relation of Quebec with Fredericton ; and he is now,
^th the oblong assistance of Professor Bond, director of the
Cambndge Observatoiy, making a direct comparison be-
tween Cambridge and Quebec, which will farther confirm
the result obtained through Fredericton.

In compliance with the clause in the Geological Survey
Act, which assigns to me the duty of ascertaining the longi-
tudes and latitudes of important places, I have availed myself
of the services of Lieutenant Ashe, to compare Toronto, King-
ston, and Montreal with Quebec ; and before placing the map,
which 18 m progress, in the engraver’s hands, I am desirous
o e urther aid of Lieutenant Ashe, in determining the
positaonsof Windsor, Collingwood, and Ottawa, a task which,
^th the energy and perseverance which he possesses, there
18 no doubt he will accomplish in time. I am in hopes also,
^at, with the obliging aid of Lieutenant-Colonel Graham,
Topographical Engineer, U. S. A., stationed at Chicago, he

1 have an opportunity of exchanging signals between
Quebec Rnd Chicago.

, . which Lieutenant Ashe has availed

himself in his operations, is that of the Montreal Telegraph
Company ; and I have to render my thanks to the president
^ rectors of the company, as well as to their superinten-

\‘ ii

ti '

'■•a

dent, Mr. Wood and his assistants, for the use of the wire, and
the ready zeal with which they have aided us on all occasion.
At the Toronto Observatory, Lieutenant Ashe was kindly
assisted by the director, Mr. Kingston. The managers of the
Kingston Observatory were so obliging as to place ^ at t e
disposal of Lieutenant Ashe ; and, at Montreal, the Corpora-
tion of the city, with the most ready complaisance, assigned
to us a small unoccupied building, considered eligible as a
temporary observatory. A first trial was made in Montreal,
from the top of the Exchange building, with the kind per-
mission of the chairman of the company to whom it be ongs,
but a tremulous motion, which appears unavoidable in all posi-
tions where the transit instrument is not placed on a solid
mass of stone, destroyed the value of the observations.

Modified by the results of the electric observations to which
allusion has been made, the documents which will serve to
give the topographical details required for the map are the
surveys of the lakes, river and gulf of Saint Lawrence, by
Bayfield and others under the Admiralty ; the maps of the
north and north-western lakes, by Col. James Kearney, Top^
graphical Engineer, U. S. A. ; the maps and reports of the U. S.
Coast Survey ; the map of Canada, by Mr. J. Bouchette, of the
Crown Land Department ; Colton’s Maps of the United States,
recommended for- their accuracy by the officers of the U. S.
Coast Survey ; together with various district maps of Upper
Cinala, compiled and published by different surveyors and
authors. I hope also to be able to make available, in biingmg
townships together in their true relations, the plans of railroads,
which the Geological Survey is entitled to call for under the
legislative enactment making provision for its continuation.

A map of the seigniories and townships of Lower Canada
having been compiled, by order of the Government, by Mr.
Wells, on the scale of two miles to an inch, I trust I shall be
permitted, notwithstanding the map is not yet published, to
glean from it such corrections as it may suggest. Mr. Devine,
draughtsman in the Crown Land office, has for some time been
engaged in compiling a map of western Canada on the scale
of four miles to an inch, while Mr. J . Bouchette has prepared

one of the eastern division on the scale of six miles to an inch.
The knovra zeal of both these gentlemen to improve Canadian
topography has induced me on all occasions, and with the
greatest pleasure, freely to contribute to their work all the
unpublished geographical details that have been ascertained
on the Geological Survey ; and I am prepared to believe they
will be most ready to return the favor by preventing me from
promulgating errors, if a reference to the details of their
respective maps can obviate them. The geological map
will be on a scale so much smaller than theirs, and its whole
object so completely different, that it can in no way interfere
with the purposes for which theirs are intended.

The geology of those parts of the map which are out of
Canada will be derived from original sources. The geological
details of New Brunswick will be contributed by Professor
Robb, of King’s College, Fredericton ; those of Nova Scotia
by Professor Dawson, of McGill College, Montreal ; those of
Newfoundland will be derived from Mr. Jukes, who was
employed by the government of this island to survey it, and
who now directs the Geological Survey of Ireland, as well as
from the geological papers of Admiral Bayfield ; such parts of
the United States as may be required will be contributed by
Professor Hall, State Geologist of New York.

The style of the map is intended to be similar to that
published in Paris to represent Canadian Geology at the Exhi-
bition, and will be executed by the same hands. The style
of this map was so pleasing to the Geological Society of
France that the president, Mr. Elie de Beaumont, requested
pemission to introduce an edition of it into the published
Bulletin of their proceedings.

I have the honor to be
Your Excellency’s most obedient servant,

W. E. LOGAN.

REPORT

rOR THE YEAH 1853,

ALEXANDER MURRAY, Esq., ASSISTANT PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST,

addressed to

Wm. E. LOGAN, Esq., PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST.

Montreal, 1st February, 1864.

Sir,

In the spnng of the year 1863, you \Yere pleased to
ilirect me to make an examination of a portion of the unsur-
veyed region lying between Georgian Bay, in Lake Huron,
and the Ottawa River. In this I was engaged the whole
auimner and autumn following, and I have now the honour
ol _^png before you a Report of the progress then made.

he line of route I had laid down as best calculated to afford
general information, promising to be a very long one, and little
or nothing being known to me of the character of the country
rough which I should have to pass, I deemed it prudent to
supply myself with a more complete stock of provisions than
A required, and to take with me an extra canoe

an two additional hands for its navigation, for the first month
of our voyage ; by the end of that time I was in hopes we
8 ould be far enough advanced, and sufficiently lightened,
to dismi^ the extra canoe, and reach some settled part with
the usual complement of four men and two canoes.

Not being acquainted with any accurate sunrey of the por-
tion of the interior I was about to visit, the mam water courses
naturally offered the greatest facilities for my ^

appeared to me that by following some one of the mam streams
which fall into lake Huron to its source, I might be able to

cross the water-shed, and find my way to
of the rivers falling in the opposite direction. The ™
selected is a large stream known as the Muskoka ; the cot
of this was followed to its head, beyond which a short portage
brought us to the source of the Petewahweh, and by its chan-
nel we descended to the Ottawa. Returning we ascended the
Bonne-chfere River to a sheet of water well known to the
Ottawa lumberers as Roimd Lake, from which we crossed
to another expansion, likewise well known as Lake Kamani^
kiak, on the main branch of the Madawaska. We descended
the Madawaska to the York or South-West Branch, known ^
the Shawashkong or Mishawashkong (the river of marshes);
pursuing its upward coume to the head, we again crossed he
Light of land and finally came out on Balsam Lake by the

channel of the Gull River. n j un.

With the exception of the portion of country travelled be-
tween the water-shed and Balsam Lake, the line of route was
carefully measured by the micrometer telescope, and the
courses taken by the prismatic compass; and being supplied
with an excellent repeating circle, by Troughton and Simms,
and a reflecting horizon, I was enabled to check my measure-
ments by frequently ascertaining the latitude, by observations
of the sun or moon. By the aid of a good theodolite I
likewise enabled to ascertain the heights of the prmcipal lalls
and rapids, and thereby to acquire a fair approximative know-
ledge of the relative heights of the rivers and lakes, and ot the
hills or mountains suiTOunding them, over the level of the sea.
The variation of the compass was likewise taken on all conve-
nicnt occasions by azimuths of the sun.

geographical description.

The Muskdka River.

The Muskoka River falls into Georgian Bay by at least two
and probably more outlets ; we ascended the most southern
of these, commencing where it joins the waters of Lake
Huron at the north-east angle of Kennie’s Bay, in latitude
44® 57' N., longitude 79® 53' W. The ascent of the river fi-om
this point takes a general course due north for a distance of
from five to six miles, where one of the outlets branches off,
and then turning abruptly to the eastward, maintains an
easterly direction for about thirteen miles to the exit of
Muskoka Lake. This is an extensive sheet of water studded
with numerous islands, and bounded by a very iiTegularly
formed coast, which is indented by a succession of parallel
bays, with long bold promontaries between. Crossing Mus-
koka Lake there were, along our line of survey, two general
courses, the first a few degrees east of north for about two
and a-half miles, the second a few degrees south of east for about
eight and three-quarter miles; these reached to the entrance of
the mam river into the lake. Conforming with the trend of its
bays, promontaries, and islands, the length of Muskoka Lake,
lying obliquely across the general bearing of the stream, is
about N. W. and S. E. ; its surface stretches far away to the
southward of the latter of the two courses given above, probably
from fifteen to twenty miles, but our survey was confined to the
northern portion of the lake. Another large sheet of water
called Lake Rousseau, lies about four or five miles a little
west of north from Muskoka Lake, which receives its water
by a stream coming in at the head of the most northerly bay ;
with the exception of a rapid, falling from eight inches to one
toot, which occurs within a short distance of Rousseau Lake,
connecting stream is scarcely perceptible,
h ollowing the main river upwards from Muskoka Lake, in
a course north of east, about four miles bring us to a bifurcation
shewing two streams of nearly equal size, the one bearing away
to the north, the other eastward ; it is probable the eastward

stream may be considered the main channel, but we ascended
by the north one. On a general bearing very nearly due north
at a distance of about thirteen miles, we arrived at a series
of very picturesque lakes, the lowest of which for distinction I
named Mary’s Lake. From the foot of this lake, which is about
four miles long by an average breadth of from one and a-half to
two miles, the course turns to N. N. E., and that bearing being
carried on from the head of Mary’s Lake for about four miles
further, strikes another expansion which I have called Fairy
Lake. The main stream comes in at the north-west angle
of Fauy Lake, but that we did not follow; we crossed the
lake in a direction about N. E. by E. to a small tributaiy at
its eastern end, which we found to fall from a third lake
nearly due east, at the distance of a little over one mile. This
lake, which lies nearly east and west, is from two to three
miles long, and from the peculiaiity of its shape was called
Peninsula Lake.

Here leaving this branch of the Muskoka, we made a
portage of a mile and three-quarters over a height of land,
our course being S. E., and reached a long nari’ow lake
stretching away southward for several miles ; this we termed
the Lake of Bays. The waters of this lake flow into Miis-
koka Lake, by the channel of the eastern main stream,
and as the south-west extremity of the Lake of Bays is not over
fifteen miles from the position where the two main branches
join, while its level is upwards of a hundred feet above
Peninsula Lake, the course of the eastern branch must be
extremely rapid, or broken by very heavy falls, the total fall
to Muskoka Lake being 323 feet.

Into the Lake of Bays several streams fall, two of which
are of considerable size ; but the one at the northern end
appearing to be the largest, we continued our survey along
its course. It falls into a bay at the north-east angle of the
lake, in lat. 45^ 19' N., long. 79^ 4'W. nearly; and from
this point a bearing of about E. N. E., will in four miles
strike the next lake on our course, named from its shape
Ox-tongue Lake. The connecting stream between this lake
and the Lake of Bays, with many meanders in its course,

makes a general curve to the south of the direct bearing that
has been given.

Above Ox-tongue Lake the upward course is nearly due
north for about two miles, until presenting a succession of
heavy falls, where it first turns south of east for about two
miles, and afterwards bends to north-east, which course,'
excluding many minor sinuosities, it maintains- for eleven or
twelve miles to Canoe Lake, so called from the circum-
stance of our being detained there for several days to construct
a new canoe. Above Canoe Lake our course continued north-
eastward through a series of small lakes and ponds, connected
by short and narrow streams, generally rapid. The upper-
most of the expansions was called Burnt Island Lake, and it is
the highest on the Muskoka River. W^e attemped to follow a-
small stagnant brook which passes through a marsh at the
northern extremity of Burnt Island Lake, but after progressing
about two miles, all appearance of running water terminated
in a vast swamp. From a bay at the north-east end of the
lake we then crossed over a height of land, and at the distance
of about half-a-mile, in the bearing N. N. E., we came upon
a small lake which afterwards proved to be the head waters
of the Petewahweh. The place of the portage is in lat.
450 40' 30" N., long. 780 38' W.

The following tabular arrangement shews the relative heights
of the various lakes of the Muskoka over the sea, assuming
that of Lake Huron to be, as represented by the engineers
of the State of Michigan, 578 feet :

Levels of the Mvskolca.

Total Height

Distance, Rise, Diet, above the Sea,

MUes. Feet. Miles. Feet.

678*00 Lake Huron.

2-00
10*44
12*00
1*00
13*11
30*64 -

Height of Lake Huron,
Rise in rapid on the
Muskoka,

— in Ist fall,

— - in 2d fall,

— — in rapid,

— in 3d fall,

— in 4th fall,

;l !;

:l:i

Distance.

Miles.

Rise in rapid, i

in rapid, i

in 5th fall, i

in rapid, i

in 6th fall, .....

in current, I

in rapid,

in 7th fall and

rapids, 6*00

in fall and

rapids, 4*00
— — in fall and

rapid, 8*00

in 8th fall, i

— — in 9th fall, .... i

in 10th fall, ...»

I.. — in current,

in navigable parts

of the stream be-
tween the rapids
and falls, 8|
miles, at 0*25 foot

per mile,

in lower lakes,

which are not
very great expan-
sions, 8 1 miles, at
0-04 foot per mile,

say,

in Muskoka Lake,

which is a very
large expansion,
inappreciable, . . 13^

. in fall,

in fall and rapid . i

.. — in fall,

in fall,

in rapid, i

in fall,

in rapid,

in rapid, i

,1 — in fall,

in rapid, i

64 :

18-00

34-77

11-00

23-44

0-50

2-19

0-31

Total

Diet.

Miles.

Height
above the Sea.
Feet.

34i

0-00

61-70

7-60

37-67

69-20

212-20 34i 790-20 Muskoka Lake.

Total Height

Distance. RUe. JHst. dbove the Sea.

Miles. Feot. Miles. Feet.

Rise in fall, 12-50

in navigable parts

of the river, 19|
miles, at 0-25foot

per mile, say, ....

19|

6-00

20|

—

— - in fall and rapid.

7-00

in rapid,

in navigable parts

1-20

of the river be-
tween the rapids,
4^ miles, at 0-25 ft
per mile, say. . . .

1-00

— in Mary’s Lake,

inappreciable . . .

0-00

in rapid,

■ in Fairy Lake,

5-92

inappreciable ...

0-00

— in Peninsula La.,

inappreciable, . . .

0-00

in Portage to La.

of Bays,

101-89

in fall,

22-00

in rapid and fall.

49-00

in rapid and fall.

20*90

in rapid and fall.

• in navigable parts

50-00

of the stream be-
tween falls, &c.,

4i miles, at 0-25
foot per mile, say

1-00

— in Lake of Bays,

inappreciable . . .

0-00

-■ in fall

77*50

30-00

in fall,

in fall, 3-00

in fall, .... 1-50

in fall, .... 3-00

7*50

in small rapid, .

0-50

• in small rapid, .

0-50

in rapid,

4-00

201-99 54i 992-19 Mary’s Lake.

9-20 63i 1001-39 Fairy Lake.

5*92 67' 1007-31 Peninsula Lake.

101-89 71 1109-20 Lake of Bays.

142-90 82 1252*10 Ox-tongucLake.

sS I

-i

t < ' W F

Rise in strong rapid, .

in Ox-tongueLake

inappreciable . . .

in navigable parts

of the river be-
tween falls, &c.,
185 miles, at 0.20
foot per mile, ....

Distance.

Miles.

Rise.

Feet.

9-00

000

3-75

Total

Dist.

Miles.

Height

ah(yoe the Sea,
Feet.

2i| 132-75 1035 1384-85 Canoe Lake.

in falls & rapids

in beaver dam, .

in rapid,

in falls & rapids

in Canoe Lake

and Burnt Island

Lake, Hi

in navigable parts

of the river be-
tween falls and
rapids, 25 miles,
at 0-25 ft p. mile, 25

0-00

0-50

14i

21-00 1185 1405-85 Burnt Island L.

The country on each side of the Muskoka River, between
Lake Huron and Muskoka Lake, is for the most part rugged
and barren, bearing chiefly white and red pine, usually of
small size. There are intervals, however, of better soil at
various distances back from the river, where the pine timber
which still prevails is of tolerably stout growi;h, and may
eventually become of commercial impoi-tance. Since the time
of my visit, Mr. W. B. Hamilton, of Penctanguishene, has
erected a saw-mill on or near the first falls, about two miles
from the mouth of the river, where he is said to have an
almost inexhaustible supply of pine within easy distance.
Should this attempt at lumbering prove successful, and the
present prices for the manufactured article continue, it is not
improbable that establishments may extend still further into
the interior before many years, as the river affords every
facility for using water power in a great many places..

The portion of the shores of Muskoka Lake which came
under my notice, like the banks of the river below, is bold,
rocky, and barren, which is also the case with Rousseau Lake,
a hough in the latter some good land occurs in patches,

which are partially cultivated by a tribe of Indians who have
settled there.

Between Muskoka Lake and the junction of the two main
streams above, the river passes through rich alluvial flats pro-
ducing abundance of good-sized elm, soft maple, ash and other
trees, among which there is scattered a considerable quantity of
fine white pine. Above the junction for from five to six miles,
up to the high falls on the branch which we followed, the
forest still indicates tolerably strong land in a stout growth of
pine and hemlock, but above that part it becomes less pro-
ductive, the principal trees being stunted evergreens, mostly
balsam-fir, on a light and generally sandy soil.

The coasts of the upper three lakes are occasionally preci-
pitous, and, except in the valleys of little streams, are every
where bold and rocky. These precipices, with the hills in the
back ground rising three hundred or four hundred feet at a
moderate distance, offered very picturesque scenery, which,
however, possesses few recommendations for settlement or
permanent improvement.

I was informed by the Indians of Rousseau Lake that a
very extensive area of country, occupied by vast swamps, or
interspersed with innumerable small ponds and lakes, tributary
to the north branch, lay directly north from Fairy and Penin-
sula Lakes, where numbers of the tribe resorted during the
hunting season, for the purpose of trapping beavers, which
were represented to be very numerous.

The character of the coast of the Lake of Bays, like that
of the chain of lakes, on the north branch, is rocky, bold,
and barren, for the most part ; but the valley of the river
above frequently contains wide areas of alluvial flats, having
clay of a drab colour as a subsoil, overlaid by silicious yellow
sand. Groves of red pine were observed in many parts, both
on the lakes and on the river, and instances were not altogether
wanting where that timber attained a good sized growth, pro-

■J

bably suitable for squaring into spars. The soil producing
red pine, however, is not usually deemed to be of the best
quality. At the height of land between the Muskoka and
Petewahweh, and around the upper lakes, there are great tiacte
of marsh and swamp, closely grown over by stunted tamarack
and dwarf spruce, or cai-peted by marsh plants. These
swamps occupy the valley between the ranges of hills, which
are here widely apart, running about N. N. E. and S. S. W. On
the sides of these hills there are frequently good hard-wood
trees ; many of them were white birch, the bark of which
we found of essential service for building our new canoe.

The Petewahweh River.

Descending the Petewahweh, we found the higher waters
of its course to consist of a chain of lakes, extending in a
direction a little west of north, for the distance of about
sixteen miles, in a straight line from the source. The lakes
of the upper portion of the chain are connected by a small
winding stream, scarcely to be called navigable, as the rapid
parts are very shallow, and much of the remainder is blocked
up by beaver works or drift timber. At the foot of this stream,
about five and a-half miles north from the head, we struck a lake,
which was readily recognised from its position to be the one
represented on Bouchette’s map as White Trout Lake ; and,
from ten to eleven miles farther down, on the next lake, we
found a branch coming in from the westward, which was sup-
posed to be the source stnick by Mr. William Hawkins during
his exploratory route in 1837. The lower two lakes of the
upper series were found to be Red Pine Lake and Burnt
Lake, so called upon Bouchette’s map.

From the lower end of Burnt Lake the river bears oif about E.
N.E., for about five miles, when it again expands into an open
sheet of water, called Cat-fish Lake. Below Cat-fish Lake,
the river, in many parts, becomes exceedingly rapid and broken
by heavy falls, running, as a general course, nearly N.E. for
about six miles, when it empties into a large lake, called
Cedar Lake. Cedar Lake lies immediately north of the 46th

parallel of north latitude, and the meridian of 78^ 30 ' W
passes across it near its centre. The lake lies nearly at right

. . VY. and L. S.E. It is from seven to eight miles lono-,

with an average breadth of from half-a-mile to a mile and a-haff.

1 he continuation of the river downwards flows from the east-
ern extremity of this lake with great velocity, on a general bear-
ing of about east by south, for five miles, when it again opens
out into Trout Lake. Below Trout Lake, the river con-
tinues a little to the south of east, and, in some parts, pent up
in naiTow gorges, it rushes on in violent rapids, or tumbles
over precipitous falls, and again expands in wide open pools
or basins, until it reaches Lake Travers, at the direct dis-
tance of ten miles. Entering this lake, the course bends
northward, and is so maintained for a little over four miles •
then, agam contracting itself, the stream flows on very rapidly

1 f f !i f between six and seven miles, and reaches tlie
a 1 u e 4 N., the most northerly point of our expedition.
Jrom that point the course gradually bends round to the
south-eastward, and, with a few deviations, flows thus, in
many parts very rapidly, to its junction with the Ottawa, on
the Allumette Lake.

Otter-slide Lake, at the head of the Petewahweh, is on the
same level as Burnt Island Lake, at the head of the Mtiskoka ;
and, taking this as a starting point, the following is a tabular
arrangement of the heights of the lakes on the Petewahweh
over the level of the sea : —

Levels of the Fetewahweh,

Height of Otter-slide
Lake, head of the
Petewahweh River,.
Fall in Otter-slide Lake
and in the river, to
White Trout Lake, .

Distance.

MUcs.

Total Height
Fall. Dist. ah&ee the Sea.
Feet. Miles. Feet.

— n

69*00

1405*85 Otter-slide Lake

69*00 1336*85 White Trout L.

Total

Distance. Fall. Dist.

Miles. Feet. MUes.

Fall in rapid, ... .3*50

in rapid, .... 8*00

\ 11-50

in rapid,

in White Trout

Lake and others,
with Burnt Lake,

10^ miles, at 0*02

foot per mile, ... . 101 0*22

in navigable parts

of the river be-
tween rapids, I
mile, at 0*02 foot

per mile, i 0’18

12 16-40 m

in rapid, ^‘00

in rapid, i 10*00

in rapid, 0*80

in rapid, i ^'00

in rapid, i 0*00

in navigable parts

of the river be-
tween rapids, 5^
miles, at 0*60 foot

per mile, 5| 3-30

6i 30-10 25|

in rapid, 2 20

in rapid, . . 5-00

in rapid, . . 9*5*7

in rapid, . . 32*35

I 46*92

in fall and rapid i 47*00

in rapid, i 24*00

in fall, ‘ 40*90

in fall and rapid i 78*20

_ - in Cat-fish Lake,

and other small
lakes, 4i miles,

at 0*05 ft p. mile, 4i 0*20

in navigable parts

of the river be-
tween falls and
lakes, 3i miles, at

0*38 foot per mile, 3^ 1*15

9J 240*57 35

Height
above the Sea.
Feet.

1320*45 Burnt Lake.

1290*35 Cat-fish Lake.

1049*78 Cedar Lake.

'O 'O

Fall in rapids,

• in dam & rapids,

in rapid,

in fall and rapid,

in Cedar Lake, 4^

miles, at 0*03 foot

per mile, say

in navigable parts

of the stream be-
tween rapids, &c.

4 miles, at 0-50 ft
per mile,

in rapid,

in rapids,

in rapid,

• in cascade, dam

and slide,

in succession of
falls and rapids,

in Trout Lake, 2i

miles, at 0 05foot

per mile, 2\

in navigable parts

of the stream be-
tween the rapids,
miles, at 0-62
footper mile,. . . . 9|

in rapid,

in rapid, |

• in falls & rapids 1

in rapid, .

in falls & rapids 1

in succession of

rapids, with in-
tervals of smooth-
er water, in all 2
miles.

Distance, Fall,

Miles. Feet.

18-59
i 17-47

i 36-10

i 46-00

H 0-16

4 2-00

— 120-32

2- 50

i 14-50

2-00

i 9-00

i 6-50

3- 50

i 6-50

1-00

i 22-00

135-00

0-11

5-89

143 208-50

19-00

7-00

48-50

2-00

30-00

H 27-50

Total Height

Diet, above the Sea,
Miles. Feet.

443 929-46 Trout Lake.

59^ 720-96 Lake Travers.

Distance.

FaU.

Pall in succession of
rapidS) with in-
tervals of smooth-
er water, in all 2

Miles.

Feet. -

miles,

12*00

in rapid,

2*00

m current,

0*50

— in rapid,

10*00

in rapid,

2*50

in rapid,

3*50

in rapid,

in Lake Travers,

31 miles, at 0-04

20*00

foot per mile, ....

in navigable parts

of the stream be-
tween the rapids,
31i miles, at 0*50

0*15

foot per mile, ....

31|

42i

15-87

200-52

in fall and rapid

14*50

in fall and rapid

15*30

in fall and rapid

15*74

in fall,

15*29

in fall,

17*00

in fall,

— in navigable parts
of the stream be-
tween the falls,
Ac., 61 miles, at

2*00

0*50 foot per mile.

3*25

83*08

Total

JHst.

Miles.

Height

above the Sea,.
Feet.

lOli 520-44 Fork of South
Branch.

1091 437*36 Lake Allumetto

Between the height of Lake Allumette, as here deduced^
and the height given to it in your Report of the Ottawa, m
1845, there thus appears to be a discrepancy of about forty-
five feet, my figures being in excess.

Wlien the rapids were long and of frequent occurrence,
as was the case on the Petewahweh, and in one or two in-
stances also on the Muskoka, we found that it occupied too
much time to work out the rise or fall trigonometrically, and
accordingly resorted to the readier, though less accurate,
method of levelling by the clinometer. This was done hy

looking along the edge of that instrument and fixing a point
in advance or behind, on a level wth the eye, the height of
which was taken as a datum for our measurement upwards
or downwards, as the case might be, the observation being
repeated just as often as the wliole rise or fall was equal
to the height of the observer’s eye above his feet. It may
be the case, therefore, that the rise given to the Muskoka
exceeds the reality, while the fall of the Petewahweh may be
below it ; and if half of my excess were taken from the one
and given to the other, a pretty near approximation to the
tnith may probably be anived at.

The head of the Petewahweh, like that of the Muskoka, is
surrounded by vast swamps and marshes lying in the valleys
between the mountain ranges, sometimes covered over with a
stunted growth of spruce and tamarack, and occasionally
opening into prairies with long coarse wiry grass and
bushes. From Wliite Trout Lake mountains are seen on the
south-west and north, the latter rising abruptly 700 or
800 feet over its surface, and covered with pine, mostly of
the red variety ; from that lake downwards to the mouth
of the river, the forest is chiefly of red pine. Although the
quality of the timber on the upper parts may be good, its
size is perhaps not sufficiently large to permit the exten-
sion of lumbering speculation in so remote a region ; but
the remains of surveyor’s stakes, and the marks and numbers
m several instances discovered on the trees, are sufficient
CAudence that timber locations have been projected.

The lumber trade has already extended to Cedar Lake,
and farms in connexion with it have been established on
that lake and at Trout Lake, and large supplies of squared
timber are annually brought down to the Ottawa. A
settlement appears at one time to have been attempted at
Lake Travers, where produce would have had a ready market,

^ the lumber trade extended to the interior, but it has since
een abandoned. The soil is everywhere exceedingly light,
and although capable of growing good crops of hay or oats for
a few successive seasons, it would soon be exhausted without an

ample supply of manure, which, in such a position, could not
easily be obtained.

There is much picturesque scenery on the Petewahweh,
especially on Lake Travers and on the river below it, and fish
and game abound in and around the upper waters. Speckled
river trout were found op both this river and the Muskoka in
immense abundance, sometimes reaching four pounds in weight,
while beavers, deer, and other descriptions of game, were
exceedingly numerous in all the remote and unfrequented
parts.

The principal streams tributary to the Petewahweh are the
Trout or Upper South Branch, the Levrier, and the Lower
South Branch. The first of these falls into Trout Lake at ite
south-west extremity, and I was infonned that its course is
navigable in the early part of the season to within a short
distance of the Great Opeonga Lake, one of the head waters
of the Madawaska. At the time of our visit it was nearly dry
in the rapid parts. The Levrier joins the main river about
half-way between Trout Lake and Lake Travers on the south
side, and is used to a considerable extent for floating down
pine timber. The Lower South Branch comes in within six
miles in a straight direction from the confluence with the
Ottawa, and is, as I was afterw’ards informed, used as a route
communicating with the head waters of the Bonne-chfere.
There are many other minor streams, some of which are par-
tially navigable for small canoes, and contribute to the general
supply of timber ; and along the course of one, which falls in
at the west end of Cedar Lake, a route is said to be known to
the waters of Lake Nipissing.*

The variation of the compass above the fork of the Muskoka
was found to be 5^ 34' W., and at Cedar Lake on the Pete-
wahweh 6^ 55' W.

• I have been informed by Mr. J. McNanghtan, P .L.S., that a tributary of the
Petewahweh falls into Cedar Lake, in the marshy bay, about a mile westward
of the entrance of the main stream into the lake. It is called the Little Nipis-
sing, and by it there is said to be a route to Lake Nipissing. The mouth of
this tributary being concealed by the marsh, I was not so fortunate as to obser\e
it, and it is not therefore represented in the plan.

Route by the Rome-chere River to Balsam Lake.

The Bonne-ch6re falls into the Ottawa at the Lac-des-
Chats, in lat. 450 32 ' N., long. 76o 37' W., the lower portion
ol Its course passing through the townships of Horton, Admas-
ton and Bromley. Up to the district line which divides the
surveyed from the unsurveyed lands, its course lies nearly due
east and west, the distance in a straight line being nearly
twenty-one miles. Above the district line the general bearing
up the stream is about west-by-north-half-north, for fifteen
miles, within which distance it passes through Mud Lake and
a succession of smaller expansions of still water, and terminates
at the exit of Golden Lake. The main body of Golden
Lake lies nearly north-west and south-east, and is rather over
six miles in length altogether, the greatest breadth being from
two to three miles. Falling in at the north-west angle of
Golden Lake, the stream in its upward bearing continues
about north-west for nearly four miles, and then turning off to
the westward with many meanderings, makes a nearly west
course to Round Lake, the exit of which is in lat. 45® 38' N.,
long. 770 30' W., nearly. There are four sets of falls on the
Bonne-chdre, known as the first, second, third and fourth
chutes, and several rapids; but with the exception of the
chutes and a strong rapid between Egansville and Jessup’s
Landing farther up, over which portages have to be made, the
nver is very easily navigated the whole way. The lower or
first chute occurs in the township of Horton, at a little over a
mile from the mouth, making a fall of 32-66 feet. The second
chute IS also in Horton, near the village of Renfrew, where,
in a succession of leaps and violent rapids, there is a fall of
82-21 feet. The third chute is in the township of Bromley,
a little below the village of Douglass, and makes a fall of
21-00 feet. The fourth chute is about two miles above the
district line at Merrick’s Mills, where the fall is 38-11 feet, and
the Egansville Rapids, which begin about seven miles above the
district line, and are upwards of a mile in length, fall 44-07 feet.

According to our measurement the following table shews
the height of the three principal lake expansions of the Bonne-
ch^re, as taken from the level of Lac-des-Chats, over the sea :

Levels oj the Bonne-chere River.

Histance.

Rise,

Height of the Chats
Lake, as given in
yonr Report of

1845,

Rise in the Ist or

Miles.

Feet.

lowest chute,...

32*66

2d chute,

3d chute, below

the village of

Douglas,

rapids, . . 2*00
rapids, . . 4*00
falls and
rapids, . .21*00

82*21

—

27*00

in rapid ,

7*50

in rapid,

2*50

in rapid,

4*00

— in rapid,

in 4th chute, at

6*00

Merrick's Mills . .

38*11

in succession of

small rapids and
swift current be-
tween, estimated
at the rate of
3-00 feet per mile, 2

in Egansville

Rapids, 1

in rapid, i

« in rapid,

• in Borland’s Ra-
pids,

• in navigable parts

of river between
rapids and falls,
25 miles, estimat-
ed at 0-50 ft. per
mile,

- in Mud Lake to
the junction of
stream, no per-
ceptible current,

say,

600

44 0Y
300
8-41

2-5G

12*50

Total Height

Hist, above the Soa.
Miles. Feet.

233*09 Chats Lake.

__ 33 | 276*52 33i 509*61 Mud Lake.

0*06

Uiae in rapid,

Instance,

Miles.

Total Height
Dist. above the Sea,
Miles. Feet.

4.62

in navigable part

between Mud La.
and Golden Lake,
estimated at the
rate of 0-50 foot

per mile.

1*63

6 31 38| 615'92 Golden Lake.

‘ in Golden Lake,

rate estimated at
about 0-05 ft. per
mile,

0-3t

• in a succession

of small lakes,
above Golden
Lake, impercep-
tible current, es-
timated, as be-
fore, at 0 05 foot

per mile, 5i 0*26

m rapid, 2.62

in the navigable

parts between the
chain above Gol-
den Lake and

Round Lake, 0-75

— ■ — in Round Lake,

inappreciable,... 4 0*00

5 00 66J 520.92 Round Lake.

By tliis it would appear that Round Lake is nearly sixty feet
lower than Lake Huron. ^

A remarkable subterranean channel occurs at the fourth
utc, where a portion of the water turns abruntlv off at. Ho-ht,

There are many tributaries to the Bonne-chfere, but they
are for the most part of small size, and only partially naviga-
ble. The most important are Moore’s Creek, which falls into
the river about five miles below the third chute ; Clear Creek,
which joins a little above Egansville, two miles and a-half
below Mud Lake ; Brennan’s Creek, which comes in at the
south-west angle of Golden Lake ; and the Little Madawaska,
which flows into Round Lake at its south-western end ; these
three come in on the south side, while on the north side of
Round Lake there is M'Mullin’s Creek, and the continuation
of the main river, commonly called the Little Bonue-ch^re,
which enters the lake at the north-west extremity.

Clear Creek flows from a very beautiful sheet of water,
called Clear Lake, which was reached by a nearly due
south course from Mud Lake, at the distance of about eight
miles. The south and west shores of this lake display land of
very considerable agricultural capabilities, and are already to
some extent settled.

There are many parts of the Bonne-ch6re country highly
capable of cultivation, a great portion of which is already
respectably settled, and settlements extend, more or less, the
whole way up to within a short distance of Round Lake.
Wherever the calcareous rocks occur, either of Laurentian or
Silurian age, the country exhibits a superior quality of soil ; on
these, many good farms are already established, more particu-
larly on those parts underlaid by Silurian fonnations, which,
being in a nearly horizontal attitude, offer a more regular and
levefsurface for the application of agricultural labour than the
country occupied by the highly distm-bed series of rocks on
which they rest. Mr. Egans’ farm, at Egansville, aftbrds a
good example of the capabilities of such land j here the
tenant, Mr Sibury, an Englishman, has grown, as he assured
me, excellent crops of wheat, oats, hay, potatoes, and other
roots, besides having raised a large stock of horses and cattle,
by the annual proceeds of which he has made a handsome
profit, after deducting rent and all other contingent expenses.
^ The country generally, however, throughout the whole
re<rion is, in the meantime, essentially a lumbering, rather

o^-a by r rr7ttCae:bir o“y‘:;

the stream, we repeatedly found it almost entirely bloLd

From Bound Lake we pursued our journey to Lake
Kamamskaik by the valley of the Little Madawaska; but that
stream not bemg navigable for the canoes, except in He
short intervals of still water, we were compelled to caiTv
everything for the greater part of the whole^distance. Our
levels were continued across trigonometrically, by tak ngH
beanng and an angle of elevation or depressioJ by the theodo-
hte, and measuring each distance by the micrometer telescope
As a portion of the country we had to pass through had pL
viously been denuded by fire, and had s4e pushed up intH
a mos impenetrable thicket of under-brush and bushL, mucJ
difficulty was expenenced in perfonning this work— Mr

and myself altematei; clearing our way
through with a tomahawk, as we took aHk or“a forward

Our course, on leaving Bound Lake, first bore a little
south of west, about two miles ; it then turned about S. by

waters oT'thH Poi»t where we left the

stm bearing i Bonne-clfore. Crossing a height of land and
tdl beanng m the same general direction for about two miles

strikmg It at a small lake at the head of a brook, which
^ing nearly due south, brought us, in about a m^, foH
T til M Bake Kamaniskaik. The rise on the

foU„w.“ *“ Kamaniskaik was found l„ bo a.

Lev.!, carrhd from Laic, on , he Bcme-chire, LaU

Kamaniskaik, on the Madawaska.

Total Height
Dist. above the Sea,

Miles. Feet.

56| 520*92 Round Lake.

Distance,

Miles.

Rise andFall.
Feet.

Height of Round Lake,

Rise on Little Mada-
waska to end of
1st portage, say, 1

on 1st portage, . . 1

on 2d “ ^

on 3d “ i

on 4th ‘‘ ^

on 5th

on 6th “ i

on 7th “ i

on 8th i

in the navigable

parts of the tribu-
tary to the por-
tage to the Mada-
waska waters,
estimated altoge-
ther at

on 9th portage to

height of land. . . I

Fall on 9th portage to
a pond tributary
to Madawaska R. li

- at beaver dam, be-
low pond, i

- on stream to
Lake Kamanis-
kaik, i

3*50

68*91

37*55

10*61

32*25

121*92

28*30

32*18

2*00

2-20

339*42 66i

860*34 Source of Little
Madawaska.

107*99

968*33 Height of land.

61*53

906*80 ‘Pd. tributary
to Madawaska R.

2*00

1*00

3*00

906*80 L. Kamaniskaik.

It would thus appear that the Bonne-chfere lies m a
trou<rh or hollow between the two larger streams-the
Petewahweh and the Madawaska-at a much lower l«vel than
either, and that the tributaries of the two larger rivem almost
encircle the head waters of the smaller one.

• Tn the topographical plans accompanying this Report, the height of this

S Jd .. U.. 1.1.. 9.0 8. .1

003*80 feet above the sea.

been overun by fire the

quality. This was found t Jhnal'’Se
the portap over the lieiglit of land, where hitherto the timber
has for the most part not been disturbed by the Zl of the
u,nberman. further than to a trail to guide Ih travel-
er from one water to the other. The soil is generally hght

Xk^r^lCe ’"^Sht be easily

1 . ‘ face IS nowhere rugged, rocky, or broken

U gently undulating, or in some parts level. It is there*
foro a<l,.„r.bly a,lapW fo, g„<„, ^ada of co„m„*l«oT
TI.C .orlhon. shore of that poHioa of I,ako KamaaWaik

kr4V2o"rZo"“7\o"(v*'’''^/ ^

near,, doe aorii. aal'

Wlv oT “r r '”'“''■‘1; , " l.ilo the mafn

end of ho h "-''iel' opens out from Iho south

and F Q ^ T transversely to it, bearing about N. by W

::i a"b!j^ tr L“ s;

... on , ire r sTz rr : rr „i;

with a spreely preceptible current, and frequently expanding
kong^m- in junction with the Shawashi

There IS a marked difference in character between the soil
on the south side of Lake Kamaniskaik and that we had n-
viously passed over to the north. Leaving Bany’s Bay and tt^

pvered wi h hardwood trees, presents iself iLedlS
plrtlmil’of^ this*'lf T

tVL"; N., a,,. «,e

the head and the foot 0/ the lake!^^ Ah *^*^*^^* from

Lake the valley of the river ]i> Kaijiek ilanitou

from „i,.„ to L m'Tee to a ran"'’, f «>'

Lake, the lowest of a chain which stretSl ‘'f /"^pineau
of land to the N. W. tches along the height

the opper extremities. TheZam ,t
interruptedly up the river for r-r+i ' * * mouth extends un-
breadth between the hills’ou each * '"" r

to upwards of one mile If io ^ varying from half-a-miJe

reeds and marsh g“:!:U tlZf T

a tributary comes in called tlm Litj! T"J "

course of which is to the «o fi Mississipi, the upward

times used as a ,001^ M ‘» >>o some-

into the Laceles-Chats Ew f^'^er, wluclj empties

waska. above the LMe lifaLw the™"'*

becomes more or less rmhiZo f’ " “"'I

aod smooth ,v!Z Ll Xr^ ,Z.f
■oochmgKaijiek JfcnitouLake. IiZtn\XLittToT‘’ ‘'‘■
kake Kaijiek Manlbso. there am thiZ'n'rn'etZZ

toIZflStfiislwte"? i” addition

Little Mississipi flowimrfr T and^a-half above the

near the south-west angfe of Ihe GreafEe^'l ' T

to be known alonw the vallev of r >

settlement, in tho°t„„,„|,|p Jf * Creek, leading to the

valle 7 Ztt,f Sahww',r°'‘ P'“- i" ‘he

f!:r ^pXr “ oTS

h^ve bee: ::taZLra:" Z ^

has been connected with the timber trade, has established
upon it, at the lower end of the lake, a farm, which, I was
informed, yields good crops of oats, hay and potatoes. The
surface on Mr Byer’s farm, was at first found to ^

stony and large boulders would occasionally inteiTupt the
fe^krity of a plough furrow, but it had been considered
worthy of being beared of these incumbrances and the stones
had been collected and piled in heaps on the fields, probably
to be eventually used as fence walls, for the protection of

The lowCT portion of the Shawashkijng is ascended by four
<rcneral courses, which, with the exception of some minor
turns, indicate pretty nearly the direction of the river.

2d W.S.W. by

3d S. by „

4thS.W. by

At the end of the last distance a sweeping southerly turn com-
mences, known by the lumberers as the Great Bend From
the lower end of this bend the course upwards is first b.b.W.
for about seventeen miles, it then ti«-ns sharply off to tbe north,
and continues in that direction for over balt-a-mile; it then
proceeds easterly for half-a-mile, presenting
falls, and resumes a southerly course tor upwards of a mile,
“ui Egan’. Ce*, in latitude 450 Bey^

this the valley lies nearly due east ^

wards of five miles, then turns to a general N. W- couree,
and after several curves, comprehended in seven miles, leache
the exit of Kaijick Manitou Lake. From the commencement of
the Great Bend, to within a short distance of Kaijick Manitou
Lake, the bed of the river is so exceedingly tortuous that were i
drawn out into a straight line the distance would be nearly
double that indicated by the general bearings. 1 he lower por-
Hon of Kaiiick Manitou Lake is narrow and crooked, but in a

straight line it would be about S.W., for three miles ; the upper

part or main body of the lake lies nearly due east and west
Ld is about three miles long, while the ^

most part is under and no where exceeds one mile. The nort

tance above the Little Mississipi, by Mr. Conroy, and another
Sefnp and near the Great Bend, by Mr. Egan. Lumbermg

operations have f ^^t^be Ind^nH

Lake and I was informed by the Chief of a tnbe oi Indians

“ ftL, « preparation were about to be made to b™g
timber down from the country above Papmeau Lake. The

name of Kaijick Manitou was given the lake in honor of t is
rbipf who nroved of great service to us by his descnption of
couX I were about to travel through at the height of

'“Between Kaijick Manitou and Papinean Lakes the river
flows sluggishly through a vast marsh, making a very serpen-
tine cours! through the valley, which is bo^d<id on eitiier
side by hills of moderate elevation, frequently clothed with
good led hard-wood trees. Although there is a perceptibb
current for the whole distance, the rise in this part ^
small, certainly not amounting to more than six or eight feet.

The following is a tabular view of the rise on the Shaw-
ashkong : —

Levels of the Shawashkong from Lake Kamamskaik.

Distance,

Miles.

Height of Lake Kaman-
iskaik, at the head
of Barry’s Bay,
above the sea, . . .

Fall in Lake Kamanis-
kaik, from head
of Barry’s Bay to
outlet at Byer’s
Farm, 0 05 ft. per

mile, say *^1

in Madawaska,

from outlet to
junction of Sha-
waskong, 0*10 ft.

Total Height

Rise and Fall. Diet, above the Sea.
Feet. MUes. Feet.

903-80 Kaminiskaik

Junction.

0-39

instance.

. Miles.

Rise in navigable wa-
ters, from the
junction to the
mouth of Little
Mississippi, cur-
rent very slight,
estimated at 010

ft. per mile, 6^

in the navigable

water above Lit-

Rise and Fall,
Feet.

0-55

tie Mississippi to

junction of Con-

roy’s Rapids, esl^

mated at 0*60 foot

per mile, 2

100

■ in Conroy’sRapids ^

300

■ in rapid, ^

2-50

in the navigable

water above Con-

roy’s Rapids to

Papineau’sCreek,

estimated altoge-

ther at, say, .... i

0-80

-^n rapid,

601

in fall,

18*50

• in rapids,

8.70

in falls,

34*30

in falls and ra-

Pids,..* j

23*00

• in falls and ra-

Pids, 1

20*15

in rapid,

5*62

in rapids and

fall

24*96

■ in falls,

37*38

in rapid,

0*80

in rapid,

3*58

in rapid,

0*60

in the navigable

water between

falls and rapids.

estimated at 0*50

foot per mile, say 21 J

10*95

Total

Diet.

Miles.

Distance.

Miles.

Rise in the navigable
water between
falls and rapids,
estimated at 0'*r0
foot per mile, ... 10

on surface of

small lakes be-
low Kaijick Mani-
tou, estimated at
the rate of 0*10
foot per mile, .. . 2i

— 431

on Kaijick Mani-

tou Lake, esti-
mated at 0*05 ft.

per mile, *7

in the navigable

water on the
stream to Papi-
neau Lake, esti-
mated at 0*80 foot

per mile, 11

— 18

Total Height

Rise and Fall. Diet, above the Sea.
Feet. Miles. Feet.

7-00

0*22

209-62 43i 1112-53 Kaijick Manitou

Lake.

0-35

8-80

9-15 61i 1121-68 Papineau Lake

Papineau Lake by this estimation, 1121-68

Balsam Lake, by Bouchette’s map, 823*00 •

Difference of level.

298.68

Above Papineau Lake there are occasional rapids, connect-
ing a chain of lakes at the main source of the river, but the
elevation of them was not ascertained ; for shortly after leav-
ing Kaijick Manitou Lake, our provisions were exhausted,
and we had necessarily to abandon farther measurements, and
make the best of our way to the settlements. Fortunately
beavers, muskrats, and other game were tolerably abundant,
and supplied our necessities until we arrived at Kah-shah-gah-
wigamog, where we fell in with a trapper, named Kussel,
who kindly provided us with venison and bread.

Continuing our journey from Papineau Lake, our course
was nearly south-west for about seven miles, within which
distance we portaged over to and crossed a succession of
small lakes stretching along the water-shed situated between
the Ottawa and Lake Ontario. The next course was a little

soutli of west, with a straight distance of about eighteen
miles, crossing from one lake to another along the height
of land, and at length reaching Kah-shah-gah-wigamog, or
Long Lake, tlie waters of which fall into Cameron’s Lake,
by the channel of the Burnt River. This lake is narrow,
and Ipng about S. S. W. as a general bearing from its upper
end, has a length of a little over thirteen miles. The outlet
leaves the lake on its south-east side, not far from the south-
western extremity ; this we did not follow, but from the south-
west end, pursued a course nearly due west for a little over
two miles, making in the distance two portages and travers-
ing a small lake, and then striking the Gull River. The
course of this stream was followed downwards through Gull
Lake and the two Mud-turtle Lakes to Balsam Lake, makimra

coui-se nearly due south, with a straight distance of about
eighteen miles.

The waters of the first part of our course from Papineau
Lake probably all belong to the Ottawa side of the ridge, and
may fall into the Shawashkong, but all the others evidently
go the other way, and most probably are upper waters of the
Ottonabee.

The country all along the height of land is more or less
broken and hilly, and the sides of the hills are amply
covered with hard-wood trees intermingled with pines. The
valleys and more level parts, except where swamps or
marshes occur, frequently display an excellent soil, yielding
a stout growth of maple, elm, birch and beech. There arc
also good tracts of land around Kah-shah-gah-wigamog and
Gun Lake ; and I was informed by the trappers I met there,
that the country east of the latter lake was well adapted for
settlement over a large area. Settlement has already begun
on the Gull River, north of Balsam Lake, and will most pro-
bably soon extend still farther back. When I visited the same
country m 1852, a saw-mill was in progress of construction on
the lower nipids of the Gull River, which has since been
finished and put m operation; below it there are now
several c carings, with houses and bams on them, where all
was a wilderness one twelve-month before.

DISTBIBCnOK OF THE FORMATIONS.

As nearlv the whole region of which the above is a geogra-
phical sketch, is occupied by a very ancient set of rocks which
are almost every where corrugated, dislocated, or otherwise dis-
turbetl, it will be obvious that to acquire in the course of a
season any dehnite knowledge as to their geological amnge-
ment over so larsre an area, would be a matter of impossibility.

To work out the physical structure of such a district, many
lines of exploration must be measured, and the geological facts
registered on each ; in order that the whole being mapped in
their proper relations, they may be ultimately compared, xnth
a view of following out the distribution of stratigraphical
groups. The new information collected on the present oc-
casion, regarding the superposition of the members of this
most ancient and altered series is perhaps very limited ; yet
something is added to our knowledge of their distribution as
a whole, and such observations as have been made may afford
tolerably good data as starting points for more minute and
more perfect stratigraphical investigation hereafter.

Lavrentian Series.

With the exception of some ontlying patches of the Lower
Silurian formation met with in the valley of the Bonne-ch^re
and its tributaries, the Laurentian series occupies the whole
resion traversed during the season on the Muskoka and the
Petewabweh. The rocks are for the most part micac^us
and homblendic gneiss, sometimes interstratified with tine-
grained granular quartzose layers, which frequently hold
small pink garnets. The prevailing color of the gneiss is
red or srrey; the more micaceous beds have the character
of mica slate, usually dark grey or blackish, and the more
homblendic sometimes present the form of hornblende rock,
the colors of which are black or the darkest shades of green.
In many parts the stratification is veiy* obscure, and except for
the parallelism usually displayed by the constituent minerals
on fracture, could not be detected; in other instances it

18 well defined by alternating layers of different colors and
mineralogical characters, arranged with great regularity in
bauds not exceeding the eighth of an inch thick. The <rar-
netiferous portions are usually yellowish, or yellowish-white,
consisting of an aggregate of granular quartz, with the gar-
nets distributed irregularly through the mass, sometimes in
clusters, at others in single individuals. Beds of this descrip-
tion are seen to alternate with mica slate and red or grey
gneiss; in which cases the stratification is very clearly de-
developcd. These rocks are nearly every where intersected
by veins of various thicknesses, the majority of which are of
feldspar and quartz, usually coarser grained, and more con-
spicuously crystalline than the rocks they cut; but occasion-
ally they are of a fine grain. The prevailing color of the finer
grained veins is flesh-red, from the predominance of red feldspar.
Veins of white semi-transparent quartz also occur, and these
generally are more or less charged with iron pyrites.

Gametiferous gneiss was observed at one or two places on
the Muskoka, below Muskoka Lake, but was much more
largely developed at Fairy Lake and the Lake of Bays. On
Fairy Lake, gametiferous beds occur on the western shore,
and on the largest island, interstratified with fine-grained
grey micaceous gneiss, and show a dip S. <25° to 30°. They
were met with also near the south end of the portao-e, be-
tween Peninsula Lake and the Lake of Bays, in a cliff° rising
from the brink of a small pond, and in several parts of the
Lake of Bays, particularly on the point, at the narrows on
the east side, about half-way down the lake. At the falls
above Ox-tongue Lake, strata, in very regular beds, occur,
consisting of alternations of white and yellowish quartzite,
spnnkled very thickly with garnets, with regular layers of
grey and reddish gneiss and mica slate, which show a dip of
S. 60°E. <32°. ^

A black rock, composed chiefly of hornblende, rather coarsely
crystalline, with a small portion of black mica disseminated
m it, comes out on the Muskoka, below the falls a little
south of Mary’s Lake, which, from its position with regard to
the general mn of the gneiss, was supposed to be intrusive.

The contact of this rock with the gneiss is concealed, but
at the falls, a sliort distance higher up the river, the gneiss
seems to be suddenly turned from its general course, and
exhibits a repetition of shai^ twists and corrugations, as if
near the seat of some violent disturbance.

A black rock, of very similar character and appearance, was
met with on several parts of the Petewahweh. It was usually
associated with a very fine-grained brick-red ferruginous rock,
composed chiefly of feldspar and quartz, which in some parts had
the aspect of an obscure horablendic gneiss, and in others that of
a fine-grained syenite ; and the gneiss in its vicinity, when the
stratification could be distinctly made out, being always shat-
tered and dislocated, I was disposed to consider the red rock
intrusive.

This red rock was seen at intervals on the Petewahweh,
from Cedar Lake down to the mouth of the river, frequently
forming bold vertical cliffs, which, in one instance, rose per-
pendicularly from the river to the height of 250 feet. The
rock has a conchoidal fracture, and is usually intersected by
small greenish colored veins, supposed to be chlorite, which
also penetrate the adjacent gneiss. The black hornblende rock
is usually very pyritiferous, and the associated red masses are
frequently highly ferruginous, at times giving a bright red
color to the soil on the surface. Where the gneiss comes
in contact with the red rock, it often so nearly resembles the
adjoining mass that it can only be distinguislied from it by
closely observing the continuity of the parallel arrangement
of the mineral layers, which ceases at the junction. This
was especially observed at the lower end of Cedar Lake,
where the probability of the mass being intrusive first sug-
gested itself.

At the nortlieni sweep taken by the river below Lake Travers,
a portion of the gneiss is dark green, and appears to contain
epidote, while other portions are dark grey, with many dis-
seminated red garnets. The fine-grained and supposed in-
trusive red rock is in close proximity with both these varieties,
being seen in the river, both above and below where they
occur, but whether interstratified with, or intersecting the
gneiss, was not satisfactorily ascertained.

As gametiferous gneiss has usually been found in close
proximity to the calcareous portions of the series, with which
many minerals of great importance are frequently associated
and as these calcareous portions afford the readiest means fo^
acmg out the intncate folds and contortions which these rocks
have sustained, a diligent search for the limestones w^ made
on many parte of the Muskoka and Petewahweh, but with-

ort^rr^Jl r’® some

Lake h f r rf” e"™* ^edar

uncertahn ' ^

The general strike of the rocks comprehended in the first

is on the Muskoka-is nearly
l^.E. and S.W., and the prevailing dip is south-easterly; but
timre are numerous great undulations, independent of minor
folds and intricate contortions, which are in some decree
correspon mgly indicated by the several great turns oAhe
mam streams. On the Petewahweh, however, the rocks are
so general y affected by dislocation and disturbance, especially
below Cedar Lake, that the attitude displayed by the strati-

drttanc2'^”* **

In the valley of the Bonne-ch^re, crystalline limestone is
ex ®”sive y isplayed, associated with gneiss, mica slate, and
omblende slate. The general strike of the rocks on the lower
part of the river varies from N. 41o E. to N. 3.50 W the dip
beingeasterlyjbut, at the second chute, where there isevidence
o ^eat disturbance, the general run turns nearly east and west.

Ill the rear of the village of Renfrew, a little south from Hurd’s

creek, a ridge of gneiss, where the stratification is distinctly
developed, shows a dip N. 12o E. <300. This dip would
earn- the gneiss below a ridge of crystalline limestone, which
SI S iinme la e y north of the village, and appears to strike

limestmm

from"th^ back

from the river, the Pinnacle Hill rises to the height of 356

feet above the upper part of the chute. The side and top

of this hill exhibit alternations of gneiss and hornblende slate,
with some beds of crystalline limestone, running nearly due
east and west with a southerly slope, at a very high angle,
sometimes attaining ninety degrees. About half-way between
the second and third chutes, where a section is exposed of
gneiss with crystalline limestone at the base, the strike is at
right angles to the course of the river, the dip being E. <40«^ ;
but at the third chute, a ridge of crystalline limestone occurs
on the north side, ranging nearly east and west.

Above the third chute, the exposures are of the older
series of rocks, and consist of gneiss, until reaching Mud
Lake, where a ridge of crystalline limestone again appears
on the north side, about 200 yards back from the lake,
running east and west; but the country crossed to the
south of Mud Lake, between it and Clear Lake, although
in great part concealed, exhibits gneiss wherever the rock
conies to the surface. The north-east side, and the islands at
the east end of Clear Lake, are all of gneiss.

Crystalline limestone was observed to extend along the east-
ern shore of Golden Lake, associated with coarsely crystalline
beds or masses of flesh-red feldspathic rock, and a mixture be
coming dark green from the presence of pyroxene in very large
quantity, with scapolite, graphite, and mica disseminated.^ The
run of the ridges on the north side of the lake is about hi .h .E.
and S.S.W., but to the southward and near the eastern end,
the strata appear to bend round and dip S.S.E. <10° to 12®.
The hills which rise over the north side of the lake and form
the peninsula which nearly divides it, are gneiss.

Gneiss occurs in bluffs and ridges on the river, above
Golden Lake and at Round Lake, at the latter showing a dip
from north-east to north. Running parallel with these lidges,
and apparently in the stratification, are masses of an aggiegate
of coarsely crystalline feldspar with quartz, which, with the
adjacent gneiss, are cut by veins of similar character, holding
grains and small isolated patches of magnetic iron ore.

Crystalline limestone is quarried at Renfrew, and is used for
building purposes, and for burning into lime. Although rather
too coarsely crystalline to be used as an ornamental marble.

Q 0

it IS sufficiently compact to dress well, and make a handsome
and substantial building stone; it is likewise said to yield
an excellent quality of very white Ibne when burnt. Portions
ot the limestone are of a flesh-red colour, which was ob-
served particularly at tlie first chute, and at Golden Lake
where m each case the rock appears to be magnesian, perhaps’

n. no ir r

In the country south of Round Lake, and around Lake
Kamaniskaik, the exposures obsei-ved were all gneiss, frequently
cut by large feldspathic veins, which in some instances,
especially at the latter locality, were characterised by holding
numerous small isolated masses of magnetic iron ore. Reach-
ing the valley of the Shawashkong, the crystalline limestones
are again largely displayed. The valley of that stream seems
to run almost exactly along the strike of the rocks, many of
the abrupt turns apparently conforming to the contortions and
twists in the strata, until arriving at the south-west angle of
the Great Bend, above which it crosses the measures in its
nortli westerly course, towards Kaijick Manitou Lake, exposing
alternations of gneiss and crystalline limestone all the way.

On Kaijick Manitou Lake, and the country beyond, all the
rock ex^posures observed were gneiss, and no limestone was seen
throughout the remainder of the route, till reaching the Mud-
hirtle Lakes, north of Balsam Lake, where it had been
lound the previous season.

The crystalline limestones on the Shawashkong resemble
in all respects those described in former Reports as seen in
other parts of the countiy. The prevailing color is white,
or white mixed with grey ; but there are also beds of a deep

nil blue color, some of yellowish-white tinged with a flesh-red

hue, and others having a whitish hue with a great admixture
of diu-k green Small spangles of plumbago are almost in-
variably found disseminated through all the varieties, but
more especially m the white and grey colored portions, and
pyioxene, scapolite, tourmaline, sphene, black and white mica,
and iron pyrites, are very generally disseminated. The blue
beds were only observed at two places on the river, the first
beuig near the north-west angle of the Great Bend, while the

second was about the middle part of it, at a set of falls
and rapids. In each case these bands were underlaid by
a very micaceous dark grey gneiss, and overlaid by white
crystalline limestone. Where the rock is tinged with flesh-
red it is probably magnesian like that of the Bonne-ch5re, while
the green portions owe their color to the presence of
pyroxene, of which mineral some of the beds are almost
entirely composed. The latter two varieties were chiefly
observed near the base of a section, at a short distance below
the outlet of Kajick Manitou Lake.

Fossiliferous Formations.

In the valley of the Bonne-ch^re, there are three detached
outlying patches of Lower Silurian strata, each of which lies
longitudinally with the course of the river. The first met
with, and lowest in the valley, is almost entirely on the south
side of the river, extending from the neighbourhood of
Moore’s Creek to the head of the third chute ; the greatest
breadth of this outlier is about a mile and a-half, the southem
boundary being marked by the valley of Moore s Creek on the
one hand, and partly by another small stream, falling in above
the third chute, on the other. Tlie fossils and general charac-
teristics of the rock exposures here indicate strata between the
Calciferous and Trenton formations, the latter inclusive. A
section, measured at the third chute, exhibits the following

beds in the ascending order : — .

ft. %u.

Red and green shales, with an arenaceous band interstratified, about
one foot thick, weathering bright yellow ; a few bilobated forms,

supposed to be fucoids are met with ®

Concealed for about ®

Green calcareous shale, dip N. 3Y^, E. 1 ®

Pale green arenaceous limestone in thin beds ^ ^

Dark grey, very bituminous limestone in irregular beds, separated by

thin pellicles of bituminous shale ^ ®

Grey bituminous nodular beds of limestone, in thin irregular layers,
passing into a compact bed of grey arenaceous yellow-weathering

limestone ^ ®

Dark grey limestone, in a strong bed, bearing some resemblance to water-

lime, and holding crystals of calcspar ^ ^

The same rock, but darker in color, with beds weathering yellow ^ ^

40 0

The section being continued beyond the fault, is as fol-
lows: —

Blackish and green argillaceous shale, dip N. 390. E <rl3o

Pale greenish arenaceous limestone ^ ^

Blackish or dark brown, very bituminous argUlaceousVhaly'iime’stone' ' ‘ J !
Dark brown or blackish bituminous shale . . -4

Dark brown earthy bituminous limestone, weatheVingye'lIow J , !

b!d of calcspar, in a compact

Dark grey nodular shaly limestone ^

Black and dark brown bituminous shale " " ^ ^

Green shale ^ ^

Greenish and drab colored shaly limestone, partially a whetsVone b^y I 6

Yellow arenaceous limestone ^ ^

Dark grey arenaceous limestone ^ ^

Dark grey compact arenaceous limestone, in thin beds I o

Blackish bituminous limestone, in some parts shaly

Green arenaceous limestone ^ ^

Greenish shaly limestone ^ ^

BlackUh grey silicious limestone, compact and hard, holding Cythere J g

hm^edded shaly limestone, with obscure organic remains, casts of

Bluish-grey compact silicious limestone, holding small patches' of calc- ^ ^

spar, and presenting fucoids on weathered surfaces 2 6

40 7

At the falls, a little below where the above section was
measured, there is a vertical exposure, displaying the follow-
ing beds, in ascending order : —

Greenish shaly limestone, with shale at the top ^

Drab colored, fine-grained, slightly arenaceous limestone, weatherin' v yd-
loj ; It has a conchoidal fracture, and is supposed to be a whetdone

A yellow-weathering arenaceous limestone, with many cavities holding ^ ^
dog-tooth spar ®

Pale grey, yellow-weathering arenaceous limestone, divided into beds ” ^
of from 6 inches to 1 foot

Grey compact limestone, holding' n'umwiiu's' ' fossil's', ' 'm;;t'ly' '^bs'c'u'r'e' "

among which are orthoceratites and some turbinated shells. . . ’ 2 fi

Shaly limestone. ^ *'** ^

Beds of grey limestone, alternating with green 'shale .' i i .' i .' .' .' i i i J q

28 5

The fossiliferous rocks, which spread over the larger por-
tion of the area south of the river, are of the Chazy age, but
they are surmounted by beds holding fossils of the Black
Kiver and Trenton formations, at two places; one of these is
near the western extremity of the patch, m the south-west
corner of the township of Bromley, the other near its centre,
on the twenty-fifth lot of the fifth range of Admaston.

The second outlying patch is first exposed on ascending the
river about three-quarters of a mile above the third chute, and
extends to the westward to about one mile above the fourth
chute. The lower part of the section is of red and green shales,
with occasional green and yellowish arenaceous bands inter-
stratified, and partings of green and yellowish shale ; some
surfaces have faint impressions of fucoids. A fault, running
obliquely to the river, brings down a bed of arenaceous
limestone, resembling the whetstone rock in the upper part of
the section at the third chute, and red and green shales come
up from below it, further up the stream. The strata are
aflTected in several places by small dislocations, and at one
place a bar of igneous or altered rock — probably a portion of
the Laurentian formation— runs across the river, bearing N.
65« W., and S. 65'^ E.

In the valley of a brook, about one mile above the district
line, red and green shales are exposed, with black shales over-
lying them, over which are beds of limestone, of fhe Chazy
fonnation. Limestones of that age are exposed on the river,
from above the brook up to the fourth chute, where the
following section occurs, in ascending order : —

ft. in.

1. Blackish-grey bituminous limestone, a solid bed ® ®

2. Dark grey limestone, in irregular beds; it is very bituminous, and

holds numerous small fossils ^ *

3. Greenish-grey calcareous shale, with some thin bands of dark grey

limestone ^

4. Black bituminous limestone ®

6. Dark grey nodular bituminous limestone and shale, in irregular

6. Similar rock, with a strong compact bed in the middle ; the upper

surface shows Columnaria alveolata

V. Nodular bituminous limestone and shale

L-’ijiiiililil

bites and Cythere ’... ^ fragments of trilo-

spirfl shefls*^.".'*^*'^ limestone, with Columnaria aheolata and small ^ **

13. Shaly nodular limestone 2 4

■«. o„, j», ^ , ,

encnnites, Atrypa, Levtc^na Qmoii fossils, cbie^

a™., - ■ •

■S. 0„J S,'”? ■““ ’ 3 3

!o. wSk *" "‘ .“'!

and a large^on^olSS numerous corals,* ^ ^

5 0

46 2

hcfd 'rfS^'chuS T!,m "'’T;'^ “ '■™”‘ *h«

0O»ls.andthe33„.3,„g«lj:or„l™ed1S“‘

to the head of (he’ EgaoaviUe E^pM,. i

oEsriro;! a“"“-’hr ‘

Eiver and Tronlon fel° e T »f “■« Black

lower end of She SlT' p‘ “5°™ Jalap’s fa™, at the
affected by a euceessien Sf ° nT"?’’ ®*“ta are

are brought up, includin/ T j* lower measures

ceous limestone, resemblinf^th^ of yellow-weathering arena-
In the lower part Tf tKj' ^hazy.

forms, resemblmg

Below Jessup's fanu, fossils of the Trenton fcimatiou were
round in great profusion, and one bed was oliaractensed by
bolding nodules and large angular fragmciits of blaek c e .
At the upper end of the Egansville Eaprds,

Ctete lycoprdon, and Lhg^la were very abundant, with

other fossils ofthe Trenton formation.

Portions of the fossiliferous fonnations were also obsemd

on the south side and at the western end of C^ar Lake, all of
which contained fossils of the Trenton age ; but the aiea over
which these may spread has still to be ascertamed.

Drift.

Large portions ofthe valley of each of the rivers are covered
by superficial deposits of clay or sand, and as the latter
uLally occupies the surface and higher grounds, it spreads

occasionally over very extensive areas. ^ ^ ^ ,,

Stratified clays were found on tlie Muskoka, between the
Lake of Bays and Ox-tongue Lake, at the height of about 400
feet above the level of the sea; the banks there expose a
section of ten or twelve feet in thickness, of drab or light bufl
colored clays, alternating with very thin layers of fine yellow
or greyish sand. At one place, the beds are »

werterly dip of about eight degrees, in which they exhibit slight
wrinkles or con-ugations. These clays did not appear to give
any effervescence in acids, but were found by Mr. Hunt to
coutain a very mall proporttou of Uure Coarae yellow ^ud
overlies the clay, and spreads far and wide over the more
level parts, generally forming the bank of the river, where
not occupied by hard rock. On the Petewahweh, especially
below Cedar Lake, the whole of the level parts are covered
with sand, which in some places must be of great thickness.

The banks of the Bonne-chfere display a great accumula-
tion of clay at many parts below the fourth chute, some-
times exposing a vertical thickness of from seventy to
eighty feet. Near the mouth of that river, below the
first chute, where the clays form the right bank, and are
upwards of fifty feet high, they are chiefly of a pale

rIpTh “Lt, tr

r'wMe f°”*'^ TTk“ ’>>' '"‘■““‘o «f itT

*'■' PW"» »f tie Boane-

vaUe^ rf r *'"’ K ""d the

™iley of the Madawaska. Most of the valley of the Little

Modawaska ., covered with saad on either side and he

connt,y between it, head water, and Lake KamSafk i, o!e

cent, nnon, sandy plain. Near the snmn.it level on tt^n "

nofcediJlS' J^»m»”»«ik,aconieal-,h»pcd depression to,

.resZrrJefr “ “t“th“: “

ing tho*®°drift TepS, In'liZlrZZtlythere ifnTdtS;

Sr,.;;?;;,;'?.:?- “ “ ■»“ »“

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

ALEX. MUREAY,

Msitianf Provincial Geologut.

REPORT

FOE THE TEAR 1854 ,

ALEX. MURRAY, Es<j., ASSISTANT PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST,

ADDRESSED TO

WILLIAM E. LOGAN, Esq., PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST.

AuuwTKEAL, llt/i June,

Sib,

During the summer and autumn of 1854 T wn
as you were pleased to direct, iu making ferthm ei

oftaw! p • Huron and tt.

y«7 TSlrtl” ““‘“““"O”.”'' *■>' »f fts preriou

of M ^ examined and surveyed are the vallei

Bing^ rrit7 «f Hat® Mpii

and adjoinitTkef The 71 "

tout the ■“ «Ule to

on, ns it LaS oarried

mrwh7r*'i““

Ke tachl a mfl '.‘a ,7" “ -o

facts recorded on it T ascertained

in conjunction withthUfepiS

102

geographical description.

T/te Meganatawan River .

The entrance from Lake Huron to the estuary at the mouth
of the Meganatawan, represented m Bayfield s ch^ as e
Byng Inlet, is in lat. 45‘> 45' 48" N. and long. 80 40 W. This
estuary extends nearly due east about six miles, with a breadth
vandng from five to twenty chains or upwai'ds ; at the end of
the distance it suddenly contracts to about two chams, and a
tolerably rapid current is perceptible. Above the part where
the river proper joins the estuary, the general course upwar.b
is very nearly due east for about twenty-two miles, m which
it makes a few southerly sweeps, and thus reaches a, lake ot
considerable size, called for distinction Wahwaskesh or
Deer Lake. Between the estuary and Wahwaskesh Lake
there are numerous falls and rapids, alternating with reaches
of still water, sometimes expanding into small lakes. The nse
on the river as far as Wahwaskesh Lake is about 137 feet,
making this lake 715 feet above the sea. Witlnn the firet
southerly sweep and about six miles and a-half above the
estuar 5 % the river is split into two branches, which reunite
about nine miles higher up, but as the northern branch was
the one followed through, the southern one is mdicated on

the map only at the junctions.

Wahwaskesh Lake stretches due south from the general
coui-se of the stream for about four miles, but contracts
about the middle of that distance mt« a narrow strait, only a
few chains in mdth at some parts ; so that there are two open
expansions, of about equal size. The main river flows mto
the lake at its north-eastern extremity, and the course above
the junction is about E.S.E., for about six miles, to Maple
Island, where there is a succession of small lake expansions ; it
then becomes almost due east for about four miles, and turns
S. E. by E. for three miles more, reaching a long narrow
crooked lake, called Aumick, or Beaver Lake, from F®'
sence of beaver in the neighbourhood. Between Mab-
waskesh and Aumick Lakes there are numerous falls ana
violent rapids, and the elevation of Aumick above Lake

Huron is 320 feet, or 89S feet above the sea. Ahnvp
Aumick Lake, the river becomes very sinuous makinir l w-
reaches to the northward, alternating with long ones plinth
mg on the average about S.E. ; with many minor turns and
elbows in the narrow and the still parts, the average of the
whole would give a straight course nearly E.S.E. for twentt

prrthi:i%*"Tr r “t -«y

P n ’ found to be in latitude 4oO 32' 40" where the

From this point the river turns about N.N.E., and, with the
exception of minor bends, which in some parts are numerous
It maintains that course nearly for about six miles At the
end of this distance it reaches a small round lake, and here we
terminated the measurement, finding it impossible to ascend in
canoes, beyond a short distance, by any of the various streams

i:kr\:s*"{th'\ the surfrcrofT:

lake, called Wahzuzke Lake, was calculated to be 1097

Lake falls in on the north side, and its course, as far as
we were able to follow it (which was chiefly done on foot)

o^hltTo + “early

on that course to its source, which is supposed to be within a

L^^Bouchett" waters of the Petewahweh, as shewn

on Bouchette s general map, taken from Mr. William Hawkins’

zuzke Lake, the nver was found to be still and deep exceed
regly serpentine and frequently blocked up at the^turns bv
dnft timber; but beyond that dUtauco it became ra„Ta!d
»as ofen .impeded by beaver works and drift wood ^ At the
end of about four or dve miles, the valley eoZcls tt“a
narrow pmeipitous gorge, and the river, wLh hrL “died

onr ^ ^ Wahzuzke Lake, where

13' N., long. 79“

^oPowing IS a tabular arrangement of the levels of the
Meganatawan nver above the sea

104

Levels oj the Meganatawan Biver.

Total

instance, Rise. Distance,
Miles. Feet. Miles.

Height of Lake Huron

Rise in the estuary of the river,

where the current is very
slight, estimated at 0.05

foot per mile, 6 0*30

in the river to the first

small lake, viz : —

Rapids, 1*80

Fall, 6-65

Fall, 6-26

Fall, 15*50

Intermediate cur-
rent, estimated at

0*50 ftp mile, say 2-00

4| 31-21 lOi

in the small lake, and

above it to the junction of
the south branch, or fork,
the current being scarcely
perceptible, estimated at

0-05 foot per mile 2 0-10

above the fork, where the

current becomes strong, to
the foot of a set of rapids

and falls i ^‘80

in a set of violent rapids

and falls, from smooth
water below to smooth

water above, li 44*81

from the still water above

the rapids and falls, to the
still water below Island
Lake, viz : —

Fall, 2-40

Fall, V ’72

Fall, 10*60

Intermediate cur-
rent, estimated at
0*50 foot per mile, 0*75

U 21*47

on the surface of the smooth

water which expands into
Island Lake, to the junc-
tion of the main stream at
the head of the lake, esti-
mated at 0*05 foot per mile, 1 1

Height
above the Sea,

Feet.

678*00 Lake Huron.

609*51 Small Lake.

0*07 17J 676*76 Island Lake.

105

Toua

DistarifCe, JRUe, Distance,

T». , , , Miles. Feet.

Rise above Island Lake to the

upper fork, viz : —

Rapid, 2 00

Fall, ^-59

Intermediate cur-
rent, estimated at
0-40 foot per mile, 1*60

4 1M9

on the open expanse of the

river above the upper fork,
the current being very
slight, estimated at 0-06

foot per mile, o*21

in three rapids, from

smooth water at the foot of

the lowest to smooth water

at the head of the highest, •

viz

Miles.

1st rapid, 3 64

2d rapid, 20*56

3d rapid, 2*00

— — - above the three rapids to
the outlet of Lake Wah-
waskesh, estimated at 0*30

foot per mile,

• on the surface of Wahwas-

kesh Lake, to the foot of
the first fall above the
lake, estimated at 0*05 ft.

per mile,

from smooth water below

to smooth water above the

fall,

from smooth above the

fall, to still water below
Maple Island, viz, —

FaR, 34*20

Rapid, 1-00

Falls and rapid, 21*08

Rapids, 6*42

Intermediate cur-
rent, estimated at
0*50 foot per mile, 2*75

li 26*20

li 0*45 28i

4 0*20

10*06

Height
above the Sea,
Feet,

714*81 Wahwaskesh
Lake.

6i 64*45 371

789*52 Maple Island.

Total

Distance. Rise. Distance.

Miles. Feet. Miles.

Rise from still water below
Maple Island, to the foot
of a succession of falls
and rapids, viz : —

Four small rapids 10* Tl

Rapids, 13-09

Falls, 10-n

Intermediate cur-
rent, estimated at
0 *50 foot per mile, 2-50

from smooth water below a

succession of falls and
rapids, to smooth water at
their head, with short in-
tervals of smooth water
between,

— from smooth water above
the last rapids to smooth
water above the falls, at
the lower end of Aumick
Lake, viz : —

Rapid, O'YO

Falls, 20-39

Intermediate cur-
rent, estimated at
0-40 foot per mile, O-YO

— on the surface of Aumick
Lake, from the head of the
falls to the entrance of
the main stream, estimated
at 0-05 foot per mile, ....

— from Aumick Lake to the
junction of Distress River,
viz : —

Fall, 10-60

Current below &
above the fall,
estimated at 0.35
foot per mile, say 0-9T

— from the mouth of Distress

River to the entrance of
the main stream into the
Shesheep Lake, the current
being very slight,

5 3Y01

IJ #49-95

11 21-Y9 46

51 0-28

21 11-57

5i 0-27 60

Height
clove the Sea.
Feet.

898-27 Aumick Lake.

910-39 Shesheep Lake

107

Rise from Shesheep Lake to
the junction of a large
tributary from the norths
including a set of falls and
rapids about half-a-mile
below the tributary, viz
Falls and rapids, 26-73
Current below
and above, esti-
mated at 0-50 ft.
per mile, say .... 6-00

from the mouth of the tri-
butary, to the outlet of
Doe Lake, viz

Rapids, 4-00

Rapids, 31G

Intermediate cur-
rent, estimated at
0-50 foot per mile, 2-87

from the outlet of Doe

Lake to the foot of a set of
falls and rapids, viz ; —

1st rapid, 3-60

2d rapid, 20-10

Intermediate cur-
rent, estimated at
0-50 foot per mile, 2-37

from the smooth water

below to the smooth water
above a set of violent

rapids and falls,

from the smooth water
above the last rapids to
the exit of a suite of small
lakes, viz. : —

I^apids, 16-89

Current, above
and below, esti-
mated at 0-50 foot
per mile, 2-25

Total Height

Distance, Dise. Distance, above the Sea,
Miles. Feet. Miles. Feet.

12| 32-73

51 10-03 78i

953-15 Doe Lake.

4J 26-07

i 85-27

41 19-14 88i 1083-63 Small lake.

lilliillilitiiiili. jiiitt iii

108

Total Height

Distance, Rise, Distance, above the Sea,
Miles. Feet. Miles. Feet

Rise from exit of suite of small
lakes, to the outlet of
Wahzuzke Lake, viz ; —

1st rapid, 2*00

2d rapid, 8*89

Intermediate cur-
rent, estimated at
0*42 ft. p.mile, say 2*Y5

6i 13-64

• on the surface of Wahzuzke
Lake to the entrance of the
main stream, estimated at
0-05 foot per mile, li

O-OY 96i 109Y-34 Wahzuzke Lake

The tributaries of the Maganatawan are very numerous;
several of them are of considerable size and importance, and
are used by the Indians as routes of communication to various
parts of the interior. Those that we ascended are severally
marked on the map as the Little Falls River, the
Neighick, the Distress, and the Doe Rivers. The Little
Falls River joins the main stream on the north side, about
one mile below Maple Island. The upward course of the
stream is nearly due north for about a mile, in which dis-
tance there is a succession of heavy falls ; it then opens into
a picturesque little lake, about a mile and three-quarters long,
by about ten chains broad, lying nearly east and west, or at
right angles to the course of the stream. At the eastern end
of this lake, the creek comes in on the north side, and was
followed on an almost due north course for about a mile
and three-quarters further ; we here reached the latitude 45^
44' 19".8 N., and stopped at another set of falls.

The Neighick falls into the main river on the south side of
Aumick Lake, near its western end, flowing with a gentle
currant through a marsh, for about thirty chains ; above this
it opens into a beautiful lake, bounded on all sides by lofty
and picturesque hills, indented by deep marshy bays, and dot-
ted here and there with small rocky islands. At the southern
end of the lake, the stream comes in, after having flowed
sluggishly through a vast marsh, bounded on each side by

109

lulls. It was followed in an upward course S.S.W. for about
three miles, all through marsh, but at that distance the valley
becomes narrow, being not much more than ten or twelve
chains wide, and the stream a little farther up begins to show
some rapidity. But at this part we found ourselves obliged
to turn back, in consequence of the impediments in the river
From the numerous remains of hunting and fishing apparatus
observed on this stream, it appeared evident that it is much
frequented by the Indians ; from its position it must be one
of the principal waters followed from Sahwanegah River,
where a tnbe is settled, to the trapping grounds in the in-
tenor, and to Lake Nipissing.

The Distress River joins on the north side, at the
^eat northern elbow, about two miles and a-half above
Aumick Lake, and about half way between this and Shesheep
Lake. For many miles of its course it flows sluggishly
through marsh or swamp, in a wide open valley, with low
pine-clad lulls on either side. The general bearing upwards
18 rom N. by E. to N.N.E. for about seven miles in a straight
Ime reachmg the latitude 450 44'39"N.; here it becomes
rapid, and, at the time of our visit, was no further accessible
for the canoes. During the freshets of spring, the stream is
used as a communication to and from Lake Nipissing; the
stream wWch forms the continuation of the route on the
northern side of the water-shed flows into the French River a
short distance below the falls of the Chaudi6i«.

Doe Lake is connected with the main river by a rapid
stream, only about thirty chains long, which joins on the
south side, at a considerable elbow, in lat. 45 ^ 34 ' Q"
long. 790 27' W. nearly. The lake is divided into two
open expansions, connected by a narrow strait running trans-
versely to the general course upwards; this is a little west
of south, and the entire length in a straight line, is a little
over five miles. The continuation of the principal stream
comes m at the south-western extremity of the lake, and its
upward course is a little south of west for from two to three
nules m a straight Ime. In this distance it flows through an
immense marsh, and then bending to the southward, it be-
comes rapid, and is occasionally broken by falls.

Like other parts of the country where rocks of the Lauren-
tian age occupy the surface, the region of the Meganatawan and
its tributaries contains much barren and rocky land, not likely
to become of any great agricultural importance ; but there are
nevertheless many and extensive tracts, where the indigenous
growth bespeaks a fertile soil, and the contour of the ground
offers no serious impediment to culture and improvement.
Pine, both red and white, abounds almost eveiywhere ; and
the facilities for the application of water-power to machinery
arc in most parts ample. The entrance to the estuary from
Lake Huron, indicates only the most dreary sterility, but on
ascending a few miles, patches of good land are observable,
bearing maple, elm and other hard-wood trees, with a sprink-
linff of good-sized pine.

Between the estuary and Tf ahwaskesh Lake, flats of good
hard-wood land occur in many parts, and they were espe-
cially obser^-ed on the great island fomied by the splitting
of the river into the two channels which have been men-
tioned. South of Maple Island also, much of the soil ap-
pears to be productive. At the north-west end of Aumick
Lake, there is an extensive growth of maple, mixed xwth
other hard-wood trees and good-sized pine, and to this locality
the Indians annually resort to make their supply of maple
sugar ; but the best tract of all, so far as we had an oppor-
tunity of judging, is on the Doe River, from three to fom
miles above Dee Lake, where the land is tolerably level,
and nearly all clothed with hard-wood. This hard-wood
country appeared to me to extend northward, nearly all the
x\'ay to the main river ; but over the southern expansion of
Doe Lake the hills are elevated and abrupt, and consequently
less accessible than the rest of the area for the purposes of

cultivation. .

Tracts of hard-wood land extend still higher up the mam
stream than Doe River, and maple groves were by no means
uncommon, so far as we followed its course. Above Mah-
zuzke Lake, there is a sugar bush, which appears to have
been long a resort of the Indians, for the double purpose ot
trapping during the winter months, and making a supply of
suo^ar to return with to their homes in the spring.

Ill

The ^eatest drawback to the settlement of the ^Icffanata-
wan IS Its natural inaccessibility, and in this respect it contrast

Eeport. i^ter leavmg the estuary the river is frequtntlv
broken by long furious rapids, which at certain seasons are for
too shallow to admit of being safely run downwards, and this
necessanly involves long, tedious and often difficult portages
both ascending and descending. The Muskoka, on the 0^^
hand, nses by a repetition of heavy vertical or nearly vertical
foils, which are easily obviated by portages not often exceed-
mg a few chains. As m the early stages of settlement the

sorted to for intercommunication, it is to be feared that such
senous obstacles will stand greatly in the way of the improvt
ment that much of the country in the valley of the MegLata-
wanrs susceptible of receiving. g‘*naia-

Among the wild animals belonging to the region deer
appear to be m great abundance; while bears^ beavers,
otters and other smaller anrmals hunted for their fur are still
in considerab e quantity. The waters abound in fish of vari-
ous species; brook or speckled trout, black and yellow bass

fhe fi" or [nother, but

the first of these appear to be peculiar to the higher portions
of the mam river and its tributaries. 6 P ons

LaJce Nipissing,

The survey of Lake Nipissing was commenced at the point
where the measurement of the French River ceaserL

to *be south coast

to the eastern extremity of the lake, where it was joined

nor+i, survey from the Mattawa of 1845 . Thence the
northern coast was followed to the north-west angle of the
lake, where we found ourselves compelled to abandL further
measurement the season, at the time we reached 27 ^^

bemg very far advanced, and the weather having b^T^
extremely inclement. ® n«come

Longitudinally the great body of the lake lies as nearly as
possible due east and west ; the eastern end is open and exposed,

having only two groups of islands near the middle, while the
western extremity is completely filled with islands, so that it
is scarcely possible to distinguish them from the main land,
without following the coast. Entering the lake from the
French River, the nearest points on the north and south sides
are only seven miles apart ; but opening into deep bays
further east, the lake expands to the breadth of twelve miles
or upwards, and from the heads of the principal bays opposite
to one another, measures eighteen miles.

The total length of our measured distance from east to west,
or rather from the head of the south-east bay to the head of
the north-west bay, was forty-one miles. The most southern
part of the lake at the east end is in lat. T 45" N., at the
head of a long bay filled with islands, into which an im-
portant stream falls, described hereafter ; the most northern,
where another large tributary falls into a wide open bay,
reaches lat. 46^ 22' 32" N.; the eastern extremity is in longitude,
by account, 79^ 26' W. ; and the western in 80^ 16' W., nearly.

The principal streams crossed on our survey, which fall
into Lake Nipissing are the Nahmanitigong, or Red Chalk
River, the South Rivef, the Little Mattawa or the Vases
River, the Silver River, the Sturgeon River, and the stream
falling in at the north-west angle, where we ceased our
measurement. The first of these falls into the south-east
bay; the next into the eastern bay; the Vases, at the east
end of the lake, north of the east bay ; Silver River, into
the great north bay ; the Sturgeon River, on the north side,
almost directly north from the outlet of the French River ; and
the last, as before stated, at the north-west angle.

The south coast of Lake Nipissing, at the eastern end, is
bold and exposed, the land rocky and barren, bearing chiefly
a scanty growth of dwarf evergreens, among which there is a
small scrubby tree, called by those familiar with the country
bastard spruce^ being the same plant which I have erroneously
termed pitch pine in fonner Reports. This tree, in every
instance where I have hitherto seen it, seems to select the
very poorest spots of soil for its growth, or to cling by its
tough and tenacious roots to the rents and seams of the naked
rock.

113

The greater part of the north and east coasts is very low,
descendjng to the water’s edge in broad and low sand bcXjhes’
the^, shelving out far into the lake, at a very small slope’
render the approach to the shore, especially during wcsteldy
winds, a matter of considerable difficulty, even for small bark
^noes ; and as the mouths of the rivers and brooks, which are
frequently deep a short distance back from the lake, are some-
times crossed by a broad bar of quicksand, some trouble is
likewise experienced in following the beach on foot.
West from the great north bay, where the Silver River
comes in, the coast becomes more irregular, givin<r a
deep y indented outline of alternating sharp rocky points
and low sandy bays while islands and small rocky islets
stud the lake along the shore. The mouth of the Stur-^eon
River IS an enormous marsh, and many extensive mamhes
occur at the heads of the principal bays, thence to the west-

• habitations on Lake Nipis-

smg all of which are on the north and east sides, and a
iludsons Bay Company’s post is established on the Stur-eon
River, about two miles above the entrance. A* each of the
mhabitwl places a small amount of cultivation has been at-
tempted, which, judging from the samples of potatoes I saw
has not been altogether unsuccessful. The soil is for the most
part light and sandy, but much of it of good quality, yielding
good-sized hard-wood trees, mixed with pine. The hiffb
freshets of spring, according to Mr. Sauvd, the master of the
post at Sturgeon River, are the most serious obstacles to culti-
vation, as It 18 not unfrequent at that time of the year to
have tlie water rising over the lower sills of his house’ at
least ten feet above the level of the river prevailing at the
tune we saw it in the end of October.

T revenue to the Indians of

Lake Nipi^mg ; these growing in almost incredible quan-
1 les m t e great traets of marsh which surround the
lake are gatliered during the fall of the year, and sold
m barrels to the various traders of Lake Huron, many of
whom come purposely to procure them. This large supply

of cranberries, together with furs of all kinds, and ^irch-
bark canoes which are acknowledged to be the very best of
their kind, both in build and material, is brought from Lake
Ninissing to Lake Huron, and appears to have given to Indian
craft in that remote region an impetus not often seen elsewhere.
The people are for the most part tolerably cleanly, healthy,
and thriving ; and what is as good a mark as any, especially
amongst Indians, they seem in general to be occupied. Then
little huts are tidy and orderly, and have an air of comfort
about them which I scarcely have witnessed amongst Indians

anywhere else.

A group of islands called the Manitous, lying out near the
middle of the lake, towards its east end, appear to contain
some good hard-wood land ; and on them, I was informed, the
Indians annually make a considerable quantity of maple sugar.
They also procure limestone from these islands for the puqiose

of building and making mortar. , . , v

Su^ar is manufactured also on Iron Island, which lies
about mid-way between Dukis’ Point, one of the Indian
settlements at the western extremity of the great north bay,
and the French River. On Iron Island there are patches ot
good soil, although much of it is considerably encumbered

with boulders. r>-

The course of the Nahmanitigong or Red Chalk River,

ascending from the south-east bay, is about S. E. by E. for
about three miles ; then presenting a set of falls, and making
a short southerly bend, the general direction bears upwards
nearly due east, for from six to seven miles ; it then turn
southerly, and keeps a nearly due south general course lor
about twelve miles in a straight line, making numerous and
complicated meanders in the distance, which reaches lat.

56' 41" N., where we stopped the exploration.

In the easterly bearing or lower part of the stream, there
are nine sets of falls and rapids, giving a total rise, including
an allowance of 0*50 foot per mile for current, of 135-07 feet
above Lake Nipissing ; in the southerly-bearing part there
are seventeen sets, great and small, which with the same
allowance for current amount to 292-42 feet more ; placmg

tha sea. The tributes of » Xetl Ztll

volume of water ou the main stream, where it I sS .e
ing scarcelv to diminish at all oo f -a.*

r""™ ter/Sld

eep, and broad flats of good land extend on either side The

Irttnthet”? mSt

trith pint “f hard-wood trees, mixed

Jgong Eit^ft * ™ 0- «■* ““bma-

Levels of the Nakmanitigong River above the Sea.

Height of Lake Nipis-

siBg,

Rise from the junction
with Lake Nipis-
sing to the smooth
water below the
lowest fall, esti-
mated at 0-50 foot

Distance,

Miles.

Rise,

Feet.

Total

Diet.

Miles.

Height
above the Sea,
Feet.

647*00 Lake Nipissing.

per mile, 3.55

1-78

■ from the smooth

water below to
the smooth water
above the fall, .. 0*01

7-59

in smooth current

above the fall, .. . 140

0-75

in a rapid from

smooth water be-

low to smooth
water above, .... 0*74

27-78

in current esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.
per mile, o *40

0-20

- in a fall from
smooth water be-
low to smooth
water above, ... . 0*05

43-62

in current above,

estimated at 0*50
foot per mile, .... 0*40

0-20

116

Distance,

Miles.

0-11

Kise in a fall from
smooth water be-
low to smooth
water above,

in current, esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.

per mile, 0‘51

in a rapid from

smooth water be-
low to smooth

water above,

in current esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.

per mile,

in a rapid from

smooth water be-
low to smooth
water above,. . . •
in current esti-
mated at 0*50 ft,

per mile,

in a rapid from

smooth water be-
low to smooth
water above, . . • •

in a rapid above

the last, from
smooth water be-
low to smooth
water above,. . . .
in current, esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.

per mile,

in a rapid from

smooth water be-
low to smooth
water above, ....
in current, esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.
per mile,

0*05

0*30

0*04

0*40

0*10

0-24

0*10

2*54

Bise.

Peet.

35 03

0*26

2*50

0*18

1*50

0*20

7*58

2*50

0*13

2*00

121

Total Height

Dist, above the Sea,
Miles. Poet.

135*07 11*04 782*07 Great Elbow.

in current and

two small rapids ;
Ist rapid, 0*50
Current in
3*65 miles, 1*83
2nd rapid, 0*70

3*69

3*03

IHstance.

Miles.

0-20

Rise in cnnent esti-
mated at the rate
of 0*50 foot per

mile, say

in a rapid from

smooth water
below rapid to
smooth water
above fall :

Rapid,.... 0*30

Fall, 27-59

0-12 27-89

in current, esti-
mated at 0-50 ft.

mile, 1-95 o-98

— in fall and rapids
from smooth
water below to
smooth water

0-10 22*61

in current esti-
mated at 0-50 ft.

per mile, say ... 0*70 0-36

in a fall from
smooth water
below to smooth

water above, 0-01 18-30

— in current esti-
mated at 0-50 ft.

per mile, 210 105

— in falls and rapids
from smooth
water below to
smooth water

0-12 e-iQ

8-99

— in current esti-
mated at 0-50 ft.

per mile, o-63 0-32

in falls and rapids
from smooth
water below to
smooth water

above 0-50 8-91

in current, esti-
mated a^ 0-50 ft.

per mile, say. .. . 1-40 9 .J 5

Total
Rise, IHst,
Feet. Milos.

0-12

81-10

Height

above the Sea.
Feet.

863-17

118

Distance.

Milos.

Rise in a fall from
smooth water

below to smooth
water above, .... 0*40
in current esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.

per mile, 1*88

in a rapid from

smooth water

below to smooth
water above,. ... 0'07
in current, esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.

per mile, 0*31

in falls from

smooth water

below to smooth
water above, ... . 0*05
in current esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.

per mile, 0*24

in rapid from

smooth water

below to smooth
water above, .... 0* 1 7
in current, esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.

per mile, 0*43

in fall and rapid

from smooth
water below to
smooth water

above, 0*40

in current, esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.
per mile, say. .. . 1*17

in a rapid from

smooth water
below to smooth
water above, ... . 0*04
in current, esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.
per mile, say. .. . 0*14

in a fall from

smooth water
below to smooth
water above,. . . . 0*10

Total
Rise. Diet.
Feet. Miles.

8.81

0*94

1*50

0*16

23*33

0 12

7*00

0*22

43*79

0*59

1*00

0*08

8*80

Height
above the Sea,
Feet.

Diitance. Rise,

Miles. Feet.

in current, esti-
mated at 0*50 ft.

per mile, 2-43 1-22

■ in succession of

rapids and falls
from smooth
water below to
smooth water

above, o -30 65 18

in current above

falls, where the
measurement tcr-

Total Height

l>ist. above the Sea.
Miles. Feet.

minates along the
course of the
stream, which is
very sinuous, and
frequently jam-
med with drift-
wood, 4-16

in succession of

falls, from smooth
water below to
smooth water

above, 0*20

15*02

2*08

36*52

211*32 35*05 1074*49 Lat. 45® 56' 4 r'

North.

Tlie South River, which falls into the east bay by a fine
cascade about thirty feet high, was ascended only a few
hundred yards. Above the falls it is still and deep, caiTyin-

a breadth of about a chain. ®

Tlie Vases, or Little Mattawa, called so as being the direct
route to the branch of the Ottawa called the Mattawa, was
^cended to the first portage, about tliree miles up the stream :
but as It has already been described in your report of 1845
urther mention of it here is perhaps unnecessaiy.

The Silver River falls into the great north bay with a toler-
ably swift current, and with a breadth at the exit of upwards
of three chains. It contracts a little way up, and tlie course
ascending is nearly due north for from a mile and a-half to two
mi cs, where there are falls. I was infonned by the Indians
that above the falls it turns easterly, and at no great

distance opens out again into a series of lakes, fed by a multi-
tude of small brooks, none of which are navigable for any
considerable distance. There is said to be a portage to the
lakes from the Indian village at the east point of the great
north bay.

The Sturgeon is a veiy large river ; at the Hudson’s Bay
post, where the current is very perceptible, the breadth is
upwards of four chains, and there is a large body of water.
It is said to proceed from Lake Temagamang, about half-a-
dcgree of latitude due north from the post, and to be very
rapid and difRcult to navigate. It is used however as a route
by the Hudson’s Bay Company between Lake Nipissing and
Lake Temiscamaug, and is the most direct means of communi-
cation with the upper Ottawa on the i-oute to Hudson’s Bay.

The stream at the head ot the north-west bay was not
followed ; it comes into the lake over a fall, above which there
is a scarcely perceptible current, having a breadth of from
twenty-five to thirty feet, the course bearing away to the
westward.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE FORMATIONS.

Laurentian Series.

With the exception of a few small outlying patches of Lower
Silurian strata on the islands of Lake Nipissing, the Laurentian
series occupies the entire surface of the region explored dimng
the season. The rocks of the lower part of the valley of the
Maganatawan, below Wahwaskesh Lake, are fine-grained grey
or reddish gneiss, with occasional layers of whitish quartzite
and mica slate ; the strike is for the most part at right angles
to the course of the river, the dip varying from a little
north of east to south-east. In some parts, the gneiss holds
small pink and brownish garnets, and these were particularly
observed at the falls below Island Lake, about half-way be-
tween the estuary and Wahwaskesh Lake. At the second falls
above Wahwaskesh Lake, there are beds of greenish gneiss,
apparently pyroxenic, interstratified with beds of red and
grey gneiss, and with mica slate.

121

At Maple Island bands of white crystalline limestone
occur, separated by gneissoid beds, some of which hold
pyroxene giving them a green colour, with numerous small
pink garnets. The run of the calcareous bands is nearly due
north and south, with an easterly dip at a very high au«rie or
^casionally vertical. They were traced to the southward,
for about a mile and a-half from the main river, where the
rock becomes concealed by dense vegetation; and to the
northward they were found on the Little Falls River, coming
out in large volume at the highest set of falls that we visited,
a little over two miles due north from the most northerly
point of Maple Island.

At the south end of Neighick Lake, the gneiss is very
much shattered, and is penetrated by large veins of a very
coarse-grained aggregate of quartz and feldspar. There
are portions of a rock also at the south end of the same
lake, of a mottled dark bottle-green and white, the consti-
tuents being chiefly dark green pyroxene and white quartz,
spniikled occasionally with small pink garnets. The rocks
seen on the Distress River, where the rapids begin, appear
to dip south-westerly, but on the main river, a short distance
above the junction of the same stream, where the strata
are very regular, it is N. 70® W. <.30o. About three miles
higher up the mam river, on Shesheep Lake, where bold and
nearly vertical cliffs rise on the south side, the strata seem to
dip to the south-west.

At Doe L.ike, the strata are very much disturbed, and
shew frequent folds and contortions, but the general run of
the ridges and strike of the strata tend east and west. The
rock at the strait, which is micaceous and very fine grained,
shews a dip S. 8‘> E. <33^ Veins composed of quartz and
feldspar are of frequent occuiTence ; some are of large size
and very coarse grained, and they run for the most part
parallel, or nearly so, with the strike of the rocks.

Above the junction of Doe River the rocks at the rapids were
usually more or less gametiferous, and presented southerly and
easterly dips. At AVahzuzke Lake the dip was sometimes a
little to the west, at others a little to the east of south ; but

122

the general trend of the hills and ridges being nearly K.E.
and S.W., it is possible the strike of the strata corresponds,

and that the average dip is S.E.

On the south coast of Lake Nipissing, between the French
River and the Nahmanitigong, the gneiss, which is usually of
a red color, dips southerly, often at an angle undei fifteen
degrees ; while further in the interior, as seen on the banks of
the upper reaches of the Nahmanitigong, wheie the rock
is almost invariably garnetiferous, it is nearly flat, and that
attitude appears to be more or less maintained, as high up that
river as our survey extended.

The gneiss of the south-east coast, between Nahmaniti-
gong and South Rivers, is eveiywhere highly distm^bed, being
intersected in all directions by intrusions of trap, and fre-
quently cut by quartzose or feldspathic veins. On the
islands in the eastern bay, ciystalline limestone occurs ; it also
is very much disturbed by trap, and it lies in such confu-
sion that the bedding cannot readily be distinguished. The
general run appears to be about E.S.E, and W.N.W., but the
dip could not be determined with any degree of satisfaction.
The character of the trap is various; it occurs sometimes
as a very fine grained greenstone ; at others, it is of a
jaspery texture and a red or pinkish color, and it occasion-
ally assumes a concretionary form, presenting dark green
pyroxene in a calcareous matrix, with large scales of black
mica and iron pyrites iiTegularly disseminated through the
mass. Patches and small masses holding grains and specks of
magnetic iron ore were found both in the gneiss and in the tiap.

^Tiere the rock comes out at the points on the eastern
shore, it usually exhibits finely laminated layers of deep
red and dark grey gneiss, the general run of which tends
towards N.W. and S. E. dipping northerly, but making
several undulations. The north and north-east sides of the
most westem of the Manitou Islands shew great disturbance,
and display masses of trap mixed up with and penetrating the
gneiss. At Iron Island, crystalline limestone occurs, inter-
stratified with, and cut across by trap, the general strike
of the beds being very nearly W.N.W. and E.S.E. with a dip

to the northward. On the north aide of Iron Island, apparently
overlying the great mass of ciystalline limestone, the strata
^e mostly of a red or green rock, weathering hlack, altemat-
mg with pale red jaspery trap and thin white calcareous beds
or ^ms, all of which are cut across, nearly at right angles,
by trap. Beds or mtrusions of trap, assuming the concretion-
ary character also occur here.

Small masses of specular iron ore are common to
most of the rock in the island, and in the crystalline lime-
stone there is a very great display of it. For a breadth
of about forty yards along the cliff on the east side, the rock
holds masses of the ore of various sizes, sometimes running
in stnngs of an inch thick or upwards, and at other times ac-
cumulating in huge lumps some of which probably weigh over
halt-a-ton. The beach near the outcrop is strewed with masses
ot all sizes, from great boulders, weighing several hundred
p^ounds, to small rounded pebbles, not bigger than marbles.
The limestone with which the iron ore is associated is fre-
quently cavernous, and the crevices and smaller fissures are
thickly lined with crystals of blue fluor-spar and red sulphate
01 barytes or cockscomb-spar.

Crystalline limestone crops out on the opposite or west
Bide of the island, and judging by the strike of the north-side.

It must correspond with that holding the iron ore on the east.

1 he same minerals were found disseminated through the rock
and strewed upon the beach. At the extreme south-west
point of the island the rock is again crystalline limestone, and a
tong beach running out from it to the westward, is perfectly
covered with boulders of specular iron ore. Iron ore occurs
also at the south-east point of the island, although not in such

^eat abundance, and only in detached masses strewed upon
the beach. ^

• i^'i “Orth shore, from Dukis’ Point westward, and on the
islands off that part of the coast, the gneiss is mostly of a red
color, and contains magnetic iron ore in patches and small
masses, sometimes thickly disseminated both in the strata and
the veins cutting them. A very fine-grained dark blue slate
was seen also, m large loose irregular blocks along the south

124

shore of the north-west bay, which appeared to be of a cha-
racter rendering it fit for whetstones. The strike of the
gneiss at the north-west indentation of the lake correspond^
with that of Iron Island, being nearly W . N. W. and E. S. E.,

with a dip at a high angle to the northward.

Fossiliferous Rocks.

A small exposure of fossiliferous strata was found in the most
western island of the Manitou Group, resting unconformably on
the gneiss and trap, which constitute the larger portion of the
island ; the section, which is not over six feet thick altogether,
is based upon a bed of silicious limestone holding Orthoceri^y
with a few other obscure fossils and small angular fragments of
the altered rock on which it rests. Over the silicious bed are.
alternations of blue and grey limestone and shale, holding
numerous fossils, among which are orthoceratites and shells both
imivalve and bivalve, but all too obscurely defined to admit of
correct identification ; the orthoceratites, which are very nu-
merous in all the beds, strongly resemble the Ot'rrwccrastonuijilunk
of Hall, given by that author as a characteristic species
of the Black River formation. These beds occur on the south
west end of the island, and shew a gentle dip to the S. W.

On the west side of Iron Island, beds of red and grey sand-
stone rest unconformably on gneiss and crystalline limestone,
dipping at the north end of the exposure, S. 30^ W. <4^^, and
at the south end S. 75^ W. <3^ to 5^. The lowest beds of
the sandstone are red, with small round green spots occar
sionally dotted over the surface ; the sandstones are coarse-
grained and the beds vaiy in thickness from six inches to two
feet. The upper beds are yellowisli-grey and sometimes
whitish, and occasionally appear to be slightly calcareous;
they are mostly of coarse grain, at times becoming a fine con-
glomerate. Small sub-spherical concretions are common to
the upper beds, and on one occasion an impression resembling
the obscure cast of an orthoceratite was observed on an
exposed surface. Some of the beds are probably well adapted
for grindstones.

The greatest thickness exposed on the beach is from ten to
twelve feet, but the side of the hill facing the west, which

125

18 chiefly of sandstone, some of which may be additional strata.
Large angular masses of fossiliferous limestone are strewed on

from removed apparently no great distance

tl 1 Parent beds ; they probably occupy a portion of

the bottom of the lake. The character of the fossils in those
masses appeared to be of the Chazy age.

Drift.

Stratified clay was found on the banks of the Meganatawan
at several parts, the highest well exposed section being above
the second long rapids, east of Doe Lake. The color of the
cky 18 a brownish-drab; it is very tenacious and gives no
efiirvescence with aci*. The higheet exposure of clot on the
Meganntawon was calculated to be a little upwards of a
thousand feet above the level of the sea.

A fine strongly tenacious clay occurs on the Nahmaniti-
gong, near the mam elbow, where the upward course of the
nver turns to the south; the colour of the clay is chiefly a
pale drab or buff, but bands of reddish clay are intef^tratified

TabTr Associated with the

drab coloured clay are numerous small sub-spherical calca-
reous concretions, which were suspected to be formed round
a nucleus of something organic, but no remains were detected.
The clay enclosing the concretions appeared to be purely
argillaceous, and gave no effervesence with an acid. The sec-
hon was estiniated to be 710 feet above the level of the sea.

T le clays of the intenor are usually overlaid by a deposit of
coarse yellow sand. ^

to be of a slate conglomerate, and they were frequently of very
great size ; m their aspect and general character these have a
very strong resemblance to the slate conglomerate of thrHu!
roman series, from which in all probability, they are derived.

I have the honour to be.

Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

ALEX. MURRAY, '

Jlisutant Provincial Geologist,

REPORT

FOR THE YEAR 1855,

ALEXANDER MURRAY, Esq., ASSISTANT PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST,

ADDRESSED TO

SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN, PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST.

Sir,

WOODSTOCK, 1st March, 1856.

Previous to your departure as one of the snecial

Exhibition of Pans, you were pleased to suggest that I should
again visit certain districts of the western portion of the Pro-
Vince, hitherto only partially examined, to trace out the
b jndanes of the several geological formations, in as minute
detail as circumstances would peimit.

In accordance with this suggestion, after having visited a

•” -eetioi of

an excursion through portions of the Huron and Western
York Professor James Hall, of New

erSblcZnl V; f‘ “ “■» <>“mi"ation,and

highea. of the JcZ

Upon my return from this excursion, I made prepara-
tions for another expedition to Lake Nipissing, in or er to
complete the survey of that lake, commenced the previous
season. Having furnished myself with the necessary sup-
plies at Toronto, I proceeded to Shi-hah-ah-nah-nmg on e
north shore of Lake Huron, where I had already
a party of Indians to meet me. There being no established
mode of conveyance at the time, I was about to cross Lake
Huron to Shi-bah-ah-nah-ning, I was spared much tune and
inconvenience through the kind assistance of the Ilonble. Mr.
Killaly, who directed that the Iroquois yacht, then employed
by Mr. Robinson, the engineer in charge of the construction
of light houses, should be put at my disposal to take me to
my destination, w'hich was done accordingly. ^

The survey-of Lake Nipissing was commenced at its outlet
into the French River, above the Chaudi^re Falls, and
thence carried around the west coast, closely following all the
sinuosities, to the point at the north-west extremity, where the
measurement terminated in 1854; it embraced at the same time
as much as possible within that distance, all the larger islan^
and prominent topographical features which characterize the
borders of the lake. Finally, after ascending a large tribu-
tary of the French River, of which a sketch was taken, the
season’s work was terminated by making a measurement of
the eastern outlet of the French River into Lake Huron.

FOSSILIFEKOOS UOCKS OP WESTERN CANADA.

Trenton Limestone and Utica Slate.

The geological features of the western country, as desenbed
in former Reports, although generally correct, still require a
certain amount of modification, where the detail has not hither-
to been minutely followed out. A section occurs near the
shore of Lake Ontario, about a mile south of the village o
Oshawa, in the township of Whitby, by the road leading to
Oshawa harbour, in which are displayed black bituminous
shales holding Triarthus Bcckii, Orthoceras, and other charac-
teristic fossils of the Utica slates; the dip of the shales is

129

nearly N. <50., and passing below them there are beds of

blue limestone, with the fossils peculiar to the Trenton forma-
tion.

Again, in the quarry recently opened for building material
by the Grand Trunk Railroad contractor, at Bowmanville,
the upper beds of limestone are overlaid by similar black
shales, with the same Utica slate fossils, shewing a strike
between the two places nearly north-east and south-west, with
a north-westerly dip. As the general run of the formations
between Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario is from north-west
to south-east, at nearly a right angle to the strike of the expo-
sures just mentioned, with a contrary dip, it is clear that an
undulation occurs, forming a small synclinal to the north of
these the opposite and southward-dipping side of which is
probably near the elevated ridge, south of Scugog Lake As
frequently remarked in previous Reports, however, the enor-
mous accumulation of drift which here conceals the older
rocks, renders it impossible to follow the outcrops with more
than a fair approximation to the reality,

Hamilton and P ortage and Chemung Groups.

In my Reports of 1848-49, and 1850-51, the black bitumin-
ous shales which were observed at Kettle Point, on Lake
Huron, and at the flour mills, on the Sydenham River, are
described under the head of the Hamilton formation. The
shales in those instances are either altogether destitute of
organic remains, or hold only forms of plants and obscure shells
of species not then described, and being in each case imme-
diately underlaid by beds of limestone, in which Spiri/er
mucronatus and other characteristic fossils of the Hamilton
poup are abundant, it was inferred that the shales belonrrcd
V ++i^ Mr. Hall, however, on seeing the section at

Kettle loint, expressed it as his opinion that the rocks were
the lowest measures of the Portage and Chemung group, and
this opinion was further confirmed by our subsequently finding
a neai y complete section of the Hamilton group on the banks
ot some of the tributaries of the River Sable, (south) shortly

130

afterwards, on the twenty-fifth lot of the third range of Bos-
anquet. On the banks of a small tributary of the Sable, the
following section was measured in ascending order :

feet.

1. A slope or talus over the stream * * * *

2. Grey calcareous shales with Spirifer mucronatus and numerous fossils. . 4

3. Bed of compact encrinal limestone ^

4. Soft shales, thinly laminated next the limestone, filled with fossils, among

which Cystiphyllum cylindricum (Hall’s Rep. 4th Dist. N. Y.) is very
abundant-, the upper part decomposes into a clay, and fossils are

found in the decomposed edges ^0

6. Decomposed shale or clay, not well exposed 80

6. Grey encrinal limestone, weathering into small lenticular fragments,
and holding bivalve shells, corals and encrinites ^

133

At Jones’ mill, on the third lot, south boundary of Bosan-
quet, on the bank of a small tributary of the Sable, another
section is exposed, which in ascending order, is as follows

FEET.

1. Brownish grey-weathering shales, holding Spirifer mucronatus in great

abundance, and a few other bivalves and corals 25

' 2

2. Encrinal limestone

3. Decomposing shalej with *

At Austin’s mill, on the fourth lot of the first range of
Bosanquet, on another small creek, there is a con-esponding
section, where the encrinal limestone which forms the upper-
most layers of the exposed strata, is about five feet thick. Be-
low the encrinal limestone, the shales are characterized as at
the other places by a profusion of Spirifer mucronatiis; and
in the bed of the creek at a level probably about fifty or sixty
feet lower than the upper limestone bed, there is a band of hard
and compact arenaceous limestone, about seven inches thick,
underlaid by black shales holding Atrypa, Lcptana and
Chonetes,

The overlying bituminous shales of the Portage and Chem-
ing group were found at two localities not observed previously;
one in the bed of a stream supposed to be the north branch

131

TbetheVS 7““ ‘'’V^

on the twentieth lot of tlio o Branon s mills,

bed of the eJt hit 'ot ZT^i^r 1“^'';"*'“
instances the si, ales ai e characterised by tphericTcon ‘r'”

With vif.

abundantly among the drift ; and large masses of the

™mt“‘ t ir

irshtetni IJ?; r 7 ‘r™"»

bead of Drift and the fn .1 ?, . «nder the

represented as’ those peculLr to' the Co are

comparison of the Plymptoo foseil, witHmil “
present year however tends to shew that the eDva i ^
ten,ams in the limestone are dtrllot tT “ T

i-u^ takes its argillaceous character fmrri

the rame source, and that the limesl formerly me‘t o„7

but not yet examined, which occurs in Hor„ • 1 .

one of the beds nf 1 . Harwich, belongs to

formatiom »f ‘be HamPton

represented, and that it contains near i s centre ^

probably t.o ont-lying patches efT Irior fell
because it ,t be admitted (which is most probLy the easel th j

‘be Tlmmes In Mora on tbe

132

nf fhP Portacre and Chemung group, the
bituminous shales of th a probably divides the

lower formation P-^rfes through,

shales at Smith’s mills, on y ^f 1850-51,

township mucronatuB, which at the

where the prevailing fossd identical with a

time I wrote that ^^P^’ cLiife^^^

very similar older strata, in consequence

The absence o \ denosits through the western

the great thick,, eea of tad,, ft ^cpota

rcg,on, rca<le,8 , .™y . foneations, judging

outline ot the variou too-ether with others

however from the

previously me„t,oned m ott,« Re^rt ^

eastern outcrop »f ‘ ue bl’eeu Stephen and Hay.

rore"romlt. given in

f S''rCll‘tm'’rherrrear "« mouth of the Thames,

ttugt ^t Titwryand Eaieigh, toward, the Rondeau on

Lake Erie.

Drift-

It was frequently remarked in our progress ‘'■“"S'j
„Lhips hLeen Woodstak and
angular unworn masses of sandstone, unlike in
character to any recognized strata Wo”S,ng » J
re.^ion,and destitute of organic remains, weie ^

"urface of the ground, or deposited
In a few instances, particularly in the neigh amlithus

mwn tf Stratford, some obscure markings re»„,hh,,g
were observed in a rather finely granular
was the only resemblance to anythrng connec
forms perceived in any of the sandstone mass

133

the masses were hard, compact and quartzose, but more fre-
quently granular, sometimes coarsely so, approaching a con-
glomerate, and sometimes they were considerably calcareous.

In some instances these masses are so large as to have led
to the belief that they constituted a part of the solid strata,
and they have been quarried as such for building purposes!
This was particularly the case on the farm of Mr. Alexander
Gardner, on the twenty-third lot of the seventh range of
Goderich, where it was represented to me that there was a
fine quarry of freestone opened and being worked. On exam-
ining the spot indicated, the quarry proved to be an accumu-
ation of large angular masses of a grey calcareous coarse-
grained sandstone, holding rounded pebbles of trap and lime-
Btone, and a few very small ones of red ja.sper. The sandstone
was imbedded m a bank of brownish clay, beneath which a
band of yellow clay was seen to pass, well exposed at the
bottom of a little rivulet immediately below the opening.
The bank containing the masses runs about north-east and
south-west, facing north-west; and the masses themselves
point a little westward of north-west. The size of the largest
masses could not be ascertained, as they were deeply iinbeihled
in the clay ; but the thickness of one stratum was about three
feet, and the edges were exposed along the run of the bank for
some twenty or thirty feet.

Similar masses have frequently been observed at several parts
of the county of Oxford, and, unlike the drifted metamorphic
boulders with which they are associated, they invariably shew
sharp unworn edges, as if transported from no very remote
locality. Whether these sandstone masses are debris of a
higher or lower fonnation than the Comiferous limestone on
which they rest, is very difficult if not impossible to detemiine ;
but the probability seems to be that they are derived either
from the sandstone of the Portage and Chemung group, which
has a wide spread in the State of Michigan, or from the repre-
sentative of the Oriskany sandstone, which is recognizable in
some parts of Canada.

The occurrence of a band of quartzose sandstone between
the gypsiferous rocks and the Comiferous limestone, in the

township of Cayncra, on the Grand River, is mentioned in my
Report for 1S43-44 ; this sandstone, from its position, may be
assumed as corresponding to the Oriskany sandstone of Jsew
York, and it seems highly probable that it is from portions of
the continuation of this band that the masses take their origin.
It is true that the mineral character of the exposure at Ca}mga
is different from that usual in the masses of the drift, but all
the evidence tends to shew that the drift has proceeded from
north-west to south-east, and it is not unreasonable to suppose
that the mineral character of the band may have materially
changed in its course from Lake Erie to Lake Huron, and that
at the latter place it may have given origin to this remarkable
portion of the drift. The close proximity of a portion of the
upper members of the Onandaga salt group at Goderich to the
masses of sandstone upon Gardner’s farm, is likewise in favor
of the assumption that the latter took their origin from the
stratigraphical position indicated, and the fact that a large
portion of the smaller driR over the whole region is the debris
of the gypsiferous rocks, would be a farther support to this
view.

The course of the currents w hich have borne along this drift
appears to be indicated not only by the character of the mate-
rial deposited, as clay, gravel, or boulders, but by the bearing
of the ice-grooves and scratches upon the smooth surface of
the solid rock. The pebbles and boulders of metamorphic
rocks which abound in the gravel and clay deposits, and are
numerously scattered over the surface, are clearly derived
from the Luurentian and Huronian fonnations on the north
shore of Lake Huron ; while the fossils and mineral character
of the limestone pebbles, which constitute the greater part
of the gravel, are as evidently those of the gj'psiferous or
c^miferous limestones. In several parts, \vhere the solid
strata are exposed, and particularly in the vicinity of St. Mary
in the township of Blanchard, on the Thames, the upper
surface of the highest bed of limestone is smoothly polished,
and being stained irregularly with red and yellow, with
occasional lines of w hite, it assumes the appearance in many
parts of variegated marble ; this surface is invariably maiked

■ v

135

etS;™' "»«'"'•«* “”1 -uth-

EIPLO««,OI, OP LAKE N.P.SS.Ka AKO i„k PKEKCH K.VER.

geographical characteristics.

Lake Nipissing.

Above the Chaodibre Pall., the lover p„r,i„o „f i,„ke
NipMing takes a gcacral bearing north-east, with an average
breadth of from one to two miles, till it expands to the eiSt

f “«l'‘ milos into the main

by y„eees„o„ of ong narrow bays, lying f„, tb„ most part
nearly east and xvest and crowds of islands are seattered along
the channels and off the shores. From the most sonthem of
these bays, xyh.eh falls back to the westward for npwanis of
seven rndes, there are two outlets in addition to the one at the
Cbaudiere the xyaters of w hich appear to unite in their eoume
to the southward, and How in a single stream into the French
Kiver, above the liap.de du Pm, falling in a fine cascade of
about twenty feet, close to the junction.

The soutliera shore of the main body of the Lake trends
in general very nearly due east and west, forming in the
last twenty miles of the west end, the south side of a nreat
western arm, which alternately contracts into narrow straits,
in some cases only a few chains wide, and opens again into
wide expanses generally crowded with islands. Jleasurin..
from the north-east end of the southern arm to the extreme
end of the great western bay, the distance is somewhat

hke f ^^treme east end of the
lake to the same place, the total length is a little over

fiftj -three miles, the western extremity reaching lonmtude by

account 8 O 0 30' 54" W. This great western hly was called

Bear Bay, and between it and the north-west arm, where the

8 ur\-ey temiinated in 1854, there are fwn vxH 1 ,

buys, divided by a held r^krmrim “‘.'‘".'"S' "'“‘"'y

due east, with a multitude ef L rrmT''“, "c"'^

islands in continuation of the

strike, stretching far into the lake. In addition to these mam
features the whole coast is deeply indented by a succession of
marshy bays and coves, separated by bold rocky points, and a
number of small streams add their tribute to the waters of the

^^'riie general aspect of the western end of Lake Nipissmg is
bleak and desolate in the extreme. In many parts the coas
is entirely bare and barren, and in no instance does the soil
afford a better quality of forest timber than a scanty grov^h
of red pine. Vast marshes, overgrown with tall leeds or v i
rice, stretch far into the interior, beyond the bays or along the
mouths of the tributaries, affording shelter to i“Ciedib e
numbers of wild fowl. Were drainage practicable, these
marshes might become available as grass land, but bemg
scarcely at any part above the level of the lake, they are not
readily susceptible of artificial improvement.

While the coast presents this wild and desolate appearance,
there are many spots not very remote from it where the charac-
ter of the country is much less forbidding. On the banks of
several of the tributaries of this end, all of which are small how-
ever, and only accessible to canoes for a short distance, there
are good flats of land, in some cases yielding hard-wood mixed
with large-sized white pine ; and spots repeatedly occur between
the rocky ridges which might be rendered available for e
pui-poses of cultivation. About two miles and a-half up a
rtream which fiills in on the south side, near the entrance to
the great west bay, the flats extend over a considerable
area, and many very large trees of white pine were o s®*' ®
on them, together xvith maple, elm and birch. Red pme
abounds wherever there is soil enough to support a growtn
at all ; and in many parts, especially in the vicinity ot the
large western bays, it is of good size, straight, and apparently

Like the coast of the main land, the islands for the most
part, are rocky, ban-en and worthless ; but this is not \Mt on
exceptions. As an example, I observed on this occasion, on
a second visit to Iron Island, that a large proportion ot i ,
especially towards the southern end, has an excellent so ,

yielding a stout growth of maple, basswood, elm and birch,
and provided the surface be not too stony, there can be no
doubt it is capable of being converted into good farm land.
The superior quality of the soil of this island is doubtless due
to the calcareous nature of the rock beneath, and this good
soil, together with the specular iron ore and its associated
fluor-spar, as well as the sandstone and limestone mentioned
in last year s Report, seem to indicate the position as one
worthy of attention when settlement shall at some future
time reach the shores of the lake.

Among the various wild animals which inhabit the country
surrounding the lake, I more especially remarked the presence
of numerous hears and deer. Reindeer were by no means un-
common, while wild fowl of many descriptions flock in myriads,
at certain seasons, to the marshes. The fish of the lake are also
very abundant, of unusually large size and excellent quality :
the vaneties consisting of white fish, maskinong^, pike, bass,
pickerel and sturgeon.

As observed in my Report of last year, the Indians of Lake
Nipissing derive a very considerable profit from the sale of
cranberries, which grow in vast quantities on the numerous
marshes ; but as it is probable that not one-tenth part of the
whole area where the fruit abounds is ever visited by the few
scattered fiimilies inhabiting the country, it appears to me
that the produce might be turned to much greater account,
and become a tolerably good source of recompense to a settle-
ment. I was infoi-med by an Indian that he and his family,
which consisted of his wife and two small children, could
easily gather from four to five barrels of cranberries in a day,
for which they were paid, on delivery at Shi-bah-ah-nah-ning,
at the rate of $5 the barrel ; and that the only difficulty
which they had in making the trade a very profitable one,
was the small amount their canoes were capable of conveying
at a time, together with the shortness of the season previous
to the formation of the ice.

The tributaries which fall into this part of Lake Nipissing,
on the south side and western end, are numerous, but all small,
none of them being navigable for a canoe except for very short

138

distances beyond their lowest rapids. An exception is to be
made of the river at the head of the north-west arm, which
was ascended for several miles.

The longest and most hiipoitant of the tributaries are the
one at the north-west arm, already mentioned ; one tailing mto
the middle west bay ; one which comes in at the northern head
of Bear Bay, and another falling in on the south side, at the
entrance to Bear Bay. The first three of these, as well as all
the minor creeks ot the w^est end, run nearly parallel to each
other, their downw^ard bearing being about L.b.L. ; the last
one, and those on the south side generally, flow in the contrary
direction, from east to west, nearly parallel w ith the shore of
the lake.

A large tributaiy w’as ascended w^hich joins the French
River on the east side, about three-quarters of a mile below
the Chaudiere Falls. It is connected writh the main river by a
nan'ow reach of still water, extending from east to west about
two miles, and into this the stream runs over a set of falls
and rapids, giving a rise to the position of the still w^ater above
them of from twenty to thirty feet. The geneml upward
course of the river from the mouth is a little south of east for
about tw’elve miles, making but slight deviations wnthiii that
distance from a straight line. The river then expands into a
small lake, from w^hich the bearing is nearly south-east,
traversing successively two large lakes, lying obliquely across
the connecting stream. The longitudinal bearing of each of
these lakes is nearly due east and w^est, and the river falls into
the upper one at the north-east end, but reduced to a mere
brook. It proved impassable beyond about a mile up, being
completely obstructed by drift-timber and beav'er w^orks; its
course w-as about X. E.

Above the low^est falls, the valley of the stream is wnde and
marshy, being bounded on either side by rugged rocky land,
overgrowni with pine, hemlock, and other evergreens, and the
river is usually still, w'ide, and deep all the way up to the
lowest of the series of lakes, except in tw'o places w here there
are falls and rapids. The country surrounding the lakes be-
comes more elevated, rising in hills of from 200 to 300 feet

139

MMliWs precipklm ° The TameS'r”t ” T™"
eiegupw^, indicated .g„dual impiove Jet “ he

at hemlock takes an intermediate position between the two’

— rx: SrhiterriT “‘”-

it wHhe. feeheg a.a,ed LlThr^rietr

B^t ^ e white pine’

But notwithstanding that the soil is evidently of better quLtv

:: trnfr ^

s:; r ■

Sou/h Channel of the Frmch Ricer.

Fen““T “'X'™ Grand Bccollet

all, in the north cliauiiel, the French River expands into a

broad area of still wanir, where nnmeron, large iZd'
intercept the view, and form a set of narrow conipliiiJS

the Tnfcard xf ”‘i>“ “

e southward. The most (Eastern of these channels which

Rctolfe't Tnd “"ft “’"T''’ “ O™"-!

miles n,;„tio„et'Ja iT^fr'cr

Grand Reeollet, it toms ‘ah^nl the^tr

flow, .doggiau , i,i .ha, direction, almost ii^itl lamt
VMth the noith channel, for a little over thirt ^ ‘

when making a slif^ht bend to fl 7 T
rejoins the main river a litl Tl

T]*rb -i. 1 ^ Aittle above the middle outlet

fliied with iimrr^v;:;l^ltu7tz,tr5

140

of small contracted rapids, at the head of a long narrow bay,
in lat. 450 66' 56" N., and long. 80® 46' 20" W. nearly.

The south channel of the French River, m most of its
characteristics, is a perfect countciTart of the north channel.
Bounded on either side by lofty and precipitous rockj 111 gen-
eral but sparingly clad with small evergreens and bushes, there
is little available land near the banks, while for some distance
back the country is arranged in broken rocky parallel iidges,
with narrow valleys between. Within these valleys there are
occasional spots of good hard-wood, usually mixed wdh pme ;
and to such spots, where the maple is sufficiently abundant,

the Indians resort in the spring to make sugar.

Only two streams of any importance fall into the south
channel, one joining from the eastward, ^ ^

the falls at the upper end, and another flowing from the south,
which joins the channel about a mile and a-half furthei dox^n.
The first of these appears to be a large river, and I was
informed by an Indian that a canoe route by it
leading to the waters of the Meganatawan River The ot er
stream is also navigable for canoes

where it flows through a great marsh, bounded on either
hand by low rocky hills. But I should suppose, judging from
its size near the mouth, that it must shriuk into an insigni -
cant brook where it first becomes rapid.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ROCKS.

Laureiitian Scries.

With the exception of the small outlying patches of Lower
Silurian strata, indicated in last year’s Report as occunng on
the Manitou Islands, and on Iron Island in Lake Nipissing,
whole region, as far as I have hitherto explored, is occupied
by the Laureiitian formation, consisting of red and grey gneiss,
micaceous and hornblendic schists, quartzite, and crjsta me
limestone, the latter portion of the senes having been 0 sen e
at two localities only, namely in Iron Island near the middle
of Lake Nipissing, and in the islands in the east bay, a

141

the extreme eastern end of the same lake. The strata are
everywhere more or less contorted, in many places exhibiting
sharp and complicated corrugations in the cliffs and precipices,

and they are intersected by quartzo-feldspathic and quartz
veins.

In their general arrangement throughout the country exam-
ined, the rocks appear to form a series of ridges, ranging
N. E. and S. W., and usually inclining to the south-east ;
but at many parts around the outlets of Lake Nipissing
the stiatification is horizontal, and on the islands and promon-
tories at the western end of the lake, the strike seems to turn
about W.N.W. and E.S.E., with a N.N.E dip. The attitude
and position of the crystalline limestone with its associated
iron ore, and other minerals, on Iron Island, seem also to indi-
cate a fold in the strata, in correspondence with this change in
the general run, but the calcareous exposures on the lake are
too small and too far apart to lead to any definite conclusion
as to the general distribution of the rock.

The gneiss, in the western part of Lake Nipissing, both on
the south and on the north side, but particularly on the latter,
is for the most part red or of a reddish-grey, and is frequently
characterised by patches and crystals of magnetic iron ore,
which occurs also in the intersecting feldspathic veins. Small
pink garnets occasionally characterise the micaceous and horn-
blendic slates which are extensively developed on the channels
of the French River, but were rarely met with on Lake Nipis-
sing. The quartzo-feldspathic veins, although all composed of
the same constituent minerals, vary a good deal in certain other
respects, some being very coarse, with large tabular crystals
of red feldspar, while others are very fine in the grain, and
very compact; it was observed that the fine-grained veins,
in most cases, cut the coarser ones, and that both were
frequently intersected by veins of white quartz.

At the Grand Recollet Fall, in the north channel of the
French River, and in the south channel, about two miles
south-east from them, the rock is of a brick-red color, without
any distinguishable lines or layers of stratification ; it was sup-
posed to be an intrusive syenite, and with a general breadth

of from one to two miles, its course appeared to be N. N. W.
and S. S. E * The dip of the gneiss, which below the Grand
Recollet Fall points generally to the south-eastward, changes
above the fall, and becomes south-westerly ; but higher up
the river, above the junction of the several channels, notwith-
standing the numerous folds and twists which the rocks
present, the general strike of the ridges is resumed, and the
prevalent dip is to the south-east.

The curious and complicated distribution of land and
water on the French River and the western end of I.ake
Nipissing, as represented on the topographical plan accom-
panying this Report, is probably attributable in some measure
to these and other similar facts of physical structure, and
may atlord an approximate index to the general geological
an-angement, which may be ascertained when the relations of
the several parts of the fonnation are more fully investigated
and better understood. In the meantime, with the exception
of the calcareous portion, which is but sparingly developed
in this region, the different parts of the formation are so much
alike in mineral character and condition, that it is very diffi-
cult to recognize any two exposures as equivalent to one
another, if they are at all remotely apart.

Although magnetic iron ore is abundantly disseminated in
patches and crystals through the gneissoid rocks of Lake

• This brick-rcd rock and that mentioned by Mr. Murray in his Report for
1853 as found on the Muskoka and Retewahweh, particularly on the latter,
from Cedar Lake downwards, appear to resemble some of the harder kinds of
the lalerile rock of the East Indies. Large areas in several parts are there
occupied by what has been called the Laterite formation, and from the various
aspects it assumes, always however preserving its peculiar red color, its origin
and true character have been among Indian geologists a subject of great dis-
cussion ; probably one name has been given to several different things. In a
paper communicated in 1838 to the Madras Journal of Science by Dr. Clark,
Stalf-Surgeon 1st class, now acting P. M. 0. in Canada, a description of the
laterite is given, and the conclusion arrived at appears to be that it is, or
results from a decomposed syenite or hornblendic gneiss, the peroxydation ot
the iron of the hornblende giving the brick-red color. The Canadian roc
seems to be a syenite in an incipient state of decomposition, but whether
color is due to the decomposition of hornblende or iron pyrites, is a question
which would require investigation.

.55

143

^ipissing, I have nowhere seen if in « i
around the lake or on the French Riv ^

year’s Rc^^rt ’ - last

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

alexandp:r Murray,

•Assistant Provincial Geologist.

tf ' 9 '

FOR THE YEAR 1835, '

ALEXANDER MURRAY, Esq., ASSISTANT PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST,

ADDRESSED TO

SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN, PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST.

Sir,

MONTREAL, 1 < March, 1S57.

In pursuance of the directions you were pleased to
give me at Toionto, last spring, I have been employed dui ing
the past summer and autumn in making further explorations
of the region north of Lake Huron.

Commencing at the Hudson’s Hay Company’s post, on the
urgeon River of Lake Nipissing, I scaled the Sturgeon River
for about fifty-two miles; then leaving the main stream I
course of the Maskanongi, for about thirty
miles farther, passing through a succession of lakes to a point
a le southern end of one called Matagamashing, where the
waters of the Sturgeon River are divided from those of another
large south-flowing stream, tributary to the French River,
called the Wahnapitae or \Vahnai>itaepiiig. Cimsing the
wa cr s le , I then explored a large lake known as Wahnapi-
aepmg ake, and continued the measurement on the stream
flowing from it, to its junction with the French River, and
thence down the middle outlets of the French River to Lake
Huron, m all a distance of about eighty miles. A measuremeul

146

was also effected of a northerly channel of the French River,
hitherto only frequented by the Indians, which leaving the
main body of the stream, at the lake above the Rapide duPin,
rejoins it at the lake above the Grand Recollet Fall.

Another measurement was likewise made from the Wah-
napitae River, along an Indian travelled route, by the waters
of the White-fish River to White-fish Lake, the latter being
the head water of one of the branches of the Spanish River.
Finally the chain of lakes which constitute the waters of
White-fish River was followed to its junction with Lake Huron,
near the Wallace Mine location.

In proceeding from Collingwood to enter upon this work,

I should, in consequence of an accident which had happened
to the only steamer on the route, have been subject to much
delay and inconvenience, but for the timely assistance of Mr.
A. P. Salter, P.L.S., whom I am desirous of taking this oppor-
tunity to thank for the conveyance of myself and assistant Mr.
Brown, together with my supplies for the season, to Shibah-
ahnahning, where a party of Indians were waiting my arrival.

Mr. Salter, at the time I met him, was on his way to Lake
Nipissing, from the vicinity of which lake he had instructions
from the Crown Land Department to run a true west line, as a
basis for future settlements ; the measurements on which line
made subsequently, and crossed by me at various parts dui’ing
the season, have rendered me good service as checks upon my
own work ; and I have still farther to acknowledge Mr. Salter’s
aid in kindly furnishing me with a copy of a sketch he had
previously made of the White-fish branch of the Spanish River.

The whole of the ground measured by myself, together with
such portions of Mr. Salter’s base and meridian lines as were
visited, and his sketch of the White-fish branch of the Spanish
River, I have plotted on a scale of one inch to a mile ; and I
am pleased to have it in my power to state that the various
checks employed, by latitude repeatedly calculated, by Mr.
Salter’s measurement, and finally by the longitudinal position
of the mouth of the White-fish River, as represented on Bay-
field’s charts, all tend to prove the work as tolerably accurate.
I now beg to submit the plan which I have drawm of the same,
together with this Report, for your approval.

147

geographical description.

Sturgeon River and Maskanongi Branch.

The Hudson Bay Company’s post, on the Sturgeon River
where the sui-vey commenced, is situated in latitude, by obser
vation, 46® 20 22 N., and longitude, by account, 80“ 1' W
Following the course of the stream upwards, its general bearina
IS north-easterly for about nine and a-half miles, in a straight
line, but the distance amounts to twelve miles and seventy
chains, following the sinuosities of the stream. This is to the
mouth of a tributary falling from the eastward, generally
known as Smoke River; near this imint the main river makes
a sudden bend, and points north-westerly, making a general
course in that direction for a straight distance of about twenty-
eight miles and a-half, or along the surface of the river and
inckidmg Its bends, a distance of thirty-six miles and a-quarter.

ithin this last distance the river is joined by two larce
tnbutanes, one called the Tomikamico, about five miles and
a-half above the Smoke River, which flows from the north-
eastward; the other, the Temagamang branch, about seven-
teen miles higher up ; it flows lioni Lake Temagamang, a large
sheet of water lying to the westward of Lake Temiskanianl
At the end of the last distance the stream bends to a general
course about north by east, and reaches the junction of the
Maskanongi branch a little within three miles.

hollowing the Maskanongi from the junction, the general
course o the stream, which is small and very rapid at the
mouth, IS about N. W. by N. for two miles and three-quarters •
above this it opens into a small lake, the lowest of a long
chain of lakes, connected with each other by short raiiid
streams extending the remainder of the distance; these waters
were followed. The lakes, in succeeding each other, make
first a general upward course of south-west for five miles, then

they a |„„g

of wa kaowr. by t ,« lajiana asllaakanongi-wagami,;!.; and
a anml er one beyond, wbicli rcacbea Ibe latitude 4Go tv IS"
N., and longitude, by account, 80“ 32' 0" W. From this point

this valley of lakes again turns southerly, first bearing W. by S.
about three miles and reaching Matagamashing Lake, which
turns S. S. W. for about six miles, and is joined by a long nar-
row arm from the N.N. W., at the head of which the stieam
comes in small and rapid, and does not appear to be farther
navigable. The main body of Matagamashing Lake, below the
junction of the north-east aud north-west arms, lies nearly due
north and south, reaching three miles to the latitude 4G® 44'
13" N., at its extreme southerly end.

Tile Sturgeon River is in general easily navigated as far as
it was ascended, although the current is strong nearly the
whole way ; there are three falls and two rapids below the
Smoke River which require to be portaged, ascending the
stream ; but the rapids can be run in the descent. Above
Smoke River about a mile, is Smoke Fall, a fine chute of
twenty-nine feet, above which there is no farther impediment
to the navigation than the strength of the current until [lassing
about three miles beyond the Temagamang branch, where a set
of rapids occur which are generally portaged. Above this
there are three other sets of rapids below the Maskanongi
branch, all requiring to be portaged on the ascent, but capable
of being run under ordinary circumstances in the descent.

At the outlet, the Maskanongi is very rapid, and the streams
connecting the lakes are so likewise ; and they are frequently
broken by falls, where portaging is required. The whole
ascent on its waters, together with the rise on the Sturgeon
River amounts to 285-20 feet above the ordinary level of Lake
Nipissing, or 932*20 feet above the sea, as will be seen by
the following tabular arrangement.

heads of the Sturgeon River and its tributarij, tJie Maskanmgi,
above the Sea.

Distance.

Miles.

L€Tcl of the Sturgeon River at
its junction with Lake Ni-
pissing above the sea

Rise in the river, from its
mouth along the course of
the stream to H.B.C.s post,
estimated at 0*50 ft. p. mile

Total Height above
Rise. Dist. the Sea.
Feet. Miles. Feet.

647 Lake Nipissing.

1-60

0-80

149

y.. Total Height above

Distance. Rhe. Diet. the sea.

Rise in current from H. B. C’s
post, to foot of a fall near
Salter’s base line, 0 50 ft.

per mile 2*90 1*45

from smooth water below

to smooth water above the

0 04 5-20

in current across the pool

above the fall 0 10 0 06

in fall from smooth water

at the foot to smooth water

at the head 0 1 2 26 00

in current above the fall,

which is pretty strong, and
was estimated at the rate

of 0*80 ft. per mile 5 93

in fall from smooth water

below to smooth water

0 06 16-50

in current (strong) 0*80 ft.

2-10 1.68

in two rapids, including

the current between, from
smooth water below to

smooth water above o-50 6 10

in current up to the mouth

of the Smoke River, esti-

mated at 0-80 ft. per mile MO 0-88 14-48 710-44 Smoke Kivct.

in current up to smooth
water below Smoke Fall,
estimated at 0-80 foot per

“‘*® 0-75 0-CO

in Smoke Fall, from

smooth water below to
smooth water above the

0-26 29-30

in current above the fall

estimated at the rate of

0-80 foot per mile o -50 0-40

in rapid from smooth wa-
ter below to smooth water

0-10 0-80

in current to the mouth of

the Tomikamico, at 0-80

footpermile 4-82 3.80 20-91 745-49 Tomikamico.

Distance,

Miles.

Rise in current, to the junction
of theTemagamang branch,
the water rapid, estimated

at 1*00 foot per mile 17*06

in current above the Te-

magamang (very fast) esti-
mated at rOO foot per mile 3*25
in rapid from smooth wa-
ter below to smooth water

above 0*12

in current (very fast) esti-
mated at 1*00 foot per mile 3*72
in rapid, from smooth wa-
ter below to smooth water

above 0*18

in current estimated at

roO foot per mile 0*80

in rapid from smooth wa-
ter below to smooth water

above 0*24

in current (very fast) esti-
mated at 1*00 foot per mile 0*36

in rapid from smooth wa-
ter below to smooth water

above 0*12

in current (very fast) esti-
mated at 1.00 foot per mile 1*22
in rapid, from smooth wa-
ter below to smooth water

above, 0*30

in current, estimated at

rOO foot per mile, 2*60

in rapid, from smooth

water below to smooth

water above, 0*34

in current, to junction of

the Maskanongi River,

very fiist, 126

in a succession of rapids,

from smooth water below
to smooth water above, on

the Maskanongi, 0*24

in current, estimated at

0*80 foot per mile 1‘27

Total
Rise. Dist.
Feet. Miles.

17*06 37*97

3*25

3*63

3*72

4*58

0*80

616

0*36

4*35

1*22

7*91

2*60

5*87

2*25 52*48

15*56

neighi above
the Sea.
Feet.

762*46 Temagamang.

809*15 Maskanongi.

1*02

151

smooth

Rise in rapid, from
water below to
water above,. . . .

■ ia current, estimated at

0- 80 foot per mile,

“ in fall and rapids, from

smooth water below to
smooth water above,

• in current, estimated at

1- 50 ft. per mile, very fast,

* in first lake, estimated at

0-20 foot per mile,

in rapid between first &
second small lakes

“ in sec d lake to connecting
stream, 0*20 foot per mile,
in current in narrow.s, join-
ing second and third lakes,

“ in third lake, to junction
of stream above 0*20 foot

per mile

in a succession of falls

and rapids on connecting
stream, from smooth water
below to sm’th water above
in fourth lake, estimated

at O-IO foot per mile,

• in current and fall on con-

necting stream, between
fourth lake and Maska-

nongi Lake,

•" ^iaskanongi-wagaming
Lake, from foot to head,
estimated atO lO foot per
mile,

in current in stream above

lake, estimated at 0*50 ft.

per mile,

in rapid, from smooth
water below to smooth

water above,

in current from rapid to

opening of small lake, es-
mated at 0*50 ft. per mile,

• in sixth lake, estimated at

0*10 foot per mile,

Distance,

Miles.

Rise.

Feet.

Dint.

Miles.

0*03

0*80

1*45

1*16

0*06

10*31

0*10

0*15

0*50

0*10

56-13

0*10

1*00

OYY

0*15

57-00

0*10

2*60

0*52

59-70

Total Height above

010 HOY

5*85

0*05

6-YO

0*34

0*10

0-59 65-65 851-68 Fourth lake.

10-63

0-67 72-40 862-98 Mnskanongi-

wagaming.

0-17

0-10 10-06

0-05

0-45 0-05 73-39 873 31 Sixth lake.

Distance.

Miles.

Rise in rapid between small

lakes on connect’g stream 0-08

— in seventh lake, to junc-
tion of connecting stream, 1'75

in rapid, on connect’g str’m

between small lakes, 0*16

— in eighth lake, to junction
of connecting stream, O’lO

foot per mile, 0*38

— - in rapid, on connecting
stream, from smooth water
below to smooth water

above, 0*20

in ninth lake, to stream

at foot of rapids, 0*10 foot

per mile, 0*50

in fall and rapids, from

smooth water below to
smooth water above, on
connecting stream, 0*15

— in current, on stream
above fall, which is very
fast for most part of the
way, to the foot of a fall,
estimated at 2*00 feet per

mile, 0*16

in fall, from smooth water

below to smooth water
above, to the level of the
lower end of Matagamash-

ing Lake, 0*02

in Matagamashing Lake,

to the centre part of the
lake, where the north-
west and north east arms
of the lake unite, estimated
at 0*10 foot per mile, ... . T OO

Total Height above
Rise. Dist. the Sea.

Feet. Miles. Feet.

1*80

0*16 T5-22 8T5-2T Seventh lake.

2T02

0*04 15*16 902*33 Eighth lake.

5*00

0*05 16*46 901*38 Ninth lake.

19.30

0*32

4*50

0 13 83*19 932*20 Matagamashing

In the valley of the Sturgeon River, below the Temaga-
*mang branch, there are many parts susceptible of improve-
ments, especially on the flats near the river, which are
occasionally wide and extensive.

At the mouth of the river, below the Hudson’s Bay post,
tliere is a wide tract ofjrairic, yielding a rank growth of wild

153

grass, interspersed liere and there with clumps of low trees
and bushes, where the cattle belonging to the Company,
which have become numerous, range at pleasure, and amply
testify by their admirable condition to the capabilities of the
soil from which they derive their subsistance. Partially sur-
rounding this prairie tract, along the margin of the lake, there
is an extensive marsh, already become somewhat celebrated

for the quantity and quality of the cranberries it annually
supplies.

On the east side of the river, opposite the fludson’s Bay
Company s post, and on both sides above, until nearly reacbing
tbe basin below the lowest fall, the soil appears to be of good
quality, giving a mixture of hard-wood and evergreens, among
the latter of which there is some good white pine. Small
portions of this land have already been partially cultivated by
the Indians and servants of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and
the crops resulting from such cultivation, particularly in
potatoes, have generally proved very productive. There are
many spots also, of equally good quality, above the falls,
although portions are rocky and barren ; but after making the
ascent to the Smoke Fall, the meanders of the river pass
through a tolerably level country, where tbe banks exhibit
sections of drab-coloured clay, overlaid with sand, most of the
way, as far up as the Temagainang. The soil on these flats
is chiefly a sandy loam, bearing in many instances large-sized
yellow birch, elm, maple and white pine.

Above the Temagamang, the country becomes more broken
than it is below, and the flats are less extensive, and before
reaching the Maskaiiongi it becomes for the greater part
poor and rocky. "W hite and red pine, tamarack, and a species
of fii, which I was informed by Hr. Salter is recognised as the
American cypress, constitute the greater part of the indige-
nous growth. The first three are frequently large and
probably good timber, but tbe last, which never attains a
very large size, is usually stunted in appearance, and inva-
riably indicates a very barren soil.

Rising the valley of the Maskanongi, the country assumes
a mountainous character, with abrupt and precipitous hills

154

on either hand, varying in elevation from 200 to 300 feet,
until reaching Maskanongi-wagaming, where the highest
elevation, according to my measurement, was 489 feet.
Farther up the valley, to the north of Matagauiashing, near
the sources of the Maskanongi, the hills are still more lofty,
and are nearly destitute of timber, rising apparently to the
height of from 600 to 700 feet above the level of Matagama-
shing.

There are but very few spots on the Maskanongi that can
be fairly represented as possessing capabilities worthy of
much attention for the purposes of agriculture. Portions of
the lower part of the valley produce abundance of good sized
pine, especially of the red variety ; but the upper part, par-
ticularly the country surrounding the two largest lakes —
Maskanongi-wagaming and Matagauiashing — is almost entirely
a continuous succession of barren ridges of rock, where the
gi'eatest proportion of the few and scattered forest trees con-
sist of dwarfish red pine and cypress.

North Channel of the French River.

Tlie western outlets from Lake Nipissing, of which men-
tion was made in last year’s Report, meet in their downward
course, and fall in a fine cascade into the northern bay of the
lake, or expansion above the Rapide du Pin. From the
centre part of this expansion, about one mile south from the
fall, the course down the north channel is very nearly due
west, lor about iiineteeii miles ; and, excepting about two
and a-half miles at the lower end of that course, where it
turns a little more northerly, the whole of that distance is very
nearly a straight line. The course then turns due south, the
channel opening out into a succession of lakes, and at the end
of about six miles, joins the middle or old-travelled channel,
about two and a-half miles above the Grand Recollet Fall.

The navigation of the northern channel is interrupted by four
rapids and one fall, but portaging becomes necessary only at
two places, the one being at the most violent part of the
uppermost rapid, about seven and a-half miles below the
lake which is above the Rapide du Pin ; the other at the fall
which joins the lower two lakes.

155

The estimated fall in these rapid parts of the channel is as
lollows : —

The upper rapids, called on the map the Three Rapids,

The 2d rapid, about three-quarters of a mile below the upper rapids* ' . * ' * l OO
The 3d rapid, a little below the part where the channel takes the north-
ward bend on its western course, two and three-quarter miles from
the south bearing lakes,

The 4th rapid, half-a-mile below the 3d, 2’50

The fall which empties the lake above the Grand Recollet Fall, lo oo

20-50

An island divides the channel at the junction with the lower
lakes, at the north-west end of which the waters fall perpen-
dicularly nearly the whole ten feet, while at the south-east
end, tlie same descent is made in long and violent rapids.

Immediately north from the part where the channel leaves
the lake above the Rapide du Pin, a nan-ow arm or bay
joins, extending W. N. W. about three and a-half miles, with
an average breadth of about a-quarter of a mile, at the head
of which a stream falls in. The stream is small and narrow
at the entrance, but opens out in still or slow flowing water
a few chains up, and is navigable for from four to five miles,
keeping a straight course about N.W.

Ill Its general characteristics, the north channel differs in
no way materially from other parts of the French River, as
described in former Reports. The country along its banks is
for «ie most part rocky and barren, the shores bold and
precipitous, but nowhere rising to such an elevation as to be
termed mountainous. At the head of some of the bays, and
on the lakes at the northern end, there are occasional patches
of good land, where the surface is tolerably level, and hard-
wood timber, mixed with large-sized pine, is the principal
growth ; but these do not appear to be of any great extent
anywhere in the immediate vicinity of the river.

fVaknapitae River and Muldle Outlet of French River.

T wo outlets of the French River join Lake Huron within
about two miles of each other, directly north of the cluster
called the Bustard Islands, the western one being about five

156

miles oast from the entrance to the channel usually travelled,
of which a description was given in my Report for 1847.
Following the more western of the two channels, the course
up is about N.N.E. for a little more than two miles, when the
stream becomes rapid, and turns abruptly to a bearing north of
east. At about a nide and three-quarters from the turn the two
channels unite, the eastern one bearing down towards Lake
Huron, exactly parallel with the lower part of the western.

From the junction, while the upward beanng of the east-
ward outlet is ill the same line, but in an opposite direction
to the downward, the channel that connects the western and
eastern outlets crosses the latter and continues straight to a
parallel depression, over a mile distant. This third depression
presents a long narrow sheet of water, turning southward
towards Lake Huron, but terminating in a bay without
reaching it, while its upward course, like that of the depres-
sion of the eastern outlet, carries us to the main travelled
channel of the river in about three miles.

The eastern of the two outlets joins Lake Huron over a
strong rapid, where the water is pent up for a considerable
distance, within a narrow gorge of bold precipitous cliffs; but
immediately above the rapid, it opens out into a small round-
shaped lake, and continues to present perfectly smooth water,
with a scarcely perceptible current up to the junction of the
main river, expanding as it approaches the main channel, and
widening on the other side of it into a small lake, which
with a few degrees more of easting in its bearing, has a length
of about two miles and a-half, with an average breadth of
three-quarters of a mile.

At the north-i'art angle of the lake, a large channel comes
in, which is said to connect with the main river, about half
way between the lower part of the lake and the Grand
Recollet Fall ; and at the north-west angle another channel
comes in from the westward, which is one of the mouths of
the Wahnapitae River.

Ascending this outlet of the Wahnapitee for a mile west and
then a mile north-west, we reach the point where the river
splits into two; the other branch running south-west for about

I T

157

four miles joins the main travelled channel of the French

taking a westward direction; but wliere this is discharged into
ake Huron, and whether there are any other outletf to the
westward for this very complicated distribution of waters, as
I was informed by some of the Indians that were with me
would require some farther investigation.

From the point where the Walinapitae separates into two
c laiine s, a true meridian line, or a bearing about N. 4° E.
by compass, will in twenty-two miles and a-lialf strike Mr.’
Salters base me where it crosses the river; and tlience a
course K 40 \\ for six and a-quarter miles farther, will reach
the route where we struck oft’ from the Walinapitae for the
White-hsh River. Rut although the general bearing is thus
far nearly due north, the river makes several extensive sweeps
on eithcT side of that line within the distance, and measures
along Its surface thirty-one miles and fifty-eight chains to
Salter s base line, and thirty-eight miles and twenty-two
c nuns to the White-fish River route. From the White-fish
River route two more general courses on the Wahiiaiiitae, the
rst north-east twelve miles, and the second north nine miles,
reach the large lake called Wahnapitaei.ing, and although there
are several minor turns within these two courses, the whole
nnasured distance along the surface, from the same starting
p ace, IS only about two miles in excess, being twenty-three
mih.s, or sixty-four miles and fifty-six chains from the mouth.

loin the outlet at Wuhriapitaeping, a line eight and a-half
miles 111 a north-west bearing crosses the lake and strikes the
coiitimuition of the main river, the upward course of winch is
about N.N.E. for a little over a mile ; but beyond that distance
It bends more north-easterly, and becomes very tortuous.
After bearing north-easterly about two miles in a general
course, the valley turns gradually round towards the north-
west, and continues in a north-westerly bearing as far as the
stream was followed.

The navigation of the Walinapitae up to Wahiiapitaeping
Lake is attended with considerable difficulty, being frequently
interrupted by falls and long violent rapids, the current of the
whole stream at the same time being very strong, especially

}

above the White-fish River route. A current becomes per-
ceptible upon entering the eastern mouth of the stream, im-
mediately after leaving the French River bay, and at one
place, a little over half-a-mile up the channel, there is a rapid,
giving a fall of about a foot and a-half. Above the bifurcation
of the river, there are fourteen falls, and one jam of drift-wood,
where portages are necessary, both ascending and descending,
and there are several rapids besides, which require to be por-
taged when ascending the river, although they can mostly be
run when proceeding downw’ard.

The tributaries of the Wahnapitae are all small, two only
being navigable for any considerable distance, and conse-
quently there is but a small appreciable difference in the
volume of the water from the junction with the French River
to Lake \Vahnapitaeping. One of the two tributaries flows
from the nortii-westward, and joins the main river on its right
side, about half-way between the mouth and Salter’s base line;
the other flows from the south-east, and joins on the left side,
about two miles above the base line.

Levels of the Wahnapitae River above the Sea.

Dis- Total lit. above

tance. Rise. Hist, the Sea.
Miles. Feet. Miles. Feet.

Level of Lake Huron,

Rise on the French River to the
junction at the bay below the
mouth of the Wahnapitae, ....

ill the smooth water of the bay,

estimated at 0-20 foot per mile,

in the western outlet of the

river, up to smooth water be-
low the lowest rapid, estimat-
ed at the rate of 0*80 foot per

mile,

in rapid on the outlet half way

;

in current, to the bifurca-
tion of the river, estimated at

0*50 foot per mile,

to still water below a fall,
estimated at 0*80 foot per mile,
a fast current,

578 00 Lake Huron.

8*80

2-60 0*52 2-60 587 32 Mouth of Wa-

napitae.

1-50 1-20

0 06 1*50

0- 74 0*37 4*90 590 39 Bifurcation.

1- 45

116

Dis-

tance.

Miles.

Rise in fall, from smooth water
below to smooth water above,.

in fast current to foot of fall,

estimated at 100 foot per mile,'
in fall, from smooth water be-
low to smooth water above,. . .
m fast current, estimated at

1*00 foot per mile, 2*48

in rapid below a whirlpool,

from smooth water below to

smooth water above, o *02

m current along stream, below

from smooth water below

whirlpool to smooth water

above a rapid, q.jq

in current, estimated at 100

foot per mile,

0-20

in strong current, the whole
distance estimated at the rate

of 100 foot per mile, 4.50

J“fall, ;

in current, estimated at 1*00
foot per mile, 1 . 9 .,

— . 006

in current, estimated at 1*00

foot per mile, 2-96

0-10

m fast current, to the junction

of a branch falling in on west
side, estimated at 100 foot

4-64

in current to Beaver Marsh
Brook, estimated at 100 foot

4-54

in falls and rapids, including

the current below each, from
smooth water below to smooth
water above, viz.;

Falls and rapids, 8 00

F alls and rapids, 6 00

Rise.

Feet.

3-50

0*65

300

4*56

700

1- 27
0*80

2- 96
7-00

Total

Dist.

Miles.

fff. above
the Sea.
Feet.

0-06 1000

1*16 116

0 02 10 00

1-48

0*60

018

4-64 23-85 650 35 Tribntaiy.

4-54 28-39

664*89 Beaver Marsh
Brook.

• in current, estimated at 100
foot per mile,

0*50 17*50

0*20

160

1-27 1-27 36-63

0-50

0-01

0-50

7-50

Rise in rapid,

ia current, estimated at 1*00

foot per mile,

in rapid,

in current estimated at 100 ft.

per mile,

in fall, including rapid below,

in current between falls, esti-
mated at 1-00 foot per mile,. . .

in falls and rapids,

in current, estimated at I'OO

foot per mile,

in rapid,

— — in current, estimated at 1*00

foot per mile,

in fall,

in current, up to the crossing

of Salter’s base line, estimated

at 1*00 foot per mile

in current, estimated at 1*00

foot per mile,

in fall, at lat. 46® 22' 8 ',....

in current above the fall up

to tributary at camp of 20th
September, estimated at 1*00

foot per mile,

in current, estimated at 1*00

foot per mile,

in rapid, • • •

in current, estimated at 1*00

foot per mile, up to the creek,
on the route to White-fish

River,

in current, very fast, estimated

at 1*50 ft per mile,

in rapid,

in current, very fast, estimated

at 1*50 ft per mile,

in falls and rapids, 0*26 60*00

in current, estimated at 1*50

ft per mile,

in rapid, 2*00

in current, estimated at 1*50

ft per mile,

in fall,

Dis-

Total

nt. above

tance.

Rise. Dist.

the Sea,

Miles.

Feet. Miles.

Feet.

0*02

0*50

1*11

0*06

1*50

0*40

0*10

35*00

0*55

0.06

37*00

1-74

1*74

0.02

0*50

2*17

0*04

7*00

761*33 Salter’s
line.

base

1-50 1*50 38*64 770*83 Tributary.

2*24

0*04

2*24

1*50

3*26 3*26 44*18

777*83 Route to White-
fish River.

1-70

0*10

2*55

5*00

0*60 0*90

0*34 0*51

0*02 10*00

161

■Om- Total m. above

lance. Sine. Diet, the Sea.

r>* • Miles. Feet. Miles FnAt

Rise in current, estimated at 1-50 ^

0-58 0-87

■ in strong rapid, 0-16 6*00

in current to foot of fall, esti-
mated at 1*50 ft per mile, o*87 1-30

in fall, Q.Qj

in current across pool between

falls, estimated at 1*50 ft. per

0-21 0-32

0 01 8-00

in current, estimated at 1*50

ft per mile, 2*60 3*90

0-01 6*00

* in current, very strong, esti-

mated at 200 feet per mile, .. . 0*31 0*62

in rapid, q.q 5 2*00

in very strong current, esti-
mated at 2*00 feet per mile, . . 6*00 10*00

in rapid, q.j 2 7-00

in current, very strong, esti-
mated at 2*00 feet per mile, ... l *30 2*60

in rapid, Q .23 q.qq

” in current above rapid, where
the river is wider, estimaied

at 0*80 foot per mile, 2*75 2*20

in rapid to outlet of Wahna-

0-14 5 00 CMS 937-85 Wahnapitac-

ping.

Between Lake Huron and the head of the bay north of th^
mam channel, the country is bold, rocky and barren, like mos
2^ French River; but on the eastern outlet o

t e Wahnapitae, towards the bifurcation, there is some tolera-
by good flat land, bearing hard-wood mixed with evergreens,
The valley of the Wahnapitae south of the White-fish River
route contains many considerable tracts of flat land, much of
which appears to be of good quality, bearing hard-wood and
large white pine in abundance ; but a great proportion of the
flats are low, wet and swampy ; and this is particularly the
case where the nver makes a long westerly sweep about half-
way between the mouth and Salter’s base line.

There are likewise portions of the valley above the White-
fish River route where the land is of tolerably good quality , but
the flats at that part of the river are less extensive, and the
general character becornes much more rugged and broken
than it is farther down.

Wahnapitaeping Lake is a fine sheet of water, surrounded
by picturesque hills and studded with numerous islands. On
the north side it assumes a semi-elliptical form, the regularity
of which is broken by a projecting delta running out into low
flats at the junction of the river. On the south side a bold
rounded promontory separates two long narrow bays lying
directly north and south, the river flowing out of the southern
extremity of the eastern one. The shores on the east and
west sides are less symmetrical than on the north and south,
being indented by numerous coves and long narrow bays.
The greatest breadth of the lake from north to south is a little
less than nine miles, and the extreme breadth from east to west
is rather over ten miles, including a deep bay on each side.
The whole area of the surface contains from forty to fifty
square miles.

The river above the lake after leaving the flats at the mouth,
meanders through a great sandy plain, clad almost exclusively
with red pine. It sweeps round the base of a great mountain
which rises to the westward of it, till the upward course gets
round to the north-west, when it enters the gorge of a nannw
valley, with rocky lofty precipices on either side.

With the exception of there being a pretty strong current
to stem, and a jam of drift wood, blocking up the river about
a mile and a-half above the lake, there are no impediments to
its navigation for from ten to twelve miles, but at about that
distance it again becomes broken by rapids.

White-fish River and its Lakes.

Leaving the Wahnapitae at the place already indicated as
the White-fish River route, a small rivulet is ascended for a
few chains, and then a portage made due west thirteen chains,
to a small narrow lake about a mile in length, lying north and

south, which supplies the little rivulet. From a bav ou thi.

T portage is made west,

fifteen chains to a second small lake, and then crossing that

ake m a course about W. S. W. thirty chains, a third p!rta..e
IS reached which crosses the water-shed, dividing the^watem
of the Wahnapitae from those of the White-fish River The
course across the portage is S. W. by W. twenty-two chains
stnking at its western termination the extreme head of a small’

^r-fi^ River!

The White-fish River in its whole length, until within a
mde or less of Lake Huron, consists of a long chain of lakes,
ymg at short distances from one another, connected by short
small and sometimes rapid streams.

From the head lake a straight line in the bearing W. S W
for a little over seventeen miles, reaches a circular-shaped lake
named Round Lake, but sometimes spoken of as White-fish
Lake, thus giving rise to much confusion, as the lake generally
recognised by the latter name belongs to another stream, and
gives its tribute to the Spanish River.

Continuing across Round Lake in nearly the same beariny
^ before, two miles bring us to the outlet. The stream, as it
ows lom the lake, takes a general course of about S. W.
and in about two miles enters Lake Lavase, which, with the
small stream issuing from it, gives us two miles more in the
Mme direction to the head of Lake Panache. This is the
argest lake of the series ; its length, following the travelled
route, IS about eleven miles, in a bearing W. by S., and then
two miles in a bearing south. At its lower extremity there is
a narrow gorge with a fall into another lake. From the fall
the downward course of the valley, over lakes and streams, is
south for about two miles, and then west for about eight miles.

Be ow this the general bearing to the mouth is south-west,
an the distance about four miles, in which are crossed three
mall parallel east and west lakes, the lowest two being about
airee-quarters of a mile above the position where the river
joins Lake Huron, less than a mile eastward of the Wallace
mine location, in latitude 46o 6' 26" N., and lonritude bv
account, 81® 45' 48" W. o » /

164

The following tabular arrangement gives the levels of White-
fish River over the sea :

Levels of White-fish River above the Sea.

Dw- Total Total HLabovt
t-ance, Rise, Diet, the Sea.

[jevel of Lake Huron,

flise in the stream above the junc-
tion, estimated at the rate of
0-80 foot per mile, to the foot

of the lowest fall,

in fall,

across pool, between falls, esti-
mated at 0-50 foot per mile,. . .

in falls,

—— across lower lake, estimated

at 0*10 foot per mile,

in stream between lakes, es-
timated at 0*50 foot per mile, . .
in lake to foot of rapids, esti-
mated at 010 foot per mile,. . .

in a succession of falls and

Rapids, forming the connecting

stream between lakes,

across lake to the junction of

stream below fall, estimated at

0-10 foot per mile,

in fall,

in stream to foot of fall, esti-
mated at 0*80 foot per mile,. . .

in fall,

in a long lake above the fall,

estimated at 0*20 foot per mile,

in rapid, at lat. 46^ 10' 22",.. .

in stream, estimated at 1*00 ft.

per mile,

in rapid,

in lake above rapid, estimated

at 0-20 foot per mile,

in rapid,

in lake above rapid, estimated

at 0-20 foot per mile,

in same lake, a narrower part,

estimated at 0*25 foot per mile,
-- ■ across lake to foot of falls
below Lake Panache, estimated
at 0*20 foot per mile, . . .

Miles. Feet. Miles. Feet.

518 00 Lake Huron.

0'80 0-64

0*03 31-00

0*11 0-06
0-05 14-00

1-00

0-10 1-99

629*80 First lake.

0.38

0-19

1-10

0-11 4-01

630-16 Second lake.

0-60 100-00

0-30

0-03 4-91

130-19 Third lake.

0-05

11-00

0-44

0-35

0-01

1-00

6-15

1-15 11-22

149-69 Fourth lake.

0-02

1-00

0-90

0-01

2-50

1-26

0-25 13-41

164-34 Fifth lake.

0-05

3-50

1-65

0-33 15-11

158-11 Sixth lake.

1-25

0-31

1-00

0-20 11-36

158-68 Lake Panache

Rise in fall from Lake Panache, . . .

along surface of Lake Panache,

estimated at 0*10 foot per mile,

on connecting stream above

Lake Lavase, estimated at 0*50

foot per mile,

on Lake Lavase up to the

lower point of the marsh, esti-
mated at 0*20 foot per mile, . •

in current, moderately strong,

up through the marsh, and up
the stream to the foot of the
rapids below Round Lake, esti-
mated to average 0*80 foot per

mile nearly,

' rapids, including cur-

rent between, up to the level of
Round Lake,

2>w-

Total

Ht. above

tance.

Rise.

Risi,

the Sea,

Miles.

Feet.

Milos.

Feet.

0*02

8*00

13*00

1*30

30*38

767*98 Eighth lake.

0*56

0*28

1*00

0*20

31*94

768*46 Lake Lavase.

2*60 2*08

o il 5 00 34-65 775-54 Round Lake.

A small brook falling into Round Lake, on the north side,
iBsues from another lake called Muckataewagaming, lying
parallel to the upper chain ; to this lake there is a portag^e of

ILhI ’ ir'" n connected with the

White-fish Lake. I rom the north end of this portage a bear-
‘distance of a little over a mile across

Lake Muckataewagaming strikes the southern termination of

Salters meridian line, and also the end of a portage, both of
w ich cross the water-shed and come upon White-fish Lake
at a distance of from twelve to fourteen chains.

The lakes above Round Lake, of which there are five, are
all long and narrow; the lowest one of the series measures
upwaids of teu miles in length from head to foot, but is
nowheie thirty chains wide, except at the lower end,
^here the breadtli is about three-quarters of a mile. Mucka-
taewagaming lies exactly parallel with this long lake, and
measures from four to five miles in length, with a breadth
never exceeding half-a-mile. Round Lake, as its name implies,

IS neaily circular, with a diameter averaging about a mile and
lee-quarters ; in addition to the tribute received by Round

Lake from the head lakes to the east, dnd from Muckataewag-
arning, to the north, a third tributary enters it on the west side,
about three-quarters of a mile above the outlet.

The country surrounding these upper lakes is for the most
part very broken and rocky, few parts claiming much con-
sideration for their agricultural capabilities ; but pine grows
abundantly of both the red and white varieties, and the white
pine is frequently of large size. On the north side of Round
Lake, between it and Muckataewagaming, there is a conside-
rable extent of land yielding stout maple and oak, mixed with
large-sized white pine, where the soil is evidently of good
quality, but the surface is for the most part rugged and stony.

The same description will equally apply to the countiy on
the north-west side of the water-shed, bordering on White-fish
Lake, where patches have been partially cultivated around
the Hudson’s Bay post, producing potatoes of the finest
description, but the places capable of yielding them, or of
being cultivated at all are confined to very narrow limits,
from the irregularity and general rocky character of the
ground.

The banks of the stream falling from Round Lake are
generally flat and dry about the upper end, bearing balsam,
small white birch, cedar and tamarack; but they become
gradually lower and more swampy towards Lake Lavase,
and the stream after passing through a low and wet tract,
producing black ash, and black oak of stunted size, opens out
at the junction with the latter into an extensive marsh.

The upper half of Lake Lavase is all marsh, averaging about
half-a-mile in width, and bounded on each side by bold rocky
hills ; the lower half is alternately rocky and marshy at the
points and in the bays, and the banks of the connecting stream
flowing from it are low and marshy to the junction of Lake
Panache.

About two miles below the junction. Lake Panache opens
out over a great area, extending several miles to the southward
in a great south bay, which constitutes the main body of the
lake. From this bay an arm extends in a general bearing
about E. S. E. for six miles, reaching longitude, by account,

81 12 55" W., and giving a total length to the lake from its
eastern to its western extremity of about eighteen miles;
from the western end of the lake, another arm extends north-
erly but that part wps not examined, and I am consequently
unable to describe its limits. ^ ^

The north shore of Lake Panache, from the junction of the
stream from Lake Lavase to the western extremity, where the
northern arm branches off, is tolerably regular, and it is bold
and rocky most of the way; but the coast on the south side
and up the eastern ann is deeply indented by bays of great
extent; numerous islands, many of which, especially those
about the centre, are of large size, are distributed over the
surface of the lake. The surrounding country is for the most
part rugged and rocky, and the soil is no where in the vicinity
ot the lake of a higher character than to enable it to support
a moderately good growth of red pine.

The lakes below Lake Panache, which all lie transversely to
the course of the fast-flowing parts of the streams that unite
them, are narrow, sometimes not exceeding a few chains in
width; they are bounded by bold, rugged, barren shores,
destitute of attraction as regards the picturesque until reaching
the lowest lakes of the series ; these wash the base of the rano-e
ol hills which stretch along the coast of Lake Huron from L^
cloche, and though the country is barren, the scenery becomes
very beautiful. The hills do not rise to a great elevation ;
one of the highest was found to be only 369 feet over the
evel of the small lake at its northern base, or 421 feet above
e eve o Lake Huron ; but the bare white precipitous sides
and sharp rugged outline of these hills stamp them with a

character which strongly contrasts with that of the surround-
mg country.

The range here is divided into two ridges of equal elevation
y a nairow valley lying east and west, occupied by an arm
ol the lowest White-fish River lake, on the west, and by a
small lake whose waters flow away from the White-fish River
on the east. The southern boundary of the range is marked
m the valley of the White-fish River, by the last two falls in
the stream below. The banks of the stream below the lowest

168

fall are for the greater part flat, and there is a tract of tolerably
good land on either side, yielding principally hard -wood mixed
with pine.

DISTRIBUTION OF THE ROCK FORMATIONS

The rocks of the region explored during the season, embrace
two of the oldest recognised geological formatios, the Lauren-
tian and Huronian ; the rocks of the latter and more recent of
which have been observed to pass uiiconforrnably below the
lowest of the fossiliferous strata of the Silurian system. The
contorted gneiss of the Laurentian series, with its associated
micaceous and hornblendic schists, spreads over the country
to the south and east, while the slates, conglomerates, lime-
stone, quartzite and greenstone of the Huronian, occupy the
north and western parts.

It was stated in my Report on the north shore of Lake Huron,
that the eastern limit of the Huronian rocks was to be found
in the bay on the north-west side of Shibahahnahning. If a line
be drawn from that point to the junction of the llaskanongi
and the Sturgeon Rivers, it would run in a north-easterly
bearing nearly, and it would rudely represent the common
boundary of the two formations ; were the junction however
followed out in detail between the two points, there would be
many deviations from the line, presenting sweeps aud curves
in it, sometimes on one side and sometimes on the other,
resulting from the effects of undulations.

The diflerence in lithological character between the two
formations was always sufhcieutly apparent, but though both
were frequently found at short distances apart, the immediate
point of contact was always obscure ; and a mass of greenstone
of rather coarse grain was usually the first intmiation of the
proximity of the higher rocks.

The change was first obseiwed at the junction of the Mas-
kanongi and Sturgeon Rivers, and it was afterwards discovered
on the Walmapitae at two places, one about half-way between
the White-fish River route and Wahnapitaeping, and the other
crossing the Walmapitae about four miles above the White-

169

fish River route ; it was again manifested on the first little
lake on the White-fish River route after leaving the Wahna-
pitae, Its strike thence being in a course generally parallel
to the upper cliain of the White-fish River lakes; crossing
baiter s base line somewhere near his fifty-second or fifty-third
mile, and passing to the eastward of Lake Panache, it runs out
at Lake Huron, north of Shibahahnahning, as has been said.

Laurentian Series,

On the Sturgeon River, gneiss of red and grey colours,
mtemratified with layers of mica slate and quartzite, is
splayed at each of the falls and rapids below the Smoke
iall ; and the banks occasionally exhibit strata of the same
lithological character, always more or less contorted, but
having a general dip south or south-east.

At Smoke Fall, the strata, which are otherwise similar to
those seen below, are tolerably regular, and shew a dip S. by
W., but immediately above the falls they become nearly flat,
the angle of inclination not exceeding six degrees in a due
south direction. In the long north-western stretch of the
valley above Smoke Fall, and below the Temagamang,
occasional exposures on the banks of the river exhibit gneiss
and quartzite, invariably dipping south ; and above the Tema-
gainang, where the rocks are more frequently exposed, there is
no remarkable change in the lithological character for several
miles, while the general dip continues to be southerly.

Between the lowest two rapids, above the Temagamang,
the gneiss is green in parts, deriving its colour from the pres-
ence ol chlonte, and these chloritic beds are succeeded by and.
mtersrratified with beds of red and grey colours ; towards the
end of the north west stretch, the prevailing color of the gneiss
IS green, and portions are of a concretionary character, the
concretions being enclosed in thin films of chlorite; the gene-
ral dip IS about S. by E.

At the elbow of the river, where it turns northerly, and
where a small stream comes in, thinnish beds of fine-grained
red and grey gneiss occur; the beds are parted by layers of

yellow mica, and shew a dip south, while similar beds at a
short distance up the creek, and just below the part where it
first becomes rapid, dip about east. Farther up the river, and
at a little distance below the junction of the Maskanongi, the
east bank exposes contorted gneiss, with many beds of green-
ish coloured quartzite. At the junction of the Maskanongi,
the rock is rather coarse-grained greenstone, rising on the
north side of the tributary in a precipitous hill about 250 feet
high.

The rocky banks and bold rounded bluffs of the French
River are all gneiss, generally of a red colour, or red and grey,
with interstratified portions of micaceous and hornblendic slate.
These rocks every where display contortions and are inter-
sected by numerous quartzo-feldspathic and quartz veins, and
small fissures and cracks in the rocks are sometimes filled with
crystals of black hornblende.

On the north channel of the French River the attitude of
the gneiss, independent of small contortions, is sometimes
nearly horizontal, but the prevailing dip is from south to
south-east.

At the eastern of the two middle outlets, falling into Lake
Huron, the gneiss is alternately red and grey ; the red is fine
grained and compact, the grey coarsely crystalline ; the bed-
ding, which is very distinct and tolerably regular, dips
E. S. E. < 450 . At this point the gneiss is cut by two sets of
granitic veins, one set composed of large coarse crystals of
red feldspar, with quartz and mica, running north and south ;
while the other set, which is fine-grained, and in which the
prevalent mineral is red and pinkish feldspar, intersects both
the gneiss and the coarser veins. This set runs N. W. and S. E.

On the upper part of the middle channel both north and
south of the main river, black hornblendic slates with garnets,
arc occasionally seen interstratified with the gneiss ; but at the
northern end of the lake, and on each side of the eastern out-
let of the Wahnapitae, the gneiss, which is very much con-
torted, is chieffy red and grey.

At the falls and rapids of the Wahnapitae, and wherever the
rocks are seen in the valley below the White-fish River route,

171

they were found to consist of red and grey gneiss, generally
more or less contorted, but shewing an average dip from south
to south-east ; and in the country east of the river on Salter’s
base Ime the gneiss forms a series of precipitous ridges running
N. E. and S. W., all shewing a dip S. E.< about 45o.

On the base line west of the river, the ridges which are
there also very precipitous, at some parts run nearly north
and south, and the strata sometimes appear to be vertical, but
always more or less contorted.

At the sixty-feet fall and rapids, about two miles and a-
quarter above the White-fish River route, the gneiss rises in
bold precipitous cliffs about 150 feet high, on the north-west
side, striking E. N. E. and W. S. W. in vertical strata ;
the cliffs run across to a small marshy creek, about a-quarter
of a mile above the falls, and present low bluffs or ledges over
its southern bank ; but about a mile further up, an exposure
of quartzite and slate, belonging to the Huronian series,
comes to the river dipping N. W. <;65o.

The junction of the upper and lower formations must conse-
quently take place in the low marshy ground near the creek ;
it crosses the river there, but probably extends only a short
distance on the other side, for though the exposures on the
river up to the northerly turn to Walinapitaeping are all of
the upper series, the strata nearly coincide with the course
of the stream, and just at the turn another exhibition of the
gneiss of the lower series makes its appearance ; a small low
hollow or dingle at this part seems to mark the boundary of
the formations, the contorted red and grey gneiss being on the
south-east side of it, while the north-west is occupied by a
somewhat coarse-grained greenstone, which at one part has
an arrangement of its crystals in a manner obscurely resem-
bling stratification.

Huronian Series.

It has already been stated that coming from the lower to
the higher formations a mass of rather coarse-grained greenstone
was generally met with. It was so on each occasion, with the

exception of one, and in that there was an interval between
the fonnations occupied by a marsh, beneath which the green-
stone may have been present without any exposure. Whether
this greenstone is the result of an overflow contemporaneous
with the upper formation, or an eruptive mass intruded at a
later period, has not yet been ascertained. Greenstones
almost or quite identical with this were found at other parts,
forming regular bands between beds of quartzite and con-
glomerate or slate, and were frequently seen to cap the hills
where the strata below were nearly horizontal ; but there are
also many vertical intrusions where the greenstone presents
no distinctive difference in mineral character from the inter-
calated layers, farther than being generally in a slight degree
of a finer grain.

The rocks which form the different members of the group,
as seen in the area examined, taken independantly of igneous
intrusions or inteq^osed trap beds, may, there is reason to
suppose, be found to succeed one another in something like
the following ascending order ; the district however is so
much disturbed that the sequence is not given with much
confidence, though all the masses described are met with in
one place or other.

1. Fine grained green silicious slates, with thin bands of green quartzite in-

terstratified ; also fine grained slates, sometimes of a green tinge, and often
bluish or black, weathering very black ; occasionally some layers assume
a reddish color; cdpper pyrites and iron pyrites are frequently present
in this division.

2. Slate conglomerate, the matrix always greenish in colour; sometimes it

has a regular slaty structure, at other times it resembles a massive fine-
grained greenstone trap ; it holds pebbles of white and red syenite in great
profusion, with occasional masses of green, brown and red jasper, rounded
in form ; associated with the conglomerate, and probably not far from the
division No. 1 are green slates in very regular laminm, cleaving with the
bedding, and usually cut by parallel joints.

3. A band of limestone ; its strata always appear very much disturbed, and it

is in general associated with greenstone. The prevailing color of the
limestone when found in mass, is a pale whitish-grey, sometimes passing
into dark blue ; the band is frequently brecciated, and often displays rough
jagged edges, which appear to belong to layers of hornstone : portions of
the band are indurated calcareous shale, and these occasionally contain
fine-grained silicious pebbles.

4. Slate conglomerate reaembliag the slate conglomerate on the other side of
the limestone.

6. Green silicious chloritic slates, with some tolerably strong bands of
quartzite.

6. White and very pale sea-green close-grained quartzite, with beds of quartz
conglomerate interposed, and layers of talco-quartzose slate, sometimes
of a dark green color, but more frequently a pale flesh-red. The pebbles
of the conglomerate are chiefly small white opaque rounded masses of
quartz, but these are occasionally mixed with rounded masses of red and
green jasper.

Leaving the Laurentian rocks on the main stream, at the
junction of the Sturgeon River and the Maskanongi, and
ascending the tributary, the range of the greenstone with
beds belonging to the first division, consisting of green and
bluish slates, sometimes weathering very black, and thin
layers of greenish quartzite, were found on the shores of the
largest of the three lower lakes ; the slates were generally of
a very fine grain and compact texture, and frequently con-
tained copper and iron pyrites.

At the head of the same lake the slate, which there is
green, weathering brownish-grey, rises in a set of parallel
ridges, running N. SO® E. and S. 50^ W., the strata apparently
vertical. The rock here produces a rough, jagged and
wrinkled surface, breaking into elongated splinters when
struck with the hammer. Abreast of the falls, at the head of
the lake, the slates, otherwise similar to those of the ridge
below, and still fonning a ridge on the south side, are con-
glomerate, holding rounded pebbles of syenite, with occa-
sional brown and green ones of jasper.

To the west, the slates are cut off by the intrusion of a
dyke of compact flesh-red feldspar, which crosses the portage
between the two lakes, at the southern bend, and forms the
falls. The intrusive red feldspar was found to be cut by small
veins of specular iron ore ; and veins of semi-translucent white
quartz, holding yellow sulphuret of copper, intersect both,
displacing the iron ore veins. The general bearing of the
whole intrusive mass appeared to be nearly north and south,
but the main vein of quartz, holding copper pyrites, lies about
N. E. and S. W. Smaller quartz veins, but apparently with-
out copper ore, run into the main vein on either side.

174

At the foot of the lake, where a southern bend occurs in the
coast, the strata consist of slate and quartzite, very much dis-
turbed ; but they shew a general strike nearly east and west,
with dykes of greenstone and compact flesh-red feldspar
cutting them transversely, till turning north up the long nar-
row lake below Maskanongi-wagaming, when the slates strike
along the east side, shewing a regular dip from N. 80^ E. to
due east, with an average inclination of twenty-five degrees.

At a short distance west from the lake, the hills are green-
stone and pale greenish quartzite, which possibly may be
interstratified with one another ; but their mutual relation not
being well developed, such cannot be asserted as a fact.

At the falls at the foot of the Maskanongi-wagaming Lake,
the rock is compact dark blue or greenish slate, and the same
rock continues on both sides of the lower bay ; but above the
lower bay, as far as the head of the lake, the shores and islands
are slate conglomerate, with pebbles of syenite. The attitude
of the conglomerate on Maskanongi-wagaming appears, for the
most part, to be nearly horizontal. On the west side of the
lake, it was observed to form the lowest of a set of distinctly
marked bands of rock, the accumulation of which constituted
the highest hill ; it was succeeded above by a band of greenish
colored quartzite, some of which has a slaty cleavage parallel
to the layers of the deposit, while the third and fourth, or
uppermost bands, were found to be greenstone, the dip of the
whole being N. W. by W.< from 10*^ to 12^.

On the east side of the lake, directly opposite this graded
mountain, the conglomerate gives an escarpment facing to the
west, with an easterly dip, showing that the axis of a gentle
north and south anticlinal runs along the lake. At the head
of the lake, and abreast of the rapids on the stream above, the
escarpment faces easterly, and the rock, being on the western
side of the anticlinal, slopes gently to the west.

On the small northern lakes below Metagamashing, and at
the lower end of Metagamashing itself, the rock is a very fine-
grained finely laminated green slate, portions of which con-
tain rounded pebbles of syenite, remotely apart from each
other. At the portages next below Metagamashing, these

175

elates dip S. 2° W.< from IQo to 15®, but that dip is not
constant, as a short distance above they become horizontal.
They are divided by two sets of parallel joints cutting the
strata into rhomboidal-shaped blocks, the direction of one set
being N. 520 w., and the other N. 23o E. The rock being
cleavable to an unusual extent, in directions parallel with
these joints, may be broken into very small fragments of
similar shape. Portions of this slate are tolerably well
suited for whetstones.

Both shores of the north-east arm of Metagamashing are of
syenitic slate conglomerate, the strata gently undulating, or
nearly horizontal, until getting within a mile and a-quarter of
the point of the peninsula which divides the two arms of the
lake, where the rock is a pale green quartzite, evincing great
disturbance, and dipping irregularly to the westward. Above
the point where the quartzite appears, the rock is a pale flesh-
red syenite, the principal constituent mineral being a flesh-
red feldspar, and farther up still, on both sides of the narrows
leading to the main body of the lake, it is greenstone.

On both sides of the north-west arm, the rock is white or
pale green quartzite, portions having a regular slaty cleavage,
parallel with the bedding, which shows a dip all along the
west coast from N. 57® E. to N. 75«> E., the average incli-
nation being sixty degrees. At the rapids on the river, just
above its junction with the lake, there are ledges of white and
pale greenish quartzite, holding interstratified layers of white
quartz conglomerate, ranging generally N. N. W. and S. S. E.

On the southern portion of Metagamashing, the rock of
the coast is chiefly greenstone, with disturbed strata of
syenitic slate conglomerate and slate on some of the points
and on the islands near the middle. On the group of small
islands m the bay leading to the portage over the water-shed,
slates and greenstones are seen in interstratified layers, dipping
S. 70® E. <45®, and the w’ater-shed is greenstone. It appears
probable that the greenstone of the southern bay is a con-
tinuation of the intrusive mass of greenstone and syenite
obseiwed at the peninsula dividing the two arms of the lake.

At the small lake on the west side of the water-shed, the

176

rock is a compact dark blue silicious slate, shewing an easterly
dip ; and the islands in the eastern bay of Wahnapitaeping,
as well as the eastern coast of the lake to the south of them,
are syenitic slate conglomerate, but the coast on the west side
of the bay is greenstone. The gi*eenstone here forms the bold
promontory which divides the eastern bay from the main body
of the lake, and also the islands off the east coast south from
it, running in a direct line S. 22 ^ W. The greenstone of the
peninsula is extended to the islands outside of it, and then
followed by ridges of slate conglomerate, with a strike
parallel to it. This slate conglomerate follows it also on the
north-east shore of the lake, where it prevails for the breadth
of about a mile, with greenstone again beyond it, in two
sharp points, which show a strike N. 30^ E.

Between these points and the mouth of the river, there are
no exposures of rock on the north shore of the lake ; but rocks
which would apparently strike into this part, compose the
mountain on the west side of the river, a short distance
above. The eastern part of them, towards the foot of the
mountain, consists of alternations of greenstone and quartzite,
running quite parallel to one another, with a strike of S. 45^ E.
The western part, which is at the summit, is composed of
white or very pale sea-green quartzite, with very regular
layers of quartzose conglomerate, seldom over an inch or two
in thickness, holding small rounded pebbles of white quartz,
with some of red jasper. The beds are perfectly vertical, with
a strike S. 37 ^ E. The first rock on the lake shore, on the
west side of the mouth of the river, would come in considerably
to the westward of the mountain strata. It is situated just
beyond the delta, and consists of greenstone running apparently
N. 16^ W. ; beyond this greenstone, about half-a mile, there
appeared two exposures of green silicious slate, over a mile
from one another, the more eastward of which was very pyri-
tiferous ; its dip was W. <45^, while that of the westward one,
which was much disturbed, appeared to be S. 68® E., with an
uncertain slope.

At the north-west angle of Lake Wahnapitaeping there is
an intrusion of pale flesh-red fine-grained syenite, which, where

177

seen on the mainland, seems to strike N. 44® W, ; but turning
more southerly in its opposite course, it runs apparently about
north and south, forming portions of the islands grouped across
the western bay, and striking the mainland again at the south-
ern point of the same bay. This syenite appears to be closely
associated with a great mass of greenstone, which rises in a
lofty vertical precipice immediately west from it, and fonns
the promontory on the south side of the western bay.

Entangled with the greenstone there are masses of rock of
a beautifully variegated aspect, having large white and deep
flesh-red rounded masses of feldspar, thickly disseminated
through a base composed of smaller masses of the same des-
cription, with others of translucent quartz, among which a
green amorphous mineral reticulates, apparently pyroxene or
hornblende, sometimes giving a banded aspect to small
portions. Mica is present in small quantity running parallel
with these bands. The rock has the character of what by
French geologists would be termed an arkose. It may be an
altered rock, and is not unlike some portions of the gneiss of
the Laurentian series, to which it may perhaps belong.

The precipitous hills a little farther south present similar
varieties of rock, and on some of the islands and at a point of
the mainland masses of altered rock and contorted slate were
seen adhering to the syenite, while they were at the same time
cut by quartzo-feldspathic veins. The general strike of these
slates was N. 32o E. on the island, and N. 28® W. on the
mainland.

Beyond this the whole of the west and south shores of the
lake display the eflect of a very high degree of disturbance,
and slates, conglomerates, quartzites and greenstone, with
brecciated limestone, come in strangely irregular juxtaposition.
Along the western shore and on both sides of the south-western
bay, towards its extremity, the exposures are greenstone and
altered silicious slates, which have somewhat the appearance
of being interstratified with one another ; but at the northern
extremity of the promontory dividing the south-west frorn
the south-east bay, there is a white or yellowish quartzite,
immediately succeeded by a conglomerate containing large

rounded masses of syenite, quartz and jasper, so intimately
blended with the paste in which they are enclosed, which is
of a green trappean aspect, that except for the smooth polished
surfaces, wet from the wash of the lake, revealing the contrast
of color, it might be readily mistaken for a portion of the
greenstone with which it comes in contact.

Associated with the greenstone which succeeds the conglo-
merate on the east is a breccia, made up of angular fragments
of greenish quartz and very dark grey silicious slate, cemented
together in a calcareous paste, the whole mass weathering
black. This breccia was observed to skirt the shore, keeping
always in contact with the greenstone, for about half-a-mile,
leaving it at the north-west point of the promontory on a strike
N. 50^ E. Outside of the point 4t bears more easterly, and
strikes through the cluster of islets which lie at the point,
apparently running straight across the eastern bay.

Re-appearing at the water’s edge on the eastern shore, it is
overlaid by an altered fine-grained compact silicious slate,
which again is overlaid by greenstone, veins of white calca-
reous spar cutting through the whole series. At this point the
breccia is exposed for only a very short distance, striking along
the coast at the edge of the water, but it re-appears on a small
island about a mile farther north, lying between the string of
gi'eenstone islands mentioned above and the eastern shore.
Small patches of calcareous material were occasionally found
pasted against the greenstone of the islands on the east side,
and in the small cracks and fissures cutting the body of the
rock, effervescence indicating the presence of carbonate of lime,
was sometimes observed on the application of an acid.

The masses along the east coast of the south-eastern bay and
of the islands within it, are chiefly quartzite, some portions
of which are very pure white, others being grey and greenish,
while^ some are partially of a pink or rose-red. The prevalent
dip of all these is easterly. On the western side of the bay a
reddish-grey or greenish syenite keeps the shore for about a
mile, and probably cuts through the grey quartzites which
hold the coast south from it to the outlet of the lake.

On the north point of the island, at the outlet of the lake, a

179

mass of silicious and pyritiferous slates, interstratified with
bands of grey and greenish quartzite, was observed to be
cut by a vein of white quartz from five to six yards across.
The only metalliferous mineral perceived in it was iron pyrites.

In that part of the Wahnapitae which occurs between the
exit of the lake and the western turn, about ten miles below,
the course of the river and the stratification appear to coincide,
and the rocks exposed at all the rapids in succession are of
pretty uniform character, consisting of silicious pyritiferous
slates of a greenish color, interstratified with bands of grey and
white quartzite. At this turn occurs one of the greenstone
masses which have been mentioned as usually interposed
between the Laurentian and Huronian series.

For another and almost equal stretch of the river, the
stratification of these silicious slates and quartzites coincides
with its course, and they compose the rocks of the falls and
rapids in highly inclined or vertical strata. At one of the
falls the slates are partially micaceous, and split up into long
splinters, with a fluted surface presenting a ligneous aspect.

The slates and quartzites, as was stated previously, leave
the Wahnapitae about two miles above the sixty-feet fall and
rapids, striking south-westerly for the head lakes of the White-
fish River. The formation was first recognized after leaving
the Wahnapitae at the small lakes on the east side of the
water-shed, with a band of greenstone flanking it to the south-
east ; thence running south-westerly across the water-shed,
the outcrop strikes generally in that direction parallel with
the course of the White-fish chain of lakes.

The country north-west of the lakes above Round Lake
appears to run in ridges parallel with them, and judging by
what is seen crossing to White-fish Lake, it is composed of
pale yellowish-white and greenish quartzite and silicious
slate, interstratified with one another, and of greenstone. The
greenstone forms bold, lofty, precipitous and abrupt hills,
while the quartzite and slate occupy the lower grounds, and
usually come to the shores of the lakes in bold rounded bluffs. ,

Following Salter’s meridian line, about a mile north from
White-fish Lake, or within twelve chains of his second mile

180

mark, after crossing a ridge of greenstone and some low ground
beyond, a stream connecting the upper lakes of the Wliite-fish
branch of the Spanish River is reached, on the banks of which
dark blue silicious slate is exposed dipping at a high angle,
S. 5® W. Farther on, after crossing a ridge of slate which
rises on the north bank, a ridge of white quartzite crosses the
line a little within the third mile mark, and a little beyond
the fourth mile mark the rock is red syenite. At the fifth
mile a dingy green magnetic trap, with a large amount of
iron pyrites, forms a ridge, and that rock, with syenite, con-
tinues in a succession of parallel ridges to the seventh mile,
beyond which the country becomes low and marshy. These
parallel ridges strike nearly east and west, and small brooks
or marshes occupy the intermediate valleys.

Previous to" my visit to White-fish Lake, I had been
informed by Mr. Salter that local attraction of the magnet
had been observed by himself, while he was engaged in run-
ning the meridian line, and he expressed it to be his opinion
that the presence of a large body of iron ore was the imme-
diate cause. When, therefore, I came to the part indicated
by Mr. Salter, I made a very careful examination not only
in the direction of the meridian line, but for a considerable
distance on each side of it, and the result of my examination
was that the local attraction, which I found exactly as des-
cribed by Mr. Salter, was owing to the presence of an
immense mass of magnetic trap.

The compass was found while traversing these trap ridges,
to be deflected from its true bearing upwards of ten degrees at
several difierent parts, and in one place it shewed a variation
of fifteen degrees west of the true meridian, or about twelve
degrees from the true magnetic north. Specimens of this trap
have been given to Mr. Hunt for analysis, and the result of
his investigation shews that it contains magnetic iron ore and
magnetic iron pyrites generally disseminated through the rock,
the former in very small grains ; titaniferous iron was found
associated with the magnetic ore, and a small quantity of
nickel and copper with the pyrites. It was remarked that
notwithstanding the powerful influence of this magnetic mass

181

m causing a general local attraction, the contact of fragments
of it with the compass, although producing a slight effect,
rarely occasioned any remarkable agitation of the needle.

The rocks exhibited on the shores and islands of Bound
Lake and on the south-eastern arm of Lake Panache, are in
general character similar to those exposed on the north side
of the water-shed at White-fish Lake. They consist of green,
yellowish and white quartzite, interstratified with green sili-
cious slates, associated with great masses of greenstone, the
latter forming lofty precipices, and abnipt hills running in the
general strike. These measures are supposed to be lower
members of the formation, brought into the positions they
occupy by a series of undulations, of which the water-shed
between Muckataewagaming and White-fish Lake is the posi-
tion of a main anticlinal axis.

Syenitic slate conglomerate was first observed on White-
fish River at Lake Panache, not far below the junction of the
stream from Lake Lavase, where its characteristics precisely
resemble those of the slate conglomerates so widely spread
over the valley of the Maskanongi.

At this point it was found in contact with greenstones, but
on the south side of the promontory which divides the upper
from the south bay, it occurs in low rounded ridges, succeed-
ing hills of green slate, interstratified with beds of greenish
and white quartzite.

To determine with certainty the order of succession on the
promontory would involve much difficulty, as the rocks are in
a state of great disturbance ; but it seems probable from the
attitude they present, that the green slates, with their asso-
ciated beds of quartzite, are lower in superposition than the
conglomerate, and may be the equivalent measures of the
wrinkled slates seen in juxtaposition with the slate conglome-
rate on the lower lakes of the Maskanongi.

On the north shore of Lake Panache, about midway between
the inlet from Lake Lavase and its western extremity, a band
of limestone occurs, which where first observed, appears to be
both underlaid and overlaid by syenitic slate conglomerate.
The mass of this limestone, which measures about sixty yards

across and may be about 150 feet thick, is of a pale grey color
on fracture, weathering to a bluish-grey, with thin layers
which have the appearance of chert, but are in reality only
harder portions of the limestone, weathering quite black.
About the base of the calcareous strata some of the beds are
blue, holding more silicious matter than the grey beds, while
others are of a brecciated character. The beds are all more or
less intersected by small veins of fine greenish jaspery-looking
trap, which weathers brown or yellowish.

To the eastward of this exposure the only indications
observed of the presence of limestone were on the east side of
the large island at the entrance of the south bay, and in the
peninsula on the north side at the entrance of the eastern ann ;
in both of these ‘localities small exposures of a black-weather-
ing brecciated rock, which proved to be calcareous, come up
in one or two parts, just over the surface of the water. On the
island the calcareous rock is overlaid by a black-weathering
slate, which, though without pebbles, resembles the matrix of
portions of the slate conglomerate. On the peninsula at the
eastern arm the brecciated rock comes directly in contact
with greenstone.

To the westward the calcareous strata and syenitic slate
conglomerate strike along the north shore, and alternately
appear on the coast for about three miles, occasionally coming
in contact with a great mass of greenstone, which strikes
generally in the same direction. The calcareous rock then
appears to be cut off by greenstone, which fonns the bold
precipitous shore of the lake to the junction of the northern
arm.

The islands near the centre part of the lake, which lie off
the great south bay, are chiefly white or pale green and yel-
lowish quartzite ; in the large one nearest the south shore the
beds are massive, the rock in some is granular, and occasion-
ally sufficiently coarse to form a fine conglomerate ; portions
decompose into a fine yellow sand. The dip on the island
varies from S. <45^ to S. 70^ W. <45^, and at one part it is
S. 45^ W. <25^. The south shore and the islands off it are
quartzite and greenstone alternately, and at the point where

183

the lake turns south towards the lower expansion, white and
yellowish quartzite is cut by dykes of fine-grained greenstone,
which run N. E. and S. W.

At the head of the lower south expansion of Lake Panache,
the limestones are again seen on both sides, and also on the
two islands near the middle, striking about E. by N. and
W. by S., and shewing a southerly dip on the north side of
the exposures; but the slate conglomerate, with which it
seemed to be associated at other parts, only appears on the
south side of the large island, lying at the entrance to the
northeiTi arm, and between this island and the exposure of
limestone on the west side of the bay, there is a point to the
north-east of the limestone displaying fine-grained green slate,
which, though very much disturbed and intersected by quartz
veins, appears to shew a general dip to the north-west.

South of the limestone, the rock at the points and in the
small island near the middle of the lake is bluish-grey and
whitish quartzite, with thin beds of silicious slate, dipping
generally about S. 30o E. <53^' ; and at the falls at the foot of
Lake Panache there are strong beds of whitish-grey quartzite
sometimes tinged with red, striking N. 50^ W. and S. 50'' E.
in a vertical attitude.

The north shore of the lake below the falls is greenstone,
associated with which at one part, a rough black-weatherirfg
calcareous mass was obseiwed adhering to the igneous rock,
but only for a few yards a little over the svuface of the water.
Farther down the lake, on both sides, the exposures are white
or greenish quartzite, with occasional layers of white quartz
conglomerate, all shewing a southerly dip ; but on attaining
the long narrow westerly reach, the south shore exhibits pale
green pyritiferous quartzite in strong compact beds, inter-
stratified with pale green silicious slates and greenish gi’anular
quartzose bands, all in very regular strata, dipping S.< from
25" to 450 .

These measures are cut off to the westward by a great
intrusive mass of greenstone, a little way above the higher of
the two rapids which join the long east and west lakes. On
the west side of the dyke, slate conglomerate is found in

184

detached patches in contact with greenstone, and it forms a
ridge across the end of the peninsula, abreast of the upper
rapids, while a ridge on the south side of the stream is green-
stone. On the little lake to the north, which intervenes be-
tween the two rapids, the rock is whitish and pinkish quartz-
ite with silicious slates, striking generally about east and
west ; the strata sometimes contorted, and occasionally in a
vertical attitude.

On the shores of the long narrow lake, west of the lower
rapids, the rock on each side is syenitic slate conglomerate ;
associated with which is a fine-grained green slate, splitting
into very regular thin laminae parallel with the bedding, and
intersected by parallel joints. These rocks continue to occupy
the coast to the western extremity of the lake, the fine slates
occuring only on the south side at one or two places, where
they shew a dip S. 7 ^ W. <65^. On the north side, imme-
diately north of the slate conglomerate, green and whitish '
quartzite were occasionally observed, on the surfaces of some
of the beds of which a very distinct ripple mark was detected.

The south-flowing stream below the east and west long lake
exhibits disturbed strata composed of green silicious slate and
quartzite, which at one part, a little above the upper falls, dip
to the northward; but farther down measures of a similar
character dip to the southward, and at the two falls above the
next small lake, the inclination is S. <^65^. On the north side
of the little lake below, the slate conglomerate occurs again,
while on the south side, and at the hundred-feet rapids which
flow from it, connecting with the lake on the north side of the
mountain range, the rock is greenstone. The greenstone here
forms a bold ridge mnning east and west, and is succeeded on its
southern flank by syenitic slate conglomerate, and altered green
slates, which skirt the north shore ; the former to the west-
ward, the latter to the eastward of the junction of the stream.
At a bluff point a little way below the end of the portage, on
the north side of the mountain lake, a rough black-weathering
rock, effervescing with acids, was observed in contact with
the greenstone, but the exposure is limited to a few yards of
the shore ; and its relation to the slate conglomerate, which
skirts the shore above and below, could not be ascertained.

- ' W' ,^:-. J

'■'■ ' « > '!'<■ '■•'

'•rtl'ifllfniniiii’iiiiiiiiliiiiHiniiMiMiiuiiiiiiHiiiiiimfiiiiiHmiininiiiiiiiijijn^

185

The hills which rise on the south side of this lake, and are
the eastern extension of the Lacloche Mountains, consist of
beds of pure white or pale sea-green quartzite, whitish quartz-
ose slates and conglomerates, and talco-quartzose slates, with
bands of greenstone running on the strike. The island in the
middle of the lake is quartz conglomerate, which like the
talco-quartzose slates at the foot of the mountain on the lake
shore, dips northerly , the conglomerate dipping N. 21^ W.<65^,
the slates N.<75®. The slates and quartz conglomerates higher
up the hill strike east and west, and are perfectly vertical.

On the small islet on the eastern arm of the lowest lake,
and skirting the north shore of that part of the valley which
divides the mountain range, a confused and shattered black-
weathering calcareous rock Wi\s observed in contact with
greenstone, and the rocks on the mountain side north of the
greenstone are whitish or pale green quartzose slates and
white quartzite, both greenstone and slate striking E. by N.
and W. by S., in vertical strata.

The southern division of the range comes out in sections be-
tween the lower lake and the lower falls, exhibiting strata iden-
tical in mineral character with a large portion of the northern
range, white quartz conglomerate associated with quartzose
slates, striking the river immediately above the upper falls, with
a dip N. 20^ W.< from 75^ to 80o. Strong beds of white
quartzite, some of which are partially conglomerate, associated
with greenish-white and reddish silicious slates, occur at the
lower falls ; the strike of them is about E. N. E. and W. S. W.,
and they dip at a veiy high angle to the north. On the shore
of Lake Huron, between the mouth of the White-fish River
and the Wallace Mine location, the exposed strata are green
silicious slate, with strong greenish-gi*ey beds of quartzite,
which dip N. W. <60<>.

What the total thickness of the rocks of this formation may
be, has not yet been ascertained ; and no section displaying
even an approximation to a regular undisturbed succession has
any where been seen. The calcareous rocks will perhaps
aflord a means by which the structure may ultimately be fol-
lowed out ; but the intrusion of vast masses of greenstone,

dislocating and probably overturning the strata, occasions no
small degree of perplexity in investigating the subject, and
must give rise to considerable uncertainty in regard to the
order of the rocks in detail.

It still remains a doubt in regard to the calcareous deposits,
whether they constitute one or more bands of rock. On the
lakes at Lacloche, calcareous rocks were found to pass below
a considerable thickness of slate conglomerate, whereas on
Lake Panache, they are found in apparent interstratification,
and at other parts they would appear to be above the slate
conglomerate ; there may possibly be slate conglomerate both
above and below a calcareous band, or there may be two parts
of the slate conglomerate, taken as a whole, which are cal-
careous. In either case calcareous rock would characterise
one division of the group.

Assuming this to be the case, and that the quartzose slates,
quartz conglomerates, and quartzites of the mountains, are the
upper strata of the group, there would then appear to be an
anticlinal axis running along the valley between the moun-
tains, on which axis the limestone comes to the surface, and the
strata of the hills would be folded up in a synclinal form on each
side of it. The limestone and the slate conglomerate come up
in the little lake on the north side of the range, and the slate
conglomerate is known to run along the shore of Lake Huron,
near the outlet of the river on the south.

If this be the structure, the thickness of the quartzose por-
tion at the top would be about 3,000 feet, while the broadest
part of the slate conglomerate, as found on the long east and
west lake, including the finely laminated slates interstratified
with it, the limestone and the green silicious slates above, will
give a thickness of at least 2,000 feet. The thickness of the
silicious slates with thin interstratified quartzites which occur
at the base of the formation, judging from the extent of
country over which they spread, is probably as much as the
whole of the other parts taken together ; so that the vertical
thickness of the whole would be about 10,000 feet, which
corresponds with what it was supposed to be on the Spanish
River.

187

The accompanying wood-cut,
representing a vertical section,
illustrates the supposed struc-
ture of the Lacloche Mountains
at the mouth of the White-fish
River.

Drijl.

It has already been remarked
in previous Reports, that large
boulders and rock masses alto-
gether differing in mineral cha-
racter from the rock formation
on which they repose, were
observed on the shores and
islands of Lake Nipissing, and
in the French River below ;
and that among the most con-
spicuous of these were huge
blocks of conglomerate, and
large angular fragments of
greenish slate.

That these have been derived
from the rocks of the Huronian
formation, there can be no
manner of doubt, and that the
direction in which they have
been moved has been southerly.
The ruins of the slates and
quartzites of the Huronian
rocks were observed to be pre-
sent ill the gravel on the banks
of the Sturgeon River, from its
entrance upwards, increasing in
their proportion to the general
mass gradually with the ascent,
until reaching the valley of the
Temagamang, where it consti-
tutes by far the larger portion
of the whole deposit.

188

Similar facts were observed in the valleys of the Wahna-
pitae and French Rivers, where large boulders of conglome-
rate may frequently be seen to rest on the contorted gneiss
at various elevations above the mark of the greatest floods,
the highest probably over 100 feet.

The polished surfaces of the rocks of both formations fre-
quently exhibit well developed grooves and scratches, in
general nearly parallel to each other, the bearing of which
varies at different parts from S. 27® W. to S. 49® W. On the
Sturgeon and Maskanongi Rivers, and on Lake Wahnapitae-
pmg, the course of the grooves is S. 27® W., with scarcely any
deviation, but farther west they seem to alter their course to
a more westerly direction, and on Round Lake they bear
S. 41® W. ; while at the long lake near the outlet of the
White-fish River their direction is S. 49® W.

The great deposits of silicious sand which are spread over
the upper valley of the Wahnapitae, above Wahnapitaeping
Lake, and also the sand in the valley of the Sturgeon River,

are probably chiefly derived from the ruins of the Huronian
rocks.

Ecojiomic Materials.

The existence of the ores of copper and iron, which are
known to be more or less characteristic of the Huronian series
of rocks, invests the geographical distribution of the formation
with much economic importance. These ores were repeatedly
observed in the region explored last season, and although
nowhere seen in large amount or to a great extent, the indi-
cations were sufficient to establish their pretty general distri-
bution ; small specks and patches of the yellow sulphuret of
copper were frequently found in the blackish and dark grey
slates, on the lower lakes of the Maskanongi ; and at the south-
ern turn of these lakes there is a quartz vein of from six to
eight feet wide, with copper pyrites, cutting slate conglo-
merate and an intrusive mass of compact flesh-red feldspar.
In the feldspathic dyke, small narrow veins of specular iron
ore occur, which appear to run either parallel with the dyke
or slightly oblique to it, and the quartz vein and its subordi-

189

nate droppers cut across both. Were this vein as conveniently
situated as those of somewhat similar character on Lake
Huron, it is fully as well worthy of trial as many that were
selected by explorers there, some years ago, upon which to
foiiiid claims for iiiining locations. ‘

In the disturbed region surrounding Mataganiashing and
W^almapitaeping Lakes, quartz veins are numerously displayed,
cutting the syenites, greenstones, slates and quartzites ; but
with the exception of small specks of yellow sulphuret of
copper and iron, they were not observed to contain any metal-
iferous ores. A much more thorough economic investigation
than we had either the means or time to bestow on these veins
however would be required, before any satisfactory conclusion
could be arrived at as regards their value as lodes.

The magnetic trap discovered on Mr. Salter’s meridian line,
north of Wliite-fish Lake was observed to hold yellow sulphuret
ofcopper occasionally ; and Mr. Hunt’s analysis of a hand speci-
nien ot the rock, weighing ten ounces, gave twenty grains of
metalliferous material, of which eleven were magnetic, and
consisted of magnetic iron ore, with a little titaniterous iron
ore, and magnetic iron jiyrites containing traces of nickel.
The nine giains of nori-magnetic mineral consisted of iron
pyrites, containing from two to three per cent of copper and
about one per cent of nickel. Many large quartz veins occur
on the lower lakes of the White-fish Itiver, but iron pyrites
was the only metalliferous substance which they were observed
to contain.

It was reported while I was on Lake Huron, that a charter
had been granted to a company to work a certain copper lode,
said to exist on one of the promontories immediately west of
Shibahahnahning, and that the said company had assumed the
title of the Victoria Mining Company. A few specimens of
the ore which were presented to me have been submitted to
Mr. Hunt for analysis, but as the persons interested in the
speculation seemed disposed to conceal the position of the
supposed lode, and I had no opportunity of making a personal
examination of the ground, I am unable to state further par-
ticulars regarding it. The analysis of the ore gave 5.4 per

nfit

190

cent of metallic copper from a fair average specimen of those
given me, the pyrites being disseminated through a fine grained
grey quartz, but the specimens given me may have been picked
samples, and much above the average of the lode.

Of other materials of economic value, the Huronian rocks
contain building stone, limestone, slates which in some cases
may be used as ordinary whetstones, and in others as scythe-
stones ; and white quartzite, probably of sufficient purity to
be a good material for the manufacture of glass.

For building purposes probably the handsomest and best
kinds would be found among the syenitic portion of the for-
mation ; the limestone when found in mass, yields a very good
material for burning, and is occasionally suitable for ordinary
building purposes. An analysis of 100 parts of the limestone
taken from the section on the north side of Panache Lake gave
to Mr. Hunt the following results :

Carbonate of Lime, 55-10

Carbonate of Magnesia, 6*50

Insoluble sand and a trace of Iron, . 38-40

100-00

A specimen of the limestone at the lower end of Lake
Panache, gave :

Carbonate of Lime, 41*9'7

Carbonate of Magnesia 2*40

Insoluble residue, 55-63

100-00

A specimen of the limestone from the lower lake near the
outlet, lying between the two ridges of the mountain range,
gave 36*50 per cent, of carbonate of lime, with a little mag-
nesia.

I have the honor to be.

Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

A. MURRAY,

Assistant Provincial Geologist.

REPORT

FOR THE YEAR 1856 ,

MR. JAMES RICHARDSON, EXPLORER,

ADDRESSED TO

SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN, PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST.

Montreal, March, 1857 .

Sir,

Agreeably to the instructions received from you in June
last to proceed to the Island of Anticosti, the Mingan Islands,
and the Magdalen River, for the purpose of obtaining infor-
mation regarding their geology, I left Montreal on the last
day of the month, and embarked with my assistant, provisions
and field equipment, the following day at Quebec, on board of

a schooner which reached the west end of Anticosti on the 6th
of July.

Through the prompt attention of Mr. Larue, who kindly
supplied me with horses and carts, I was at once enabled to
land our materials, which without his aid it would have been
necessary to carry in single pieces from the boats to the shore,
for a-quarter of a mile through the surf, with much loss of
time and risk of injury ; and I may take this opportunity of
stating that I was on several subsequent occasions indebted to
him for his attention and assistance.

Not being able to induce the captain of the schooner which
carried me to the Island, to convey me to Mingan, where it
was my intention to procure men, I was obliged to remain

192

where I had landed for a few days, until another schooner for
passage over and back was procured. While instituting
inquiries at Mingan about men, I had an opportunity of making
a partial examination of Harbour Island, Large Island, and
one point of Mingan Island ; and having obtained a boat and
two men, with little prospect of obtaining more, the Indians
having left for the interior previous to my arrival, we left
Mingan on the 16th, and got back to the west end of Anticosti
two days after.

While the men were preparing our boat, and re-amnging
our provisions for an excursion round the island, I commenced
the work of the season by a careful record of the rocks in the
neighbourhood, ascertaining the thickness by actual measure-
ment where exposed, and by computation where concealed.
When practicable, collections of fossils were made, and their
stratigraphical and geographical positions recorded.

On the 23rd July I left the west end, the men proceeding
with the boat and provisions to Gamache or Ellis Bay, while
I followed on foot ; at Gamache Bay I was able to procure a
small boat, which was of great advantage in facilitating my
work, and by means of it I was enabled to examine the coast
and collect specimens all the way to South-west Point, while
I was obliged to allow the men to bring on the larger boat
with provisions as best they could.

At South-west Point, finding the two men I had engaged at
Mingan not suitable for our work, I freed them from their
engagement, and hired four others who had two boats of their
own, which I also hired, leaving our own boat at South-west
Point ; I was induced to do this from the consideration that in
case of danger the men would be likely to make a greater
effort to save their own boats than mine, and in consequence
save what was in them. One of these boats was devoted to
the carriage of specimens, and the other of provisions and
camp equipage.

On the 14th August we left South-west Point, and I con-
tinued my examination to the east end of the island, and then
along the north coast, keeping always in company with the
larger boats, with the exception of ten days at Chaloupe

193’

River, where the larger boats were detained from head winds
and storms ; while with the small boat and two men I examined
the east end of the island, a distance of nearly fifty miles.

Considering on our arrival at Charleton Point, on the' 12th
September, that the larger boats would no longer be so much
required, I sent them on to the west end, where they arrived
on the 14th, while I followed and examined the coast with the
small one, getting to the same place eight days later. A few
days^were spent in examining the rocks in that neighbourhood,
and making measurements with Rochon’s micrometer teles-
cope, so as to determine more minutely the thicknesses of the
strata.

Rut few excursions were made into the interior of the island-
they consisted of one at Otter River, for about two miles up;
another in the neighbourhood of South-west Point, to the
distance of a mile and a-half ; a third at Salmon River, for five
miles inland; another at Nugg River; and a fifth by Mr.

Easton my Assistant, to Marl Lake, three-quarters of a mile.

On the 30th September we left the island in the steamer
Doris, for Quebec, with, forty boxes and barrels of fossils, and
the provisions intended for the survey of the Magdalen River,
as \yell as our camp equipage, making sixty parcels in all, in
addition to our small boat. We reached Quebec on the 4th
October, and on my arrival at Montreal, on the 7th, on account
of the lateness of the season, you recommended the postpone-
ment of the survey of the Magdalen River.

On my tour of the coast of Anticosti, I met with much
attention and personal kindness from all the officers in charge
of the government lighthouses and provision stations. I have
great pleasure in having an opportunity of expressing how
much I am obliged to Mr. Pope, in charge of South-west Point
lighthouse, and to his son, Mr. E. Pope, for the interest they
evinced in forwarding the objects of my investigation, and in
supplying me with information respecting my excursion rounds 1

the island, as well as the care his whole family displayed in
supplying me with comforts, at the time otherwise beyond my
reach. I am indebted to Mr. Corbet, the lessee of the island,
and to Mr. Braddley, of Chaloupe River, for their attention ;

194

as well as to Mr. E. Julyan and his family, of Heath Point, in
supplying my wants on my arrival there without provisions,
my boat having been detained for nearly a week after my
arrival, by contrary winds and storms.

In searching for hands to aid me in my work, some difficulty
was experienced to procure men acquainted with the coast,
notwithstanding that considerable wages were offered ; I found
none that had been round any considerable portion of the
north side, and an opinion ajipeared to prevail among such as
had been for years on the island, in regard to that part, lhat
was any thing but encouraging. They seemed to be under the
same delusion respecting the north-east coast of Anticosti,
that those at a greater distance are in respect to the whole of it.

Since my return I have had an opportunity of reading an
article on the resources and capabilities of the island, by Mr.
Roche, published in the Transactions of the Literary and
Historical Society of Quebec, in 1855 ; and in so far as I am
enabled to judge, find it a correct and unexaggerated state-
ment of facts.

Character of the Country and Coast.

A great part of the coast has a belt of reefs that are diy at
low water, while they are covered according to the state of the
tide at various depths at high water. The outer edge of these
reefs forms a precipice, according to Bayfield, of twenty, fifty
and even a hundred feet; they occasionally shelve a little, but
generally so little, that vessels approaching the coast have but
small intimation of danger from soundings.

These reefs are composed of the argillaceous limestone of
the island, and extend out from the shore usually from
a-quarter of a mile to a mile ; and in one or two instances, to
about a mile and a-half. They conform to the bends of the
coast, and where bays occur, deep water may be expected to
within a-quarter or half-a-mile of the head of the bay, in a line
up the centre, usually at about right angles to the general run
of the coast.

From the west end, the reefs are continuous on the south
side to St. Mary’s River, for about six miles to the east of

195

which, deep water prevails close in shore ; from this the reefs
again extend to South-west Point, with the exception of a mile
before reaching it, and a mile on each side of Jupiter River. *
From South-west Point tliey run about four miles to the east,
beyond wliich, to Iron River, only a few points were observed
where reefs existed ; but from Iron River to Heath Point, and
for two miles north-east ot it they are very general. On the
north side, deep water prevails close in towards the beach, as
far as Observation Bay ; but from Observation Bay to the west
end, reefs are well marked, with the exception of about a
mile, rounding North Point.

On the reefs it is not uncommon to meet with boulders, but
^^eat distances may be seen without them ; where they occur *
it is generally in considerable numbers, covering patches of
from one or two acres up to half-a-mile ; they are oftener seen
m the bays than in less sheltered places ; but North Point
would be an exception to this ; they are there closely packed
together for about half-a-mile, and some of them are of a large
size ; they belong to the Laurentian series of rocks.

The south side of the island, in its general aspect, is low;
the most elevated points close on this coast are at the mouth
of Jupiter River, where cliffs rise on the east side to the height
of from eighty to a hundred feet ; and on the west side to a
hundred and fifty feet. On no other part of the south coast
were they observed to rise more than from thirty to sixty feet,
but the general height above the sea is from ten to twenty feet.

From South-west Point to the west end, the hills inland
are moie elevated than they are to the eastward; in general
they rise gradually and more continuously from the shore,
attaining the height of from a hundred and fifty to two hundred
and fifty feet, at about the distance of from one to three miles.

From this however are to bo excepted certain localities on the
coast, where plains are met with having a superficial area of
from a hundred to a thousand acres underlaid by peat, partly
bare of vegetation, but over considerable spaces, supporting
a heavy growth of wild grass from four to five feet high.

From a position a few miles east of South-west Point to
Wreck Bay, which is at the east end of the island, between

196

Heaih Point and East Point, the elevation of the coast above
^ high water is from seven to fifteen feet, with the exception of
the neiglibourhood of South Point and Cormorant Point, which
rise to the height of from twenty to thirty feet on the shore ;
but very little rise takes place inland for from one to three
miles, and this flat surface is bounded to the north by a gradual
slope, rising to the height of from one hundred to two hundred
feet, probably becoming more elevated still furthir inland.
The low country is a succession of peat plains, occasionally
bare, but often covered with wild grass; the whole being
varied with strips and clumps of trees, as well as dotted with
small lakes, on which ducks, geese and other wild fowl breed
in considerable numbers.

The whole of the north side of the island is a succession of
ridge-like elevations of from 200 to 500 feet above Ihe sea,
separated by depressions. From English Head, three miles
east from the west end to West Cliff*, a distance of fif;y-eight
miles in a straight line, each successive ridge and valley occu-
pies a breadth of from four to six miles ; the ridges form a
somewhat rounded end, facing the sea on the north ; their rise
is first well marked at from a-quarter of a mile to a mile from
the shore, and in about a mile more inland, they attain their
greatest elevation ; continuing this elevation to the south and
' widening, they narrow the intermediate valley, until as fur as
known, the country becomes in appearance of a gently undu-
lating character. The run of the valleys with some exceptions
is from S. 10 ^ W. to S. 30^ W.

Maca^tey Ridge or Mountain, eleven miles east from the west
end, rises upwards of four hundred feet at about a mile inland.
High Cliff*, eighteen miles further east, is probably 500 feet,
one quarter of a mile from the shore ; these are in some
respects the most conspicuous ridges. High Cliff* is a bold
head-land, while Macastey Mountain is separated by a broader
valley than usual from its neighbour to the east, and is higher
than any other to the west. Macastey Mountain is a conspicu-
ous object when viewed even from the south side of the
island, in the neighbourhood of Ellis, or Gamache Bay ; sailing
up this natural harbour, it is observed in front a little to the
right about five or six miles distant.

!!!l!il!il . JllIlK

197

The succession of ridge and valley, from English Head all
the way to West Cliff, is regular and characteristic, and pro-
duces a pleasing and beautiful eflect. From West Cliff to
Observation Bay, a distance of about twenty miles, there is a
similar succession, but on this part the ridges rise to their full
elevation nearer to the shore. . West Cliff rises immediately
over the sea to an elevation of between 200 and 400 feet.
Charleton Point has an elevation of 100 feet over the sea, and
a-quarter of a mile inland rises to between 300 and 400 feet ;
from Charleton Point to Observation Bay the coast is some-
what lower. Observation Bay forming an indentation on the
coast of a mile and a quarter deep, and five miles across ; from
the head of this bay a well marked valley bears 8. 10^ W

From Observation Bay to Gull Cape, a distance of fifty-three
miles, the cliffs become more prominent on the coast, rising
almost perpendicularly at the points to the height of from
.100 to 300 feet; and the indentations are more numerous,
producing more shai-ply defined valleys.

Between Bear Head and Cape Robert, a distance of five
miles and a-half, the greatest indentation from a straight line
Js about a mile and a-half; but this is subdivided into Easton
Bay, Tower Bay, and White Bay, the last being the largest.

Salmon River Bay, east from Cape Henry, is five miles
wide, and its greatest depth is one mile. Salmon River runs
through a well marked valley, of which the general bearing
up stream is S. G5o W. for nearly six miles, where a transverse
valley, m the bearing N. 77o W. and S. 77« E. (about parallel
with the coast) meets it, and gives it two streams running tiom
opiiosite directions. From the middle of the valley the land
graclually rises on each side to the height of from 400 to 450
feet, and the bed of the valley must rise pretty fast; for

though the current of the stream is without leaps, it is rather
rapid.

I nilsta Bay, further east, is an indentation of about one mile
m depth, with a width of a mile and a-half; perp -ndii iilar
chfls surround this bay to the height of from 100 to 150 feet,
except at the very head, where two creeks cut throuoh the
rock. On the west side of Prinsta Bay is Cape James, 150

198

feet in height ; and on the east is Table Head. Table Head
has a face of from 150 to 160 feet pei’pendicular, and gains
almost at once an additional height, from the summit of which
there is a gradual descent on the opposite side, the surface
forming on that side a rough outline to the valley through
wliich Fox River passes to Fox Bay, which affords the second
important harbour on the Island. The upward course of the
valley of the Fox River is N. 12 ^ W.

From Fox Poitit on the west side of the bay to Gull Cape,
upwards of a mile on the east side, there is a distance of six
miles, in which the coast is low. Fox Point, the liighest part
of this, not being more than from thirty to forty feet above the
sea.

From Gull Cape to Wreck Bay, a distance of eleven miles,
the cliffs are in general perpendicular, and from 100 to 130
feet high, gaining but little elevation inland, probably not
over 100 feet, while the surface back from them gives as far
as observed, a slightly rolling country.

Excepting the valley of Jupiter River, there are no well
defined valleys on the south side of the island.

In respect to the soil of the Island, the plains on the south
side, as has been stated, are composed of peat, but the general
vegetation of the countiy is supported by a drift composed
for the most part of a calcareous clay, and a light grey or
brown colored sand. The elements of the soil would lead to
the conclusion of its being a good one, but the opinion of most
persons, guided by the mles derived from the description of
timber which grows on it, would not be fiivourable, as there
is almost a complete absence, as far as my observation went,
of the hard-wood trees supposed to be the sure indication of a
good settling country.

The most abundant tree is spruce, in size varying from eight
to eighteen inches in diameter, and from forty to eighty feet
in length. On the north coast, and in some parts of the south,
it is found of good size in the open woods close by the beach,
without any intervening space of stunted growth ; the stunted
growth was occasionally met with on the north side, but it is
only on the tops of cliffs, and other places exposed to the

199

sweop of tlie heavy, coast witids, where sprnce, or any other
tree on the island is stunted. In these situations there is
oftentimes a low, dense, and almost impen'etrable hander of
stunted spruce, of from ten to twenty feet across, and rarely
exceeding a hundred feet; beyond which open woods and
good comparatively large timber prevails.

Pine was observed in the valley of the Salmon River, about
four miles inland, where ten or twelve trees that were measured
gave from twelve to twenty inches in diameter at the ba^e,
with heights varying from sixty to eighty feet. White and
yellow birch are common in sizes from a few inches to two feet
in diameter at the base, and from twenty to fifty feet high.
Balsam-fir was seen, but it was small and not abundant.
Tamarack was observed, but it was likewise small and scarce.
One of our men, however, who is a hunter on the island, in-
formed me he had seen groves of this timber north from Ellis,
or Gamache Bay, of which some of the trees were three feet
in diameter, and over a hundred feet in height. Poplar was
met with in groves, close to the beach, on the north side of
the island.

Of fruit-bearing trees and shrubs, the mountain-ash, or
rowan, was the largest ; it was most abundant in the interior,
but appeared to be of the' largest size close ou the beach,
especially on the north side, wliere it attains the height of
forty feet, with long extending and somewhat slender branches,
covered with clusters of fruit. The high cranberry (Vihimmm
opulm) produces a large and juicy fruit, and is abundant. A
species of gooseberry bush of from two to three feet high is
met with in the woods, but appears to thrive best close to the
shingle, on the beach, where strips of two or three yards
across and hidf-a-mile long were occiisionally covered with it ;
the fruit is very good and resembles in taste the garden berry:
it is siuooth and black colored, and about the size of a common
marl^le; the shrub appeared to be very prolific. Red and
black currants are likewise abundant ; there appear to be two
kinds of each, in one of which the berry is smooth, resembling
both in taste and appear.ince that of the garden, the other
rough and prickly, with a bitter taste.

200

Strawberries are found near the beach ; in size and flavor
jthey are but little inferior to the garden fruit ; they are most
rabundant among the grass in the openings, and their season is
jfrom the middle of July to the end of August. Five or six
•other kinds of fruit-bearing plants were observed, some of
which might be found of value. The low cranberry was seen
tin one or two places in some abundance, but I was informed
4/hat it was less abundant than in many other past seasons.
The raspberry was rarely met with.

The most surprising part of the natural vegetation was a
)species of pea which was found on the beach, and in open
spaces in the woods ; on the beach the plant, like the ordinaiy
cultivated field-pea, often covered spaces from a-quarter of an
acre to an acre in extent ; the stem and the leaf were large,
jand the pea sufficiently so to be gathered for use ; the straw
when required is cut and cured for feed for cattle and horses
^during the winter.

But little is yet known of the agricultural capabilities of the
island ; the only attempts at cultivation that have been made
are at Gainache Bay, South-west Point, and Heath Point.
South-west Point and Heath Point are two of the most ex-
posed places in the Island ; and Gainache' Bay, though a
slieltered position, has a peat soil ; the whole three are thus
lUiifavourable.

On the 22nd July potatoes were well advanced, and in
healthy condition at Gainache Bay; but a field under hay,
consisting of timothy, clover and natural grass, did not shew a
heavy crop. At South-west Point, Mr. Pope had about three
acres of potatoes planted in rows three feet apart ; he informed
me he expected a yield of 600 bushels, and at the time of my
arrival on the 5th of August, the plants were in full blossom,
and covered the ground thoroughly ; judging from the appear-
ance they seemed the finest patch of potatoes I had ever seen.
About half-an-acie of barley was at the time commencing to
r pen ; it stood about four feet high, with strong stalk and well
filh'd ear. I observed oats in an adjoining patch; these had
be(m late sown, being intended for winter feed for cattle ; their
appearance indicated a large yield.

On the flay of my arrival at Heath Point, the 23rd August,
I accompanied Mr. Julyan about a mile from the light-house,
to a piece of ground composed of yellowish-brown loam, which
he had cleared in the wood, and planted about the middle of
June with potatoes and peas ; of the potatoes he procured
a bucket-full of good size and middling good quality. The
peas were in blossom, yet a few pods were found to be fit
foi use. In this patch I discovered three ears of bald wheat,
the seed of which had been among the peas when sown ; they
were just getting into blossom, and probably would ripen ; the

ear was an average size, and the straw about three and a-half
feet high.

I observed frost only once ; it was on the 18th September,
but not sufficiently severe to do injury to growing crops ; and I
was informed by Mr. Julyan that the lowest temperature of the
previous winter was only seven degrees of Fahrenheit below
zero. On the coast, as might be expected, the atmosphere
is damper, and the temperature from ten to fifteen degrees
below that of the interior, during June, July, August, and
September, and probably May and October.

During the three months of my stay on the island, fogs pre-
vailed for ten days, six of which were the 31st July and the
2nd, 3r<l, 4th, and 5th of August, while we were at South-
west Point ; Mr. Pope told me it was an unusual occurrence.

I observed that frequent openings in the fog were seen towards

the land, leading to the idea that it was less dense in the
interior.

I observed some cattle at South-west Point, belonging to
Mr. Pope and Mr. Corbet ; they appeared to be in good con-
dition, although they had been left to provide for themselves
in the wood openings, or along the shore. A horse belonging
to Mr. Pope was in equally good condition. <

Harbours.

Gamache or Ellis Bay and Fox Bay are the only two
harbours on the island that are comparatively safe in all winds;
the former is eight and a-half miles from West-end Lighthouse,

202

on the south side; the latter is fifteen miles from Heath
Point Lighthouse, on the north side. From Cape Eagle to
Cape Henry, across the mouth of Gamache Bay, the distance
is two miles, with a breadth of deep water of three-quarters of
a mile, extending up the bay a mile and a-half, while the
depth of the indentation is two miles and a-half. Fox Bay is
smaller, and has less depth of water than Gamache Bay. The
distance across its mouth is a mile and a-half, with half-a-mile
of deep water in the centre, extending up the bay nine-tenths
of a mile ; the whole depth of the indentation being one mile
and two-tenths. These two harbours occur in the same
geological formation, while the rock presents a very regular
and comparatively level surface, over which a road could
be easily constructed from one harbour to the other, the dis-
tance being 120 miles ; by such means the whole island
would be brought to within a moderate distance of a road
having a natural harbour at each end.

It belongs to an engineer to say how far these natural
harbours might be capable of artificial improvement. The
belt of reef about a mile wide-, that lines the shore within
them, is composed of argillaceous limestone, in nearly horizon-
tal beds, which are dry at low water of spring tides. Possibly
one mode of improvement might be to make excavations in
the limestone to the depth required, and to use the materials
thus obtained partly to raise the sides of the excavations high
enough for piers, and partly for the construction of break-
waters outside. The depth of water on the reefs at spring
tides is about^six feet, and the strength of the break-water
might be made accordingly. I have been informed that a
vessel of 500 tons has been loaded with a cargo of timber in
Gamache Bay.

During a heavy wind from the east, while I was at Fox Bay,
a schooner ran in for shelter, and appeared to be quite safe.
On account of the safeness of this harbour, a provision post
was established in it ; but since the erection of Heath Point
Lighthouse, seventeen or eighteen years ago, it has been dis-
continued ; not a single house now remains, although they
appear to have been numerous at one time. I mention this

203

more particularly as on all the chai-ts T have seen, rrovislm. Post
still remains indicated there ; and it Iiappened in one instance at
least, that a vessel was wnu-ked within sight of H(>ath Point,
but the crew, instead of going to the lighthouse, went straight
to Fox Bay, where they confidently expected to find shelter;
the consequence was that several of them perished with cold
and hunger (the time being the beginning of December) before
they could reach the lighthouse at Heath Point. The indi-
cation cannot be erased from old charts that may be in the
hands of mariners, but I am not aware what means have been
taken to make navigators acquainted with the change.

I do not know of any other harbours on the Island that are
sheltered from all winds, and it appears to me that from every
other position on the coast, any vessel near the shore, down to
the size of a schooner, during the existence of one wind or
other would be immediately obliged to put to sea ; for small
boats of from three to ten tons burthen, there are scarcely ten
^ miles of the coast where shelter could not be found by passing
up the small rivers at high water ; and there are many bays
•that might perhaiis be made safe by excavations similar to
those to which allusion has been made.

Rivers and Lakes.

The streams that are met with_ along tlie coast arc, consi-
dering the breadth of the island, voy numerous. There is
scaicely Ui mile that is not supplied with its clear stre'am of
water, and every six or nine miles shew one of a size sufficiently
laige, and with a flow sufficiently constant, to keep machinery
going. Waterfalls near the coast often present excellent sites
for the purpose. The water of these streams is always more
or less calcareous. On the south side the largest rivers are
the Becscie, the Otter, the Jupiter, (which is the largest on
the island) the Pavilion, and Chaloupe ; on the north, the Fox
and Salmon Rivers are the largest.

On the south shore numerous ponds and small lakes were
seen just inside the shingle beach ; towards the cast end of the
island they occur in the low swampy flat that there runs along

204

the shore. None were met with farther back, and none were
observed on the north side of the island except a few small
ponds close to the beach.

Great Salt Lake, Little Salt Lake, Chaloupe Lake, and Lake
Lacroix on the south side, and Fox Lake on the north side are
in reality lagoons of salt water, the tide flowing in and out and
mingling with the fresh water of the rivers.

Most of the streams and lakes swarm with the finest brook
trout and salmon trout, and large shoals of mackerel were almost
daily observed all around the island. But in my tour I saw no
appearance of schooners employed in fishing, with the exception
of one at South Point. The only operations I heard of con-
nected with the trade, were carried on at the mouth of a few
of the ilarger streams on the south side and at that of Salmon
River on the north by men under Mr. Corbet the lessee of the
island, and they were entirely confined to the taking of salmon
and salmon trout. Seals were extremelj^ abundant, and but
for a few Indians who come over from Mingan in July and
August, and take a few of them on the north side of the
island, they would be wholly undisturbed. In the bays and
more sheltered places round the island these creatures are met
with by thousands. It was not uncommon to stumble across
one asleep on the beach, when ‘generally it was despatched
with a blow or two of our hammers.

Several species of whale were observed to be abundant to-
wards the west end of the* island. This must be a favorite
resort as they were either seen or heard at irregular intervals
day and night. One of them about sixty feet in length, and
about fifteen feet above the water’s edge was found grounded
on the reef in Prinsta bay when we passed on the 3rJ Sep-
tember.

The only fishing schooners I saw, with the exception of the
one mentioned, were at the Mingan Islands, where twelve or
thirteen came to the harbor for shelter during a storm. I was
informed by Mr. Henderson, the gentleman in charge of the
Hudson’s Bay Company’s post at Mingan, that they were all
from American j^orts.

205

Wild Animals,

Tlie wild animals met with on the island as far as I am
a\\are are the common black bear, the red, the black, and the
silver fox and the marten. Bears are said to be very nnmerous
and limiters talk of their being met with by dozens at a time ;
but on my excursion I only observed one at Ellis Bay
^•0 n*>ar Cormorant Point, and one in the neighbourhood of
Observation Cape. I came upon the last one on a narrow strip
ot beach at the foot of a high and nearly vertical cliff. Seen
from a distance I took the animal for a burnt lo?, and it was
only when within fifty yards of him that I perceived my mistake.
He appeared to be too busily engaged in making his inorniim
meal on the remains of a seal, to pay any attention to me*
tor although with a view of giving him notice to quit I struck
my hammer upon a boulder that was near, and made other
noises which I conceived might alann him, he never raised his
hea. to show that he was aware of my presence, but fed on
until he had finished the carcase, obliging me, having no rifle,
to remain a looker-on for half-an-hoiu-. When nothing of the
seal remained but the bones, the bear climbed in a leisurely
way up the face of the naked cliff which could not be many
degrees out of the perpendicular, throwing down as he passed
considerable blocks of rock, and disappeared over the summit
which was not less than a hundred feet above the sea.

Foxes and martens are very abundant ; the marten was fre-
quently heard during the night in the neighborhood of our
camp, and foxes were seen on several occasions. Of the silver-
grey fox, the skin of which frequently sells for from twenty-
five to thirty pounds currency, from four to twelve have been
obtaiiK'd by the hunters every winter. Mr. Corbet the lessee
of the island employs several men during that season to hunt
these animals for their fur, and I understand he makes some
profit by the trade.

I heard of no animals of any other description, with the
exceirtion of wild fowl, and I saw no frogs nor reptiles of any

descriiition, and I was informed by the hunters that there were
none.

Distribution of the Rocks,

The rocks of the island were found on examination to be>
in great part somewhat different in them general lithological
character, as well as in their fossil contents from any that had
previously come under my notice. I therefore resolved to
separate them into certain stratigraphical groups, leaving the
determination of their geological age to future investigation.
These divisions in ascending order I shall therefore call,

1. Division A.

2. Division B.

3. Division C.

4. Division D.

5. Division E.

6. Division F.

Division A.

This division of the strata which was the lowest met with,
is in its general character an argillaceous limestone ; the best
section of it occurs in the neighbourhood of English Head at
the west end of the island, and the following is a sequence of
the beds in ascending order :

ft. in.

Grey limestone beds of two and three inches thick, interstratified with
greenish colored sliale ; the limestone beds are in places filled with
fossils in patches of from two to three feet in diameter, while no
fossils would be observed in the same bed for considerable intervals.

These fossils consisted of univalve and bivalve shells, and the sur-
faces of the shale were covered with fucoids. The beds of limestone
are hard and compact, and the fossils are in consequence with

difficulty got out 20 0

Grey limestones and shales of a similar character 24 0

Grey limestones and shales of a similar character, with the addition of
interstratified layers of conglomerate limestone of two or three
inches thick, in which the pebbles consist of grey limestone and
greenish shale, and measure more in the plane of the beds than trans-
versely to them ; the diameter of the largest is about three inches ;

the pebbles lie in a grey argillaceous matrix 13 0

Grey limestones, shales and conglomerates similar to the preceding beds, 12 6

Grey limestones, shales and conglomerates as before ; this part is very
fossiliferous 10 0

207

Grey arRillaceous limestone, interstratified with greenish argillaceous"^^
shale ^

Grey argillaceous limestone, and greenish argillaceous shale similar to
the last, interstratified with beds of pure limestone, and of limestone
conglomerate ^

Bluish-grey, hard, brittle argillo-calcareous bed, smooth on the surface,
with remarkable impressions like the track of some animal, consist-
ing of two parallel rows of semi-circular pits, each pit of about half-
an-inch in diameter and separated from the succeeding one about
a-quartcr of an inch, the one row separated from the other about
half-an-inch, and so arranged that the curres of the pits are on the
outside, while the centre of each pit is opposite the interrupted cir-
cumferenco-of two pits on the other side ; the bottoms of the pits on
opposite sides slope away from one another leaving a species of ridge
between them ; these double rows of alternate pits are usuaMy from
about ten to about eighteen inches long and are more deeply impress-
ed at one extremity than at the other; the impressions are so nume-
rous on some parts of the surface that scarcely a square yard was

Tvithout them

0 6

229 0

Tlie tliickncss above given is vt^ell exposed in the neighbor-
hood icierrcd to, either on the reef or in the cliff. The strata
occupy a breadth of nearly a mile at English Head. Their
dip is S., and the slope 234 feet in a mile. The lower beds
are in the reef (dry at low water), which is about half-a-mile
on the outside of the head ; the highest beds are at Otter
or Imhan Cove, where the stream from JIarl Lake empties
itself into the sea over the bed holding in such abundance the
impressions that have been described.

Following the coast in an easterly direction, the measures
appear to coincide with it in a general way for nine miles to
the point corresponding with Macastey Mountain ; for here the
Indian Cove track-bed comes out on the shore with a strike
N. 550 E., and is traceable to the east side of Macastey Bay,
where, after shewing a sinuosity rudely conforming to the
shape of the bay, it enters upon the land wuth a strike
S. 84° E., shewing a dip S. 6*' W.< 2Jo.

Between this and White Cliff, which is the next point
e.xamined on the coast, there is an inteival of fourteen miles,
along which it is probable the measures nearly coincide with

208

the general trend of the shore ; for while there is a uniformity
in the physical aspect of the country facing the sea the whole
way, the fossils of the cliff in a hundred feet of thickness
resemble those of English Head, and the dip of the strata is
S. 10 W. <lo to 4^.

The same uiiifonnity of geographical aspect is preserved to
High Cliff, six miles further, and judging from the identity of
some fossils, the higher beds of this division are brought to the
shore on the west side of the next bay, though the track-bed
was not seen. The dip is here S. 15^ W., with the augmented
slope of 800 feet in a mile. This increased inclination how-
ever is maintained but for a very short distance, and following
a becl of shale for a couple of rniles^ from the west to the east
side of the bay, the dip gradually becomes S. 4^ W., with a
slope of 100 feet in a mile ; and while the lower beds were
observed to follow the bend of the coast for at least a mile
farther, the higher ones gained the land, and were observed
about half-a-mile from the shore up Nugg River, the position
of which is five miles still further on, where they display a dip
S. 14« W.< from 2^ to 2^^.

From Nugg River to West Cliff the distance is nineteen
miles ; the coast is nearly straight and presents no new geo-
graphfcal feature. About five miles before reaching the cliff
there is a lower one, exposing about eighty feet, the fossils
of which resemble those on the coast of English Head. The
strata were seen presenting lines along the face of the cliff
about parallel with high water mark, with a slope of one or
two degrees inland. Approaching West Cliff from this, two
trap dykes were observed on the beach ; one of them about
half-a-mile west of the cliff, with a breadth of about twenty
yards, was visible for 120 yards in a bearing N. 62^ W. ; the
other close by the base of the cliff, with a breadth of fifty
yards, was seen for about twenty yards in the bearing N. 47^ W.
Both dykes were composed of fine-grained greenstone, with
whitish feldspar and black hornblende, and neither of them
appeared to produce any disturbance of the beds ; but at the
time of observation the sea was close upon them, and it was
not easy to determine much with accuracy. The fossils of the

«liff in which there are 130 feet of strata supposed to belone
to this division, resemble those of English Head in species and
m grouping, and on the east side of the cliff the dip was deter-
mined to be S. 170 W. <1® or l^o.

Three miles further east, beds of the same general character
become exposed in cliffs of from twenty to forty feet hi-rh,
and in their associated reefs, and were several times repeated
with no observed deviation between the strike and the oreneral
trend of the coast, to Charleton Point, a distance of six miles
more, where the dip was ascertained to be S. 18® W. ^1®.

At Charleton Point some of the beds are crowded with
fossils standing out in bold relief on the weathered surfaces,
and well defined forms also were obtained from the debris
of the cliff. Of these, six or seven species are the same as
species obtained at English Head, but there are many that are
different. The same beds are repeated at Spruce Point, about
three miles further east, and twice more at points in the six
succeeding miles, in which there appears to be little or no
change of the dip. This is to the west horn of Observation
Bay, and crossing this bay to the east horn, which is
Observation Cliff, we find at the very base of it a bed of
exactly the same lithological character, and presenting on its
surface the same peculiar impressions as those at Otter or
Indian Cove. The dip at this spot is S. 13® W.< 1®, and the
strike from it westward would bring the bed a little within the
western horn, the distance being six miles, but the track-bed
was not there detected.

Ihe distance from Indian Cove to Obseiwation Cliff is
eighty-two miles, and the bearing in a straight line S. 81® E.
At every point examined in the whole distance, the beds vary
but little in their lithological characters from those given in the
detailed section at English Head. This fact however is not of
much value in establishing the stratigraphical equivalence, as
beds not much differing from these are met with in the suc-
ceeding division. Nor for the same reason can the general
resemblance of the fossils be insisted on, for although there
are five or six well known Lower Silurian species at all the
points, there are other well known Lower Silurian species that

210

arc present at some points and absent at others, while there
are many species which I have for the first time seen, some
belonging to the whole distance, and some, as far as yet known,
peculiar to different points, and nearly all the species ascend
to the succeeding division. The whole means of establishing
the equivalence of the strata are thus reduced to the strike
and the track-bed, which I conceive to be one and the same
bed at both extremes of the line ; for while it comes upon the
coast in three places, just about where it ought to do in order
to be in conformity with the strike, it is accompanied in each
case by a bed immediately below containing Atrypa erratica of
Hall, and a new species of Cypricardia, about eighty or ninety
feet above, which was found no where else. I have therefore
ventured to make the bed a stratigraphical station in the
superposition of the beds, and to consider that the western
eighty-two miles of the north coast of the island belong to
Division A.

Division B.

The rocks which succeed the track-bed at Indian Cove,
and extend to what I have previously called Junction Cliff,
situated three miles and a-half west of Ellis Bay, compose the
next division. They are in ascending order as follows : —

ft. in.

Bluish-grey somewhat argillaceous limestone in hard and compact beds
of from three to six inches thick, interstratified with partings of
greenish shale ; towards the top there are thin bands of light red-
dish-grey limestone, rather purer than those below ; some of the
beds contain fragments of trilobites and other fossils of which
it is difficult to procure good specimens from the hardness of the

rock; the surfaces of some of the beds shew fucoids 60 0

Grey limestone beds of from three to six inches with shale partings
between, much like the preceding in character j the top bed con-
tains numerous beautiful specimens of corals of a pure yellowish-

white color standing out in relief on the surface 6 0

Reddish-grey limestone in thin beds, holding at the top a characteristic

fossil which appears to be a new species of Cypricardia 20 0

Reddish-grey limestone beds with thin greenish shale partings, inter-
stratified at intervals of from three to ten feet with beds of from

three to six inches, consisting of conglomerate, the pebbles of which
are composed of grey limestone, and are of various sizes up to
three inches in diameter, lying flat in the bed in a matrix of grey
limestone; many fragments of trilobites are met with in the
deposit with other fossils

25 0

211

Reddish-grey limestones, conglomerates and shale partings as before..
Reddish-grey limestones, conglomerates and shale partings as before
Reddish-grey limestones in beds of from six to ten inches, interstrati^
bed with conglomerates as before ; among other organic remains
these beds contain in some abundance a tree-like species of fossil
with a rough wrinkled or nodular exterior resembling some kinds
of bark, and an irregularly chambered tube in the centre with
curved septa; around the tube, the chambers of which are empty
there are arranged numerous concentric layers ; the whole of
the fossil, including the septa, is composed of a yellowish-white
carbonate of lime, crystals of which, in the form of dog-tooth
spar, stand out from the walls of some of the chambers • the
concentric layers are in some cases partially separated, and the
exterior sometimes shews that into such spaces the exterior
coating of the fossil has been squeezed down, after being broken •
these fossils are of various sizes from three to seven inches
m diameter, and one of them of about six inches in diameter
shewed a length of five feet ; they all lie prostrate in the beds. In
addition to these tree-like fossils there are corals of the same yel-
lowish-white color in considerable abundance, with other fossils
Grey l^estones, conglomerates and shale partings, with similar fossils '•
a bed at the top contains heads of encrinites in some abundance.
Grey hmestones, conglomerates and shale partings with fossils as be-

Grey limestones, conglomerates and shale partings as before, and in
addition to the tree-like fossil, corals and other organic remains
a considerable number of orthoeeratites are present, but the hard
nature of the beds in which they generally occur makes it difficult
to get them out in a good state of preservation. . .

Grey limestones, conglomerates and shale partings; in addition' to’ the
fossils prevmusly mentioned, there is a greater abundance of spiral
shells, chiefly Murchisonia, than in any of the beds lower down
Measures concealed: the shingle on the beaeh is largely made up 'of
argillo-arenaceoiis shale of a greenish tinge mingled with worn
fragments of grey limestone ; from the fact that this arenaceous
shale did not occur at other parts of the beach, and from its easily
destructible character, it is probable that the beds from which it
was derived constitute a considerable part of the measures con-
cealed

64 0

166 0

96 0

■730 0

The distance which this division occupies between Indian
Cove and Junetton Cliff at the west end of the island, is very
nearly seven miles. At the cove the dip is S. 6® W at
West End Lighthouse, S. lOo W., half-way between this and

212

Junction Cliff S. 10^ W. ; the average is about S. 11^ W., and
the breadth across the division in this direction is three miles
and four-fifths, which would give an average slope of 190 feet
in a mile.

From the position of the track-bed in Macastey Bay, the
whole height of Macastey Mountain, 400 feet, would belong to
this division ; as would probably all the inland elevations visi-
ble from the sea as fiir as Charleton point. The first coast cliff
belonging to it in this direction is Observation Cliff, where 350
feet of the base of the division rise at once from the sea.

The dip at the base of Observation Cliff as has already been
stated is S. 13^ W. <1® ; at the second cliff beyond, it is S. 23®
W. <1J® and at the third S. 13® W. <1J®, the distance of the
last from Observation Cliff being about four miles, and the
strike of the measures along the coast, as deduced from the
above, would carry the track-bed out in front of the third cliff
a little more than a mile, while the average slope would place
it about 100 feet below its base. In the third cliff there is a
height of 250 feet ; so that its summit would probably not
shew any beds higher than those of Observation Cliff. The
distance to the next point is about two miles and a-half, and
the strike bears very nearly for it ; as the measures gradually
diminish in inclination towards Guy Point, which is about
the same distance further on, and then become quite flat, it is
probable that the base of this clifl’ is not over twenty feet fur-
ther in vertical height from the track-bed than the base of the
cliff mentioned before.

Guy Point has a height of about 200 feet; its summit there-
fore will scarcely reach so high in the stratification as that of
Observation Cliff. The horizontality of the stratification in
Guy Point may extend about half-a-mile at right angles to the
general strike further west, and would carry the same beds
that ai e at its base to the base of the next cliff eastward, and
this would not bring in a greater amount of additional strata
than perhaps thirty feet in the bight of Bear Bay beyond. The
base of the cliff leading to Bear Head would thus be about
150 feet over the track-bed.

From Bear Head the coast takes a turn more across the

213

tratification. The dip at the head is S. 17^ W., and the incline
tion, as determined by tracing a bed round into the succeodins
cove IS seventy feet in a mile, which would be the amount
gamed upon the strata at the base of the next point. It would
require miother mile across the strata to reach the base of the
next cliff, which is Tower Point, and about half-a-mile to
reach a position m White Bay beyond, which would be in the
strike of the most northern point of Cape Robert ; but in this
mile and a-half the inclination increases to probably 100 feet

’in r’i r about

370 feet above the track-bed.

The dip at Cape Robert is S. 13- W.< 14 o, ^^ile that of Cape
enrj , about three miles and a-half further on, is S. 23^ W.
>li-, and the base of Cape Heniy would probably be thirty feet
higher, making about 400 feet above the track-bed. At the
base of Cape Henry were met with the first obseiwed examples
going eastward along the coast, of the tree-like fossil, occuring
188 feet above the track-bed at the west end of the island;
but as their vertical distance at Cape Henry would thus be
more than twice as great, it is not improbable that examples
of the fossil may yet be found farther west.

Capo Henry has a vertical face of about 300 feet, the whole
of which appeared to be calcareous ; the summit of the cliff
would thus be about 700 feet above the track-bed. Crossing
the mouth of Salmon River to Battery Point, the next in suc-
cession to Cape Henry, a vertical cliff of about sixty feet in
leight presents itself, in which the prostrate forms of the tree-
like fossil protrude from the cliff in tiers, each fossil presenting
a circular extremity, with an orifice in the centre, giving to the
cliff the aspect of a battery of guns, which has led to its name.

In the bight of a cove, about two miles east of Battery Point
the limestones are followed by arenaceous shales, and the next
point, Cape Joseph, which presents a cliff of ISO feet in height,

18 probably crowned with them, as in the biglit of the cove
beyond some sandstones, which I could not approach the
wast to visit, give to a cliff the name of Grindstone Cape.
These sandstones must run along the coast for about five miles,
composing part of the face of Cape James in their course, and

214

coming to the level of the water in Prinsta Bay ; they then
strike across this bay and run round the lower part of Table
Head, w'here they exhibit a thickness of about fifty feet. The
sandstones then sink beneath the level of the water with a dip
S. 19^ W. <2^, presenting the following section in ascending
order :

ft. in.

Greenish-grey, thin bedded, fine grained sandstone, with black and

brown mica between the layers ; the rock is slightly calcareous,. . 7 6

Greenish- grey, fine grained, slightly calcareous sandstone in thin beds, 6 0

Greenish-grey, fine grained, slightly calcareous sandstone, with brown
and black mica between the layers, which are from three to ten
inches in thickness ; one bed of from seven to ten inches thick, is
free grained, would make a good building stone, and might pro-
bably be fit for grindstones, 5 6

Greenish-grey, fine grained, thin bedded and slightly calcareous sand-
stone, interstratified with layers of from three to six inches thick,
more calcareous from the presence of fossils, chiefly convoluted
shells, which are mixed up with small pebbles of white and green
quartz, some as large as beans, as well as a few grains of blood-

red jasper; mica is present between the layers, 22 0

Greenish-grey, fine grained sandstone, with fossiliferous coarse grained

layers as before, 5 6

Greenish-grey, fine grained, slightly calcareous sandstone, in beds of
one and two feet, which in some parts run into thin slabs, shewing
fossils on their surface, 6 9

53 3

The last of these beds would be about 750 feet above the
track-bed, and the whole of them probably correspond with
the supposed arenaceous beds of the west end section.
Division B would thus appear to occupy about forty miles of
the coast, with the exception of about two miles in the bight
of Prinsta Bay, which is comprehended in the succeeding one.

Division C.

Continuing the sequence of the beds at the west end, where
the previous division ended near Junction Cliff*, the following
constitutes the succeeding division in ascending order :

216

tJreenish argillo-arenaceous shale j ^

Greenish argillo-arenaceons shale, interstratified with beds of grey
limestone of from one to three inches thick ; in a two-inch bed, a
new species of Lingula was observed in abundance ; in another

encrinites were numerous, with other organic remains, i «

Yellowish-grey, compact, argillaceous limestone, with few observed
fossils,

Yellowish-grey, compact, argillaceous limestone, interstratified with
light reddish-grey limestone beds of from one to three inches thick,
the surfices of which are covered with a new species of OrlAis’

(0. Laurentina) and other fossils; among the debris of these beds
many beautiful detached brachiopoda (OrlAis subquadrata and
others) are met with, with spiral univalves (MurcAisonia) ; these

arc the upper beds of Junction Cliff, 20 0

Measures partly concealed, but supposed to be of the same char-
cL\y P''®'ediug, both lithologically and palmontologi-

Ash-grey argillaceous limestone, in beds of from one to three inches **
thick, alternating with calcareo-argillaceous shale beds of from
five to seven inches ; and these two descriptions of beds again in-
terstratified with light grey pure limestone beds of one or two

inches ; no fossils were observed in this part, ^ q

Ash-grey argillaceous limestones and shales, interstratified as’ before
with purer limestones ; these beds contain a new species of Penta-
merus (P. reversus), with several gasteropoda and brachiopoda.
some of which are new, and Mrypa marginalis, for the first time,

I believe, met with on this continent; all the species are found
preserved in the debris and quite detached, as well as standing

out in good relief on small slabs, about one mile east of Junction
Cliff,

Ash-grey argillaceous limestones and shales, with purer'l’imcstonera’s **

before, but the fossils not so well preserved, from the beds being
exposed to the action of the sea,

Ash-grey argillaceous limestones and shales, with purer limestones ^
as before, the fossils not so well preserved, in consequence of the

“'‘'on of f'e sea; this is a mile and a-half cast of Junction Cliff, 24 0

Measures concealed ^

^ 30 0

Light yellowish-grey even bedded limestone, in beds of half-an-inch

and two inches, characterized by Leptesna subplana in abundance,
and one or two instances of a small Mrypa probably undescribed,

all occiiring principally between the layers, * 3 ^

Grey argillaceous limestone * g ^

Yellowish-white coral limestone, the corals of which consist chiefly of
four genera: Ch^teUs, FavosUes, Heliolites and Catenipora, and
they are aggregated in hummocky masses, often composing one-half
or three-quarters of the thickness, being from one to three feet, both

216

ft, vn

horizontally and vertically, and in some instances six feet hori-
Bontally. They are surrounded with an ash-grey argillaceous lime-
stone, and cause the overlying bed,conforming to the hummocks, to

have the appearance of slightly undulating strata, 4 S

The last bed occurs at Point Laframboise, and the over-lying
strata being less extensively developed there than to the eastward,
the coral bed was searched for in Ellis Bay, and found nearly two
miles to the east on the strike, at Cape Henry, which is the west
horn of Ellis Bay, and again at Cape Eagle, the east horn, two
miles still farther on the strike. The measures below in ascending
order, being the equivalents of a part of those at Point Laframboise,
are as follows : —

Grey limestone, interstratified with grey calcareo-argillaceous
shale, sometimes of a greenish color, the lowest bed cha-
racterized by a new species of Murchisonia (M. rugosa),
and the tree-like fossil which has been described as
existing in the previous division. This fossil is here of
larger size than before observed ; one specimen now in
the museum of the Survey is ten and a-half feet long,
six inches in diameter at the larger end, and but an inch
or so less at the other. Some of the fragments of others
obtained were found to be ten and even fifteen inches in
diameter, and if the length were proportionate must when
whole, have been probably over thirty feet in length,. . 12 0

Light yellowish-grey limestone, in beds of from half-an-inch
to two inches thick, with occasional partings of calcareo-
argillaceous shale and abundance of LcptcBna svbplanay

and two small species of ^trypa^ 5 0

Yellowish coral limestone bed, as before,. 5 0

22 0

The measures above the coral bed, in continuation of the section,
are as follows : —

Grey limestone, with argillaceous partings ; these beds were not con-
tinuously examined, but the fossils of some of the beds were
Strophomena depressa^ Lepteena subplanay Amhonychia radiatay and

Borne undescribed species,. 62 0

Grey compact argillo-calcareous beds, slightly bituminous, interstra-
tified with argillaceous shales ; but few fossils were observed, and

such as were seen were obscure ; these beds form Bear Head, 42 0

Measures supposed to be similar to the last, but not thoroughly exam-
ined, 35 0

306 6

The dip of these beds at Junction Cliff is S. 13® W. ; one
mile to the east of it, S. 10® W. ; at White Cliff, Ellis Bay^

217

S. 4 ® W. ; at Cape Eagle, S. 18 ^ W. ; at Bear Point, S. 21 o W.
The average of these would be about S. 130 W, ; the inclina-
tion is a little over 100 feet in a mile, and the direct distance
across the strata is three miles. The distance along the coast
occupied by the division extending from Junction Cliff to
Long Point is about eight miles and a-quarter.

This division as a whole appears to be softer than the pre-
ceding ones ; it offers no very remarkable cliffs along the coast
on the south side, while Ellis or Gamache Bay is worn out of
It, as well as a depression holding Gamache Lake and the
creek which empties it at the head of the bay.

On the north coast the rocks of the division are met with
111 the east part of Cape James, and in the bight of Prinsta
Bay, where they succeed the sandstones which have been
mentioned, and occupy nearly two miles of the coast. In
their outcrop fuvther eastward they crown Table Head and
come to the level of the water on the east side of it.

The following is a section of the base of the division at this
spot in ascending order, as it rests upon the sandstones of
which a section was given in the preceding division :

Grey limestone in even beds,

Grey limestone filled with several genera of corals of a yellowish-
white color,

Grey shale and limestone in patches, interlocking in such a manner as
to make tiie bedding obscure ; no f .ssils were observed

Grey thin-bedded fossiliferous limestone, with interstratified shale,

Grey limestone, with yellowish-white corals,

Grey yellow-weathering limestone, with yellowish-white corals, . . . .

Grey limestone in thin beds, with thin bods of argillo-arenaceous shale
slightly calcareous,

Grey arenaceous limestone, with small scales of brown mica disVem’i-
nated through it; at the base it has a mamillated hummocky cha-
racter, the layers in succession getting thicker and thicker in the
centre of the hummocks, which are from three inches to three feet
in diameter; the whole bed thins down to a-quarter of an ineh in
about a-quarter of a mile on the strike, and then thickens again
farther on, and this appears to be repeated more than once in the
dip and rise as well as the strike ; the layers split away from one
another m smooth curved forms, but the exterior of the hummocks
IS rough, being marked with small parallel ridges for short dis-
tances, and studded with fossils,

//. in.
6 0

3 0

6 6
8 0
2 6
1 9

9 0

218

, fl- »»•

Greenish-colored shale, interstratified with thin beds of grey limestone 17 3
Grey calcareo-argillaceous shale with limestone crowded with corals
and the tree-like fossils heretofore described. Both of these kinds
of organic remains are so numerous and so confusedly mixed as to
give to the whole mass at a little distance the aspect of a breccia,
and it can in consequence be traced easily by the eye in the face
of the cliff round Table Head, as well as round Cape James, for a

distance of six miles on the strike, 14 0

Grey compact argillaceous limestone, interstratified with beds of purer
limestone of a lighter color, which are however in some parts
slightly arenaceous. Numerous fossils were observed in the mass,
but they were for the most part obscure. At the base there were
MurchisoTKE of eight or even ten inches long ; Catenipora occurred
and Atrypa naviforniis was among the fossils ; about the top of
the mass Leptcena subplana was in some abundance. A fine col-
lection of fossils from this deposit was unfortunately left behind
by the boatmen 110 0

181 6

The rocks of this section reach the position of the old pro-
vision post at Fox River ; between the provision post and the
foot of an escarpment south of the lagoon at the mouth of the
river, the distance is about a furlong over a mile, across the
strata, and the dip of the measuj’es is S. 18^ W., with a slope
of 100 feet in a mile. This would add to the section about
115 feet, which are concealed under the river and lagoon,
making the whole thickness 296 feet.

As is the case in the neighborhood of Ellis Bay, the cliffs
composed cf the rocks of this division at Fox River are low,
not exceeding thirty or forty feet, and the deep excavation
forming the harbor is another feature which the two extremi-
ties of the deposit have in common.

The escarpment which limits the division south of the lagoon
comes out upon the coast about a mile and a-quarter beyond
Reef Point, the eastern horn of Fox Bay,' and 'the division
would thus occujiy a distance along the coast from Table Head
of upwards of seven miles.

Division D,

Immediately overlying the upper beds of the last division,
as given in the section in the neighbourhood of Ellis Bay,

219

there occur at Long Point about twenty feet of light grey
limestone, in beds of from two to six inches, many of which
are crowded with another new species of Pentamerus (P.
Barrandi), with but few other fossils, and these beds alter-
nate with others holding Leptwna subplana, but in less abund-
ance, a few individuals of Pentamerus being associated with
them. The dip of the measures is here S. 21“ W., with an
inclination of 120 feet in a mile. The strike of the base of
these measures would cany us to the mouth of Duck River,
and we accordingly have there a repetition of them in thick-
ness and in average dip.

Similar beds are traceable to Wall’s Cove, and here by
means of the reef, a thickness of forty-five feet of the same
character can be verified, resting upon strata composing a low
clift lining the bight of the bay ; as they contained no observed
fossils, they were supposed to form the summit of the previous
division. In Wall’s Cove, while the strata of Division D. are
as much crowded as before with Pentamerus, the specimens
obtained are of a more perfect description, and a few corals
are mingled with them. From Wall’s Cove the strike and
strata coincide all the way to Becscie River, and here on the
reef the thickness of similar strata that were examined amounts
to ninety-eight feet, resting, as in the case of Wall’s Cove, upon
beds of the division C., occurring at the river’s mouth. The
dip at Becscie River is S. 22® W., with a slope of 120 feet in
a mile ; the coast east of the river is low, and coincides with
the strike corresponding with the dip given, as far as St.
Mary’s River. Beyond this there are cliffs, but they are com-
posed of clay mixed with limestone gravel, and extend to St.
Ann s Cove, the margin of which is low and destitute of rocks
as far as the point west of Otter River.

At Otter River the pentamerus beds are again seen, and as
the dip is there S. 40'' W., with a slope much the same as
before, it is probable the strike would nearly coincide with
the westward run of the coast to St. Mary’s River. It is thus
probable that these beds are equivalent to a part of the Otter
River section ; but between these beds and the next that are seen,
less than a mile to the eastward of Otter River, there would

220

be an interval of about a-quarter of a mile across the stratifi-
cation, which would give room for thirty feet of strata; but
whether this is to be considered a part of the ninety-eight feet
measured at Otter River, or an addition to it, I am unable to
say. The examination on the reef at Otter River was intei-
rupted by the rise of the tide before we could ascertain the
character of all the strata which had been exposed at low
water, and as we had nOt arrived at any beds limiting the up-
ward occurrence of the Pentamenis, the whole thickness charac-
terized by its abundance may exceed what I have stated. In
the ninety-eight feet, a few feet were allowed for what was
seen in the rising water in front of me ^ if however the whole
thickness be called a hundred feet, and the beds in. the first
exposure east of Otter River be added to it, the following will
be the section from the base, in ascending order :

ft. in.

Ash-grey and light reddish-grey limestones, in beds of from two to six
inches thick, interstratified in the upper part with conglomerate
beds of the same thickness, at intervals of from two to ten feet ;
the pebbles of these arc calcareous, with a diameter of from one to
three inches, and lie flat in the beds ; a vast number of the beds are
crowded with Pentamerus Barrandi ; with this however in some
beds are associated two or three species of corals, and the Pentw-
merus layers are interstratified with others that shew great num-
bers of Leptana subplana^ and other fossils, ®

Dark ash-grey slightly bituminous limestone, in beds of from two
to six inches, with calcareo-argillaceous partings, weathering
light orange-brown ; conglomerate layers with limestone pebbles
occur at irregular intervals ; the lowest six feet are characterized
by the occurrence in some abundance of a new species ot Atrypay
and Strophomena alternata is frequent in the deposit, with Orthis

and other fossils, * * * ®

Dark ash-grey slightly bituminous limestone, with calcareo-argilla-
ceous partings, weathering light orange-brown, similar to the

preceding,

Dark ash-grey slightly bituminous limestone, as before with but few

fossils, ^

Reddish-grey limestone, in beds of from one-quarter of an inch to
three inches, some of which weather to a reddish-brown, interstra-
tified with occasional conglomerate layers of from two to four
inches thick ; some beds at the base of the deposit are character-
ized by a species of Syringoporay resembling vS. bifurcatOy and by
deep serpentining grooves of about a quarter of an inch wide, with

221

ft. in.

raised edges, apparently marking the track of some species of
mollusk; other fossils occur in other parts, and the middle of the
deposit is marked by the presence of Strophomena alternata in con-
siderable numbers, 43 q

Reddish-grey, limestone, weathering reddish-brown, in beds of from
one to three inches, in^erstratified with occasional conglomerate
beds of from three to six inches thick. Among the fossils which
arc met with are Strophomena and Favosites, 30 0

264 0

Tlio last 164 feet of the previous section are ascertained by
actual measurement of the beds as they accumulate on one
another, going east along the coast for about two miles, in a
direction oblique to the stratification. The dip at the com-
mencement was S. 33^ W., and at the end S. 40^ W., and the
inclination is estimated to be about 200 feet in a mile.
Carrying on the last dip to the next exposure, which occurs
at the distance of a mile further east, it is estimated that there
is a thickness of about twenty feet of strata wanting between
the two. The cliff then presents thirty-four feet of grey lime-
stone, weathering yellowish, and containing but few fossils.
The surface of one bed towards the middle of the mass is cha-
racterized by a peculiarity which as probably the result of
weathering. The bed is about a couple of inches thick, and
is worn into a multitude of rather deep connected pits about
an inch across and two or three inches long, in each of which
is perceived a fragment of a shell standing with its edge up.
There is a general rude parallelism in the *pits, but some of
them cross others, and some descend nearly through the bed.

In the exact strike of this cliff, as decided by the run of
single beds which can be seen for nearly a mile along this reef,
another cliff occurs at nearly twice that distance, with a litho-
logical aspect similar to the last, but with a rather larger
number of fossils. The base is marked by Atiijpa congesta^
and some of the beds higher up by an Orthh resembling
O. Laurmtina, and by a species of Favosites. The beds of this
cliff are supposed to be included in those of the previous one.

To the next exposure there is a distance of something less
than a mile, and from the strike of the strata it is computed

that in the intermediate parts there are concealed about
seventeen feet, reaching to the base of the cliff in which the
exposure occurs. The cliff, which is forty feet high, occupies
about two miles and a-half of the coast, and for two-thirds of
the distance the strata appear to be horizontal, then turn-
ing down with a gentle slope to give an addition of twenty-
five feet in the remaining third. The following section gives
the details of these sixty-five feet in ascending order : —

ft. in.

Light-grey bituminous limestone, in beds of from one-quarter of an
inch to ten inches thick, weathering yellowish-brown in some
parts, and holding Atrypa reticularis (its first appearance) and
numerous remains of Crinoidea^ and several species of turbinated

corals, ®

Light smoke-grey, slightly bituminous limestone, more argillaceous
than the last, weathering to a yellowish-brown, in beds of from

one to two inches, without observed fossils, 5 0

Light grey bituminous limestone, similar to the lowest beds, with

Murchisonia and other fossils, 5 ^

Reddish ash-grey argillaceous limestones, slightly bituminous, in beds
of from half-an-inch to ten inches, with abundance of slender
serpentining fucoids of a dull yellow ish-white, very conspicuous
from the contrast of color ; Strophomena alternata also occurs. . . 20 0

Light smoke-grey limestone, in beds of from one to ten inches, with
the tree-like fossil and ascidians in the lower beds, and in others
Catenipora escharoides, with the genera Favosites^ Pleurotomaria^
Murchisonia^ Orthis, Leptcena and Atrypa. Some of the beds at the
top are ash-grey in colour 25 0

65 0

Between this cliff and what is considered the base of the
succoeding division, the dip of the strata would bring in about
twenty-seven feet, which are concealed. The total thickness
of the division would thus be : —

ft. in.

Pentamerus beds and Otter River section, 264 0

Measures concealed, 40 0

Table River section, 34 0

Measures concealed, IT 0

Two-mile Cliff section, 65 0

Measures concealed, 27 0

223

The rocks of the division reach to within about a mile of the
mouth of Jupiter River, and the total distance which they
occupy on the coast from Long Point, is upwards of thirty-six
miles.

The rocks on the north side of the island at the east end, which
from their position in the succession there, are supposed to repre-
sent this division, have been as yet too imperfectly examined to
enable me to speak with confidence in respect to their volume ;
nor has anything very striking been obseiwed to establish their
exact equivalence, so that it is from the relation they bear to
what is below and what is above, rather than from what the
north and south localities have in common, tlAt the strata are
given as representatives of one another. On the north coast they
occupy ten miles, and deep water prevails along the whole
of it ; in most places the sea beats against the cliff at high
water, and in some even at low water, and there are but two
or three coves at which a landing can be easily made ; it would
require very calm weather to effect a thorough examination.
With perfectly calm weather, however, every bed in succession
might be investigated, as none are concealed in the whole
distance. At the time of my visit to the locality there was a
considerable stretch of the cliff which we durst not allow our
boat to approach, and it was only at the two extremities that
admeasurements were made.

Commencing at the base the first disappointment exjierienced
was to find scarcely a trace of the pentamerus beds, so con-
spicuous on the south side ; for with the exception of a single
valve of a Pentamerus, resembling P. Barrandi, not a specimen
of the species was met with; instead of it a species of Atnma,
resembling A. robmta of Hall, prevailed in great abundance'
no example of which again was found on the south side. The
following is the section obtained at Gull Cape, beginning at
the escarpment which has been mentioned as coming to the
coast south of Reef Point, where the previous division ter-
minated ; the beds are given in ascending order:

Lead-grey limestone, in thin beds, interstratiBed with greenish calcareo- ^
argillaceous shales, slightly arenaceous, and both limestone and
shale slightly bituminous ; the only fossil observed in it was an
Atryya^ but not in great abundance, 19 9

ft. in.

Lead-grey limestone, with no observed fossils, 0 9

Greenish arenaceo-argillaceoiis shale, slightly calcareous as well as
slightly bituminous, crowded with an Mrypa (resembling
robusta of Hall) ; the shale, on exposure to the weather, exfoliates
and crumbles, and the fossils, being hard limestone, are easily ob-
tained in a perfect condition, 25 0

Greenish arenaceo-argillaceous shale of the same character as the last,
with a variety of the same Airypa as the last, much larger in size ;
one valve of a Pentamerus was met with so much resembling
P. Barrmdi as to leave little doubt that it is the same species,
though rather larger than any met with on the south side of the

island, 5 0

Light yellowish-grey bituminous limestone, in beds of from half-an-

inch to two inAes, holding Atrypa^ 20 0

Dark grey slightly bituminous limestone, in beds of from one to three
inches, and towards the top six inches, separated by partings of
greenish calcareo-argillaceous shale ; fossils weather out in good

relief on the surfaces, the most prevalent being OrthiSj 38 0

Dark grey slightly bituminous limestone, in beds of from three to nine

inches, resembling the previous mass, but without observed fossils, 20 0

U1 9

This section was obtained by the measurement of accumu-
lating strata in the cliff as far as Gull Cove, where the highest
bed was about sixty feet above high water mark, leaving sixty-
seven feet as the thickness that had been passed over at the
water’s edge. The dip was S. 28“ W., and the distance across
the measures was three-quarters of a mile, so that the inclina-
tion was about ninety feet in a mile ; this inclination would
carry the sixty feet that are in the cliff to the level of the
water in a distance of fifty-three chains in the direction of the
dip, and following the strike to the westward, it would come
out in Sand-top Bay, where the dip is S. 38“ W., at such a
distance from the bight of it as would give eighteen feet to the
foot of the cliff there. The following section obtained in the
cliff’ gives the details of the succeeding sixty feet in ascending
order . —

ft. in.

Yellowish-grey, compact, slightly bituminous limestone, in beds of from
two to four inches, with few observed fossils, with the exception
of three inches at the top, which are a mass of Murchisonia^
resembling M. gracilis^ with a few instances of Orthoceras^ and one
or two examples of Pentamerus^ resembling P. lens^ 20

: • If I f 'I » M> t M I f r • I ; f ' • M I » I ; •

.■ . ■; ■!; ; ru;

225

ft. in.

Yellowish-grey slightly bituminous limestone, in beds of from half-
an-inch to three inches in thickness, with occasional partings of
yellowish-grey calcareous shale ; the surfaces of the beds are
fossiliferous, and among the fossils are Calymene Blumenbachii,

Orthis, Murchisonia resembling M. gracilisj and Crinoideaj 15 0

Yellowish-grey, interstratified with greyish-yellow slightly bitu-
minous limestone, in beds of from half-an-inch to two inches, with
partings of calcareous shale. The surfaces of thp beds shew fos-
sils, among which are Pentamerus resembling P. lenSj MurchUonia
resembling gracilis^ Lepteena resembling subplana but rather

more convex, with Crinoideaj 15 o

Yellowish-grey and greyish-yellow limestone, as before, with the same
fossils as the last, with the addition of Calymene Blumenbachiij
Atrypa congesta^ and other small species, with turbinated corals,. 10 0

60 0

In Sand-top Bay the dip as has been stated appears to be
S. 38® W., and in this direction the top of the preceding sec-
tion would be carried about fifty-three chains before reaching
the level of the sea; following the strike to the eastward,
modified by that of Sand-top Cape, the dip there being S. 23® W.,
the top of the section would come upon the coast in a position
which would be just a mile across the measures, from the
bight of the bay inside of East Point. The inclination ap-
proaching the bight of the bay /ippears to increase considerably,
and by the impression made on the eye by the strata, as seen in
the cliff from the boat, I am inclined to think it would be as
much as 200 feet in a mile, which would thus be the interval
up to the base of the cliff where the next measurement was
taken.

From a sudden change, however, which appears to occur in
the dip, which becomes S. 3® E., it is not impossible that some
dislocation may occur to trouble the calculation. Leaving
out this consideration, the following would be the remainder
of the beds belonging to the division in ascending order : —

ft. in.

Ash-grey limestone, in beds of from half-an-inch to three inches, with
calcareo-argillaceous partings, interstratified with iron-grey lime-
stones of the same thicknesses. The condition of the weather was
such at the time of my visit that it allowed me to examine the
upper five feet only, in which there was displayed in considerable

abundance a Cylhere about half-an-inch long, 50 0

ft, in.

Yellowish-grey slightly bituminous limestone, charged with a multi-
tude of corals, consisting of the genera Cateniporay FavositeSj
Heliolitesy CheeteteSy Cyathophyllumy and Orthis ; on the sur-
face, the bed assumed a hummocky character, some patches of
the corals rising from one to five feet high, with the diameter
of from two to ten feet, the overlying bed conforming in some
degree to the inequalities, and giving the strata the aspect of
having been disturbjed, 25 0

15 0

The coral bed was followed round the coast from the cove
to the eastern extremity of East Point, where it sinks beneath
the level of the sea, and was taken for the limit of the division
D in that vicinity.

The whole thickness of the division on the north coast
would thus be as follows : —

' ft. in.

Gull Cape section,. 127 9

Measures not examined, 18 0

Sand-top Bay section, 60 0

Measures not examined, 200 0

East Point section, 75 0

480 9

Division E.

The rocks forming the next division commence where those
of the previous one terminated, rather more than a mile west-
ward of the mouth of Jupiter River, and occupy the coast
between that position and South-west Point, the distance being
a little over seven miles, in a direction veiy nearly S.S.E. The
dip of the strata is very constant in its direction, not varying
more than about five degrees at any pai*t, the average being
S. W., while the inclination is sometimes 200 feet in a
mile, and at others is quite inappreciable. With the exception
of some concealment at the base, and more towards and at the
summit, the measures are visible all the way, formmg cliffs of
trom twenty to one hundred and fifty feet.

The following is the sequence in ascending order, of the de-
posits, from a measurement of each bed in succession as it
came upon the one beneath, with the exception of the parts
concealed, which were determined by computation : —

227

Measures concealed,

Greenish-grey and brown arenaceo-argillaceous shales interstratified

of a fine texture in thin beds, with no observed fossils,

Yellowish-grey and light drab argillaceous limestone, slightly bitumin-
ous, in beds of from one to five inches, cut by paraliei joints running
N. 85 W., with an occasional joint running oblique to that course :
the jointed structure and the generai soft nature of the rock
cause large masses to fall from the cliff by the action of the sea
which is encroaching rapidly on the laud. Among the fossils,’
which are generally in a good state of preservation, there are
Graptolithus within about twenty feet of the bottom, Favosites,
Mrypa reticularis, and another resembling .4. tumula, Pentamerus,
like P. lens, Myolina, Cyclonena, Orthoceras, Cyrtoceras, Calymene

Plujnenbachii and Buinastes barriensis,

Light drab argiliaceous limestone, slightly bitumiuous, weathering
white, interstratified with yeilowish limestone, weathering yeilow-
ish-brown, both in beds of from two to three inches thick. The
fossils are not numerous, but weathered surfaces present well
preserved specimens of Mrypa reticularis, Leptatna subplana,
Calymene Blumenbachii, Lychas, Phacops, Pentamerus lens, crin-

oidal columns, and other species,

Ash-grey and light drab limestones interstratified, both slightly
bituminous and in beds of from half an-inch to two inches. The
surfaces weather nearly white and shew fossils of which a large
number are weathered nearly black, by contrast presenting
distinct and well defined forms ; among them are Mrypa reticu-
laris^ Lept(Bna subplana, Strophomena depressa^ Pentamerus lens
Calymene Blumenbachii^ ^

Ash-grey and light drab limestones interstratified, both slightly
bituminous, in beds of from two to three inches, holding in the

upper part in some abundance, Pentamerus lens,

Ash-grey and light drab limestones interstratified, both slightly

bituminous and crowded with Pentamerus lyratus,

The position of this bed is just west of the last brook but one
approaching South-west Point. ^

Measures concealed,

Light drab argillaceous limestone, slightly bituminous, V. V.

Measures concealed,

Light drab argillaceous limestone, slightly bituminous, in beds of from
half-an-inch to three inches, containing numerous fossils, of which
weathered surfaces present excellent specimens weathered black
wliile the edges of the beds along the cliff yield others quite free
from the rock. Among the fossils are various corals, with Mrypa
reticularis, A. congesta, A. hemispherica, A. navifeyrmis, Spirifer
radiatus, Leptena subplana, L. transversalis, fragments of Ortho-
ceras and Cyrtoceras, Calymene Blumenbachii, Phacops (a new

species) and an Encrinurus,

The position of this deposit is a little east of the last brook,
approaching South-west Point.

ft.

• ft- in

Measures concealed at the bight of the cove, north of South-west Point 15T 6

540 9

The rocks at the east end of tlie island supposed to be
equivalent to these, are seen in the section displayed there in
continuation of what has already been given to the top of the
coral bed at East Point. They are in ascending order as
follows : —

ft. in.

Yellowish-grey slightly bituminous limestone, withont any well defined
bedding, in some measure filling up the inequalities on the top of
the coral bed. The rock breaks easily in the plane of the beds
with a conchoidal fracture, and is crowded with well preserved
fossils, principally Mrypa hemispherical and Lepttsna subplana ; the

thickness of the mass is from two to six feet 4 0

Bluish-grey argillo-calcareous shale, holding iron pyrites in some

abundance ^ 2

Dull ash-grey argillo-calcareous shale, containing no observed fossils,
interstratified with patches of drab colored argillaceous limestone,
slightly bituminous, in beds of from one to two inches thick,
occurring at intervals of from one to four feet ; on the surfaces of
these, fossils in good preservation are met with, but not in large
numbers ; among them are ^trypa reticularis^ with another species,

Leptana, Calymene Blumenbachiij OrthoceraSj Murchisonia^ and

various corals 42 0

Light smoke-grey limestone, slightly bituminous, interstratified with
drab-colored soft argillaceous limestone, in beds of from half-an-
inch to two inches in thickness. The harder beds occasionally
weather to a somewhat brown colour on the surfaces, and present
well-preserved fossils weathering blackish-grey, affording superior
specimens for the examination of structure. Among the fossils
are Mrypa reticular iSy A. congesta^ Leptena subplana, L. transver^
salis, L. profunda, Spirifer modestus, Calymene Blumenbachii,
Entrinurus, Lychas, Favosites, small Bryozoa, and crinoidal

columns *75 0

Light smoke-grey slightly bituminous limestones, with drab-colored
soft argillaceous limestones, similar in lithological character and
in fossils to the last 20 0

The preceding part of the section is measured at high water
mark across the measures from East Point, the dip being S. 18 W.,
with an ascertained inclination of a little over 100 feet in a mile.
The distance at right angles to the strike is two-fifths of a mile.

Measures concealed by the shingle of the beach, which consists of light
smoke-grey limestone, mingled with light drab compact argilla-
ceous limestone, both slightly bituminous, pieces of which shew

among other fossils Atrypa reticularis, Calymene Blumenbachii,
Pentamerus, resembling P. lens, with various corals and broken

encrinites

Measures concealed

The top of these measures reaches a position a little over half-a-
mile from Heath Point lighthouse.

Light smoke-grey slightly bituminous limestone, interstratified with
reddish-drab argillaceous limestone, also slightly bituminous,
both in beds of from one to three inches, occasionally presenting
surfaces, on which are weathered out well defined fossils ; among
them are Alrypa reticularis, Leptena subplana, Pentamerus

ling P. lyratus, with small turbinated corals

The top of the previous beds reaches the southern promontory
of Heath Point upwards of half-a-mile S. S. W. from the light-
house. The dip of the measures in this neighborhood is S. 18 W.,
and the inclination was ascertained to be eighty feet in a mile,
which is the rate allowed for the last three measurements ; the
distance which the whole occupies at right angles to the strike
being two miles and twenty-four chains.

In the bight of the bay west of Heath Point some of the last
beds are repeated, but carrying the strike from the eastern horn
of the bay to the coast on the opposite side, the following are the
beds that occur in continuation of the section : —

Light smoke-grey limestone, slightly bituminous, interstratified with
light reddish-drab, similar to the last beds, with similar fossils. . .

Measures concealed

In the two preceding measurements the dip is S. 53 W., and the
inclination forty-five feet in a mile, as determined by the first ; the
distance across the measures is seventy-six chains.

Light smoke-grey and reddish-drab limestones interstratified, similar
in lithological character and fossils to the last beds described. . . .
Pale drab colored limestone, interstratified with limestone of a more
argillaceous character, and of a somewhat darker color, both in
beds of from half-an-inch to three inches thick ; the surfaces of
these afford beautiful and finely preserved fossils, well weathered
out, among which nreAtrypa reticularis, A. hemispherica, Lcptcena,
Pentamerus resembling P. lens, Calymene Blumenbachii, Encri-

nurus, tentaculites, crinoidal columns, and small Briozoa

Ash-grey limestone in beds of from one to six inches, with thin argil-
laceous partings ; some of the beds are crowded with Pentamerus

oblongus, and Alrypa reticularis is common

The distance across the measures occupied by the last three
deposits is sixty chains, and the dip is S. 18 W., with an ascer-
tained inclination of eighty feet in a mile ; the dip then changes,
approaching a dislocation which occurs at a projecting point,
about a mile and three-quarters north-eastward of Cormorant
Point.

ft. in.

The course of the fault is N. 37 E., and it produces an upthrow
on the west side of forty-five feet, by which the last two measure-
ments are repeated. The sequence of the beds beyond these is
as follows : —

Ash-grey limestones in beds of from one to nine inches, with thin argil-
laceous partings ; some of the beds are filled with Pentamerus

ohlons^uSj and Mnjpa reticuUiris is very frequent 78 0

This deposit* reaches to the north side of Cormorant Point ; the
dip of the measures is S. 20 W., and tlie ascertained slope is 110
feet in a mile.

Ash-grey limestone, in beds of from one to six inches thick, interstrati-
fied with greenish argillo-areuaceous shale, slightly calcareous, in
beds of from an-eighth to a-fourth of an inch thick ; in the three
feet at the base, it is in patches of from six inches to one foot thick.

Among the fossils are Zaphrentis bilateraliSj Stromatopora con^
centricaj Favosites favosa^ GraptolithuSj 0 rthocer as &nd Pentainei'us

oblongus 45 0

This composes a cliff of from twenty to thirty feet high round
Cormorant Point, with a dip S. 18 W., and an inclination ascer-
tained to be eighty feet in a mile, for a breadth across the measures

of forty-five chains.

550 11

Eastward from Cormorant Point, the measures are concealed
for about tliree miles, and beyond this all the way to Chicotte
River, a distance of about fifty miles, there are occasional
exposures of limestone, with intervals of concealment, some of
which are very long. All the exposures are supposed to
belong to this division, but though the beds in no case sliew a
great inclination, and in several are cpiite horizontal, the
bearings of the dips that are presented vary frequently and
considerably, either through small faults or gentle undulations,
and it has been found iinpossible to say with precision to what
pai’ts of the division these beds are equivalent, or whether
some of them may not add a few feet to the thickness given.

Belbn' describing the positions of these exposures, however,
it will be convenient to give a section of the succeeding division.

Division F.

In immediate sequence to the concealed measures which
constitute the upper part of the Jupiter River section of the last
division, the following beds present themselves in ascending
order, and form the whole of the area of what is called South-
west Point.

f -irjlM 1 f|r III, i|; •!

231

ft, in.

Light smoke-grey limestone, of a somewhat granular character, in
beds of from three to six inches thick, with thin partings of green
argillo-calcareons shale occurring in patches. Iron pyrites is dis-
seminated through the beds, sometimes in single cubes, and some-
times in aggregations of minute cubes forming nodules of from
one to two inches in diameter, discoloring the rock by their de-
composition. The ruins of crinoidal columns constitute the

organic remains 3 9

Light smoke-grey limestones, with iron pyrites in some abundance, in
nodules as before of from half-an-inch to an inch in diameter, and
occasionally on the surface of the bed in patches of from half-an-
inch to an inch and a-half thick, and from six to eighteen inches
in diameter. Fossils occur in fragments but they are too obscure

to be identified 0 6

Light smoke-grey limestone of a granular character, in beds of from two
to six inches thick, with partings of green argillo-calcareous shale,
which also occurs in patches in the beds, giving them a greenish
cast ; among the fossils occur Zaphrentis^ like Z. bilateralis of Hall ;
Stromatopora concentrica, Cyathophyllum^ Atrypa reticularis., Penta-

merus ohlons^us, P. lens, Orthoceras and crinoidal columns 7 6

Yellowish or reddish-white granular limestone, with thin vein-like
patches of argillo-calcareous shale disseminated through it ; the
beds are from three to seven inches thick. Among the organic
remains, several of which are similar to those of the preceding
deposit, Plycliophyllum characterizes the present one, some of
these being a foot in diameter. Favosites also occurs in tables of

half-an-inch thick, and sometimes three feet in diameter 7 6

Yellowish-white granular limestone, in beds of from six to eighteen
inches thick, often separated by thin partings of green argillo-
calcareous shale, which is also disseminated in small patches
through the bed. The fossils are few in species, being chiefly the
ruins of crinoidal columns, which in some cases form the entire

mass of a bed 20 0

Yellowish-white granular limestones, in beds of from six to twelve
inches thick, shewing less green shale than before. The beds are
well stored with the fragments of crinoidal columns, which almost

entirely compose some of them 14 0

Shortly before reaching the upper part of the previous deposit
several small undulations occur in the strata, but the effect of
them being visible, allowance has been made for the repetitions
they occasion.

The remainder of the section being taken from a part where the
effect of the undulations is not so easily followed, the sequence is
not so certain.

Yellowish-white granular limestone, in beds of from six to twelve
inches thick, consisting of a mass of organic remains, of which
4 Qrmoidal columns constitute by far the larger paatj but other

ft. in.

fossils are met with, among which are Catenipora escharoidesj
FavositeSf Cystiphyllum, A try pa reticularis, Cyrtia, two species of

Cyclonema, Bumastes Barrienses, Spherexochus 4 G

Yellowish-white limestones, in beds of from twelve to eighteen inches
thick ; the surfaces of some of the beds shew crinoidal columns
well weathered out, some of which are three-quarters of an inch in
diameter. Among the fossils are Favosites, Catenipora escharoides,

Atrypa reticularis, and two species of Cyclonema 11 6

South-west Point Lighthouse stands on the beds last giv€fn.

69 3

This is the highest series of strata met with on the island^
and its lithological character is so well marked that it is
scarcely possible to mistake it for any of those which preceded.
Proceeding eastward from South-west Point about three miles,
to a place called the Jumpei's, a cliff of about thirty feet in
lieight presents itself, where it appears to me probable the
junction of the Divisions E and F is seen, the base belonging
to the one and the summit to the other. The beds in ascend-
ing order are as follows : —

ft. in.

Light grey argillaceous limestone, slightly bituminous, in beds of from
half-an-inch to three inches thick, interstratified with greenish
colored shale ; among the fossils observed, Pentamerus oblongus

and Atrypa reticularis were the most abundant 8 6

Greenish calcareo-argillaceous limestone, slightly bituminous, in beds
of from half-an-inch to two inches thick ; the shale constitutes
about two-thirds of the mass, and crumbling in the atmosphere,
allows the exposure of well defined fossils in high relief on the
surfaces of the limestone beds. Among the fossils in addition to
corals, briozoa, crinoidal columns, and tentaculites, are Atrypa
reticularis, A. hemispheria, A. naviformis, Leptecna transversalis,
Pentamerus oblongus, P. lyraius, P. lens, Platyostoma hemispherica,
Pleurotomaria, Murchisonia subulata, Orthoceras, Beyrichia and

Calymene Blumenbachii 10 6

Dark ash-grey limestone, in some parts mixed with yellowish-white, and
in such parts of a granular texture ; the whole occurring in beds
of from one to three inches thick, interstratified with thin beds of
greenish shale. The deposit is characterized by an abundance of
corals and encrinites ; among the corals are Catenipora escharoides,

Favosites favosa, F. gothlandica, F. multipora, Zaphrentis, Stro-
matopora concentrica ; and among the other fossils are Pentamerus
oblongus and Atrypa reticularis 10 6

233

It is not improbable that the south coast is occupied by the
rocks of Division F, from South-west Point to the vicinity of
Chicotte River, a distance altogether of about thirty miles y
without further examination, however, it cannot be so stated
with certainty y for while there is an interval of seventeen
miles beyond the J umpers, in which only one exposure could
be discerned from the boat, there was a farther distance of
seven miles in which four exposures were seen, but remained
unexarnined in consequence of our not being able to land at
them from the condition of the surf, A landing however was
effected in a cove under two miles west from Chicotte River,
and the cliffs which were examined on both sides of the cove
exhibited the yellowish-white granular crinoidal limestone of
this division.

The rock there formed cliffs, exhibiting about thirty feet of the
strata, which appeared to be somewhat disturbed, as the strike
and dip were veiy irregular, the inclination sometimes amount-
ing to so much as twelve degrees.

These beds extend to within about half-a-mile of Chicotte
River, and as no instance of them was observed between that
and Cormorant Point, and all the exposures met with pre-
sented strata resembling those of the immediately subjacent
division, it is concluded, as has already been stated, that this
stretch of the coast belongs to it.

Continuing eastward from Chicotte River, the first ot these
exposures occurs at a distance of about two miles and a-quarter,
the next commences about seven and a-half miles farther on,
being about two miles beyond Pavillion River, where about
seven feet of drab-coloured limestone in horizontal strata are
seen, with an interval of concealment which continues for a
mile, reaching nearly to Martin Brook. The next exposure is
on the east side of the cove receiving Iron River, the distance
from the last being about a mile and a-half. Here about ten
feet are displayed in a low cliff, and the strata still horizontal
run along the coast for three-quarters of a mile.

Six miles beyond this occurs Chaloupe River, where cliffs
are seen at each horn of the bay at its mouth, separated about
half-a-mile from one another. The cliffs expose from twelve

to fifteen feet of limestone in horizontal strata which, with an
interval of concealment, continue for a mile and a-quarter to
the eastward. A mile and a-half further, there is another cliff
of horizontal limestone shewing ten feet, and three miles on
still another in which twelve feet are seen. These run along
the coast for a mile and a-half, and, after an interval at the
mouth of a brook, they are repeated in a cliff of from twenty
to twenty-five feet and continue for a mile. The next display
occurs about five and a-half miles further on, commencing
within three-quarters of a mile of the extremity of South Point,
and continuing, with an interval at the point, for three-quarters
of a mile beyond it. The strata as before, are flat, and they
exhibit the following section in ascending order : —

ft. in.

Grey limestone in beds of from two to four inches thick, interstratified
with grey argillo-calcareous shale ; among the fossils are Atrypa
reticularis., Leptcena subplana, Calymene Blumenbachii and Orthoceras. 6 6

Grey limestone crowded with Pentamerus oblongus of large size, to the
exclusion apparently of other fossils ; nine-tenths of the bed are made
up of them, and some of the individuals measured nearly six inches

in length 0 9

Grey limestone in beds of from one to six inches, with Orthis flabellulum

Calymene Blumenbachii 0

Grey limestone holding Pentamerus oblongus in abundance, but of small
sizes, varying from a-quarter of an inch to an inch and a-half in

length ; no other fossil was observed 0 5

Drab colored limestone in beds of from one to three inches, interstratified
with greenish-grey shale, constituting one-fourth of the mass ; the
shale crumbles under the influence of the weather and yields very
perfect fossils ; among them are a Favosites with small tubes, F.
favosa, Zaphrentis bilateralis, Atrypa reticularis, A. hemispherica,

Orthis elegantala, O. flabellulum, Spirifer radiatus, small individuals
of Pentamerus oblongus, Leptana subplana, Calymene Blumenbachii,
Encrinurus punctatus, Orthoceras and crinoidal columns, 14 0

28 8

A little under half-a-mile beyond this, another cliff of lime-
stone occurs, which runs along the coast for as much more, and
probably repeats a part of the section given, the height of the
cliff being twenty feet.

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g^oiiiJ

^iMpAtfw

‘iillilfAini

{hi Hoiuy*

“^((VnTtionijii loiiil

IjOii^'iitule W(p<»t I’roiu

;5 Ciffiunrh

235

Tlie strata in the exposures for twenty-four miles up to this
point appear to be perfectly horizontal, but the next exhibi-
tion on the east side of a small cove, shews a gentle dip
to the south-east. The beds fom a fifteen-feet cliff of lime-
stone, running for about half-a-mile along the coast, and ter-
minating at the extremity of a point. At the next exposure
however, which occurs after an interval of concealment of six
miles, they are once more horizontal, and compose a cliff again
fifteen feet high, which occupies a mile of the coast ; at a mile
beyond this the calcareous strata which present themselves
shew a dip S. 25 E.<3o, which after another mile becomes S.
47oE.<lo ; the beds in the last case being superior to those in
the preceding one. This dip prevails for about three-quarters
of a mile, in which the coast runs oblique to the strata, and
then from a dislocation or a twist in the stratification, it very
suddenly changes to S. 60^ W., which is maintained for about
a-quarter of a mile across the measures, along a small cliff
occupying that distance. Another concealment of about a mile
and a-half brings us to the horizontal limestones which have
been already mentioned as existing three miles west of Cor-
morant Point.

ECONOMIC MATERIALS.

The substances fit for ec/onomic application met with on the
island are confined to building stones, grindstones, brick-clay,
peat, and shell-marl ; metalliferous minerals, as far as my ob-
8er\ations went, appear to be wanting. The only ore observed
appeared to be loose pieces of magnetic oxyd of iron, most
probably transported from the Laurentian series on the
1101 th shore of the St. Lawrence; there is no reason however
for asserting that bog iron ore may not be hereafter found.

Building Stones . — In the immediate neighbourhood of South-
west Point, coarse granular limestone for building purposes is
displayed in abundance among the strata belonging to Di-
vision F. It occurs in beds of from six to eighteen inches in
thickness, is easily dressed, and yields good blocks of a yellow-
ish-white color. The lighthouse at the point is built of it, and

so is that at Heath Point, both of which, notwithstanding the
coarse and rather open texture of the stone, have stood for
upwards of seventeen years I believe, without shewing signs of
decay.

The sandstone of Cape James and Table Head would afford
a fine material for building purposes; it has a good warm
color, being a greenish-grey approaching to drab, rather lighter
than the sandstone of Craig Leith quarry, near Edinburgh ;
it has a free grain, and would therefore dress easily, while the
angular fragments on the beach shew that it would retain its
sharp edges. Blocks of every required size might be obtained
with thicknesses up to five and a-half feet. One solid mass of
it which had fallen from Cape James lay on the beach, measur-
ing forty by sixty feet, with a thickness of five feet, and must
have contained upwards of 12,000 cubic feet of good workable
stone. In the two cliffs which have been mentioned, the bed
occupies seven miles of the coast, and its proximity to the sea
offers a very easy means of transport to the towns and cities
of the St. Lawrence.

Grindstones . — The same sandstone would very probably yield
very good grindstones ; although slightly calcareous, it is even
grained, and there is a sufficient amount of clear sharp grit in
it to render it available, while there would be no difficulty in
getting any sizes of grindstones that might be required.

Brick Clay . — Clay fit for common red brick exists in some
abundance ; it was observed of a bluish-grey color, and about
ten feet in thickness, half-a-mile up the Otter River, on the
south side ; and I was informed of its existence up the Becscie
River. About five miles of coast in the vicinity of St. Mary’s
River consists of clay clifts of from sixty to seventy feet in
height, and no doubt much of it might be made available for
bricks ; some of it however, is of a calcareous character, and
contains many pebbles of limestone, fitting it probably for
agricultural rather than manufacturing purposes.

Fresh-water Shell-inarl . — This material appears to exist in
considerable abundance on the island ; the bottoms of all the
ponds or small lakes that were examined, with the exception
of such as were surrounded by peat, were more or less covered

with ,t. Marl Lake is one of these; it has a superficies of
about ninety acres, and although the depth of the deposit
was not carefu ly sounded, its thickness appeared to be consi-
deiable. 1 he brook which empties the lake into Indian Cove
at the west end, carries down a large quantity of the marl as a
sediment to the sea, where it become; spi Jl out for a co'sL
derable space over the rocks of the vicinity.

About three miles west from South-west Point, marl was
observed to occupy a position on the bank of a brook, and to
extend for a-quarter of a mile inland, presenting a thickness of
about a toot covered with peat.

In a lake half-a-mile further inland, it covered the bottom
over an area of 200 acres; and on the east side of South
lomt It was obsei-ved reposing on rock close to the shore,
covered over by from four to ten feet of peat.

the island,

from Heath Point to within eight or nine miles of South-west
oint, a continuous peat plain extends for upwards of eighty
onles, with an average breadth of two miles, giving a supericies
upwdids of 160 square miles, with a thickness of peat as ob-
seived on the coast of from three to ten tbet. On the average
. p am may be fifteen feet above high-water mark ; and by
channels cut through it could be easily drained and faced for

iwTfl • n ^*^* 1 ^*’ knowledge goes, this is the largest

Lielfent.

There are many isolated patches also between South-west
point and the west end, varying in size from 100 to 1000 acres,
ch would yield a considerable quantity of the material.

in fl i^hat peat existed also in some abundance

m the interior of the island, but this I am disposed to doubt,
j uhde all the streams flowing from the peat plain, on the
soutli side gave as is usual a brown colored water, those in
o her parts were pure ami colourless, leading to the opinion
that the interior was peculiarly free from peat swamps.

Among the materials of the island which may be considered
of an economic nature though not of a mineral character, sea-
weed and dnft-timber may be enumerated.

238

Sea-weed . — ^In all the bays, coves, and sheltered places around
the whole island, with the exception of those between the
east end and Sonth-west Point, there is a great accnnmlation
of sea-weed along the high-watermark ; in such places patches
of it are met with of from a hundred yards to half-a mile in
length, and from two to six yards in width ; the depth usually
varied from one to four feet, and in some instances was six
feet. The beneficial efiect of sea-weed as a manure is too well
known to require mentioning, but to what distance it would
bear carriage for such an application is more than I am able to
state. On the island, Mr. Pope, of South-west Point, makes
use of it as a fertiliser for his fields, mixing it with the peat
which forms the soil.

Drift Timber . — The quantity of squared timber and saw-logs
which are scattered along the south shore of the island, is
very surprising; the abundance appears to be greater towards
the east end than the west ; but according to the calculation
which I have made, if the whole of the logs were placed end to
end they would fonn a line equal to the whole length of the
island, or 140 miles; this would give about one million of
cubic feet. Some of the squared timber may have been
derived from wrecks, but the great number of saw-logs,
which are not shipped as cargo, induces me to suppose that
the main source of this timber is drift.

No doubt the whole of it may have once been private pro-
perty, and perhaps much of it could be identified as such by
private marks ; perhaps too no one may have a right to touch
it but the owners of the island, to whom it may be a but
it is to be regretted that it should be allowed to remain on the
shore to rot, as much of it has no doubt done. The captain of a
fishing schooner that had not been very successful in taking
fish, applied to me when I was leaving Heath Point to know
where the greatest accumulation of it might be found, ex-
pressing an intention of cutting some of the squared timber
into convenient lengths and loading his vessel with it for
Nova Scotia. More may perhaps be in the habit of pui’suing
a similar trade.

239

mingan islands.

From the shortness of my stay at the Mingan Islands the
amount of information collected concerning the rocks which
to 37 7 necessarily limited. It is sufficient, however

fhnJ f7i ?, horizontal attitude that characterizes

those of the Island of Anticosti, and it perhaps is not extrs

and that island the same attitude may be presented all the way
tailed "®^ern and, therefore, the lowest section I ot

mav ht I f f Laiirentian series on the main land there

«i.r« 1 X relation given had the strike of the mea-

»u.«. bc«, c„„t,m,ed i., th.l T„ki,.g tl.i. for ™Id

th, section from the gneiss i.pward would bo as follow, “

Measures concealed ft. in,

inated in the beds inThTfo* calc-spar isdissemi-

which are two or b “e feet in H

of inches Such f r diameter with a thickness of a couple

Z’ pS.“.? i"""::."

corals (?) and fucoids ’ ^ surfaces of the beds shew

and patches 7cafra £rrr"'°" with geodes

143 4

240

The dip of these measures is about S. 8® W., with an in-
clination of about eighty feet in a mile. Supposing this were
preserved as far south as the range of islands of which Large
Island is a member, the distance across the measures from the
north part of Harbor Island would be about two miles and a
quarter, and the stratigraphical thickness which this would give
between the summit of the previous section and the base of
the beds of Large Island would be about 117 feet.

The following section obtained on Large Island at its most
northern point would then succeed in ascending order : —

Yellowish-grcy limestone weathering yellow

Green and black shale

Yellowish-grey limestone with no observed fossils

Yellowish-grey limestone with Cythere

Yellowish-grey concretionary limestone, weathering yellowish-brown ;
the concretionary masses are from six to eighteen inches in diame-
ter, and the Concentric layers of the concretions are thin

Dull drab colored limestone, weathering slightly yellow, with nodules

of chjrt ; the surfaces of the beds shew fucoids

Dull drab-coloured compact limestone, weathering slightly yellow, in

beds of from six to twelve inches

Drab-colored mottled arenaceous limestone, weathering yellowish-

brown, in beds of from three to nine inches, with corals

Pale yellowish-grey arenaceous limestone, weathering yellowish-brown
in beds of from three to nine inches, well marked with fucoids on

the surfaces and impressions of Euomphalus

Measures concealed

Greenish-drab very compact limestone, resembling lithographic stone
in its texture, but injured by the presence of small transparent
crystals of calc-spar; the beds are from three inches to one foot

thick ; this would make a very handsome building stone

Light-drab compact but brittle limestone, in beds of from six to eight

inches, with no observed fossils

Light-drab compact limestones of the same character

Itl 5

The above beds were ascertained on the west side of the
island, but it will be perceived that in the section there are
fifty-six feet of concealed measures. In a cove on the east
side of the island, beds were observed which are supposed to be
equivalent to most of. these. They are in ascending order as
follows : —

/L in.

5 8
2 0

6 6

0 9

4 0
6 0
18 0
10 0

12 0
56 0

5 0

20 0
25 0

241

Yellowish-white arenaceous limestone, in beds of fmm « *

thick, without observed fossils; this would
building stone ““ excellent

Green calcareo-arenaceous shale ®

Light greenish- white coarse grained calcarennq co a \ ^

small black nodules and patches ^ ^

Measures concealed 5

Green and grey shale 4

Drab colored argillaceous limestone in even hofiJ 1 V

I 48 3

The genera] dip of the whole of these meusnr^o r
Island is about S. 9° W. with an average slope tthere
some slight undulations,) of about seventy fee in i m L
between the summit of the 171 feet abovLiven a^d 1 1 .

set of beds examined, there would be a tln<-h ’ ! ^

seventy-eight feet. ^ thickr,ess of about

The succeeding beds obtained at the south point of the

island, near Tower Rock, consist of yellowish- wliitpni • r

stone, some parts of wliich were filled with M^lu ^ r

and fragments of trilobites; the thioLm o^r
thirty feet. ^oioKuess of the mass was

The only other place examined was the nnrfL^ ^
of Mingan Island, which is about four and a-hairm^? 7*^^
Mmgan Harbour, and forms one of the rmcre ef ^i f
ptehending Large Island. The Ikw^T 1 If " T™'

stone with thin interstratified beds of green ar<rniaLT^ "T"
The fossils, though abundant, were obscuie f , > ' v’"'

cult to identify any of them. ’

The Mingan group of Islands appears to possess but litfU
soil. Large Island, although 100 feet above^b^ • * **
places, more particularly on the south and, fi
marked by the levels of Ancient LTbe 7 7

limestone pebbles, and except where tb of small

them, but little differences were perceivedTe wl rancie^

242

beaches, and the one at present washed by the ocean. A suc-
cession of tliese beaches is well marked by a series of steps
with a horizontal surface above each of an irregular breadth,
not always following the sinuosities of the one below, as some-
times two of these steps will run into one. These terraces are
elevated above one another from five to twenty or thirty feet.

The south-west portion of the island is a succession of such
terraces still nearly devoid of soil. It is only in patches that
vegetation occurs, and the patches have a veiy irregular con-
tour, in no way that I could perceive dependent on the form
or direction of the terraces. Sometimes they would shew an
irregular outline on a terrace, and then run up or down in an
irregular strip to the next terrace, giving to the whole flight
of steps a parti-colored aspect, like that of a body partially
deprived of its skin.

Another feature which marks strongly the change of rela-
tive level in regard to sea and land, and tends at the same
time to give much picturesqueness to the scenery is the presence
of what have been termed flower-pot rocks. These, as the name
imports, resemble flower-pots on a large scale. Hundreds of
these stand up out of the rising tide to heights varying from
ten to fifteen feet, with breadths from a few feet to thirty or
forty, widening toward the top. They arc composed of hori-
zontal layers of limestone piled on one another, and are
the remains of stratified masses that were once united, but
have been gradually worn away by the destructive action of
the sea, and while many of those standing in the water to various
depths according to the state of the tide, show the waves still
at work upon them, some straggling ones are seen away high
up in the island, showing a similar action when the relative
levels of the sea and land were from fifty to sixty feet diflerent
from what they are now.

The strike of the Mingan group of rocks does not differ
very materially from that of the strata of Anticosti, and the
distance across the measures from the highest beds of Large
Island to the lowest of Anticosti is about nineteen miles.
Supposing that the inclination in this space does not differ
from the average of those at the two extremes, which would

243

not be far from ninety feet in a mile,
the thickness of the measures croping
out in the water would be about
1,700 feet.

The whole vertical column, from
the Laurentian series to the summit
of the Anticosti rocks, would then
be as follows : —

Harbor Island section, supposed to be
equivalent in age to the Calciferous

sand-rock formation 9

Measures concealed by water 117 q

Large Island, north section, supposed to
be of the age of the Chazy formation. I 7 l 5
Measures not examined on Large Island Y8 0
Large Island, south section, supposed to
be of the age of the Bird’s-eye and

Black River formations 39 9

Measures concealed by the water be^
tween Large Island and Anticosti,
supposed to be of the age of the upper
part of the Bird’s-eye and Black River
formations, the Trenton formation, the
Utica slates, and the lower part of the

Hudson River group 1799 q

Divisions A., 229 feet, and B., 730 feet,
supposed to be equivalent to the upper

part of the Hudson River group 959 9

Divisions C., 306 ft. 6 in., and D., 42*? ft.,
showing a passage from the lower to

upper Silurian formation 733 g

Divisions E., 540 ft, 9 in., and P.* 69 ft,

3 in., supposed to be equivalent to the
Clinton group ^

4542 8

The accompanying wood-cut, re-
presenting a vertical section from
the Miiigan Islands across Anticosti,
shows the relation of the deposits
that have been examined. The ver-
tical is about three times the horizon-
tal scale.

344

Having in this Report described the geological facts
presented to my observation in Anticosti, I am desirous of
draw’ing attention to the inferences that are suggested by the
results as connected with the agricultural capabilities of the
island. From the facts given in regard to the natural vegeta-
tion of the island, or the limited agricultural experiments, of
which mention has been made, little of importance can be
gathered ; but these when taken in combination with the con-
siderations suggested by the attitude and mineral character of
the rocks appear to me to merit serious attention.

The strata of Anticosti being nearly horizontal cannot fail
to give to the surface of the country a shape in some degree
conforminsT to them. The surface will be nearly a level plain
with only such modifications as are derived from the deeper
wearing in a longitudinal direction of some of the softer beds,
producing escai'pments of no great elevation, with gentle
slopes from their summits in a direction facing the sun, that
will scarcely be perceptible to the eye. The easily disinte-
grating character of the rocks forming the subsoil can scarcely
fail to have permitted a great admixture of their ruins with
whatever drift may have been brought to constitute a soil, and
it is reasonable to suppose that the mineral character of these
argillaceous limestones must have given to those ruins a
fertile character. It is precisely on such rocks, in such a con-
dition, and with such an attitude, that the best soils of the
western peninsula of Canada West are placed, as well as of
the Genesee country in the State of New York. I have seen
nothing in the actual soil as it exists to induce me to suppose
that in so far as soil is considered, Anticosti will be any-
thing inferior to those regions ; and considerations of climate
only can induce the opinion that it would in any way be
inferior to them in agricultural capabilities.

The three months that I was on the island were altogether
too short a time to enable me to form any opinion upon the
climate of Anticosti. But taking into view the known fact
that large bodies of water are more difficult to cool and more
difficult to heat than large surfaces of land, I should be
inclined to suppose that Anticosti would not be so cold in

245

winter nor so hot in summer as districts that are more inland
and more south, and that it would not compare unfavorably
with any part of the country between it and Quebec. While
autumn frosts would take effect later at Anticosti, the spring
would probably be a little earlier at Quebec.

But such is the condition of the island at present that not a
yard of the soil has been turned up by a permanent settler ;
and it is the case that about a million of acres of good land, at
the very entrance from the ocean to the Province, are left to
lie waste, while great expenses are incurred to carry settlers
to the most distant parts of the west. Taken in connection
with the fisheries, and the improvement of the navigation of
the St. Lawrence, it appears to me that the establishment of
an agricultural population in the island would not only be a
profit to the settlers themselves, but a great advantage to the
Province at large.

I have the honor to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

JAMES RICHARDSON.

REPORT

FOR THE YEAR 1856,

E. BILLINGS, ESQ., PALAEONTOLOGIST,

ADDRESSED TO

SIR WILLIAM E. LOGAN, PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST.

Montreal, March, 1857 .

Sir,

After joining the Survey on the 1st ol August last, I
jnoceedetl in accordance with your instructions to make a
general examination of the large collection of fossils in the
Museum, with a view to their final arrangement for the pur-
pose of public e.xhibition ; this work, with occasional visits to
the quarries and exposures of rock in the neighbourhood of the
city of IMontreal, occupied the months of August and Septem-
ber. In the beginning of October Mr. Richardson arrived from
the survey of the island of Anticosti, bringing with him
another extensive collection, and shortly after,' an opportunity
was afforded me of examining these in connection with Pro-
fessor Hall, the eminent Paleontologist of the State of New
York, who was then on a visit to this city.

Since the month of October I have been engaged in deter-
mining the species of the fossils, preparing them for the
cases, ari’anging them, and also in drawing up di'scriptions of
the new forms. The characters of such as I have been able to
distinguish satisfactorily will be given in the following Report.

248

In the arrangement of the Museum the first floor has been
selected for the exhibition of the economic materials and rock
specimens of the older formations, including the altered Silurian.
On the second floor will be arranged the fossils of the Lower
Silurian ; while the thii’d floor will be devoted to the Anticosti
group or Middle Silurian, the Upper Silurian, Devonian, Car-
boniferous, and Drift.

It is proposed for the present to arrange the Lower Silurian
fossils in seven groups, following as nearly as practicable
the system of the New York geologists. These divisions will
consist of : —

1. — The Potsdam Sandstone.

2. — The Calciferous Sandrock.

3. — The Chazy Limestone.

4. — The Birds-eye and Black River Limestones.

5- — The Trenton Limestone.

6. — The Utica Slate.

7. — The Hudson River Group.

The divisions on the third floor will be as follows : —

1. — The Anticosti Group, consisting of beds of passage

from the Lower to the Upper Silurian, and supposed
to be synchronous with the Oneida conglomerate,
the Medina sandstone, and Clinton group of the
New York suiwey ; and with the Caradoc formation
of England.

2. — The Upper Silurian.

3. — The Devonian.

4. — The Carboniferous.

5. — The Drift.

The above classification is intended to be followed in the
table cases only, the object being to exhibit in these the
palaeozoic fauna of the Province uninterrupted by those breaks
in the chronological series which do not appear to have ex-
tended over all Canada. This could not be effected by intro-
ducing and following rigidly the divisions of the New York

249

geologists, because in the eastern extremity of the province
several of their groups can only be ascertained in a general
vv^ay, their characteristic fossils being so intenningled that
with the evidence yet obtained the lines between the forma-
tions cannot be drawn with desirable certainty.

In all but the easteni portion, however, the New York
system has been recognized, and accordingly, in the upright or
wall cases, special collections of the rocks and fossils of each
formation, from the Potsdam sandstone upwards, will be
placed.

Ill the table cases the fauna of each division is to be classified
in the ascending order, commencing with the Plants in the
first case, and proceeding with the Zoophyta, Echinodermata,
Bracliiopoda, Acephala, Gasteropoda, Cephalopoda, and ending
with the Articulata in the last case appropriated to the
group. A stratigraphical and zoological arrangement will
thus be effected.

In the cases, each specimen is to be mounted on an oblong
block of plaster of Paris, bearing a printed label giving the
generic and specific name of the fossil, the name of the
acknowledged author of the species, the locality where col-
lected, the formation, and the initials of the collector, being an
officer of the survey, or the name in full when the collector is
not attached to the commission. In making the block the
specimen is impressed in it before the plaster becomes hard,
it is then removed and the block is afterwards dressed, dried
and painted ; it is then put in its proper situation in the case,
and the fossil placed in the cavity previously foimed by itself.
The Lower Silurian division is already nearly arranged, and
the Upper well advanced.

The classification upoil the third floor is founded principally
on the new facts brought to light by the survey of Anticosti.
Hr. Richardson, as will be seen by his Report, has ascertained
that the island consists of a deposit of argillaceous limestone
2300 feet in thickness, regularly stratified in nearly horizontal
and perfectly conformable beds. All the facts tend to shew
that these strata were accumulated in a quiet sea, in uninter-
rupted succession during that period in which the upper

part of the Hudson River group, the Oneida conglomerate,
the Medina sandstone, and the Clinton group were in the
course of being deposited in that part of the palaeozoic ocean
now constituting the State of New York, and some of the
countries adjacent. If this view be correct, then the Anticosti
rocks become highly interesting, because they give us in sreat
perfection, a fauna hitherto unknown to the Palaeontology of
North America. When the great thickness of the rocks be-
tween the Hudson River and Clinton groups is considered, it be-
comes evident that a vast period of time must have passed away
during their deposition ; and yet as the Oneida conglomerate is
unfossiliferous, and the Medina sandstone has yielded but a few
mconspicuous species, we have been almost wholly without the
means of ascertaining the natural history of the American seas
of that epoch. The fossils of the middle portion of the rocks
of Anticosti fill this blank exactly, and furnish us with the
materials for connecting the Hudson River jsrroup with the
Clinton, by beds of passage containing some of the character-
istic fossils of both formations, associated with many new
species which do not occur in either.

These fossils have not yet been thoroughlv examined, and
consequently in the following lists only those that can be
clearly recognized as being of described species will be given.
Some of the new forms are characterized in the latter part of
this Report, but many others must remain until thev can be
compared with well authenticated European specimens.

Dicisions A and B.

In the lower 960 feet, consisting of Divisions A and B of Mr.
Richardson’s Report, the fossils that are of known species be-
long either to the Hudson River group or to the formations
below, such as the Trenton limestone. The onlv exceptioiw
are Heliolites megastomoj Catenipora escharoides^ and Faomtes
^rosa, not hitherto considered as Lower Silurian on this con-
tinent. They are according to the nomenclature of the Pal-
sentology of New York : —

251

Ch(Rtcies hjcoperdoTiy branched variety,
HelioUtes megastoma^

Catmipora escharoideSy
Favositcs favosa^

Lcptcena sericeay
Strophomma planumhonay

altematay

Orthis testudinariay

subcpiadratay

Ambonychia radiatay
Murchisonia gracilisy
P leurotomaria lentiadaiisy

umhilicatay

Conularia Trentonmisisy
Calymcnc Blumcnbachiiy
Ccraurus pleurexaiuhemusy

Associated with these are a number of new species, among
which are several remarkable cephalopods, such as Nautilus
Ilerculesy Gyroceras or Lituitcs magnijicumy and Ascoccras Cana-
denscy to be described hereafter in this Report. About 230
feet above the base, occur the tracks mentioned by Mr.
Richardson, which, from all the evidence yet obtained, appear
to be confined to a single bed. Catenipora escharoides is met
with at 430 feet from the base, Favositcs favosa and Hdiolites me-
gastoma at 511 feet. A coral, either Favositcs gothlaudica ora
closely allied species, is plentiful throughout ; and also up-
wards, through divisions C, D, E, and F. The singular tree-
like fossils (Bcatricca) first occur at Wreck Point, 430 feet
from the base, and at numerous localities for more than 1300
feet above. The general aspect of the fossils is that of the
Lower Silurian, and as Ambonychia radiata is common, asso-
ciated with gi’eat numbers of a beautiful little species of
CyrtoUtcSy very like C. ornatusy but smaller, it appears very pro-
bable that these divisions are a portion of the Hudson River
group. At the same time the genera Catcniporay Favositcs and
Ascoccrasy indicate an approach to the Upper Silurian.

Division C.

' At Junction Cliff, 950 feet above the base, we find three
additional Upper Silnrian species, Leptcenasubpluna, Strophomena
depressa, and Atrypa naviformis. The described fossils at this
locality and in the next 300 feet, (the thickness of Division C)
are : —

Chcetetes lycoperdon^

Catenipora escharoides^

Leptcena sericeay

svhplaiwby

Strophomena altematay

depressa,

Orthis lynXy

testndinariay

Orthisina Vemmilliy
Atrypa naviformisy
Anthony chia radiatay
Pleurotomaria lenticvlarisy
Belle^'ophon hilobatusy
Calymene Blumenbachii.

In this list there are three species, 0. hjnxy O. Vemmilliy B.
bilobatmy (the first and second in great perfection) not yet col-
lected in the two divisions below, although no doubt they
occur there. About one third of the new species in the divisions
A and B are found in ®, the others do not appear any more,
and probabably become extinct Of the known species 9 out
of 14 occur in the divisions A and B ; the same species of Favo-
sites and Beatricea are found in great force, and these two
alone are almost sufficient to shew that there was no break in
the column of organic life at this place. I also think I can
recognize here several other Upper Silurian species, such as
Heliolites interstmctay Propora tid/datay and Leptcena traiisversalis.
The most striking new form is the species I have called Penta-
merus reversmy which occurs veiy abundantly and well pre-
served in the vicinity of Junction CliflT.

Division D.

In division D the fossils, although numerous, are not so well
preserved as in those below ; those determined are : —

Chcetetes ly coper don ^
Catenipora escharoides^
Stromatopora concentrica^
LeptcEiia altmmta^

subplana^

Airy pa congesta^

reticularis^

Murchisonia gracilis,
Calymene Blumeiibachii*

There are several other species which occur in Divisions A,
B and C, including the Favosites and Beatricea. At Becscie
River Bay, 1265 feet above the base, occurs Pentamerus Bai'-
randi of this Report, a species resembling P» borealw, but which
I am inclined at present to classify as a new form. Many of
the beds, through a thickness of 100 feet are packed full of
this fossil. At the top of the formation there are several new
species of corals, apparently in great abundance.

Division E,

The highest rocks of the last division are 1692 feet above
the base of division A., and then succeeds an interval of 27 feet
in which no fossils were collected, the measures being con-
cealed. Division E, consisting of 540 feet in thickness of
limestone, immediately follows.

There are about sixty species of fossils in Division E., of
which the described forms are : —

Chcetetcs lycoperdon,

Catenipora escharoides,

Favosites favosa,

254

Zaphrentis hilateralu
Or this lijnx^

elegantula

jlabcl lulum

Lept(Biia siihplana^

iransvcrsnlh^

profunda^

Strophomcna altemata

• depressa^

Atrijpa reticularis^

• congcsta^

• plicatula,

hemispherica

naviformis

Spirifer radiatus^

Feiitamcrus oblonsrus.

; O'

Murchisonia subulata^

Cijclonema cancellata,

P latijostoma hemispherical
Cahjmene Blumenbachii^

BumaUes Barriemisl

In this list there are twenty-four species, of which all except
these four Favosites favosa, Orthis fiabcUulum, Leptma tra.nsvcrsalU
and Platyostoma hemispherica, belong to the Clinton group. It
is probable that many of the other species are also known, at
least some of them appear to me to be the same as those figur-
ed in various works ; but it will require further examination
to decide this. For instance, there are two large species
of Pmamerm, very like P. hjratm and P. lens, a trilobite scarce-
ly distinguishable from Encrimtrus pfimctatus, a Hcliolites like
H. Murchisoni, &c.; Penlamcrus oblongus occupies the upper 150
feet of the division in great abundance ; but the two species
of the divisions, C and D, P. reversus, and P. Barrandi have not
been seen here at all.

About twenty out of the sixty species are found in the lower

divisions, and of these the following twelve are described :

Chateleshjcojibrdon, Catenipora euharoides, Favosites favosa, Orthis

255

lynx, l^eptrvna siihplana, Stroplutmena alternata, S. dcpressa, vitrypa
reticularis, A. vavifonnis, A. cmgesta, Calymene Blummhachii,
Murchisonia suhulata,.

Atrypa reticularis is not found in tlie lower divisions A, B and
C, but at a locality three miles west of Jupiter River, in beds
about 1*30 leet below the top of division U, it occurs plenti-
fully, and thence passes into E, where it is very abunnant.

Division F.

These are the highest rocks in Anticosti and consist of white
limestones crowded with the remains of several large crinoids,
but v\ ith few species of the other orders of organic remains*
They contain Atrypa reticularis in abundance, and also nume-
rous fragments of Bumastes Barriensis, with some corals, and
appear to be a continuation of division E., with a change in
the lithological character of the rock. The thickness is about
70 feet.

Th;; divisions C, D, E and F constitute a series of deposits
to which it is proposed for the present in the arrangement of
the measures to give the name of the Anticosti group. Taking
the whole of the Anticosti rocks together, it will be seen by
reference to the foregoing lists of fossils that the lower portion
is most probably the equivalent of the Hudson’s River group,
while the upper contains the characteristic species of the Clin-
ton. The middle portion cannot be classified as either Clinton
or Hudson River, and yet it contains some species found in
the one or the other, or in both. Stratigraphically, it occupies
the position of the Oneida conglomerate and Medina sandstones,
and is no doubt of the same age. In the Oneida conglome-
rate no fossils have been found, and of the twenty-one species
figured by Professor Hall as occurring in the Medina sandstone,
not one has been recognized among those produced at Anti-
costi. If these several deposits therefore be of the same age,
then it follows that in the seas of the State of New York there
existed circumstances unfavorable to the existence of marine
life, while further east the waters were stocked with an abun-
dant fauna.

NEW SPECIES OF FOSSILS FROM THE SILURIAN ROCKS

OF CANADA.

Tlie following descriptions of some of the new species of
fossils in the museum of the Survey include several CijstidecB
published in the Canadian Jounial at Toronto, in 1854. It is
thought advisable to include them in this Report with the
other new fonns since discovered, in order to furnish a com-
plete synopsis of all the species of this type of the echinoder-
mata in the collection. I beg that these descriptions may be
considered as merely provisional, and that I may soon have an
opportunity of republishing them with good figures.

Suh-kiiigdom^ Radiata ; Class^ Echinodermata ;

Order, Crinoidea.

Genus Glyptocrinus. — Hall.

Generic Characters. — Cup pyrifonn, or sub-globular; jielvis
of five hexagonal or pentagonal plates, alternating above
which are five primary rays, each supporting upon its third
plate two secondary rays, partly included in the general test
of the body ; four of the spaces between the primaiy rays hold
six interradial plates ; the fifth space six or more interradials ;
above these and between the secondaiy radials a number of
smaller plates ; free rays articulated in two series and piiinu-
lated; column round or sub-pentagonal, composed of thin joints
with numerous larger and thicker ones at variable distances.

The plates of the species of this genus are flat, thin and
either smooth or ornamented with radiating ridges, striae or
raised margins; the large joints of the columns are often nodu-
lose. In the Black River and Trenton limestones in Canada,
the remains of several species are exceedingly abundant, but
usually reduced to mere fragments of the plates and column.
At the city of Ottawa where these rocks are exposed on a
large scale, three of the species hereinafter described, G.pris-
cus, G. ramuhsus and G. marginatus, appear to be more com-
mon than at any other locality yet examined. The heads are

257

frequently found there in a fragmentary state, but good spe-
cimens are rare. G. inisais is tiie only head collected in the
Black River limestone, but it also occurs in the Trenton. I
have met with G. lacunoaiis near the top of the Trenton lime-
stone only. G. ornutus is found about the middle of the deposit,
rather common, and in fewer numbers upwards to the Utica
slate. There is a si,\th species which also occurs at Ottawa,
but is only known by its very characteristic sub-pentagonal
column.

Glyptociunus priscus.

Descriptim.—’The cup of this species is pretty regularly oval,
covered with smooth plates and surmounted by ten long un-
divided fingers or free rays, which are densely fringed°with
two rows of pinnulas. A strong rounded carina or ridge, runs
up each of the primary rays, and dividing into two upon the
centre of the third plate, sends a branch up each of the secon-
dary rays to the base of the fingers ; the carime are also
divided upon each of the pelvic plates, and coalesce into one
on the centres of the first primary radial plates ; in the large
interradial space a si.xth ridge ascends to the top of the cup ;
dividing the space into two parts about equal, it bifurcates
below on the centre of the large interradial, one branch pro-
ceeding to the centre of each of the two contiguous first pri-
mary radial plates. The pelvic plates are of a moderate size
but the basal plates of the primary rays are large, broad and
in contact with each other by their upright lateral margins.
The joints of the free rays are very thin and closely set. The
rays are also rather broadly rounded on the back. As to the
column, the only perfect head in the collection has but a sin-
gle joint attached to its base, but the columns found associa^
ted with it and also those which have been observed in the
Trenton limestone at Ottawa, along with the fragments of the
heads of individuals of this species, are round with the lar^e
joints rather thick and rather nodulose. I think this species
grew to a very large size ; but the evidence is not sufficient to
connect positively the small specimen examined with the large
ten-fingered fragments found in the Trenton limestone.

Localitij and Formation . — One small perfect head collected at
the upper mouth of the cave at the fourth chute of the Bonne-
ch^re, in the County of Renfrew, in the Black River limestone.
Fragments of the heads and columns apparently referable to
this species are common in the Trenton limestone at Ottawa.

Glyptocrinus ramulosus.

Description . — The cup of this species very much resembles
that of G. prisons. It is covered with smooth plates, and the
primary and secondary rays are strongly keeled, but the base
is broader, the pelvic plates smaller in proportion to the size
of the body, and there are twenty free arms springing from the
margin instead of ten, as in G. prisons. The arms also are
several times bifurcated at various distances from the top of the
cup, while those of the former species remain single to their
extremities ; the pinnulae are in two rows, and from one-
fourth to three-fourths of an inch in length ; the ossicula of the
arms are very thin, and interlock with each other so deeply
that each joint seems to extend completely across, giving the
appearance of but a single series of joints where in fact there
are two. Near the base of the arms there are about two joints
in one line, but higher up there are from four to eight in the
same length. The arms are regularly rounded on the back,
and comparatively slender, being scarcely more than one line
in diameter at the base of the largest specimens. In the spe-
cimens examined four of the plates of each of the secondary
rays are included in the general test of the body. The col-
umn is round, and .at the base of the cup the large projecting
joints are thin, sharp-edged and crowded close together; they
gradually become farther apart as the distance from the base
of the cup increases, until at length they are from one to three
lines removed from each other. Between these large joints
the column is composed of very thin plates with crenulated
margins, the projecting teeth of one plate fitting into the
corresponding notches of those in contact with it above and
below. The edges of the large joints are nodulose, and the
column is much larger at the base of the cup than at its
lower extremity. One specimen tapers from one-fourth of an
inch to one-eighth in a length of fifteen inches.

259

The form of the alimentary canal appears to vary in differ-
ent parts of the same column, being usually more or less star-
shaped, but sometimes circular. The separate large joints
are generally seen in the shape of flattened rings, witli the
outside margin thick and rounded, but thinned down to a
sharp edge around tlie perforation of the centre.

The columns of this species very mucli resemble those of
Sc-hizocrinm nodosus (Hall), Pal. of New York, vol. 1, pi. lo,
and were always so-called in Canada, until a number of speci-
mens were found with the heads attached. The figures and
description of that species however, given by Professor Hall
show that it had four plates in the primary rays, and must be
therefore not only specifically but generically distinct from
G. rumulmus. I think that a large proportion of those great
columns so common in the Trenton limestone on the Ottawa
should be referred to this species and to G.priscus. Specimens
four or five feet in length are sometimes seen in the quarries,
and some of the crushed heads, including the arms, are seven
inches in length.

A Inghly interesting specimen in the cabinet of Dr. Van
Cortlandt of the city of Ottawa, consists of the inside of a cup
two inches and a-half in length and one inch and seven-eighths
in diameter, at the base of the free arms. It had been com-
pletely embedded in the stone, but by some means the body
has been completely extracted, leaving all the plates lining
the cavity in their natural position. The impression of a
fragment of the column one inch and a-half in length from the
base of the cup downwards still remains. Each of the plates
has a small tubercle in its centre on the inside. The charac-
ters of the column are precisely those of many of the large ones
usually seen without the heads attached. If therefore any
of these large columns belong to this species, then in their
advanced age they must have lost their nodulose character
because they are smooth instead of nodose, as is the case with
the smaller specimens in the collection of the Survey which
have the heads attached. It appears to me that in all the
species of Ghjptocrinus the columns were ornamented until
past the middle age, and that afterwards they became plain.

Glyptocrinus marginatus.

Description. — The plates of this fine species are all margined
by a strong elevated border, the effect of which is to give
to the surface a beautifully reticulated appearance. The
only specimen in the collection is crushed, but then the size
of the plates near the bottom shows that it had a broad roun-
ded base, and that its general form was sub-globular. The
large iiiterradial space contains ten plates below the level of
the base of the secondary rays ; the rays are all cariiiated, and
there is also an upright row of small plates in the centre of
the large iiiterradial space which exhibits a faint keel. There
are four or five of the secondary radial plates included in the
cup. A piece of the column two inches and a-half in length
remains attached, and shows that the large joints at the base
of the cup of this species were much thicker, and consecpient-
ly not so sharp edged as those occupying a similar position in
the other species.

The length of this cup from the base to the free arms is
one inch and a-half, and the breadth about the same. The
column is four lines in diameter, and in the length of two
inches and a-half there are twenty-one large joints with the
same number of others a little smaller, each situated half-
way between two of the largest. The arms are not preseiwed
in the specimen.

This species also grew to a large size and was closely re-
lated to both G. priscus and G, ramulosus.

Locality ajid Fornuition . — Trenton limestone, City of Ottawa.

Glyptocrinus ornatus.

Description. — In the specimens of this species that have been
collected the cup is broad-oval, the base well rounded but
narrower than the upper extremity, the rays (as in the other
species) are keeled, and there are ten long slender undivided
free arms as in G. priscus. Each of the plates is ornamented
with five or six sharp ridges which radiate from the centre,
thus covering the body with numerous stars with triangular

interspaces. The column is round, and the large joints are
thin, sliarp edged and distant from eacli other half-a-line at and
near the base of the cup in a specimen of the ordinary size.

Length of the cup in several specimens a little more than
half an inch ; diameter at the base of the free rays about the
same ; diameter of column at the base of the cup about one
line.

The surface ornament of this species is very like tliat of G.
decadactylus (Hall) of the Hudson River gronj): but there is a
very decided difference in the form of the columns of the two.
Those figured by Professor Hall have the large joints very
thick and rounded, while in G. oriuitus they are exceedingly
thin and sharp edged ; some of our specimens are very like the
figure of G. hasaUs (McCoy), given on page 180 of Sir Roderick
Murchison’s new work Siluria. In Sedgwick and McCoy’s
British Palaeozoic Rocks, page 57 however, that species is
described by Professor McCoy as having the pelvic plate
immediately below the large interradial space, hexagonal, and
supporting upon its upper truncated margin the large inter-
radial. In our species all the pelvic plates are very small and
pentagonal ; to both the English and New York species ours
is evidently closely allied.

Locality and F ormation, — Upper half of the Trenton limestone.
City of Ottawa.

Glyptocrinus lacunosus.

Description, — This species is characterized by its very large
pelvic plates, one of which, that beneath the large interradial
space, is hexagonal, and supports upon its upper truncated edge
the first interradial. The surface of the body is conipletely
covered with small rugose pits and wrinkles ; the rays be(*ome
free at the second or third secondary radial plate, they diride
immediately after becoming free, at least once, perhaps again
above, but the specimens do not shew them perfectly above
the first subdivision. The body is sub-globular, about three-
quarters of an inch in length, and the same in breadth.

The column is round, and when once carefully examined is
easily distinguished from that of any other species occurring

in the Trenton limestone. The large joints are proportionally
very broad and projecting, while the constrictions between
them are wide and deep. At the distance of from six to ten
inches from the base of the cup, the large joints disappear
altogether, and the column becomes smooth like that of the
genus Thysajwcrinus (Rhodocrinus) ; in one specimen at the dis-
tance of three inches from the base of the cup, the large joints
are nearly one line in thickness at their edges, and are two
lines distant from each other ; they are also two and a-half
lines in diameter; the constricted portion of the column
between them is scarcely one line.

Locality and Formation. — Upper part of the Trenton limestone.
City of Ottawa.

Gemis Thysanocrinus (Hall), Rhodocrinus (Miller).

Generic Characters. — Cup, oval or conical, and of the same
structure as Glyptocrinus, except that there is a series of five
plates (sub-radial) alternating above the pelvic plates, the arms
are of medium length, slender, articulated in two series, and
fringed with two rows of pinnulae. The column is also the
same as that of Glyptocrinus near the base of the cup, but a few
inches below becomes smooth and without the large joints ;
it was attached to the bottom by a branched root-like base.

Thysanocrinus (Rhodocrinus) pyriformis.

Descrquion. Cup conical or pyriform, the adult specimens
about two inches in length and one inch and a-half in their
greatest diameter, which is near the base of the free rays. The
pelvic plates are pentagonal, with an obscurely rounded ridge
across their base ; sub-radials hexagonal, each supporting upon
its truncated upper margin a large interradial. The fii-st pri-
mal y radial on each side of the large interradial space is hex-
agonal, the other three are pentagonal ; the second plates in
the rays are hexagonal, and the third heptagonal ; each of the
latter supporting upon its upper sloping edges the bases of two
secondaiy rays, which become free at the third or fourth plate.

263

thus furnishing ten arms, which divide at not quite one-fourth
of an inch from their base, and again at half-an-inch ; the full
grown arms are again subdivided, some of them once, others
twice. The arms are comparatively short, not exceeding two
inches in length in a specimen wdiose cup measures one inch
and a-half in length. The ossicula which constitute the
double series of joints of the free rays or arms, are obtusely
cuneiform, the two rows interlocking with each other so
slightly that the points of the joints extend but a short distance
across the centre of the back of the arm ; there are two ossicula
to one line in length in that portion of the arm at the base
which is situated next the cup, and below the first sub-division;
the arm here is scarcely one line in thickness. All the plates
are smooth or slightly granulated on their surface ; in some of
the specimens there is a trace of an obscurely elevated margin
round the plates, and there is also a broadly rounded keel, not
very prominent, upon each of the primary and secondary rays.

The column is round, slender, annulated, with thin but
round edged projecting joints, for several inches below the
bottom of the cup ; it then becomes smooth and continues of
an uniform size to the base of attachment, which consists of a
number of root-like branches. The annulated portion of the
column is usually found a little curved, but the smooth cylin-
drical portion is always straight, and in this part there are
about ten joints to two lines of the length ; near the cup there
are three or four annulations to two lines. The diameter
of the columns is from one and a-half to two lines and a-half,
and the length varies greatly ; one specimen, a very perfect
impression of the head, column and root, all in their natural
connection, measured but seventeen inches in length ; a frag-
ment of the smooth portion of a column still lying in the rock
measures thirty-seven inches and a-half. At Ottawa, in the
upper part of the Trenton limestone, there are fragments of
smooth round columns, four or five lines in diameter, which
appear to be a large variety of this species.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa,
plentiful ; in the upper part of the same formation, around the
base of the mountain at Montreal, where the columns are
rather common.

264

Thysanocrinus (Riiodocrinus) microbasalis.

Dcscriptim . — The sjjecimens for which the above specific
name is proposed are about five-eightlis of an inch in height,
and the same or a little more in breadth at the top. They are
cup-shaped, and uniformly expanding from the narrow pelvis
upwards. The pelvic plates are so small that they can only
be well seen when the column is removed. The rays are
keeled, and all the jilates of the body exhibit obscure radiating
ridges somewhat similar to those of Grhjptocnnm miatus, but
not so prominent. The column is round, annulated in its
upper and smooth in its lower part. I have not seen either
the root or the arms.

This species is closely allied to T. pjrifornm, but diffei-s
m its much smaller size, in the comparative minuteness of the
pelvic plates, and also in the character of the surface. T.
pyriformis is a large smooth species, but this one has a surface

ornamented with stars, only well seen however on good sne-
ciineris. ^

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone, City of Ottawa.

Gains Dendrocrinus (Hall).

Generic characters.— In this genus there are five pentagonal
pelvic plates, and alternating above these a series of live sub-
radials, one of which has its superior angle truncated, and
supports a large inkuTadial. There are five rays alternating
above the sub-radials ; the ray on the left-hand side of the
large mterradial has two of its plates cntei-ing into the compo-
sition of the cup ; this ray is free, from tlie third joint inclusive,
of the other four rays, only the first joint is inclmled in the
phte pi’oboscis rises from the iiiterraJial

Tins genus IS exactly the same in the composition of the
test as Cjathocnnus with tlie exception of the peculiarity that
one of tlie rays has two of its joints contained in tlie walls of
m original description given by Professor Hall,

(Pal. N. 1., vol. 2, p. 193,) fom- scries of plates ai-e mentioned.

265

including 6ve “ scarcely visible ” plates beneath those which
I regard as constituting the true 2 >Glvis ; they cannot he seen
in any of the specimens in the collection of the Survey, al-
though at least four of tlie species are unquestionable congeneric
with D. longidactijlus (Hall). *

I have seen Professor Hall’s specimens, and he agrees with
me that the generic description may be so modified as to
receive many species witli the same structure in' other respects,
but which do not exhibit the small plates at the base. It
will be seen by refering to fig. 7, c, plate 42, vol. 2. Pal. of
New York, that the column of D. lofigidactylm consists of
alternately large and small (or thin) joints, and that the latter
sometimes consist of five divisions. Professor Hall is now of
opinion that the small pieces at first regarded as constituting
the true pelvis are not of generic importance, and that they
may be considered either as one of the quinquepartate thin
plates of the column, or as a basal series so little developed as
not to be of more than specific value.

It will be recollected by those who have studied the
Crinoidea, that a similar question relating to the base of
rotcriocrhms still remains unsettled ; Professor Philips and the
Messrs. Austin having published that genus with three minute
l)lates situated under the three basal plates.

Dendrocrinus gregarius.

Description. — Cup, acutely conical, from three to eight lines
in length, and from two to six lines broad at the greatest dia-
meter, which is at the margin, whence to the small pointed
base it tapers uniformly with nearly straight sides ; pelvic
plates, narrow, nearly one-third the height of the cup ; sub-
radial s, rather more than one-third broader than high ; large
interradial, not quite so large as the plate on which it stands,
broader above than below ; proboscis, for several lines above
the interradial, nearly as wide as the cup, and composed of
numerous small plates, which appear to be regularly arranged
in upright rows ; the arms bifurcate once immediately after
becoming free, and many times again above ; they are very

266

long and obtusely angular on the back. Below the first
bifurcation there are about four joints, and they occupy a
length of two lines in a specimen where the cup is six lines
high and the arms two inches and one-fourth long. Their
thickness in this part is about ’half the width of the first
primary radial plates from which they spring, and they appear
to hold a very deep groove on their inside, as the thickness is
greater in that direction than it is in the other ^ the column is
round, slender and flexible, slightly enlarging near and up to
the base of the cup, and composed of alternately thick and
thin joints, about six of each in a line of the length ; the
plates are without ornament.

This species so much resembles D.longidactylm (Hall) of the
Niagara group that it can scarcely be separated. The principal
differences consist in its smaller dimensions, and in the absence
of the vertical ridges along the proboscis. On comparing with
the illustrations given in the Palaeontology of New York, it will
be seen that the second plates of the rays on each side of the
proboscis are in fig. 1 plate 43, broader than those upon
which they rest. In our specimens the second plate of the
left-hand ray is equal to the first ; in the right-hand ray it is a
great deal less, agreeing in this respect with fig. 7 a, plate 42.
The species are closely related, and yet I am satisfied they
are different.

Localitij and Formation.— Qity of Ottawa, in the central part
of the Trenton limestone.

Dendrocrinus acutidactylus.

Dcscrijnion. Cup, small, conical, somewhat pentagonal ;
arms, very slender, several times sub-divided and excessively
sharp on the back ; column, round, composed of small nearly
globular joints ; length of cup in the specimen examined, two
lines, breadth at base of free rays the same ; length of free rays,
one inch and one-eighth ; thickness upon the back below the
first sub-division, about one-fifth of a line. At three-fourths of
an inch below the base of the cup there are five joints of the
column to one line in length. The two arms visible in the

267

specimens bifurcate at the fourth free joint, and three times
again at varying distances above. Only one side of the spe-
cimen can be seen, yet the characters of the cup and arms are
so similar to those of the last species that there can be little
doubt of its generic affinities, while the globular joints of the
column and the thin sharp backed arms are characters suffi-
cient to separate them specifically.

Locality and Formation. — Upper part of the Trenton lime-
stone, near the Toll-gate, St. Lawrence Street, Montreal.

Dendrocrinus prouoscidiatus.

Description. — Cup, small, conical sub-pentagonal ; proboscis,
enormously large in proportion to the size of the cup ; column,
pentagonal with raised edges along the five angles, and with
concaVe faces between, composed of very thin joints, twenty-
four in the length of two lines ; the arms are thin and sharp
on the back. In a specimen, the crushed cup of which is
three lines in length, there is a proboscis attached, sixteen
lines in length; the portion seen is of a very remarkable
structure ; it is composed of four vertical rows of small plates,
with a strong central keel running up each row, from either
side of which projects, nearly at right angles, a pair of short
ridges to the outer side of each plate, giving to the surface
the appearance of several small rope ladders side by side, as
in the rigging of a ship. Tins peculiar style of ornament is
well shewn in the figures of D. hngidactylus, (Hall) Pal. N. Y.,
vol. 2, fig 7 a, plate 42, but the pattern is somewhat different ;
in that species the transverse ridges diverge from each other
at an angle of about 4-5 degrees, but in this the divergence is
only about 20®, producing to the eye a very diflferent effect.

Locality and Formation . — Upper part of the Trenton lime-
stone, near the Toll-gate, St. Lawrence Street, Montreal.

Dendrocrinus similis.

Description. — Cup, small, conical and sub-pentagonal ; arms,
long, three or four times sub-divided, rather broadly rounded

26S

on the back, and comparatively stouter than those of any of
the above described species. Of the two anns preserved in the
specimen examined, one remains single for a distance of two
lines and a-half, and then divides ; there are five joints in the
undivided part ; the other arm shews but two joints in the
part below the first bifurcation. The column for seven lines
below the pelvis is pentagonal, with round edges and sligntly
concave faces ; it is composed of alternately thick and°thin
joints, nine of each in the space of two lines, diameter of
column nearly one line ; length of arms sixteen lines, and the
diameter at the undivided part nearly a line on the back.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

The three last species a|»pear at first sight to be identical,
but the moment a magnifying glass is brought to bear upon
them, their differences become quite as apparent as those of the
large species. In D. acutidactylm the arms are exceedingly
thin and sharp on the back above the first division like the
edge of a knife, and the column is circular and composed of
round edged joints, which at the distance of one-half or three-
fourths of an inch become nearly globular. In D. proboscidian
the column at the base of the cup is pentagonal with the
angles so strongly projecting, and the faces so concave that a
single joint has the form ol a five-rayed star ; the arms, judging
from the fragments seen, were very similar to those in D.
acutiJactyhis.

In D. similis the column is only different from tliat of D.
proboscidian by the unequal thickness of the joints, and in
being more regularly pentagonal ; its faces are only slightly
concave, its arms also are five times thicker.

Dendrociunus conjugans.

Dc^icription. In this species the column about one inch be-
low the pelvis, is round, smooth, and from half to two-thirds of
a line m diameter; proceeding upwards it rapidly enlarges to
two or three lines, at the base of the cup, which is smalX and
not much broader at the margin where the arms become free,
than it IS at the bottom ; the pelvic plates are low and broad.

the snb-radials twice as high, and the arm-bearing plates
rather more than two thirds the length of these latter ; the
anns are half tlie breadth of the plates on which they stand,
and broadly rounded on the back ; they all divide at the height
of about three lines, and again at the same distance above ;
there are three or four joints in each of the undivided por-
tions. The ray on the left-hand side of the base of the pro-
boscis, which in the generic description is said to have two of
its plates included in the cup, in this species has the second
plate tree, with the exception that it is united on one side to
the plates of the proboscis; it is however nearly as broad
as the first radial plate upon which it stands, and one-third
wider than the first free joint of the arm which rests upon it.
This character connects Ihndrocrinm with Ci/afhocrmns, in
which the second joint of the ray in question is entirely free.
The column as before mentioned is circular, broad at the base
of the cup, and rapidly diminishing in size for a short distance
below ; it is in this part smooth, but farther down enlarges
again, and is composed of thick round-edged compressed
spheroidal joints very similar to those of Heterocrinjis simplex.
In one perfect specimen the height of the cup is three lines,
the diameter at base two lines and a-half, and at the margin
three lines and a-half; length of the arms to first division
three lines and a-half, to second division six lines, width of
arm to second free joint one line, and of the proboscis the
same. In another individual this organ is wider than the
arm ; in a third specimen the arms divide at the fifth joint,
but in every other respect it is the same as this species, al-
though slightly more slender.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.
Dendrocrinus angulatus.

Description.— In this beautiful little crinoid the plates are
ornamented with radiating ridges similar to those of Glypto-
cnnns decculactylus. The cup is small, conical and pentagonal ;
from the centre of each of the rather large sub-radial plates,
there proceed six strongly elevated ridges ; one to the base of

270

each of the arms, one to each of the pelvic plates, and one to
each of the adjoining sub-radials. The arms are very slender,
sharp on the back, and at least twice divided ; the three joints
of the column which remain attached to the specimen are pen-
tagonal. Length of cup three lines, breadth at the margin
four lines, diameter of column nearly one line.

Localitij and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

Dendrocrinus humilis.

Description. — Cup small, conical ; arms, nearly as broad as
the first primary radials, divided at the fourth or fifth joints,
and again above ; the pelvic plates are small, their height
about equal to their width, the sub-radials three times larger
than the pelvic plates ; the first primary radials are low and
broad ; column, unknown ; height of cup, two and a-half lines,
breadth at the margin, the same.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

Dendrocrinus latibraciiiatus.

Description.— species is most closely related to D.
humilis, the only difference being in the greater breadth and
length of the arms, which at the base are quite as wide as the
first primary radials, and become a little broader above,
whereas in the other species they become narrower from the
base upwards. The bottom of the cuj) is more rounded than
in D. humilis, and as the columns of both are unknown and as
they occur in different formations, they cannot be easily iden-
tified at present ; the arms are three times divided ; length of
cup, three lines and a half; of the arms, ten lines.

Locedity and Formation. — Hudson River group, Charleton
Point, Anticosti.

Dendrocrinus rusticus.

Description. The base of the cup in this species is broad,
like that of D. conjugans ; the pelvic plates about as high as

271

they are wide, the sub-radials one-third higher than the pelvic
plates; the arm- plates a little shorter than the sub-radials, and
broader than high ; the interradial is about the size of one of
the pelvic plates, and bears three or four small plates upon its
summit; the column is round at its junction with the pelvic
plates, and composed of thin plates, but one line and a-half
below it becomes pentagonal, with raised rounded edges and
concave faces ; at the distance of two inches below the pelvis
there are about three joints of equal thickness to one line in
breadth ; the arms appear to have been short ; breadth of cup,
two lines and a-half in one specimen and three lines in another ;
height of latter to the top of the interradial, four lines and
a-half; the whole surface is smooth. The specimens examined
are imperfect, but to each there are about three incheg of the
column attached.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.
Genus Heterocrinus, (Hall.)

Generic Characters . — The species of this genus are small,
and including the arms long and nearly cylindrical crinoids.
The pelvis is composed of five small plates, alternating above
which are live elongated rays composed of a variable number
of joints. They divide immediately on becoming free, and
are pinnulated, but as they are nearly always found closed
up, specimens in which the pinnuhe can be seen are rare.
Hence the genus was originally defined as being without
these.

The new species here described have also an interradial
plate between two of the rays.

Heterocrinus simplex, (Hall.)

Description. — Sub-cylindrical or elongated fusiform, length
including the rays from one to two inches, diameter at half
the length from three to four lines. The base of the pelvis in
the large specimens is about one line and a-half in diameter, and
the body gradually enlarges to about three lines at that point

272

where the rays divide. The diameter above is always greater,
the extent depending upon the amount of expansion of the
rays in the particular specimen examined. Tlie pelvic plates
are scarcely a line in height, the length of the undivided por-
tions of the rays in the large individuals is about three lines.
The ray on the right side of the interradial plates consists of
three joints, the first equal in length to the other two, and
with one of its anglgs truncated where it is in contact with
the interradial. The ray on the left side of the interradial
has four joints, the second being the longest, and having one
of its angles truncated to support the interradials.

The other three appear to consist each of four equal joints.
The upper joint of each ray is pentagonal, and supports two
secondary rays, which continue single to their extremities.
The interradial is oblong, higher than wdde, five-sided, two of
the sides meeting to form an obtusely pointed lower extremity,
which rests wedge-like between the truncated angles of the
first joint of the ray upon the left, and the second joint of the
ray on the right ; its U2rper side is horizontal and sujqrorts
another plate which is probably the base of a proboscis. The
secondary rays, ten in number, consist each of a series of
oblong quadrangular joints usually one line in length and
two-thirds of a line in breadth.

There is a row of long jrinnulae upon each of the inner
margins of each ray, they rise irjrwards rrearly parallel with
the rays instead of projecting at neariy right angles as in other
species. The column is round and smooth at the base of the
pelvis, below which it tajrers and becomes very slender at the
distance of one or two inches, then slightly larger and com-
posed of compressed globular joints, the rounded edges of
whrch to the eye present a bead-like appearance. The long-
est column seen with the head attached was fifteen inches,
and as rt was broken off below, it had been probably several
rnches longer. The diameter is usually somewhat less than a
line, and there are about severr joints of equal size to two lines
rn length. The smooth slender upper portion of the column
near the base of the cup is generally half a-line or a little

more in diameter, expanding to twice or three times this size
at the pelvis.

273

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone, Ottawa and
Montreal.

I had drawn up the description of our Canadian specimens
as above, under the impression that they were of a species
different from that of tlie Hudson River Group. But having
since seen Professor Hall’s collection, I now believe that ours
are identical. Tlie original specimen figured in the Palceon-
tology of New York is impeifigct, and .consequently it was
desciibed without noticing the interradial, and also as having
a pentagonal column. The species is abundant in the Trenton
limestone in Canada, and therefore it is thought advisable to
publish the above description, which contains a more full
account of its characters. Should, however, it hereafter be
found that ours is different from the Hudson River species, I
beg that it may be called H. Canadensis, the name I had given
to it previous to examining Professor Hall’s specunens.

Heterocrinus tenuis.

Descri^rimn. — Much smaller than H. simplex', arms long, very
slender, and several times divided ; column very obscurely
pentagonal, composed of sub-globular joints; proboscis exten-
ding nearly to the apices of the arms ; length, including the
arms, from ten to sixteen lines ; without the arms, one and
a-half to two and a-half lines ; diameter at base of arms,
about two lines ; of column, at base of pelvis, half-a-line.

It is not certain that this species should be referred to the
genus Hetcrocrinns. The plates of all the specimens in the
collection are so closely united that their number and arrange-
ment cannot be satisfactorily made out. The weight of the
evidence is in favor of the genus under which I have placed
it. The species, when several times attentively examined, is
easily distinguished from 11 . simplex. In that species the
column, for a short distance below the cup, is smooth and
slender, and it enlarges suddenly from a few lines below, until
it forms rather a broad base for the pelvis to stand upon. But
in H. tenuis the column continues moniliform to the base of
the cup and without enlarging, but on the contrary is rather

274

less in diameter at the point of contact than it is below. In
one specimen there are forty-two joints in the first nine lines
from the pelvis, and some irregularities in the size can be seen.
They are thinner near the cup, and gradually become thicker,
so that at two inches from the pelvis there are only sixteen in
half-an-inch. The aims, although much more slender than
those of H. simplex, usually lie folded together, or but slightly
separated.

Locality and Formation , — Trenton limestone, Ottawa and
Montreal.

Germs Htbocrinus, (new genus.)

Generic Characters . — Cup pyriform, or sub-globular, more
protuberant upon one side than on the other; pelvic plates
five, pentagonal, alternating above which are five large plates,
four bearing free amis, and the fifth supporting upon its upper
sloping sides two plates, one of which is an interradial, the
other an arm-plate supporting the fifth free ray. The columns
of the two species known are round and short. The generic
name is from the Greek hubos, hump-backed.

Hyboceinus conicus.

Description . — In this species the cup is conical, with slightly
ventricose sides ; the base narrow, and the arms long and un-
divided ; plates smooth ; height of cup thirteen lines from the
base of the pelvis on the large side to the upper margin of the
interradial ; height of the opposite side nine lines ; length of
the arms three inches ; the pelvic plates occupy more than
one-half the height on the large side, and about one-half on
the others; the arms are one line and a-half in width, and
> broadly rounded on the back ; composed of a single series of

joints, each one line in length ; on their insides the ambulacral
grooves are margined by rows of small plates resembling those
upon the aims of some of the Cystidea ( Fleurocystites ), about
five of those plates to one joint of the arm. The column is
Eound and smooth, consisting of very thin joints, ten to one line.

275

The mode of attachment to the bottom was by a broad button-
shaped base. Length of column in the largest specimen seen,
one and three-quarter inches.

Locality and Formatioju — Trenton limestone, City of Ottawa.
IIybocrinus tumidus.

Desaijdon. — Smaller than IL conicus, sub-globular, the
plates tumid in their centres; column, slender and round,
composed of thin joints, and tapering towards the base ;
surface of the plates, obscurely granular; length of cup, six
lines ; breadth at margin, about eight lines ; arms, one line
broad upon the back, composed of joints one line in length.
Although about twenty heads of this species have been col-
lected, none of them are quite perfect, but they all are smaller
and of a different foim from IL conicm.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

Genus Carabocrinus (new genus).

Generic Characters. — Cup, globular; pelvic plates, five, four
of them pentagonal, and the fifth hexagonal ; sub-radials, five,
four large, hexagonal, and one small and pentagonal. The
series of sub-radials is divided on one side by a large inter-
radial, which is supported upon the hexagonal pelvic plate.
The arm-plates or first primary radials are also five, and of
these, three alternate regularly above four of the sub-radials ;
the fourth rests partly upon one of the sub-radials and partly
upon the large interradial of the second series ; the fifth is
supported in part by the heptagonal sub-radial, and partly by
a plate which stands upon the small pentagonal sub-radial ;
the fourth and fifth arm-plates are separated by a second inter-
radial, supported by that which stands upon the hexagonal
pelvic plates.

Upon the summit five calycinal ambulacral grooves radiate
from the centre (where there appears to be an aperture) to the
bases of the anns ; the mouth is situated in the margin over
the inteiTadial plates ; there is a small aperture, surrounded by
an elevated border half-way between the mouth and the centre.

This genus is distinguished from Cyathocrimts and Potcriocrinus
by tiie depth to which its interradial plates descend. In the
genera cited they are always situated above the sub-radials,
but in Carahncrbms one of them stands upon one of the pelvic
plates. I refer all the specimens to one species. The generic
name is from the Greek Jcarabos, a crab.

Caraboceinus radiatcs.

Description. — Cup, globose, rather broader at the margin
than it is high; base, broadly rounded, covered with strong
rounded ridges which radiate from the centres of the plates ;
arms, short, three times divided ; column, round and slender,
composed of alternately projecting thin joints. From tlie
centre of each sub-radial plate two principal ridges ascend
diagonally to the bases of the two arms on both sides; two
others radiate to the centres of the two sub-radials on either
side, and thus a series of triangles is formed round the upper
half of the cup. In a similar manner ridges extend from the
centres of the sub-radials to the centres of the pelvic plates,
thus constituting another set of triangles in the lower half.
W^ithin each triangle, both in the upper and lower halves, are
contained two or three smaller triangles, one within the other.
In consequence of this an’angement, the ridges appear to
radiate in groups of three or four.

Each ai-m-plate supports in its centre a small but stout
pentagonal second radial plate, from the upper sloping edges
of which spring two short round arms, which divide again at
the second joint ; these branches are again divided once or
twice above. Height of the largest specimen, one inch ;
diamctei at half the height, fourteen lines. Specimens are
in the collection of all sizes, from three lines to twelve iii
diameter.

Locality a.nd Formation. — Trenton limestone, City of Ottawa.
Genns Cleiocrinus, (new genus.)

Getieric Characters. Cup, large, conical or j)yriform ; pelvic
plates, five ; lays, five, alternating with the pelvic plates ; the

277

third plate of each ray is pentagonal and bears two secondary
rays, which are several times divided above. Between two of
the rays a single vertical series of interradial plates extends
from the pelvis to tlie margin of the cup. Tlie inteiTadials
and rays are all firmly anchylosed together by their lateral
margins up to the height of the fifth or sixth sub-division.
The column is pentagonal in the species known.

This genus has the structure of a Pentacrmvs, with numer-
ously divided anns all soldered together in the walls of the cup.

ClEIOCRINUS REGIUS.

Description. — Cup, elongate, conical, gradually expanding
from the base until near the top, where it is slightly con-
tracted. The margin supports about forty long, very slender,
tentaculated free rays. At first sight there appear to be ten
small pelvic plates, but upon examination five of these are
found to be the first plates of the five rays which rest imme-
diately upon the upper joint of the column ; the other five are
the true pelvic plates ; four of them are pentagonal, and the
fifth, which supports the column of interradials, is nearly
square; height of each pelvic plate, one line; breadth, the
same ; tlie small radial plates w’hich rest on the column
betAveen the pelvic plates are a little broader than these latter,
but not so high; the column is pentagonal, and the pelvic
plates are placed upon the angles of the upper joints, while
the bases of the rays are situated upon the straight edges :
there are about two joints of the column to one line, and they
are alternately thicker and thinner ; the column near the
lower extremity becomes round and suddenly expands into a
broad base of attachment.

The surface of the cup is nearly smooth, only varic^d by
obscure vertical rounded ridges along the centres of th^ rays
and of their sub-divisions.

Length of cup, one inch and three-fourths ; breadth near the
margin, about one inch ; diameter of column, from two to four
lines. Nearly all the large pentagonal columns in the Trenton
Ihnestone at the City of Ottawa belong to this species.

Locality . — Trenton limestone, Ottawa.

Gentis Lecanocri;^us.

Generic Characters . — In this genus there are three pelvic
plates, one of them pentagonal and the other two hexagonal ;
in the second series there are five sub-radial plates, two of
which are supported by the two hexagonal pelvic plates,
while the other three alternate with these latter. Alternating
above the sub-radials are five primary rays of three joints
each, and above these, tdn secondaiy rays ; some of the species
have several small interradial plates in one or more of the
divisions between the primary rays.

Lecanocrinus elegans.

Description. — Cup, small, conical, three lines in height from
the base of the pelvis to the upper margin of the first primary
radial plate, at which level the breadth is also about three
lines ; the breadth of the pelvis is one line and a-half, and the
top of the column scarcely less ; the first primaiy radials are a
little broader tliaii higli, and rendered slightly heptagonal by
the truncation of their upper lateral angles ; the second primary
radials are narrower and quadrangular, or obscurely hexagonal ;
the third are pentagonal ; the length of each is about a line and
a-half ; the third in each of the three rays exposed in the only
specimen seen, supports two secondary rays of five joints each,
and then divides into two tertiary rays ; these latter are again
divided ; the rays above the fourth division are articulated in
two series ; between the primary rays are several small inter-
radials. The column is circular, with round-edged joints, from
four to six in one line ; length of ray from the base of first
primary radial to the extremities, one inch and one-fourth.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

Lecanocrinus l^vis.

Description. This species is shorter than the preceding, and
has only four joints instead of five in the secondary rays; the
upper part of the column is round and smooth. In other
respects there is much resemblance between the two, but still
I think them distinct.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone, City of Ottawa.

Gentis PoROCRiNUS, (new genus.)

Generic Characters , — Cup composed of three series of plates,
with one or more small interradials on one side, and with a
number of poriferous areas similar to the pectinated rhombs
of the Cystidea.

In this genus there are five pelvic plates, five sub-radials,
and five first [)rimary radials alternating with each other, as
in roteriocrlmis, Cijathocrmns, and other allied genera. The
principal new character upon which the genus is founded
consists in the presence of pt^dferous areas.

Locality and Formation , — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

POROCRINUS CONICUS.

Descrijition, — Cup, one line and a-lialf in diameter at the base,
and gradually enlarging, with slightly ventricose sides, to the
width of five lines at the margin ; height, seven lines ; pelvic
plates narrow, nearly two lines high ; sub-radials, three lines in
height ; first primary radials, about two lines and a-half in height
and breadth ; all the plates smooth ; column, circular, smooth,
and suddenly enlarged near and up to the base of the cup, com-
posed of very thin joints ; free rays, long, slender and single
to their extremities ; they are about half-a-line in thickness,
and appear to be composed of a single series of joints. Only
about one inch in length of the column next the base has been
seen.

In this species there exists a number of poriferous areas
resembling the pectinated rhombs of the Cystidea in their
structure, and probably adapted to the performance of the
same tunctions. Their forms and position are however some-
what different from those of any known cystidean. In fossils
of the latter order these organs consist of two parts, one
situated upon each of two contiguous plates, but in this
crinoid, each is so placed that it occupies the angles of three
plates. Their form is that of an ecpiilateral spherical triangle,
and their size about one line in diameter. There are five
situated at the apices of the five pelvic plates, five at the lower
angles of the ami-plates, five at the apices of the sub-radials

! ■.

! •'

lilitiwwj

280

and five between the arm-plates on the margin of the cup.
There are also two or three small ones at the angles of the
interradials, in all twenty-two or twenty-three. The pores
consist of fine elongated parallel slits, which appear to pene-
trate through the plates ; they are not at right angles to the
margin of the plates as in the Cystideae, but oblique.

The central pore of each division divides the angle into two
equal portions, and all the other pores upon the plate are par-
allel to this central one ; consequently in each area they have
three directions at which they are at right angles to the sides
of the triangular space in which they are situated, but oblique
with respect to the margins of the plates.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

Ordet ' Cystide^.

Genus Glyptocystites.

Generic characters. — Body elongate, cylindrical; test com-
posed of four series of })lates, of which there are four in the
basal, and five in each of the second, third, fourth and fifth
series ; three of the basal plates are pentagonal, the fourth
hexagonal ; ovarian aperture in the only species in which it has
l>een seen, situated in the lower half of the body, without a
valvular apparatus ; in the summit a small oral orifice from
which radiate several calycinal anibulacral grooves which are
continued upon the arms ; more than three pectinated rhombs;
column short and tapering to a point at its lower extremity.

T-his genus is so closely allied to Echhw^ncrinites iXidit I have
had much doubt as to the propriety of retaining it. The prin-
cipal diflferences are, that while the Eluropean genus has an
oval or sub-globular body, and only three pectinated rhombs,
Glyptocystites has an elongated cylindrical body covered with
rhombs, some of them of a large size. The genus was pro-
posed and published by me in the Canadian Journal in 1854,
as G. 7nultij)orusy the only species then known, wdiich, on
account of the arms extending dowui the sides to the base,
tlie great number of the rhombs, and the somewhat irregular
arrangement of the plates, appeared to be w^ell separated from
Et hi no-encrinites .

281

Glyptocystites multiporus.

(G. multipora^ — Canadian Journal^ vol. 2, p. 215.)

Description.— Olid inch in length, five lines in diameter, cylin-
drical, obscurely five-sided, round at the aiiex, abruptly trun-
cated at the base; ovarian aperture large, oval ; without valves ;
anns five, four of them extending down the sides to the base, the
filth two or three lines in length ; thirteen pectinated rhombs;
column short, tapering to a point, composed of alternately wide
and narrow joints, the former projecting and striated upon
their external edges.

In this species the basal and second series of pLates are
l)retty regular, but the third series contains two plates which

to the others, an irregularity

errata.

Page 280, line 18. For “ sec
read “second, third and fourth

second, third, fourth and fifth series ’

Page 230, line 23. For “Eastward,

I,” read “ Westward.”

anterior, and the spaces between, the right and lelt sides';

On the posterior side there are two rhombs, a small one
situated just helow the ovarian aperture towards the side, and
<i laige one above, which extends from the ovarian aperture
nearly to the apex.

On the left side there are two : a small one near the apex,
and a large one below but nearly akogetlier in the upper half
of the fossil.

On the anterior side there are four, two at the base, one
half of each being on the basal plate of this side, and the other
half on the contiguous plate of the second series ; a third veiy
small rhomb is situated between the two small plates of the
third series, and a fourth very large one divided between the
two large plates of the fourth series.

On the right side there are five, a large one next the ovarian
aperture, and at its upper angle another which extends across

and five between the arm-plates on the margin of the cup.
There are also two or three small ones at the angles of the
inteiTadials, in all twenty-two or twenty-three. The pores
consist of fine elongated parallel slits, which appear to pene-
trate through the plates ; they are not at right angles to the
margin of the plates as in the Cystideae, but oblique.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

posec

basal.

series

hexag

been jiiuaiuil 111 lll WtWBWffff

valvular apparatus ; in the summit a small oral orifice from
which radiate several calycinal ambul acral grooves which are
continued upon the arms; more than three pectinated rhombs;
column short and tapering to a point at its lower extremity.

Ihis genus is so closely allied to Echino^ncrinites i\mt I have
had much doubt as to the propriety of retaining it. The prin-
cipal differences^are, that while the European genus has an
oval or sub-globular body, and only three pectinated rhombs,
Glyptocystitcs has an elongated cylindrical body covered with
rhombs, some of them of a large size. The genus was pro-
posed and published by me in the Canadian Journal in 1854,
as G. inultiporusy the only species then known, w'hich, on
account of the arms extending down the sides to the base,
the great number of the rhombs, and the somewhat irregular
arrangement of the plates, appeared to be well separated from
Ec h i no-encrinitcs .

281

Glyptocystites multiporus.

(G. multipora, — Canadian Journal, vol. 2, p. 215.)

J)escriptmi.— One inch in length, five lines in diameter, cylin-
drical, obscurely five-sided, round at the apex, abruptly trun-
cated at the base; ovarian aperture large, oval ; without valves ;
anns five, four of them extending down the sides to the base, the
filth twm or three lines in length ; thirteen pectinated rhombs ;
column short, tapering to a point, composed of alternately wide
and narrow joints, the former projecting and striated upon
their external edires.

In this species the basal and second series of plates are
pretty regular, but the third series contains two plates which
are veiy small in proportion to the others, an irregularity
compensated by a corresponding enlargement of two of the
plates of the fourth series. The whole of the upper half of
the test, in consequence of this disproportion in the size of
these plates presents very little of order in its structure, and
cannot be very well described without the aid of figures.

The distribution of the pectinated rhombs is as follows : —

It we regard the side containing the ovarian aperture as the
posterior aspect of the fossil, then the side opposite would be
anterior, and the spaces between, the right and left sides.

On the posterior side there are two rhombs, a small one
situated just below the ovarian aperture towards the side, and
a large one above, which extends from the ovarian aperture
nearly to the apex.

On the left side there are two : a small one near the apex,
and a large one below but nearly altogether in the upper half
of the fossil.

On the anterior side there are four, two at the base, one
half of each being on the basal plate of this side, and the other
halt on the contiguous j^late of the second series ; a third veiy
small rhomb is situated between the two small plates of the
third series, and a fourth very large one divided between the
two large plates of the fourth series.

On the right side there are five, a large one next the ovarian
aperture, and at its upper angle another which extends across

282

the side sloping a little downwards, with a third which rises
nearly perpendicularly from the anterior angle of the second
one ; below these there is a half-rhomb, and above the large
one first mentioned in this division a very small rhomb only
seen in perfect specimens.

In the centre of the apex there is a small aperture, from
which a narrow calycinal ambulacral groove extends in
each direction towards the anterior and posterior sides for
about one line, and then branches into the four arms which
continue down to the base; it also sends down a short
branch two or three lines into the right side, thus forming the
fifth or short ann. These grooves in the perfect specimens are
bordered on the apex and for a short distance down the sides,
by minute marginal plates which interlock and close the grooves
entirely. In the original description given in the Canadian
Journal, I described these as constituting a valvular apparatus
closing the mouth, but I now think them to be simply the
marginal plates of the ambulacral grooves of the aims. On
the left side there is situated a minute pore in the centre of a
small protuberance near the apex.

The long arms were provided with small slender pinnulae,
six or seven on each side.

Locality and Formation . — This species has been found in the
Trenton limestone at Ottawa, Montreal and Beauport.

Glyptocystites logani.

Descrii)tion . — Length of large specimens one inch and a-fourth ;
diameter eight lines ; cylindrical, obscurely five-sided, abruptly
truncated at the summit ; base slightly rounded ; each plate
ornamented with from three to seven exceedingly elevated,
somewhat thin, sharp ridges, which radiate from the centre to
the sides; spaces between the ridges smooth or very minutely
striated ; calycinal ambulacral grooves, extending only to the
angles of the truncated apex, bordered by marginal plates
and furnished near their extremities each with several small
free arms or stout pinnulae articulated in two series; there
are about twelve or fifteen conspicuous pectinated rhombs.

The ovarian aperture has not yet been observed ; the column
is short, strongly annulated and tapering to a point at its
lower extremities. It is both pentagonal and circular, and
presents a very remarkable character in the fact that tlie
angles of the pentagonal joints form five spiral lines round the
column throughout its length. The large joints which con-
stitute the annulations of the column are the circular ones,
and those between, the pentagonal.

The detached plates of this magnificent species can be rea-
dily distinguished from those of any other crinoid or cystidean
of the Trenton limestone by the peculiar star-like appearance
produced by the very elevated sharp, and thin radiating ridges
with which their surfaces are ornamented. Althougli a num-
ber of the bodies, many of them with the column attached,
have been collected, yet none of them show clearly that side
in which the ovarian aperture is situated. The plates are
more regularly alternating than in G. mvltliiorus. This species
cannot be identified with the EchinO’^encrinites anatindjhrmu,
figured by Professor Hall on plate 29, vol. 1, Pal. of New
York. ]]y referring to that work it will be seen that all the
plates of that species are strongly striated with radiating ridges,
(see the two figures 4 d and also 4 f,) while in our species they
are quite smooth, or only marked with very minute lines ; and
these, when they can be seen, are in a direction at right an-
gles to that of the striae upon the New York specimens.
Professor Hall’s figures do not exhibit any pectinated rhombs,
and further, by figure 4 c., it is shown that the base of E.
anathwformis is composed of two pentagonal and two quad-
rangular plates; ours has three pentagonal and one hexagonal
basal plate.

LocaUty and Fonnafion, — Trenton limestone. Island of
Montreal; plates in an excellent state of preservation are very
abundant in the upper part of the formation. I beg to dedi-
cate this species to the discoverer.

Glyptocystites forbesi.

Description. — The body of this species, judging from the
fragments in the collection, is about two inches in length and

IWfUlHIHfmilUlffH

284

three-fourths of an inch in diameter. The character of its
surlace is such that detached plates may be distinguished at a
glance from those of either of the two preceding species, being
larger, thicker and more profusely ornamented. When perfect,
these plates are somewhat convex, and covered with radiating
ridges which are crossed at right angles by coarse striae.
There is usually one strong ridge extending from each side of
the plate to the centre, and several shorter ones parallel with
these. Those of the latter class which are nearest tlie larger
ridges are the longest, and the others decrease in length in
proportion as they are distant from it. From each angle of
the plates there is a small sharp ridge extending to the centre.
The transverse striae run parallel with the margins of the
plates. The large ridges are sharp edged but broad at their
bases. There are usually seven or eight of the transverse
striae to one line ; some of the largest plates are eight lines in
length, and nearly as much in breadth, showing that the per-
fect specimens were about two inches long.

One specimen consisting of the column and a part of the
basal and second series of plates, shows the remains of the
pectinated rhombs at the base of the anterior side, character-
istic of this genus. The portions of the rhombs shown by the
detached plates indicate that the pores were much shorter in
proportion to the size of the plates than in G. m7dn’j)orus and
G. Lo^ajiL The column is annulated, about two inches long,
and tapering to a point. This cystidean being from the Chazy
limestone, is the most ancient species known on this conti-
nent. I beg to dedicate it to the late accomplished naturalist.
Professor Edward Forbes.

Locality and Formation . — Chazy limestone, Caughnawaga.

Genus Pleurocystites.

(^Canadian Journal^ vol. 2, page 250.)

Generic Characters . — Body oval, flat, one side covered with
large polygonal plates, the other almost entirely occupied by
an enormous opening covered only by an integument of nume-
rous small plates ; arms free, two in number, articulated in

2S5

two series; one small aperture near the apex, above the lartre
opening, and another at the base near the column. *

The following is the arrangement of the plates as described
m the Canadian Journal above cited “ On the uiiper joint of
the column rest four pelvic plates; two of these are pentagonal
and spread away from each other in the form of the capital
letter Y, and m the angle thus formed is placed the large cen-
tral hexagonal plate of the second series; the two other pelvic
plates are situated one on each side, and partly under the for-
mer ; they do not unite on the other side and fonn the cup-
shaped pelvis of the ordinary cystideae, but spread out wing-
like from the sides of the column. Each sends out a slender
projection at the bottom, which clasps around or rests upon the
upper joints. Outside of these agam are two other small plates,
one upon each wing, making in all six in the basal series.” Iii
the second range there are three large plates, one in the centre,
hexagonal, with an heptagonal plate on each side. “The thiid
series contains four large plates, elongated vertically ; one of
these on the right hand of the centre, pentagonal, the other on
the left, hexagonal. They are narrowed above to correspond
with the decreasing dimensions of the body, which here begins
to contract. The other two plates of this row are either hep-
tagonal or slightly octagonal, and at their upper extremities
they fold round the body and unite on the other side by nar-
row projections, which arch over the great oval openino-.
Above these there are ten smaller plates, which close tlm
summit and form a solid support for the arms.

The column is short and tapers to a point at the lower
extremity. There are three pectinated rhombs; one of these
is at the base, situated one-half on one of the pelvic plates,
and the other half on the large central hexagonal plate of the
second series; the other two are situated one on the left pair
of plates of the third series, and the other on the right.

The following appear to me to be distinct, but when more
becomes known of this extraordinaiy genus it may be neces-
saiy to unite them all into one variable species.

■ i

I - :

!■ i:

286

PlEUROCYSTITES SQUAMOSIIS. ^

Description. — In this species the large plates are smooth, and
the great opening on the .anterior side protected by an integu-
ment composed of a vast number of small mostly hexagonal
plates, each less than the fiftieth part of an inch in size ; the
rhombs arc small and somewhat elliptical, the laiger axes of
the two above being transverse to the length of the fossil;
column annulated, the edges of the projecting rings striated
vertically ^ in a specimen with a body thirteen lines in length,
the left upper rhomb has a major axis of three lines, and a ver-
tical axis of tw'o lines in length. The rhomb on the right is
two lines long and one and a-half broad ^ the basal rhomb
.about the same size ;• they are all slightly elevated above the
general surface and flat. The pores extend completely across
from one side to the other.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

PlEUROCYSTITES FILITEXTUS.

(^Canadian Journal^ vol. 2, page 252, 1854.)

Description. — Plates with strong ridges radiating from the
centre to the angles, with smaller ones from the centre to the
edges; all these are crossed by other strirn parallel to the
margin of the plates, which are also in some specimens slightly
granular, with small irregular tubercles. The rhombs are
large, with straight sides and sharp angles ; the gre.ater diag-
nals extend up .and down the fossil instead of across the body,
as in the last species. The integument consists of about forty
or fifty irregularly polygonal plates. Length of the left supe-
rior rhomb in a specimen fourteen lines long, five lines ; of the
right rhomb three lines.

This species is distinguished from the former by the great
size of the rhombs, the striation of the surfiice, and also by the
large plates of the tegumentary covering of the great opening
in the ventral aspect.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

Plkuroctstites eobustus.

{Canadian Journal, toI. 2, page 252, 1854.)

Descriinim.—ln this species the rliombs are obscurely ellip-
tical, or rather in the shape of a spherical triangle, one side
ciossing the suture above, and one of the angles being upon it
below ; they are surrounded by an elevated border and have a
concave surface, instead of being plane as in the two above
described species. The plates are ornamented with fine
rounded striae at right angles to the margins, and crossed by a
few obscure concentric ridges. The only specimen collected
consists of the upper part of the body.

Length of the upper left rhomb, three lines and a-half ;
breadth in the vertical direction, three lines; the right rhomb
is somewhat smaller.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone, Ottawa.
Pleurocystites elegans.

Description.— This species much resembles P. filitextus, but
may be readily distinguished by the rhombs being shorter, and
by the much stronger striation over its whole surface.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of
Ottawa,

Pleueocystites exornatus.

Description. — Rhombs, sub-triangular, much elevated above
the surface, sunnunded by a sharp border ; surface profusely
ornamented with strong radiating ridges ; column beautifully
striated longitudinally ; the plates of the ventral integument
are about the size of those P. JiUtextus ; the shape of the
rhombs of this species is like that of P. rohustns, except that
the pores fonn a flat instead of a concave surface.

Locality and Formation . — Lower part of the Trenton lime-
stone, Montreal.

Pleurocystites Anticostensis.

Description. — Rhombs very lohg and narrow; column witli
the annulations so coarsely striated that they appear to be
nodulose. Only a fragment, consisting of a portion of tlie
column and the lower part of the body of this species, has
been collected ; in a specimen which measures seven lines
from the base of the body to the upper angle of the large
hexagonal plate, the length of the right superior rhomb is fiv(^
lines, and its breadth one line.

Locality and Formation. — Charleton Point, Anticosti, in t]iv
Hudson River Group.

Genus Comarocystites.

{Canadian Journal^ vol. 2, page 227.)

Generic characters. — Ovate, the smaller extremity being the
base ; pelvis small, of three plates, above which are from eight
to eleven irregular rows of plates, mostly hexagonal ; ovarian
aperture near the summit, closed by a valvular apparatus ;
anns free, and composed of a single series of joints bearing
pinnula0 ; column round.

Comarocystites punctatus.

{Canadian Journal, vol. 2, page 270.)

Description. — Plates depressed or concave in the centre and
covered with small oblong punctuations; ovarian aperture near
the summit, closed by five triangular plates ; arms four, each
composed of a single series of joints bearing pinnulae ; column
round, of thin plates. Length of large specimen one inch
and a-half, of arms about two inches.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

Ge7i2ts Amygdalocystites.

{Canadian Journal, vol. 2, page 270.)

Generic characters. — Body ovate or sub-globular; pehds of
three plates, above which are eight or more irregular rows oi

289

plates completing the cup ; ovarian aperture near the summit,
closed by a valvular apparatus ; arms composed of a double
ro\v of joints crossing the summit and articulated to the surface ;
each joint beai-s a pinnula ; column round.

Comarocystites differs from this genus by the presence of free
arms like those of a criuoid.

Amygdalocystites florealis.

{Canadian Journal^ vol. 2, page 271.)

Description. — Each of the plates of this species has a low
rounded tubercle situated in the centre, from which ridges
radiate to the angles ; these ridges are scarcely elevated above
the surface where they leave the border of the tubercle in the
<!entre, but increase in width and height as they depart from it ;
they are sharp edged and attain their greatest height at the
angles of the plates. The arm crosses the summit and extends
nearly to tlie base upon one side, and ordy two or three lines
from the apex on the other ; the ovarian aperture is situated
close to the aim on one side of the summit ; the column is
round. The body is ovate, rounded at the apex, and tapering
below to the base; length of body one inch. This species
» forms a link between Spheeronites and Pseudocrinites ; it has the
test composed of a great number of plates like the former
genus, and the arms and pinnulae of the latter.

Amygdalocystites radiates.

{Canadian Journal^ vol. 2, page 271.)

Description. — Plates somewhat convex and ornamented with
strong ridges which radiate from the centres to the angles ;
column round ; the body is ovate ; ovarian aperture and arms
unknown.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.
Amygdalocystites tenuistriatus.

{Canadian Journal ^ vol. 2, page 27l.)

Description — Body elongate, ovate; plates smooth in the
centre ; a low rounded ridge proceeds from the smooth space in

the centre to each of the angles, where it meets the similar
ridges, which radiate from the centre of the adjoining plates;
between these ridges fine striae cross the sutures at right 1

angles ; the pelvis consists of three broad pentagonal plates ; ^

the ovarian aperture is nearly on the top of the summit;
length of body inch.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

! Order Asteriadjs.

iii.

The species of Star-fishes in the collection appear to be
referable to the genera proposed by Mr. Salter at the meeting
of the British Association, in August last ; I have seen no
other description of these genera than that given in Silliman’s
Journal of November, 1856, which is as follows : —

Pal^e ASTER. — Withou*’ disc, avenues deep.

Pal^asterina. — Pentagonal, disc moderate.

Paljeocoma. — No disc, avenues very shallow.

It is probable that our species, when opportunity can be
had for a direct comparison with British specimens, will be
found congeneric. The following is the arrangement I pro-
pose for the present : —

PaLuEASTERINA stellata.

Description. — Pentagonal ; disc extending half the length of
the rays ; ambulacral grooves narrow and deep, bordered on
each side by a row of small nearly squai e plates which extends
to the ends of the rays ; a second row outside of these extends
nearly to the end; the remaining space in the angles between
the rays outside of the two rows of marginal plates, is filled vdth
numerous smaller plates. Length of rays measured along the
ambulacral grooves, three lines ; number of marginal plates on
each side of groove, sixteen ; the rays terminate in a round
point and rapidly enlarge, so that at one-half their length
their breadth is one and a-half lines ; the angles between the
rays are broadly rounded.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

PALiEASTERINA RIGIDUS.

Descnpion. — This species has much the aspect of an Astro-
■pccten ; the diameter is scarcely two inches, the width of the
disc being half-an inch, and of the rays at their base about
three lines ; the grooves are deep and margined by two rows
of quadrate somewhat convex plates, the outer row forming a
continuous curved margin in the angles between the rays.

In the disc there is a V shaped assemblage of smaller plates
between the two marginal rows ; there are seven plates to two
lines in length of the ambulacral row, and five in the same
distance of the outer row at the base of the ray ; towards the
extremities they become smaller; there are five rays.

Loculityand Formalion. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

PAL.EASTERINA RUGOSUS.

Description — Two inches in diameter, rays five, acute at their
apices and rapidly enlarging to a breadth of four lines at the
disc, which is eight lines in width. The specimen shews the
upper side of the fossil only ; some of the plates are absent
from the centre of the disc, but those which reniain are very
prominent in their centres and roughly ornamented by four or
five deep crenulations or furrows from near the centre to the
edges, producing a star-like appearance resembling a half-worn
plate of Ghjpiocrinus decadacUjlns ; their diameter is from one to
two lines.

The rays are composed (at least the backs and sides of them)
of four rows of plates which are so very prominent that they
appear to be almost globular, an<l even pointed in their centres,
the central rows are the smallest ; the first four plates of the
outer row occupy three lines in length, and of the inner rows
nearly as much. Towards the point of the arm all diminish
rapidly in size.

Beneath the outer rows two others can be seen which are
probably the outer marginal plates of the under side, corres-
ponding to those of r. rigidus.

Locality and Fa?7nation. — Hudson River Group. Charleton
Point, Anticosti. Collected by J. Richardson.

292

Pal^easter pulchellus.

Descrij)tio7i, — Diameter two inches and one-fourth j rays
sub-cylindrical, two and a-half lines in width at the base, with
a length of one inch ; disc three and a-half lines in diameter ;
grooves narrow , bordered throughout by narrow oblong plates,
nine in the length of two lines ; the length of these plates in
a direction transverse to the rays is about one line ; near the
disc there appears to be but one row of marginal plates.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa.

Pal^.ocoma spinosa.

Description. — About seven lines in diameter ; rays five, linear-
lanceolate ; one line in width at base, flexible, covered with
numerous small spines ; no disc.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. F alls of Mont-
morency.

Pal^eocoma cylindrica.

Description. — One inch and a-half in diameter; rays five,
covered with spines, sub-cylindrical, regularly rounded on the
upper side, flattened on the lower, about one line ^n width at
base, and regularly tapering to an acute point.

This species and the preceding appear to be somewhat com-
mon ; most of the specimens have their rays variously curved,
shewing that they were extremely flexible.

Locality and Formation. — ^Trenton limestone. Ottawa.

Genus Cyclaster.

Generic charactei's. — Body sessile, circular, discoid, covered
with numerous irregularly polygonal plates ; mouth large,
sub-pentagonal ; five ambulacral areas, each composed of two
series of oblong plates, and having two rows of large pores
which penetrate to the interior.

This genus was discovered about thirty years ago, by Dr.
Bigsby, in the Trenton limestone, at the Chaudi^re Falls, in
the vicinity of the present City of Ottawa ; the specimen then
procured was described and figured without a name, by Mr.

293

O. B. Sowerby, in the second volume of Zoological Journal,
in 1847. Another species was discovered by Mr. Gibbs, of
the Geological Survey of England, near Ysptty Evan, in
North Wales, in a mass of schistose rocks, in a quarry
associated with the Bala limestone ; in 1848, Professor E.
Forbes described this latter species in the Memoirs of the
Geological Survey of Great Britain, in his magnificent paper
on the Cystidea. He placed it in Vanuxem’s genus, Agelac-
rinites, with specific name of Buchianus.

In 1853, while collecting fossils at Ottawa, I found several
specimens of Dr. Bigsby’s species, and ascertained that the
rays supposed to be grooves for the reception of arras are in
fact true ambulacra. This fact I communicated to the Canadian
Institute, in 1854, in a paper on the cystideae, published in
the J une number of the J oumal of the Society of that year.
It is scarcely necessaiy to add that it is not a cystidean, and
that in all probability neither Agelacrmtes of Vanuxem, nor
Hemicystites of Hall, should be placed in that order. They are
low forms of AstcriadcB.

Cyclaster Bigsbyi.

Description . — ^The body of this species is circular, about one
inch and a-half across, and half an inch in height in the centre ;
It is covered with numerous small plates of various sizes, and
except in the ambulacral areas, disposed without order ; the
mouth, situated in flie centre of the upper side, is about two
lines in diameter, and apparently five-sided ; the other aper-
ture between the rays consist of a space covered with plates
much smaller than the average size ; these form a small eleva-
tion, which is imperfect in all the specimens I have seen, but
enough remains to render it almost certain that there was an
aperture of some kind in this place.

The ambulacral areas are five in number, radiating from the
mouth, precisely like those of a common star-fish, and com-
posed of two series of oblong plates which alternate with each
other in the centre of the furrow ; there are about ten of these
plates to five lines in length, on each side of the ambulacrum-

The pores pass between the plates, one being situated between
each two. The ambulacra are three lines wide at the mouth,
and about an inch and a-half in length in full grown specimens.
As they recede from the centre they curve round towards the
right in some specimens, and towards the left in others.

The mouth appears to be composed of ten plates ; five of
these are at the ends of the ambulacra, and the other five
placed in the angles between the ambulacra. In some of the
specimens the plates are all smooth, in others covered with
small tubercles.

The general aspect of this remarkable fossil is well expressed
by Mr. Sowerby, who compares it to a star-fish lying upon an
Echinus ; it is not quite certain that the animal was perman-
ently attached to the bottom. All that I have collected were
seated upon the rock with the mouth upwards, and apparently
somewhat flattened by pressure. It is probable that when
perfect they were more globular than they are at present ; one
specimen is detached and shews that the plates covered the
whole of the under surface, except a small space in the centre
which appears to be without plates ; perhaps this w’as the point
of attachment ; I see no evidence of a column. As this species
has not yet received a name, I beg to propose that of its dis-
coverer, Dr. Bigsby, one of the most able of the first explorers
of the geology of this country.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone. City of Ottaw^a.

Agelacrinites Dicksoni.

Description . — Of this species we have only a fragment, con-
sisting of one perfect ray and two of the interradial spaces;
but as I have seen other specimens, I am able to state that the
diameter is from three-fourths of an inch to one inch ; the rays,
are five in number, and constructed upon a plan very different
from those of Cyclastcr Bigsbyi, being bordered by twm rows
of marginal plates, which rise from the surface and arch over
the areas; the upper ends of the plates on one side meet
those of the opposite side, in a line over the centre, thus form-
ing for each ray a sort of covered way ; the spaces between

the rays are paved with numerous flat subdmbricating plates.
1 he specimen does not shew the central or any other aperture,
it is quite flat, and appears to have been firmly attached. The
width of the ray is nearly two lines at its origin, and it tapers
gradually to a point at the distance of five lines.

Like those of C. BIgshyi, the rays of this species are curved ;
there are five marginal plates in two lines, and their height is
nearly one line ; I beg to dedicate this remarkable species to
Andrew Dickson, Esq., of Kingston, C. W., one of the best
workers in the field of Canadian geology.

Sab-kingdom, MoLLUSCA ; Order, Brachiopoda.

Genas Pentamerus (Sowerby).

Pentamerus reversus.

Description, — Orbicular, transversely elliptical ; dorsal valve
the larger, exceedingly convex, with an elevated, broadly-
rounded, very tumid umbo ; beak small, incurved witliin that
of the ventral valve ; broad, slightly elevated mesial fold
occupied by four or five rounded or obtusely angular ridges,
which disappear at about two-thirds of the length from the base
to the top o' the umbo ; four or five similar short ridges on each
side. Ventral valve, shorter, and only one-half or one-third the
depth of the dorsal valve ; a broad, shallow, mesial depression
extends two-thirds the length, and is continued below under
the base or front, so as to produce a deep oblong sinus in the
margin of the dorsal valve ; three or four obscure fdds in the
mesial sinus, and four or five short ones on each side, the
number being vanable on both valves. The small acute beak
is without an umbo, and is not at all incurved, but rather
slopes outward, exhibiting what appears to be a small cardinal
area on each side.

Width of full-grown specimen, thirteen lines ; height, eleven
lines; depth, nine lines. The umbo of the dorsal valve is
nearly a line higher than the beak of the ventral. The young
specimens are much flatter than the full grown ones, the valves
nearly e(pial, and the surface nearly smooth.

296

This species is somewhat like P, Sieberi (v. Buch), but is
distinguished easily by the reversal of the valves, the dorsal
being the larger.

Locality and Formation . — ^Middle Silurian. Junction Cliff,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Pentamerus Barrandi.

Description. — Elongate, oval, narrowed above, rounded be-
low; dorsal valve, the shorter, depressed convex, most project-
ing at one-sixth the length from the beak, which is strongly
incurved under that of the ventral valve ; a barely perceptible
mesial sinus; in the lower one-third, some very obscure flatten-
ed radiating ridges ; ventral valve very convex, with a high and
very conspicuous umbo, beak incurved down to the umbo of
of the dorsal valve ; a slight mesial fold which continues all
the way to the beak, and is bordered on each side in its passage
over ths umbo by an obscure shallow furrow ; about sixteen
scarcely visible broad rounded radiating ridges. Length one
inch and three-quarters, width one inch and a-quarter, depth
one inch ; the width is variable.

Locality and Formation . — Middle Silurian. Becscie River
Bay in vast abundance.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Genus Ortiiis, (Dalman.)

Ortiiis gibbosa.

Description . — About the size and shape of Orthis testudmariay
but with both valves convex ; greatest width at the centre or
a little in front of the centre of the length ; above which the
sides are somewhat straight and converging to the extremities
of the hinge line, the latter about one-sixth shorter than the
greatest width ; the front margin very broadly rounded ; almost
straight or even slightly sinuated in some specimens, for one-
third of the width in the centre; front angles well rounded;
the ventral valve is depressed, pyramidal, most elevated at

297

about one line from the beak, which is small, pointed, and but
slightly incurved ; a broad, shallow, mesial depression occu-
pies the front of this valve, but disappears usually at one-half
the distance to the beak ; cardinal area triangular at the base,
nearly at right angles to the plane of the margin, but curved
over above, owing to the backward projection of the beak.
Dorsal valve exceedingly convex in most specimens ; greatest
elevation about the centre, often a barely perceptible broad
mesial elevation towards the front ; cardinal area small, lying
in the plane of the margin ; beak very small and scarcely pro-
jecting from the upper edge of the area ; the whole surface is
covered with fine striae which are about twice sub-divided ; the
cast of the interior of the ventral valve shews that the muscu-
lar impressions were bordered by strong lamellae extending
downward, slightly converging at three lines from the beak; in
a specimen eight lines wide they were separated by a median
ridge with a broad base and sharp edge ; width of large speci-
men eight lines ; length six lines and a-half.

Locality and Formation . — Black River limestone. La Petite
Cliaudi^re Rapids, Ottawa River.

Collector. — E. B.

Orthis laurentina.

Description. — Semi-elliptical, broader than long, in the pro-
portion of about seven to five; hinge line straight, slightly
exceeding the width of the shell ; the dorsal valve nearly flat,
very slightly convex, the most elevated point being at the
minute beak, a perceptible depression along the centre ; cardi-
nal area low, triangular, inclining forward at an angle of 100®
or a little more ; foramen partly closed above. Ventral valve
convex, most elevated at one-third from the beak, which is
small, pointed and slightly incurved ; cardinal area large, trian-
gular, somewhat concave, owing to the incurvation of the beak ;
foramen narrow, extending to the beak, but closed by a convex
semi-cylindrical deltidiuni, except a small triangular space at
the hinge line ; the surface covered with about twenty-three
thick, sub-angular, prominent, radiating ridges which gradually

enlarge from the beak to the base, separated by. the same
number of sulci equal to the ridges in breadth and depth.
Some of the specimens are obscurely sub-quadrangular.
Breadth of large specimen seven lines ; length five lines ;
resembles Orthis triccnaria^ but is smaller and has not the
open foramen of that species.

Locality and Formation. — Middle Silurian. Junction Cliff,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Order Gasteropoda.

Genm Murchisonia, (d’Arch. & de Vern.)
Murchisonia gigantea.

Description. — Very elongate, acutely conical; whorls about
ten, ventricose, and with indications on the cast of an obtuse
angulation or spiral band. Apical angle 20^ ; length nine
inches ; breadth of last whorl, which however is proportion-
ally broader than the others, two inches and a-half. Some of
the fragments shew the obtuse rounded angulation in the
centre of the whorl very distinctly, and also a very shallow
concave spiral band above and another below. These latter
appearances are however barely perceptible, and may not
exist in perfect specimens.

Locality and Formation. — Middle Silurian. Prinsta Bay,
Anticosti. ^

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Murchisonia teretiformis.

Description. — Elongate, conical ; whorls about ten, ventri-
cose, regularly convex, apical angle 27^, length six inches.

This species differs from the M. gigantea in being more
obtusely conical, and in the absence of the angulation on the
whorls.

Locality and Formation. — Lower Silurian. Charleton Point,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Murchisonia rugosa.

Description. — Very elongate, subulate ; apical angle 15<>,
whorls ten or twelve, regularly convex; surface marked with
ccarse striae which cross the whorls with a broad rounded
undulation backwards, most pronounced in the upper two-
thirds of the whorls; length seven inches. This species tapers
more gradually than cither of the preceding. There are
some traces of numerous rounded ridges ascending the whorls
spirally, and also of an angulation beneath the suture. Of the
surface markings only a few are preserved on a single speci-
men, upon two of the whorls near the aperture.

Locality and Fonnation. — Lower Silurian. English Head,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Murchisonia multivolvis.

Description. — Elongate, acutely conical, apical angle 17^,
whorls twelve to fifteen, ventricose in their lower one-third
only, above which they taper with a flat or slightly concave
surface to the suture, close to which there is an angulation.
The striae, after leaving the suture above, turn back at an an-
gle of 4o^, and cross the flat upper two-thirds of the whorls in
a straight line, or with a very slight sigmoid curvature until
they at leng h sweep with a short rounded curve over the
lower projecting part of the whorl, wdien they turn forward
to the suture below. Length, three inches ; breadth of last
whorl eleven lines.

Locality and Formation. — Lower Silurian. South-west of
West-end light-house, Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Murchisonia modesta.

Description. — Conical, apical angle about 50® ; whorls,
five, with a rounded angular cai ina on the cast of the interior,
situat:.d a little above the centre, a second inconspicuous keel

f, 1

^ii I

‘inil:

if - i

imml

300

close to the suture, between which and the outer central
Carina, the whorl is slightly concave ; below the centre of the
whorl there is at first a barely perceptible concave band, one
line and a-half wide. Length from eight lines to one inch,
two lines; breadth of last whorl in one specimen, one inch ;
length, nine lines.

iV/. hicincta (Hall), has an apical angle of 57<^, and the up-
per Carina distant from the suture. The proportions of this
fossil, and the above description are very near those of M.
cancellatula (McCoy, British Palaeozoic fossils, page 244) ; but
there the upper carina is more prominent than in this species,
and the whorls more convex on the outside and below. There
are other specimens with the whorls more angular, from the
same locality (English Head), associated with these, which for
the present I have referred to M. cancellatula.

There are others from Pauquette’s rapids closely resembling
these; but the perfect shell shows a slightly prominent carina
about half-way between the suture and the outer margin,
which is visible on the east, while in this species in the same
place there is a perceptible concavity.

Locality and Formation. — Lower Silurian. English Head,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Murchisonia varians.

Description. — Obtusely conical ; apical angle about 58^ ;
volutions five ; a broad band on the outer margin of the body-
whorl with three obtuse carinae; the upper one strongest, the
central somewhat less, and the lower the least ; a fourth carina
at the suture, between which and the upper marginal one the
whorl is concave; the upper whorls show but one rounded
keel in the centre, the lower two of the body-whorl having
disappeared or become obsolete. Length six lines, of which
the body-whorl occupies one-half nearly. Breadth at base,
five lines and a-half.

Locality and Formation. — Lower Silurian. English Head,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

301

Murchisonia turricula.

Description. — Small, conical; apical angle about ; whorls
three or four, a very thick and projecting carina about the
centre of the whorls ; below, a broad flat keel, rounded on its
lower side by a much smaller sharp carina; another on the
upper part of the whorl, close to the suture, of a square step-
like form, strongly marked with rather coarse striae which
curve sharply backward and then descend the vertical side
with a curve forward ; umbilicus apparently small ; length five
and a-half lines; breadth at aperture five lines. This species
is remarkable for the prominence of the central carina, and
the nearly rectangular strongly striated band at the suture.
The specimens examined are imperfect.

Locality and Formation . — Middle Silurian. The Jumpers,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Murchisonia papillosa.

Description . — Obliquely conical ; apical angle about ;
whorls four ; a broad concave vertical band truncating the out-
side, upon the upper angle of which is the narrow spiral band
proceeding from the slit in the aperture. Lower side of the body-
whorl, ventricose ; upper side scarcely concave, until near the
suture, which is followed by a spiral sub-muricated band of short
radiating ridges; whole surface covered with small tuberculous
points, about the tenth of a line in diameter ; these are ar-
ranged in rows which seem to mark out the direction of the
striae ; in ascending from the place of the umbilicus, their
course is nearly vertical until they reach the low’er carina ; in
crossing the broad spiral band they cur\^e very slightly for-
ward, in the narrow band backward, and thence on the upper •
surface of the whorl, forward to the suture ; both of the spiral
bands are bordered by sharp keels, of which there are tliree,
one on the upper side of the narrow band, one on the lov er
edge of the broad band, and one which separates the two.
There is no umbilicus, it being concealed by the folding ones

of the inner lip. Length of most perfect specimens, nine
lines ; width of base seven lines and a-half ; of the larger band
at the aperture, one line and a-half ; of the small band, one-
third of a line ; deprh of respiratory slit, one line and a-half ;
closely related to P. Balticaj Mtirch^ and de Vcrn. Geol. Russia,
Plate 23.

Locality and Formation . — Middle Silurian, one mile east of
Junction Cliff, Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Pleurotomaria supracingulata.

Description . — Obtusely conical or lenticular; apical angle,
105^ ; height about two-thirds the width ; whorls four, angu-
lated and keeled on their upper outer margin, their sides ver-
tical, their upper surfaces gently convex from the distinct
suture half-way to the margin, and then scarcely concave to
the spiral band ; lower side of the body-whorl convex ; the spi-
ral band narrow, and lying wholly on the upper side of the
whorl, where it forms a border along the margin following all
the whorls to the apex; umbilicus large; width one inch and
a-quarter; height ten lines; width of umbilicus at centre of
body-whorl three lines and a-half ; width of band on last whorl
about half-a line.

The most striking character is the position of the band upon
the upper surface of the whorls. In P. rotidoides (Hall), it is
about the same size, but forms a narrow vertical truncation of
the edge of the whorl, while in this species it lies in the plane
of the upper surface. The cast somewhat resembles P. lerui-
cularis, Hall, but differs in having an obtusely rounded margin,
and in the whorls being distinctly truncated one above the
other. The specimen examined retains a large portion of the
shell, and yet the striae are not sufficiently distinct to be
noticed.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone. East side of
St. Joseph’s Island, Lake Huron.

Collector. — A. Murray.

PlEUKATOMARIA THALIA.

ZJesmp/ww.— Small, obtusely conical, oblique; apical angle
74® ; whoils three ; body-whorl with a sharp keel close to the
suture, ano'her half-way to the outer upper margin, where
there is a third w'hich is perceptibly stronger than the others ;
below this is the marginal band, bordered on its under side by
a fourth sharp keel ; three others equally sharp and prominent
follow between the fourth and the umbilicus, and it is proba-
ble that as the shell became larger, still others were developed
below ; of these seven keels, the first, sixth and seventh are
concealed within the spire after the first turn from the aper-
ture ; the second and fifth are lost in the next whorl ; the strife
are fine but well exhibited, their course is nearly directly
across the whorl, but with slight curvature backwards, com-
mencing from the suture, and most extended on the outer
margin ; length four lines, brejidth about four, width of mar-
ginal band half-a line, of the first band rather more than half a
line ; those on the under side of the whorl are a little nearer
together than those above. All the bands are concave, and the
different keels are prominent ; the umbilicus appears to be small.

The surface markings of this little shell are very similar to
those of Euomp/iahts funatm, as figured and described by au-
thors. In the only specimen examined the aperture is imper-
fect, and the umbilicus filled with limestone. The surface is
well preseived on two of the whorls, and in none of the spiral
bands do the striae make the sharp backward cuiwe which
marks the band proceeding from the slit in the lip of Murcki-
sonia or Plmrotomaria. On the contrary they are so unifonnly
direct in all the furrows that no particular one can be singled
out by the character of its strife as the respiratory band.

LocaUfij avd Formation. — Middle Silurian, one mile east of
Junction Cliff, Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

PlEUROTOMARIA CIRCE.

Description. — Obtusely conical; apical angle 72®; whorls
four ; upper surface slightly convex near the suture, and con-

304

cave towards the margin, which in the cast presents a promi-
nent somewhat sharply rounded angle; lower side slightly
convex; a barely perceptible concavity just below the angle
inclining inward ; lower or exterior side of body-whorl very
ventncose ; umbilicus small ; height one inch ; width of
base at the aperture ten lines ; the body-whorl which is large,
occupies one-half the length. The specimen is a cast, and
does not show the surface markings.

Locality and Formation. — Lower Silurian. English Head,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Genus Cyclonema, (Hall.)

Cyclonema percingulata.

Compare C. sulcata^ (Hall) Pal. N. Y., Vol. 2, page 348.

Description. — Obtusely conical ; apical angle about 83^. ;
whorls three, ventricose, most acutely rounded and projecting
at about one-third their height ; surface with numerous con-
spicuous ridges, following the whorls spirally from the aperture
to the apex, seven in three lines on the lower part of the
body-whorl, more distant above ; separated by shallow con-
cave spaces in which are sometimes seen intermediate smaller
parallel ridges ; usually but one of the smaller half-way
between each two of the larger ; the latter when examined
with a magnifier, shew a rather sharp edge imbricating towards
the apex like the crest of a wave ; whorls crossed by broad
obscure rounded undulations or ridges from one to two lines
apart, which incline backwards from the suture, at an angle of
about 45^ with the longitudinal axis of the shell ; whole
surface also cancellated with fine barely visible striae, one set
of which is in the direction of the large spiral striae, and the
other transverse, following the curves of the undulations.
Height, one inch ; breadth, ten lines ; perhaps identical with
C. sulcata above mentioned, but appears to be larger and pro-
portionally more depressed.

Locality and Formation. — Upper Silurian, South-west Point,
Anticosti. Niagara and Clinton Groups.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

There is a variety with the apical angle a little more
obtuse, having all above the body-whorl trochifonn, and the
spire acutely pointed. In the specimens upon which the
species is founded the whorls are all ventricose, somewhat
depressed on the upper side, and the suture distinct, but in
the variety they are flattened above, and the suture not so
deeply distinguished in the plane sloping sides. In any other
respect however there is no difference between the specimens
sufficient to separate the species.

CyCLONEMA VA RIANS.

Description. — Ovate, sub-spherical ; whorls three, oblique,
rapidly enlarging from the apex ; body-whorl very large, the
two above small and somewhat depressed, all of them veutri-
cose ; somewhat obscurely exhibiting a broadly rounded angle
along the centre ; often regularly rounded ; suture canalicula-
ted ; apical angle about 100® ; surface reticulated by very
fine flexuous transverse and longitudinal strim, the latter being
usually the more distinct, the former sometimes absent or
obsolete. On many specimens the body-whorl near the aper-
ture is crossed by rough imbricating lines of growth which
are often undulated backwards about the centre, like those of
a Murchisoma or Pleurotomaria ; umbilicus small ; height of a
large specimen thirteen lines, breadth twelve lines. The forms
above indicated might be regarded as constituting two species ;
a large number, however, of very good specimens of all sizes,
which were procured from the same mass of rock in Anticosti,
show that the differences gradually fade in a series, so that no
line of demarcation can be drawn. Although from the cha-
racter of the striation in some instances, a slit or notch in the
margin of the lip might be expected, yet none appeal's in
specimens which are certainly perfect. The species is much
larger and more ventricose on the body-whorl than C. cancel-
lota (Hall), more depressed than C. ventricosa, and more elevated
than Platyostoma. Niagarensis,

Locality and Formation. — Middle Silurian, South-west Point,

ticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

SUBULITES RICHARDSONI.

Descrrptiolu — Elongate cylindrical, fusifonn, acutely pointed;
length five inches; diameter at the posterior paii of aperture
one inch and a-quarter; whorls five, flat; suture obsolete;
aperture very long and nari’ow.

This species has much the aspect of Subulites elongata,
(Emmons) but is proportionally one-half thicker, and is upon
the whole a larger species. Perliaps these fossils sliould be
added to the genus Macrocheilus (Philips).

Locality and Formation . — Lower Silurian, Charleton Point.
I beg to dedicate this species to Mr. James Richardson, of the
Geological Survey of Canada, a most indefatigable and suc-
cessful explorer and collector.

Class CEPnALA^»ODA, (Cuvier.)

Order Tetrabranchiata, (Owen.)

Genm Nautilus, (Gualtieri.)

Nautilus Hercules.

Description. — Sub- orbicular, whorls about two, umbilicus
wide, shewing the spire ; section of shell transversely ellipti-
cal or sub-triangular ; diameters as four to six ; dorsal aspect
broad and but very moderately convex, sides rounded, most
prominent on the outer edge, thence descending with a convex
slope into the umbilicus; septa simple, two to one inch of the
dorsal circumference near the external chamber, more approx-
imate near the apex ; siphuncle ?

This fine large species may be readily recognised by the
great breadth and comparative flatness or gentle convexity of
the dorsal side. The specimen examined is six inches and a-half
in diameter, measured from the mouth across to the opposite
side. The width of the aperture is four inches and four lines ;
the depth of the chamber of habitation is five inches on the
outside, and about two and a-half on tlie inside next to the
penultimate whorl of the spire ; the shell tapers at the rate of
about one line and a-half to the inch.

In the only specimen collected the cavities of the unbilicus
and also that of the aperture, are still partially filled with the
matrix, and all the characters cannot therefore be ascertained

Locality and Formation . — Lower Silurian, Charleton Point,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Gemis Qyroceras, (Meyer.)

Gyroceras (utuites) magnificum.

Description . — Shell extremely elongated; discoidal spire
about eight inches in diameter, the produced free extremity at
least twenty inches in length in the full-grown individuals ;
whorls about three, scarcely contiguous, more nearly so in
some specimens than in others;, section of the tube semi-ellip-
tical towards the aperture, and semi-circular near the apex ;
dorsal aspect or outside of the shell nearly flat, while the
inside is convex ; septa distant about five lines, measured on
the centre of the dorsal aspect, in crossing which they make
a deep undulation towards the apex; siphuncle situated a
little to the right and below the centre of the tube, one line
in diameter in its passage through the septum, dilated in the
chambers so as to constitute elongate oval expansions two
lines and a-half in diameter.

The specimens of this extraordinary fossil are in a bad stare
of preservation, and it cannot thus be shewn that they possess
all the generic characters of Gyroceras. The genus as defined
by Barrande, Koninck and others, consists of shells spirally in-
rolled in the same plane at their smaller extremities, the whorls
not being in contact, while the large open end of the tube,
after leaving the spire, is produced to a greater or less distance
and more or less curved. The section, according to Koninck
is either oval or angular; M. Barrande has ascertained that
the mouth is “ neither round nor elliptical, as in other allied
forms, but half closed by a bending back of the shell on itself.”
(Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, vol. 10, Transla-
tions and Notices, page 2-3.) The mouth has not been seen in

308

the species above described, and the whorls, although separate,
are so much approximated to each other, that should it here-
after be discovered that the mouth has not the form peculiar
to Gyroceras, it may be necessary to classify the species as a
Lituites.

In one specimen the breadth of the flat dorsal side is two
inches and four lines, in another the length of the free portion
of the shell is twenty-one inches, and it is yet imperfect ; the
diameter of the spire of a third specimen is six inches, and of a
fourth eight inches ; the produced portion is not straight but
gently curved in the same direction and plane as the spire.

Locality and Formation . — Lower Silurian, near the South-
west end Lighthouse, Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Gyroceras (Lituites) vagrans.

Description . — Shell elongated, tapering at the rate of nearly
two lines to the inch ; laterally compressed, section elliptical,
dorso-ventral diameter greater than the lateral, apparently in
the proportion of twelve to eight ; about seven inches of the
apical extremity of the shell spirally inrolled so as to form two
whorls not in contact, the interior one of which is one inch in
diameter, and the exterior three inches ; septa convex, distant
one line and a-half at a dorso-ventral diameter of one inch.

The specimen exhibits an artificial polished section passing
through the central plane of the whorls, shewing clearly the
construction of the tube to the apex, where it has a diameter
of only one line ; some of the septa and almost one-half of the
transverse section, but neither the siphuncle, the character
of the surface, nor the length of the produced oral extremity
is indicated ; several sj)ecimens still lying imbedded in the rock
which are known to me, are in my opinion of this species, and
if so, then the free portion was gently curved, and in some
individuals at least six inches in length, thus giving thirteen
inches as the total length. It is scarcely necessary to observe
that from the above materials the generic rank of the fragment
cannot be determined with the certainty desirable ; the tube is

309

too much curved to come within the definition of Cyrioceras.
the whorls too widely separated for Nautilm or Lituites, and
yet, without a view of the aperture we cannot say positively
that it is a Gyroceras.

Forntaiioiu — Black River limestone.

Localities . — La Petite Chaudiere Rapids, Ottawa River, and
in the out-crop of the Black River limestone, near Mile End,
St. Lawrence Street, Montreal.

Gyroceras (Lituites) Americanum.

Description . — Tube long, slender, gradually tapering ; section
semi-elliptical ; dorsal aspect nearly flat ; side and ventral
aspect convex, and ornamented with prominent annulations,
which, in leaving the lateral angles, are at first deflected
towards the aperture at a shai’p angle, and then curved to-
wards the apex, crossing the ventral side nearly at right angles
to the length, or with but a slight undulation towards the apex.
These annulations are upon the average five lines and a-half
distant, from the summit of one ridge to that of the next, the
intervening spaces being regularly convex ; the surface is fur-
ther marked by coarse striae following the curves of the lateral
and dorsal annulations ; on the flat dorsal surface, where these
latter do not appear, the striae cuiwe in the direction of the
smaller extremity of the fossil. The dorso-ventral and lateral
diameters appear to be about equal in the fragments examined,
which are however somewhat distorted ; the siphuncle is
small and slightly eccentric, being nearest the dorsal aspect ;
the septa are convex and distant four lines.

The length of the longest fragment measured along the out-
side curve is twelve inches, its greatest diameter one inch and
a-half and the least one inch, thus tapering at the rate of about
half-a-line to the inch ; at least one-third of the outer whorl
remains, and shews by its curvature that the diameter of the
discoidal spire was four inches and a-half nearly.

This species is closely allied to Lituites giganteus, Sowerby,
but differs in its more round dorsal aspect, and in the annula-
tions being extended quite across.

310

Locality aTid Formation. — Uppei' Silurian, Port Daniel,
Gasp6.

Collector . — Sir W. E. Logan.

Genus Ascoceras, (Barrande.)

Asooceras Canadexse.

Description. — The only specimen yet collected of this
species consists of the lower half, in a veiy perfect state of
preservation, but totally denuded of the external shell; it
shews that from the centre or below that level, where the
septum of the last chamber crosses the body, the form was
veutricose or broad oval, widest at about one-third the dis-
tance from the upper septum to the base, and thence decreasing
with an elliptical outline to the rounded bottom ; the transverse
section across the broadest part is sub-elliptical, the back being
much flatter than the ventral side ; a side view shews the
outline of the ventral aspect much more prominent and
regularly ventricose than the dorsal; measured from the
base to the line of the upper septum, the length of the lower
part of the fossil is two inches and two lines ; the width at
three-fourths of an inch below the upper septum is one inch
and eleven lines ; the depth or diameter through, from the
most prominent point of the ventral to the dorsal side, is one
inch eight lines. There are only three air chambers in this
species, the edges of the septa between which cross the back
at about one-third of an inch from the base, girding a little
more than onfe-third of the circumference of the fossil at that
place ; they then turn a short rounded angle and ascend the
sides, and turning again cross the ventral aspect at the follow-
ing levels : the upper septum two inches and two lines from
the base, the second two lines below the upper, and the third
six lines below the second. In crossing the ventral side the
course is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the fossil,
and the upper two occupy more than one-half the circumfer-
ence, the lower less than one half.

311

Where they cross the back, the edges of the three septa are
much approximated, scarcely one-fifth of a line distant from
each other; but after turning the angles near the base on either
side tliey diverge from each other in ascending, so that the
upper angle made by the first is three lines outside that made
by the second, which latter is again six lines outside of that
made by the third ; in ascending they at first curve backwards,
and in the upper part of their course, as they approach the
upper angles they are arched gently forward. The siphuncle
is small and situated one line from the centre of the base
towards tlie dorsal side.

Locality and Formatioiu — Lower Silurian, English Head,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Gomphoceras subgracile.

Description. — Moderately ventricose, greatest thickness at
about mid-length ; section elliptical, diameters about as 17 to
15, dorsal outline much curved from the aperture to the apex,
ventral side moderately arched, nearly straight; septa convex,
two lines and one-third distant length about; three inches,
diameters in the middle seventeen and fifteen lines ; depth of
chamber of habitation, which is much contracted at the aper-
ture, one inch and two lines.

The general form of this species is very like that of Oncoceras
constrictum^ (Hall) but the oral extremity is more rounded, and
although the shell of the specimen examined has completely
disappeared yet there is sufficient evidence that the aperture
was lobed like that of a Gomphoceras or P hragmoceras ; in
Oncoceras it is oval.

Locality and Formation. — Upper Silurian, Port Daniel, Gaspe.

Collector. — Sir W. E. Logan.

Gomphoceras obesum.

Description. — Section elliptical ; dorso-ventral greater than
the lateral diameter in the proportion of five to four ; general

form compressed, ventricose, turbinate; septa convex, about
three lines distant ; length about four inches ; depth of cham-
ber of habitation one inch; greatest diameter (at the second
and third chamber) two inches and a-half ; lateral diameter at
the same place two inches ; above this level the size dimin-
ishes to the diameters of one inch and one inch and a-half,
which appear to be the dimensions of the aperture. Below,
tapering ventricosely to a rounded point ; neither the siphuncle
nor the character of the surface markings of the shell is indi-
cated by the specimen.

The specimen is imperfect at both ends, and it appears also
to be slightly compressed laterally. Sufficient does not appear
to decide positively upon its generic place, but it appears to
me to be more allied to Gomphoceras than to Phragmoceras.
Viewed laterally, it has a short, stout, somewhat heart-shaped
form, while looking at the dorsal or ventral aspect, the outline
is long, oval, and most pointed below.

Locality and Formation . — Lower Silurian, three miles east
from Charleton Point, Anticosti.

Collector. — ^J. Richardson.

Genm Cyrtoceras, (Goldfuss.)

Cyrtoceras subturbinatum.

Description . — Short and stout, four or five inches in length;
about two inches in width at the mouth; tapering at the
rate of about one line to the inch from the aperture to the
centre of the length, thence rapidly diminishing to the apex ;
section elliptical ; one specimen broken through at the middle
of the length is one inch nine and a-half lines in the greatest
diameter, and one inch six lines in the smaller. The specimens
are but slightly curved, and the greatest diameter is transverse
to the direction of the curvature; siphuncle near the margin,
in the centre of the dorsal aspect ; small in its passage through
the septa, but dilated to the diameter of four lines in the
upper chambers, apparently less in the lower; septa but
moderately arched, seven or eight to the inch.

313

This species is allied to O. macrostomfim (Hall), but is not so
much curved, and has an elliptical section, the major axis of
the ellipse being at a right angle to the plane of the curvature ;
C. macrostormim is circular in the section, or if elliptical, as
appears by one of Professor Hall’s figures, the greater diameter
corresponds to the shorter in our species.

The specimens are imperfect at both extremities, and denu-
ded of the shell ; neither the form of the apex, nor that of the
aperture, nor the character of the surface, has been seen.

Locality and Foimatioiu — Lower Silurian. Mingan Island,
near Tower Rock, South-east side of Large Island of Bayfield’s
Chart.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Cyrtoceras simplex.

Description. — Slightly compressed laterally ; section oval ;
dorso-ventral diameter greater than the lateral in the pro-
portion of eleven to nine nearly; dorsal aspect obtusely
rounded angular ; ventral more obtusely convex than the
dorsal. Septa ten to the inch, measured on the sides, where
they are broadly but slightly undulated towards the apex;
more acutely undulated on the dorsal aspect towards the
aperture ; curvature more than half-a-wliorl; depth of cham-
ber of habitation about equal to the greatest diameter of the
aperture; siphuncle small, dorsal, dilated between the septa.

The cast of the interior shows a shallow concave constric-
tion four lines in width, encircling the fossil close to the
aperture; the rate of tapering is about one line to the inch
for one-half of the length, but becomes greater towards the
apex.

The dorsal curvature for two inches of the larger extremity
lies nearly in a segment of the circumference of a circle, of
which the radius is one inch eleven lines, thence the cui*ve
becomes more rapid, until at the length of four and a-half
inches, the distance between the extremities of the ventral side
of a specimen (imperfect at the small end) is one inch eight
lines. The diameters at the aperture ^f this specimen are

314

eleven lines and a-half, and nine lines ; at the small imperfect
end, six lines and five lines respectively. The plane of the
aperture is at right angles to the central axis of the fossil.
This species is not so much compressed laterally as C.Jalxj
neither is it so rapidly tapering, nor so much curved.

LocaUtij and Formation. — Black River limestone. Lot N.
concession A. Nepean.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

CyUTOCERAS FALX.

Desaiption . — Laterally compressed, section an ellipse some-
what acuminated at either end ; diameters as seven to ten ;
sides broadly convex ; dorsal and ventral aspects more acutely
rounded than the sides ; septa much arched in the direction
from the ventral to the dorsal aspects ; in crossing the latter
they are strongly undulated towards the aperture ; siphuncle
small, dorsal ; general curvature very slight near the oral ex-
tremity, but amounting to more than two-thirds of a whorl in
the last two inches in length of the small end. The specimens
examined do not shew the distance of the septa. The surface
of the shell appears to have been striated transversely. A
Specimen which measures three inches in length along the out-
side curve tapers from ten lines to three in the dorso-ventral
diameter, and from seven and one-third to two and one-third
lines in the lateral diameters.

Fragments of this species cannot be well distinguished from
those of C. simplex^ unless by attention to the form of the
section, which in this species is about equally narrowed at
either end, while in C. simplex it is more rounded on the ven-
tral than on the dorsal aspect.

Locality ami Formation. — Black River and base of Trenton.
Paiiquette’s Rapids, River Ottawa.

Collector. — Sir W. E. Logan.

Cyrtoceras regulare.

Description. — Section circular, cui-vature half-a- whorl ; the
oral one inch and a-ln#! of the length, lying in the circuinfer-

315

6nce of a circle, of which the radius is one inch three lines in
the specimens examined ; thence cuiTing more rapidly to the
apex, which is approximated to within half-an-inch of the
aperture in specimens with an outside length of three inches ;
depth of external chamber equal to the diameter of the aper-
ture ; tube regularly tapering at the rate of one line and a-half
to the inch ; siphuncle small, dorsal, dilated between the
septa, which are very slightly concave and one line distant
from each other where seen near the large extremity ; the
surface appears to be smooth.

The largest specimens seen are three inches in length and
seven lines in diameter at the aperture ; depth of chamber of
habitation eight lines on the dorsal margin and six and a-half
on the ventral ; the plane of the aperture is oblique to the axis
of the shell, the ventral margin being most approximated to
the apex.

Ihe proportions of this species are almost identical with
those of CijrtoUtesJilomm, (Hall, Pal. N. Y., vol. 1, page 190. plate
41, fig. 38,) except as to the length. The specimens from Pau-
quette’s Rapids appear to be full grown, and yet the largest is
only about three inches long, while the specimen of CyrtoUtes
Jiloswn figured by Professor Hall is fully four inches. At
present I think these two species distinct, ours being smaller,
and having a smooth surface.

Locality and Formation. — Black River and base of Trenton.
Pauquette’s Rapids.

Ccllectors. — Sir W. E. Logan, J. Richardson, E. Billings.

Cyrtoceras sinuatum.

DescHption . — Compressed laterally, section elliptical, diame-
ters as eleven to nine, tapering at the rate of about two lines
and a-half to the inch ; surface annulated with apparently
sharp ridges one-third of a line wide at base, and separated by
shallow regularly concave spaces one line in width, which in
crossing the dorsal aspect make a strong undulation or sinus
towards the apex ; curvature, amounting to half-a-whorl or
more, lying in the circumference of a circle, with a radius of

316

one and a-half inches for two inches from the aperture, thence
more rapid.

The specimen examined has a dorso-ventral diameter of one
inch at the aperture, and a lateral diameter of nine lines and
three-quarters ; the length of the dorsal margin is three inches,
and in that distance it tapers to the diameter of from six to five
lines. Neither the septa nor the siphuncle is visible. In
some respects this species resembles Cijrtoceras annidaUm^ (Hall,
Pal. N. Y., vol. 1, page 194, plate 41, fig. 485,) but in that
species the section is circular, and the rate of tapering is not
so great as in this, while the specimens figured on the plate
cited are more shai’ply curved.

Locality and Formation , — Black River limestone. La Petite
Chaudi^re.

Collector. — E. Billings.

Geniis Orthoceras.

Orthoceras Anticostense.

Description. — Elongated, large, section sub-oval, dorsal side
broad, flattened or but moderately convex ; siphuncle large,
marginal, lying along the central axis of the dorsal aspect,
much dilated between the septa ; the rate of tapering varies
in different parts of the same individual, being more rapid near
the aperture than it is near the smaller extremity. From a
diameter of three inches and one-eighth, measured across in
the broadest direction, one specimen contracts to two inches
and a-quarter in a length of six, or at the rate of about one
line and a-half to the inch ; further towards the apex the rate
becomes gradually less. The septa are convex, about five lines
distant from each other, and in crossing the dorsal side make
a strong undulation in the direction of the apex.

In one fragment deprived of the shell, the character of the
surface aj)pears to have been impressed upon the cast of the
interior, and if this supposition be coiTect, then the exterior of
the shell was ornamented by shaq) longitudinal raised lines,
about two in one line, with finer ones between.

This fine species is most closely allied to O. tmuifihm (Hall)
of the Black River limestone, but differs in being much flatter
upon the dorsal side, and in not so rapidly expanding near the
aperture; the undulations of the septa also are more pro-
nounced, the striation of the surface apparently stronger, and
the whole proportions more slender. It appears to have grown
to the length of two feet and a half.

Locality and Formation . — Lower Silurian. Charleton Point,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Orthoceras formosum.

Description . — Section circular, tapering at the rate of one
line and a-half to the inch ; siphuncle one-third the diameter
from the margin, small in its passage through the septa, and
dilated in the chambers ; septa much arched from the ventral
to the dorsal margin, but moderately so in the direction of
the lateral diameter ; their edges strongly undulated towards
the apex on the sides, and in an opposite direction on the dor-
sal and ventral margins ; this curvature is also greater on the
ventral than on the dorsal margin, the septa being a little
oblique, or more approximated to the aperture on that side ;
proportional depth of the chambers varying from one-fifth to
one-seventh of the diameter in the same individual ; surface
striated longitudinally by fine shaq) parallel raised lines, about
six or eight in one line.

In one specimen two inches and a-half in length, one inch in
diameter at the large, and nine lines at the small end, the dis-
tance of the septa from each other averages two lines and
a-half, there being twelve in a length of two inches and a-half.
In another specimen one inch and a-half in diameter, the ave-
rage, is the same ; and in a third with a diameter two inches,
the distance is four lines. The centre of the siphuncle in this
latter specimen is five lines distant from the ventral margin,
where the diameter is sixteen lines.

The dilatations of the siphuncle constitute small compressed
nummuloid beads three lines in diameter.

318

Locality and Formation. — Lower Silurian. English Head,
Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Ortiioceras xiphias.

Description. — Very much compressed, two-edged ; lateral
diameter greater than the dorso-ventral, in the proportion of
fourteen to six ; ventral aspect slightly convex, nearly flat ;
dorsal broadly rounded, but somewhat angular along the cen-
tral line ; sides represented by two obtuse edges; siphon small,
marginal, lying along the central axis of the ventral aspect ;
septa much arched, and distant a little more than two lines
from each other, where the lateral diameter is one inch and a
quarter ; the edges or lateral margins taper or incline towards
each other at the rate of about two lines to the inch, the dor-
sal and ventral sides at one-half that rate ; the septa, in a frag-
ment one inch five lines in width, are so arched that they form
an arc of a circle, of which the radius is nine lines neaily.

The specimens are imperfect an:' do not exhibit the charac-
ter of the surface. In general form this species resembles a
large Theca. A fragment one inch five lines in width at the
larger extremity, one inch and two lines at the smaller, is one
inch and a-half in length, and when perfect was apparently
about nine inches long. The chamber of habitation in this
specimen appears to have been one inch in depth.

Locality and Formation. — Lower Silurian. Clifi*s cast of
English Head, Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson. Trenton limestone, City of Ot-
tawa, A. Murray.

Note . — This species has not the double curvature of the
septa of Gonioceras.

Orthoceras balteatum.

Description. — Section circular, tapering at the rate of about
one line to the inch; siphuncle small near the centre ; septa
moderately convex and a little oblique, their margin nearest

the aperture on the ventral side ; surface longitudinally stri-
ated with extremely minute lines, about twelve in one line ;
girt with strong annulations, with acutely rounded edges,'
two lines distant at a diameter of seven lines, one line distant
at a diameter of four lines and a-half; the intervening
annular sulci are regularly concave from the edge of one
annulation to another, and slightly undulated towards the
aperture on the dorsal side.

Formation . — Lower Silurian .

LocallUj . — English Head, Anticosti.

Collector, — J. Richardson.

Orthoceras minganense.

Cylindrical, tapering at tlie rate of less than
half-a-line to the incli ; siphuiicle small, one-third the diameter
from the margin, slightly expanded between the septa into
slendei ^fusiform beads 5 septa moderately arched, a little more
than one line distant from each other at a diameter of nine
lines ; surface with strong rounded annulations, with concave
annular sulci between, nearly direct, but slightly undulated,
ten in one inch at a diameter of nine lines.

Differs from O. hulteatum in its more approximate annula-
tions, and more gradually tapering form.

Locality and Foirruition , — Lower Silurian. — Slingan Islands,
near Tower Rock, South-east side of Large Island, of Bayfield’s
Chart.

Orthoceras perannulatum.

Description , — Section circular, very widely and strongly an-
nulated, tapering at the rate of a little more than half-a-line to
the inch. Siphuncle moderately large, central ; septa regu-
larly but not much arched, distant three lines from each other
at a diameter of eight lines, annulations very prominent, sharp,
a little oblicjue, and four lines distant at a diameter of one
inch ; the intervening sulci are regularly conc.ave from the
edge of one annulation to another.

320

Locality and Formation. — Lower Silurian. West-end, Anti-
costi.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Orthoceras propinquum.

Description. — Large, section circular, tapering at the rate of
one line to the inch ; septa very convex, slightly undulated at '
their edges, and distant two and a-half lines on an average at
a diameter of three inches. The above are all the charactei’s
that can be gleaned from the very imperfect specimen exami-
ned, which, however, clearly indicates an othoceratite of great
size and length, with the septa very closely approximate in
proportion to the diameter. The fragment is seven niches
long, and tapers from three and a-half inches to two inches
eleven lines, and exhibits the edges of thirty-five septa.

Locality and Formation. — Lower. Silurian. Charleton Point,
Anticosti. O

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Orthoceras Lyelli.

Description. — Cylindrical, smooth, section circular, tapering
at the rate of one-third of a line to the inch ; at a diameter of
eight lines there are twelve moderately convex septa to the
inch, and the centre of the siphuncle is two and one-thmd lines
from the margin. The species is remarkable for its cylindrical,
straight, and veiy slightly tapering form.

Locality and Formation. — Lower Silurian. Clifi* East of
Salmon River, Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Orthoceras Sedgwicki.

Description. — Section circular, tapering at the rate of nearly
two lines to the inch from a diameter of three inches. Siphun-
cle large, marginal, dilated between the septa ; septa convex,
slightly undulating towards the apex on the ventral side, dis-

321

tant from each other four and a-half lines, and two and a-half
at two inches ; surface striated longitudinally. In a specimen
seven inches long, three inches in diameter at the large end,
and one inch ten lines at the smaller extremity, the siphuncle
is one inch in diameter where seen at the small end. The
striation of the surface is but very obscurely indicated in the
specimen. This fine large species is allied to O. tomljUlum
of the Black River limestone, and also to O. Ant costense, from
both of which however it difiers in its circular section and
straight sides.

Locality and Foiimation. — Lower Silurian, West End, Anti-
costi.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

Ortiioceras canadense.

Huronia vcrtebralis, (Stokes).

Extremely elongated, very gradually tapering ;
septa distant; siphuncle large, dilated only in the ujiper pi^rt
of each chamber, where it forms a strong projecting annulation
abruptly rounded on the upper side, and gradually .sloping to
the lower ; depth of chambers near the aperture about °one
inch and a-half, becoming gradually less in the direction of the
apex, somewhat variable; diameter of the non-dilated portion
of the siphuncle about equal to the distance of the septa, often
a little greater, sometimes a little less.

In consequence of the peculiar mode of dilatation of the
siphuncle (the only part of this remarkable fossil which is well
known,) it resembles a long, slowly-tapering, many-jointed
column, each joint having a truncated sub-pyriform shape, its
smaller extremity fitting into the centre of the large expanded
upper termination of the next succeeding segment. The in-
ferior half or two-thirds of the length of each joint is either
cylindrical, or but very gradually expanding upwards with an
inward and outward curve, until it finally has swollen out to
form the lower sloping sides of the annulation above. A spe-
cimen from the north-west side of the Island of Anticosti
(where it is associated with fossils of Upper Silurian age, many

322

I J

of them identical with species peculiar to the Niagara and
Clinton groups,) consisting of six segments, corresponding to
six cliambers of the animal to which it belonged, is four inches
and seven lines in length, giving nine lines and one-sixth as
the avera*ge distance between the septa ; . the diameter of the
uppermost annulation is one inch and four lines, and of the
loweimost one inch and two lines; the rate of tapering
therefore of this Orthoceras^ as indicated by that of the siphun-
cle was about half-a-line to the inch, and consequently the
perfect individual was in all probability six feet in length.

The specimen is fractured longitudinally, so as to exhibit a
good section through four of the segments ; it shews a small
slightly eccentric tube one and a-half lines in diameter, with its
centre filled with dark-coloured matter, apparently the same
in composition as the rock in which the fossil had been im-
bedded, a small poiiion of which still adheres to one end of the
specimen. With the exception of the contents of this tube, the •
whole siphuncle is composed or filled with a whitish calcare-
ous spar, with however, several small druses lined with semi-
transparent crystals; into these cavities small quantities of
the dark-colored rock have also penetrated. At the upper end
of each segment, just where the joint above appears to be in-
serted, a thin plate penetrates from the outer shell into the
now filled-up cavity of the siphuncle, cuiTing downwards;
these appear to me to be the edges of the septa, and if so, then
as in eveiy other species of Orthoceras, with a dilated siphuncle,
the passage from one chamber to another was smaller than
the main body of the tube (in this instance about four lines
less in diameter than the cylindrical portion, and from eight
to ten less than that of the fully developed annulations.)

It can be clearly seen in this specimen that upon each of
the inner edges of the septa there is a reniform mass, of a color
a shade deeper than that of the general filling of the tube ;
it is placed with its constricted side against the inward
projecting edges of the septum, and seems to curl around it
above and below. The same arrangement of the different
materials in the interior of these fossils is well figured in the
Transactions of the Geological Society, vol. 5, plate CO, Figs.

6, 3, in illustration of Mr. Stokes’ paper on the Orthocerata ;
although at the time of the date of that memoir the meaning
of these curving sliades of color was not understood. Since,
however, the publication of M. Barrande’s investigations upon
the subject, ♦ they have become perfectly intelligible, and
enable us to decide from the internal structure alone of this
fossil, that it is really, the siphuncle of an Orthoceras^ only
differing from an ordinary form by the circumstance of
being dilated in the vi)per part of each chamber ^ so as to produce
a series of top-sliaped joints, instead of the row of spherical or
nummuloid joints usually to be seen in the figures of different
species of Ormoceras described in various works. This mode
of dilatation in the siphuncle of an Orthoceras^ so far from being
of generic importance, is not always of specific value, because
there are specimens in the collection of the Survey which
exhibit both turbinate and nummuloid joints in the same
individual. While upon this subject, I beg to give the
following comj^ilation of the history of the genus Huronia.

This genus was first described in a paper entitled “ Notes
on the Geology and Geography of Lake Huron,” read
before the Geological Society, in 1823, by Dr. Bigsby, who
had then recently returned from his travels in North America.
His memoir is full of interesting information, and the palaeonto-
logical portion of it may be considered as the first essay of any
importance upon the fossils of Canada. It was prepared, I
believe by the late C. Stokes, Esq., who thus correctly des-
cribes the species in question, but under the impression that
the specimens examined by him were corals.

The corals of the species represented m plate 28, fig. 2, have in their general
appearance a considerable resemblance to vertebrae ; they are columns tapering
from the top, composed of similarly formed joints, which diminish downwards
both in length and breadth, though not in regular graduation. The length of
each joint in this species is about one inch, and the breadth exceeds the length ;
the transverse section is circular. The lower or middle part of each joint is
cylindrical, or slightly conical ; the upper part swells out and is inflected

* See a paper by M. Barrande in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of
France, dated 23rd April, 1855, and entitled Remplissage organique du siphon
dans certaines cephalapodes paliozoiquesj^

p-',

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324

inwards at the top, so as to meet entirely the base of the joint next abore it.
The dilated part is in different species in very variable proportion to the rest of
the joint; the lower part of one joint is inserted to some little depth into the
upper part of the next beneath it, so as to attach the joints firmly to one
another. The external surface is covered over with a thin smooth coat, but
this is rarely preserved, and then only in small portions ; the surface is usually
without this coat, and is then longitudinally striated.

When the joint is most dilated a thin horizontal septum, formed by the
abrupt inflexion inwards, and coalescence of the upper and lower parts of the
outer coat, passes transversely across the joint, as is seen in two of the joints
in fig. 2.” (Transactions of the Geological Society, N. S., vol. 1, page 202, Plate
28, fig. 2.)

The thin horizontal septum mentioned in the above extract
as occurring where the joint is most dilated, is well shewn in
all the joints of our specimen, and is without doubt the remains
bf the ordinary septum of an Orthoceras. It does not extend
through the siphuncle, but only penetrates inward about two
lines, curving downwards as previously stated.

He proceeds to describe five species under the names of
Huronia Bigsbii, H. vertebralis^ H, tuibinata, IL obliqtia^ and
H. spheroidalis. The greatest length of any column he had
seen was twenty-seven inches. The first and second of
these appear to me to be of one species, IL vertebralisy or
(h'thoceras Canadense^ as it is now proposed to call it.

As I understand him the specimens were from the quartzose
limestone at Collier’s Harbour, from the west end of the
Great Manitoulin, and also from Drummond Island.

Afterwards, in a paper entitled “ On some species of
Orthocerata^’*^ read June 6th, 1837, and published in the tliird
volume of the Transactions, Mr. Stokes announces his convic-
tion that the Huroniae previously described were the siphun-
cles of Orthoceratites. He had in the interim examined
numerous specimens of other species of undoubted Orthocera-
tites, and found among them so many points of resemblance to
Huronia that he could no longer doubt their relationship,
although he thought proper to retain the generic name. The
idea therefore of their being at least related to this family of
the Cephalopoda is not new, but was long since seriously
entertained by the first geologist who studied them atten-
tively.

In the excellent little “ Manual of the Mollusca,” by S. P.
Woodward, published in Weale’s scientific series in 1851, part
1, j)age.8f), there are two figures of Huronia with the follow-
iiig remarks :

Numerous examples of this curious fossil were collected by Dr. Bigsby (in
1822) and by the officers of the regiments formerly on Drummond Island.
Specimens have also been brought home by the officers of many of the Arctic
expeditions. But with the exception of one formerly in the possession of Lieut.
Gibson (68) and another in the cabinet of Mr. Stokes, the siphuncle only is pre-
served, and not a trace remains of septa or shell wall. Some of those seen by
Dr. Bigsby in the limestone cliffs were six feet long.”

Mr. Woodward’s figure a consists of four joints of the siphon,
with the corresponding septa, and he states in a note that it was
made from a specimen presented to the British Museum by Dr.
Bigsby. “ The septa were added,” he says, “ from Dr. Bigsby’s
drawing ; they were only indicated in the specimen by color-
less lines on the brown limestone.” His figure h represents
two joints, beneath each of which are curved lines indicating
the existence in that specimen of the reniform patches of color
seen in our specimen, and which are simply transverse sections
of the solid rings of animal secretion formed around the inside
of the siphuncle upon the edges of the septa, and called by
M. Barrande “ anneaux obstructeurs.”

If then, in view of the above facts and opinions which I
have thought proper to give at some length, because they tend
to support the disposition here made of these remarkable fos-
sils, the Iluroniae are really the remains of chambered cephalo-
pods belonging to the family of the Orthocerata, another
question arises ; are they generically distinct from Orthoceras
proper ?

And upon this part of the subject it may be observed, that
the Orthoceratites were at first described as being all provided
with a cylindrical non-inflated siphuncle either central or sub-
central, and that since the discovery of the Lake Huron fossils
those with siphons swollen between the septa have been
usually referred to the genus Ormoceras, a name suggested by
the bead-like form of this organ.

326

♦

Some of the species have also been thought to be sufficient-
ly distinct to constitute other generic groups and hence the
names Actinoceras^ Comtubularia^ Orthocei'atites cochleati^ Sfc,
But at present there appears to be a disposition among
many palaeontologists to allow these subdivisions to drop out
of use, and to refer nearly all the species to the old genus
Orthocems. Thus M. Barrande, after examining nearly 300
species of palaeozoic cephalopoda, has announced his intention
to keep together, under the name Orthoceras, all the straight
forms, whatever position the siphuncle may take, “ and no matter
whether it he cylindrical or swollen between the sejita,^^*

The specimens in the collections of the Geological Survey of
Canada show a regular transitional series, from those with
siphons scarcely at all inflated, to those with annulations an
inch and a-half in diameter. The segments are also either fusi-
form, globular, oblate, spheroidal, nuinmuloid, turbinate, or
more swollen at one side of the chamber than at the other.
Some of these forms are also apparent in two other genera.
Thus in Gyroceras magnifiaim the siphon between the septa is
dilated into a series of fusiform beads ; in Cyrtoceras regidare
the expansions are globular but scarcely two-thirds of a line
in diameter; in Cyrtoceras subturbinatum globular, four lines in
diameter, and exhibiting radiating lamellae ; while in one frag-
ment of a species of Cyrtoceras^ not described, it is expanded in
the upper part of the chamber, and tapering below exhibits
a form very like Huronia.

These specimens shew that it is absolutely impassible to draw
a line between those species which should be referred to Ormo-
ceras (provided that genus be retained) and those which belong
clearly to Orthoceras praper. It is equally difficult to sepa-
rate Huronia from Onnoceras, In the best-known species of
this latter genus O, temujilum^ Hall, good specimens show that
the siphuncle is constructed on precisely the same plan as
Huronia, with this diflerence only, that the inflation occurs in

♦ See a paper in the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London,.
Vol. 10, page 6 of the “ Translations and Notices,” entitled “On the Silurian
Crustacea^. Pteropoda^ and Cephalopoda of Bohemia” By M. Barrande^

327

the lower part of the chamber. One beautiful example from
the township of i itzroy is completely silicified. It was origi-
nally imbedded in limestone, and thus by treatment with
hydrochloric acid it became possible to remove completely
the calcareous matter, leaving eight segments of the siphuncle
perfect, and the corresponding chambers entirely empty. The
length occupied by the eight chambers is three inches and
one-eighth, the lateral diameter at the small end is one inch,
at the large end one inch ten lines ; the distance between the
septa is pretty uniformly five lines, agreeing in this respect
with fig. 2, plate 17, Pal. N. Y., Vol. 1, which Professor
Hall refers to the variety O. distcuis. The septa appear to
spring from the edges of the annulations of the siphon, but in
one instance there is some evidence of an origin in the con-
striction below. The greatest expansion of the swollen por-
tion of the siphuncle is just within the concavity of the septum,
as expressed by Professor Hall, and on its upper side it first
slopes with a rounded outline, and then ends suddenly with a
perpendicular contraction to the small cylindrical portion,
which is continued about one and a-lialf lines, and then gradu-
ally expands to form the next inflation above. Were all traces
of septa and shell removed, this siphuncle would at once be
called a Huronia. In another more slender specimen, also
silicified, and prepared by the same process, the septa are only
about three lines distant, and yet the Huronia form of the
siphuncle is very perfectly exhibited, and moreover the septa
seem to originate from the lower part of the constricted por-
tion, immediately in contact with the base of the projecting
shoulder-like upper margin of the next expansion below ; they
seem to be funnel-shaped and to contain the siphuncle, only
branching away from it from the circumference of the annula-
tions on the lower side. If this be the true interpretation of
the appearances presented by these specimens, then the points
of the insertion of the edges of the septa into the siphuncle,
or rather of their attachment to it in these species, are the
same as in Iluroma.

In the next species to be described, O. pcrsii}h()natum^ the
siphuncle is on one side a perfect Huronia in appearance.

It consists of a regular series of joints, each broad at the top
and diminishing downwards, the smaller end of each joint
inserted into the larger extremity of the one next below.
There are no traces of sepia except just at the upper end of
the joint, and there only so much as is seen in Huronia verte-
braJis, that is to say, “ the thin horizontal septa ” first observed
by Mr. Stokes. Judging from this side we could only classify
the specimen as an additional species of Huronia, but on
examining the other side we find two of the septa remaining,^
and the perfect cast of the interior of the external shell, for the
length of one of the chambers. It also shows that the septa
were excessively thin, aad although expanding from the edges
of the annulation, as in O. tmuijilum, they originate from the
base of the expansion next below ; the three specimens liave
also the central slender tube of Huronia. The same organ may
be seen more or less distinctly in almost every section of the
siph uncle of O. tenuijilum.

It appears to me therefore that these several sjiecies only
differ from each other specifically in the form and position of
the inflated portions of their siphuncles, and that all the species
of Huronia should be referred to the genus Ormocercts^ provided
that genus be retained ; but if it be suppressed, that they should
then be classified in the old genus Orthoceraa. In removing
this species to its new place it would be desirable to retain for
it one of the original specific names, and I would call it
Orthoceras vertebralis^ were it not that there are already
several species of that name. There is also one O. Bigsbyu
As it was first discovered in Canada, and as it has alwaj^^s been
associated with the geology of Canada, I beg therefore to
propose for it the name of O. Canadense

Locahty and Formation. — Middle Silurian, South-west Point
of the Island of Anticosti.

Collector. — J. Richardson.

It occurs also in the same geological position on the Great
Manitoulin and Drummond Islands, Lake Huron.

329

OrTIIOCERAS PERSIPIIONATU^r.

Description. Elongate, large; siphon of great size, marginal;
strongly anrmlatetl in the upper-half or two-thirds of each
chamber, and cylindrical or but gradually expanded in the
lower third ; septa very thin and convex, distant six and a-half
lines on an average when the siphuncle has a diameter of one
inch and a-half.

T. he annulations of the siphuncle are in the two specimens
examined, a little oblique, the ventral margin being nearest the
aperture ; a fragment of a siphuncle six inches and a-half in
length tapers from one inch and a-half to one inch and
a-quarter, or at the rate of about half-a line to the inch.

This species differs from O. Canadcnse only in its more
approximate septa, and appears to have been like that, an
extremely long, tapering form, with very thin, fragile, extenor
shell and septa.

Locality and Formation . — Middle Silurian. Connorant Point,
Anticosti.

Collector'. — J. Eichardson.

Orthoceras cornuum.

Description . — Section circular, tapering at the rate of one and
a-half lines to the inch, from a diameter of two inches and four
lines; siphuncle small, eccentric, one-fourth of the diameter
from the margin ; septa convex, from four to six lines distant.
The only specimen seen is slightly bent, and has the siphuncle
ai)proximated to the side of curvature.

The specimen is ten inches in length and two inches in
diameter at the largest end. A portion of the chamber of
habitation remains, and some of the septa at its base are much
less distant than elsewhere. Thus the first and second are
distant two-thirds of a line, and the next five about one line
and a-half each, the sixth and seventh two lines and a-half,
and then they become at first six lines distant, and towards
tlie apex only four lines.

The specimen resembles O. mbarcuatum (Hall), but no traces ‘
of the annulations occuring on that species have been observed
in this.

Locality and Formation* — Lower Silurian, apparently at the
base of the Trenton limestone. Tower Cliff*, S. E. point of
Large Island, Bayfield’s Chart, Mingan Island.

Collector* — J. Richardson.

Orthoceras bucklandii.

Description* — Section circular, tapering at the rate of one
line to the inch ; siphuncle small, eccentric, dilated between
the septa into globular, bead-like expansions, two lines in
diameter; septa moderately convex, two lines distant at a
diameter of one inch and two lines ; where the fossil is four-
teen lines in diameter the siphuncle is four lines from the
margin.

A specimen with a diameter of twenty-two lines, has the cen-
tre of the siphuncle distant from the margin about seven lines.

Locality and Fonnation. — Ujiper Silurian. Beach west of
South-west Point, Anticosti.

Collector* — J. Richardson.

Orthoceras magni-sulcatum.

Description* — Tapering at the rate of two lines to the inch ;
septa convex, exceedingly oblique, distant one line upon an
average, at a diameter of one inch four lines ; surface sulcated
longitudinally by about fourteen shallow concave furrows,
which, at the diameter mentioned, have a width of four lines
each.

The specimen is a fragment one inch and a-half in length,
exhibiting only the above characters. The great width of the
longitudinal furrows is a most marked character, and will be
sufficient to render very small fragments of this fossil instantly
recognizable.

Locality and Formation * — Lower Silurian, Charleton Point.

Collector* — J. Richardson, Anticosti.

331

Orthoceras allumettense.

Descr\j>imu — Section nearly circular, tapering at tlie rate of
one line and a-half to the inch ; siphuncle eccentric, dilated
between the septa to the width of four lines and a-half ; septa
very convex, from two to two lines and a-half distant ; surface
apparently smooth.

The inner margins of the dilatations of the siphuncle are near-
at the centre of the fossil, and are oblique; the outer mar-
gins are most approximate to the aperture. When separated,
the siphon resembles O, i)crsii)honatum in consisting of a series
of flattened discs with rounded edges, but it is not more
than one-fifth the diameter of that species. It is also less than
the same organ in O. tenuijibm ; in a specimen of this last
named species, at a diameter of one inch, even the constricted
portion of the siphon is nine lines, while in O. AUumeUense the
annulations have only a breadth of from four to five lines.

This species is rather common in a fragmentary condition,
It occurs at Pauquette’s Rapids, at the lower end of the
Allumettes Island, and also in the townships of Fitzroy, Hull
and Huntley, associated with Bird’s-eye, Black River and
Trenton limestone fossils.

The specific name is derived from the He des Allumettes^ as
it is in the limestone at the lower end of this island that speci-
mens of this species have been obtained in the greatest
perfection.

Formation . — Lower Silurian, Bird’s-eye, Black River, and
Trenton. Localities as above.

Collectors . — Sir W. E. Logan, J. Richardson, E. Billings.

Orthoceras ottawaense.

Descriinion . — Section circular, tapering at the rate of about
one line to the inch, from a diameter of seven lines ; siphuncle
small, nearly central, slightly dilated ; septa at the diameter
of seven lines, six in thirteen lines, about ten to the inch at
a diameter of four lines ; they are rather convex and a little
oblique, their dorsal margin most approximate to the aperture.

The siphon appears to be more eccentric towards the apex
than it is near the aperture. At a diameter of two lines and
a-half, its centre is one line and a-half from the centre of the
fossil, but at the diameter of seven lines it is very nearly
central.

This species somewhat resembles O, rccticamei'atum (Hall),
but differs in its regularly convex and distant septa. In the
figure of that species. Pal. N. Y., vol. 1, plate 2, figure 4, at a
diameter of seven lines there are nine septa to the inch, and
they are described by Professor Hall, as not curved, but pass-
ing obliquely in a line from the inside of the shell to the
siphuncle, or vice versa. In one specimen at the same dia-
meter there are scarcely six chambers to the inch, and the
septa have a well rounded convexity of more than one line in
height.

The specimen from which the above description has been
drawn was collected at La Petite Chaudi^re Rapids, on the
River Ottawa, where it occurs associated with numerous species
of fossils of the Black River and Trenton limestones ; but in the
vicinity of the Union Bridge, two miles further down the river,
numerous fragments occur in the central part of the Trenton,
which have the same proportions, and appear to me to be the
same species. In this latter locality they are replaced and
often filled by crystalline dolomite weathering of a light red
color. The specimens are usually from four to five inches in
length, rarely more than six inches, and almost always consist
of the smaller extremity of the fossil,

Orthoceras murrati.

Description . — Section sub-elliptical or obscurely triangular,
tapering at the rate of one line and a-third to the inch,
from a lateral diameter of thirteen lines ; ventral aspect the
broader ; flattened or but slightly convex ; dorsal side most
convex along the centre, giving to the section a sub-triangular
shape ; lateral diameter greater than the dorso-ventral in the
proportion of about eleven to thirteen ; siphuncle cylindrical,
one-sixth of the greatest diameter of the fossil, situated near the

333

ventral margin. Tlie septa on the ventral side make a strong
curve towards the apex ; they are distant from one-seventh to
one-tenth of an inch. In a specimen three and a-half inches
in length and thirteen lines wide at the largest end, in the
first incli of the smaller extremity there are not quite seven
septa ; in the next inch the same number, in the third nine,
and in the half-inch five. Another specimen shews ten septa
to one inch, at a diameter of thirteen arfd a-half lines, and
in a third there are nine at a diameter of one inch ; they
are moderately convex. An artificial section through five
of the chambers shews that the sipliuncle is cylindrical, and
that the septa, at the point of their contact witli, it are
bent suddenly towards the apex; the surface, which is not
well sliewn, appears smooth. The species is named after
Alexander Muriay, Esq., Assistant Provincial Geologist, who
discovered it.

Localities and Formation.— Ttmion limestones, north and
east sides of St. Josepli’s Island, Lake Huron.

Collector, — A. Murray.

OliTHOCERAS IIASTATUM.

Dcscliption . — Shaped like a Theca, two-edged ; ventral side
broad and almost flat, sliglitly convex ; dorsal aspect most con-
vex along the centre, thence sloping to the sides, wliich are
perpendicular to the ventral aspect, and nearly flat in the larger
portion of the shell. The section is thus a low, broad-based
triangle, with the angle at each end of the base truncated,
and with the apical angle rounded. ' At a lateral diameter of
eleven lines the height or dorso-ventral diameter is six lines;
the rate of tapering is about four lines to the inch, measuring
the inclination of the sides ; the ventral and dorsal aspects
approach each other at the rate of two lines and a-third to the
inch ; sipliuncle small, close to the centre of the ventral mar-
gin ; the septa are curved in a circle of which the radius is
about half-an-inch, their distance from each other has not
been satisfactorily ascertained ; near the apex the sides consist
of two rounded edges, but in the direction of the aperture

these hecome more and more broadly tinmcated, until at a
diameter of eleven lines they have a perpendicular width of
about two lines. The surface is coarsely striated transversely,
and at the dorsal ridge, the stria? appear to make a bend to-
wards the aperture.

Locality and Formation.— River, and Trenton lime-
stone, Pauquette’s Rapids, Ottawa City.

Collectors . — Sir W. E. Logan and E. Billings.

This species tapers more rapidly than O. xiphias, and
judging from the size of one fragment must have attained a
length of six inches.

Orthocebas rotolatum.

Description . — Septa very convex, four lines distant at a dia-
meter of one inch eleven lines ; siphuncle large, dilated be-
tween the septa, constituting an obliquely nummuloid cylinder
fourteen lines in diameter, where the diameter of the perfect
fossil was two inches, and situated within three lines of the
ventral margin. The annulations have an obliquity of about
20° to the longitudinal axis, and they are evenly convex from
one septum to another.

A silicified specimen from which all the calcareous matter
has been removed by the application of hydrochloric acid,
shows the rings of obstruction to be contiguous, the line of
contact between each two being near the centre of the dilatation
on the doi-sal side of the siphuncle, and a little in advance of
the centre on the ventral side, where also they have the great-
est thickness. The fragment appears to be the oral extremity
of the siphuncle, and four of the rings at the entrance are still
incomplete on the dorsal aspect, the last-formed having made
the least progress at the time of the death of the animal. The
acid has also removed from the interior all the limestone,
leaving the inside of the nngs exposed. They are transverse-
ly wrinkled or deeply striated in the general direction of the
length. The diameter of the internal tubular cavity of the
siphuncle is in this specimen six lines at the extremity, but it
contracts to about two lines after penetrating three inches

33-5

(the length of the fragment), and it then contains a second
small tube one line in diameter. Another specimen, two
inches and a-rpiarter in length, is fourteen lines in diameter,
and there is a portion of the external shell still attached to it^
the convexity of which when extended into a complete circle,
shows the diameter of the perfect animal to have been at this
place two inches nearly. It also exhibits the strong transverse
plications on the interior of the rings of obstruction, and shows
that these were thickest on the ventral side. The lines of con-
tact of the rings in this specimen are visible on the outer mar-
gins of the annulatious of the siphuncle, as in the last, but
appear to be nearly central all around ; the small internal tube
cannot be detectecl. This species differs from O. persiphovatum
in the much more approximate septa, and in the uniform dila-
tation of the siphuncle, which in that is only expanded in
the upper part of the chamber, while in this the margins of the
segments are regularly rounded from one septum to another.

Locnhhj ami Formation . — Upper Silurian, Niagara Group,
Head of Lake Tainiscamangue,

Collector . — Sir W. E. Logan.

Orthoceras python.

Description. Large, elongated, gradually tapering ; septa
very convex, distant one inch or a little more at the oral ex-
tremity, thence becoming more approximate, until at the apex
they are scarcely half-an-inch apart ; the siphuncle is large and
dilated between the septa into a series of sub-globular or oval
expansions, decreasing in size from the aperture towards the
apex ; these are slightly more inflated in the upper than in the
lower half. 'At the apex in one specimen, the most perfect
seen, where the septa are five lines distant, the diameter of the
last bead of the siphuncle is four lines, and of the twenty-
seventh from the apex eleven lines, the length being one inch;
the passage through the septa is small. The separated
siphuncle of this species is a fossil of a very remarkable ap-
pearance, resembling a row of small eggs placed end to end,
the size gradually diminishing from the diameter of one inch

336

to that of three or four lines. It is one of these species which
will probably not often be found with the septa and external
shell preserved, as these portions of the structure appear to
have been of a thin and perishable nature, while the siphuncle
with the exception of a small central channel, was completely
solidified by the calcareous secretion of the animal during life,
and thus will perhaps be more frequently discovered well
preserved.

The finest specimen known is a siphon eighteen inches in
length, consisting of twenty-seven joints, coiTespoiiding to
twenty-seven chambers, collected by Mr. P. A. McArthur in
the Trenton limestone at the City of Ottawa. In this specimen
there are no traces of septa or external shell. This, and several
other fragments from the same locality, are now in the collec-
tion of the Geological Survey.

Another specimen of six segments, with a portion of the
shell and traces of septa, was found by myself at the Cote des
Neiges, Montreal, last summer. An artificial section shews
the internal channel or tube, and also that the amount of
secretion was greatest on one side, probably the ventral side.

Since the above was written. Professor Dawson, Principal of
McGill College, Montreal, has given me the opportunity of
examining another specimen in his collection ; it consists of a
fragment exhibiting on one side eleven of the expansions of the
siphuncle, with traces of the septa upon the other. The speci-
men, although crushed, proves the siphuncle to be considerably
excentric, and that the rate of tapering is almost one line to
the inch. The eleven joints occupy a length of six and one-
fourth inches, and they appear to belong to the terminal half
of an individual of medium size. The memorandum accom-
panying the fossil when sent to McGill College, states that it
was “ Found in limestone rock, near the surface in the 14th
concession of the Indian Lands, Kenyon. The surrounding
country has abundance of limestone with the remains of fish or
reptiles, thickly interspersed with granite boulders ; the land
has a great deal of sea-shell in it.”

337

Orthoceras decrescens.

Shell annulated, with sub-aciitely rouiKled and
slightly undulating ridges, which are two lines distant at a
diameter of fourteen lines, somewhat more approximate to-
wards the apex ; intervening spaces regularly concave and
half-a-line in depth. Section circular, tapering at the rate of
two lines to the inch ; siphuncle small, excentric, about one-
sixth of the diameter from the centre ; septa concave, slightly
obli<]uc, their ventral margins nearest the aperture, distant
two lines at a diameter of eleven lines.

Differs from all other described annulated species of the
Silurian limestone of America in its more rapid rate of taper-
ing.

Localuy and Formation. — Black River limestone. La Petite
Chandifcre Rapids, Ottawa River. East side St. Joseph’s Island.
A. W. Smith’s fann, Cote de la Visitation, Island of Montreal.

Collectors. — E. Billings and J. Richardson.

Orthoceras vulgatum.

Description. Section circular or very slightly oval, tapering
at the late of one line and a-half to the inch 5 siphuncle nearly
central, small ; septa concave, distant from each other from two
to two and a-half lines. A fragment two inches and a-half in
length, fourteen lines in diameter at the large end, and ten and
a-half at the smaller, has twelve chambers. A second specimen
fourteen lines in diameter, has five chambers in a length of ten
lines and a-half. A third, at a diameter of nine lines, has four
chambers in a length of eight lines.

Locality and Fo-rmation. — Trenton limestone, Ottawa.

Collector. — E. Billings.

Orthoceras Huronense.

Description.— khoMi six inches long; section circular; taper
ing at the rate of two lines to the inch ; septa moderately
con^ ex, two lines distant at a diameter of eight lines, one line

distant at a diameter of four lines ; sipliuncle small, central ;
depth of chamber of habitation one inch and a-half, slightly
contracted towards the aperture, and shewing upon the cast
an internal thickened ring half-an-inch wide. The suitaee
appears to have been siilcated with shallow longitudinal
furrows, one line in width, which have left their impression
on the cast; this appearance, however, may be deceptive.
Resembles O. Ottawaensc^ but has a more decidedly central
siphuncle, while the septa are not so convex.

Locality ami Format ton * — Trenton limestone, east side of St.
Joseph’s Island.

Collector, — A. Murray, Esq.

Sub-Kingdom, Articulata ; Class, CRUSTACEA ;

Order, Extomostraca.

Genus Broxteus, (Goldfuss.)

Broxteus luxatus.

Dcscripion. — Oblong-ovate, or broadly-ovate, including the
spines; length two inches, width of thorax about one inch;
width across the head behind the eyes one inch and a-half.
Head a perfect crescent, the posterior angles being produced
backwards in broad flat spines, which terminate with sharp
points almost as far back as the angles of the pygi<1ium. Gla-
bella between the eyes, about two-thirds the width of the axis
of the thorax; front of the glabella one and a-half times the
width of the axis of the thorax ; the sides regularly cuiTed,
the neck-furrow moderately deep, rounded at the bottom and
extending quite across. Immediately above the neck-furrow
the glabella is suddenly but not much elevated, and continues
at nearly the same level along the centre, until within one-
fifth of its length of the front, and then descends with a some-
what sudden rounded slope to the margin. The transverse
furrow^s of the glabella are represented on each side by three
barely perceptible indentations, the fii'st two a little in
advance of a line drawn across the iVont part of the eyes,

the second nearly on this line, and the third about as far
behind as the first are before the line. The eyes are two lines
in length, more than semi-circular, and one line at their base
from the posterior margin; they are separated from the
glabella by a rather wide deep furrow, which is angular at
the bottom. The distance from the eyes to the outer margin
of the head is about equal to the width of the glabella in Its
most narrow part. The thorax is well trilobed, the axis
elevated, depressed-cylindrical, one-fourth wider than the gla-
bella between the eyes, a little broader in the middle than at
the ends, and in perfect specimens somewhat narrower than
the side lobes.

This however is owing to the greater convexity of the axis,
for in specimens pressed quite flat the axis is as wide as the
pleurae are long.

All the armulations are smooth, slightly rounded, and ter-
minate in sharp falcate points turned backwards.

The axis of the pygidium is semi-oval or sub-triangular,
partly terminated at rather more than one-fourtli the length
from the thorax, and below that point continued in a low
rounded ridge, which becomes gradually broader and less
prominent until it reaches the margin. There are six shallow
lateral fuiTows on each side ; the first runs nearly parallel with
the upper edge of the pygidium, and at a distance therefrom
of a little more than the width of the articulations of the thorax,
until it has proceeded half-way to the mai'gin ; it then inns
backward and soon becomes obsolete. The second originates
nearly in the same point with the first, but curves backward
more directly. The other four are nearly straight, and at
equal distances from each other, but all disappear on their
approach to the margin.

In a specimen one inch eleven and a-half lines in length,
the head occupies six and a-half lines, the thorax six lines, and
the pygidium eleven lines; width of glabella between the
eyes three and a-half lines, of front of glabella seven lines;
centre of axis of thorax four and a-half lines; of the spines in
the line of the posterior margin of head four lines, and of the
pygidium at its upper margin fifteen lines. The specimen is

340

pressed nearly flat, consequently some of the transverse mea-
surements are exaggerated.

The most striking character presented by this species is the
remarkable crescent-shape of its head. The form to which
appears to be most nearly allied in this respect is B. Partschi,
(Barrande, Systemc Silurian du centre de la Boheme, vol. 1, plate
46, fig. 19.) In that species the spines extend backwards to
the points of the third pleurae, in ours to the points of the ninth.

Locality and Formation. — Not uncommon in the central part
of the Trenton limestone, at the City of Ottawa.

Collector. — ^E. Billings.

Genus Triarthrus, (Greene.)

Triarthrus spinosus.

Description. — This interesting little trilobite is principally
distinguished from T. Beclcii by its spines. One of these springs
from the centre of the neck-segment and extends backwards
to the third or fourth segment of the body ; a second proceeds
from the centre of the eighth segment of the axis of the thorax,
and projects back beyond the apex of the pygidium. Two
others from the posterior angles of the head extend as far as
the points of the seventh or eighth pair of pleurae.

The spines are all slender, apparently cylindrical, and about
one-fifth of a line in diameter.

The species is destitute of the short spines of T. Beclcii, and
in none of the specimens have I been able to detect more than
thirteen segments in the thorax, and four or five in the pygi-
dium, which is remarkably like that of a small specimen of
Calymene Blumcnbachii. In a well preserved specimen of T.
Beckii, in the museum, there are distinctly fifteen segments in
the thorax and five in the axis of the pygidium, so that if
these two species be congeneric, the number of articulations
in the genus must be a variable character.

Locality and Formation. — Very abundant in the Utica slate
in the township of Gloucester, County of Carleton.

Collector. — E. Billings.

341

Genus Acidaspis, (Murchison.)

Acidaspis horani.

Description.— Brohd\yoYR\, sub-quadrilateral ; length one and
a half inch ; width at the centre of the thorax eleven lines; surface
nearly smooth, slightly granular ; glabella including the side
lobes oval, narrowed in front, the side lobes separated from each
other by deep furrows sloping forward and outward, and from
the body of the glabella by a shallow rounded groove ; the cen-
tral lobe on each side the largest. There are ten segments in the
thorax ; axis cylindrical, one-third wider at the head than at the
pygidium; pleurae with an elevated rounded ridge along their
centres, on each side of which there is a shallow concave fur-
row. They are geniculated at a distance from the sides of the
axis about equal to the width of the axis in the centre of the
thorax ; all the pleurae that can be seen are terminated with
long cylindrical sharp spines.

The pygidium is the segment of a circle of which the pro-
portional length of the chord to the height is as seven and
a-half to two and a-half ; it is margined by a naiTow sub-angu-
lar or rounded border half-a-line in width. The axis is coni-
cal, convex, terminated at the border behind ; it exhibits three
annulations, the first two conspicuous, rounded, and the last
obscure ; the first annulation is continued backwards on the
lateral lobes of the pygidium and beyond the margin in the
two principal spines. There are four secondary spines on each
side of the principal, and six between them ; they are all cy-
lindrical and sharp pointed.

The following are the dimensions of the specimen dis-
covered :

Length without the terminal spines, nearly 16 lines.

Width at centre of thorax, U n

Length of glabella, 5 u

Length of thorax, g u

Length of pygidium, nearly 3 «

Width of pygidium, g u

Length of principal spines, 3 u

Length of secondary spines, 2^ **

342

Of the head only the central portion is preserved. The neck-
segment is mutilated, and it cannot therefore be determined
whether or not there were any spines attached to the posterior
part of the glabella. Detached specimens of the glabella
would so much resemble the same part of certain forms of
Calymene Blumenbachii^ that they would be mistaken for that
species unless critically examined.

I beg to dedicate this species to the Eev. E. J. Horan,
Director of the Laval Normal School, at Quebec, who discov-
ered and kindly communicated the specimen for description.

Locality and Formation. — Trenton limestone. Riviere h la
Friponne, near Cape Tourment.

Class uncertain.

Genus Pasceolus.

The above generic name is proposed for certain ovate or
sub-globular bodies resembling the Ischadites Koenigi of the
Silurian system, but differing therefrom in the form of the
plate-like markings of the casts of the interior, which in this
genus are pentagonal or hexagonal instead of quadrangular.
A specimen from Anticosti shews that the animal was inclosed
in a thin leather-like sack, and attached to the bottom by a
short tubular continuation of this external covering. Its
affinities appear to be with those of the Tunicata.

Pasceolus halli.

Description. — Body ovate or balloon shaped, being regularly
rounded above and produced below into a short neck-like
pedicle, which constitutes the organ of attachment ; outer in-
tegument thin, its external surface covered with small irregu-
lar rounded wrinkles about ten in one line, distinctly visible
to the naked eye ; its interior reticulated with ridges corres-
ponding to the divisions between the plate-like markings of the
cast of the inside. The cast of the interior is completely
covered with hexagonal or pentagonal divisions, presenting the

appearances of Spharonites or Favosites ; these spaces are each
about a quarter of a line in diameter at the base of the fossil, but
increase in size above, until at the summit they are one line in
diameter. The spaces are convex in^heir centres, and the
interior of the integument is fitted with concave depressions
to correspond.

One specimen was procured with the integument preserved ;
it extends below the base, and encloses the short pedicle
as well as the body above. On one side of the cast there is a
small elevation about half-way between the top and bottom,
which appears to mark the position of an aperture in the side
of the animal. I beg to dedicate this species to Professor
Hall. Length of specimens one inch and a-half, greatest
diameter about the middle, thirteen lines.

Locality and Formatim . — White CliflT, Gamache Bay, Middle
Silurian.

Collector. — ^J. Richardson.

Pasceolus globosus.

Description. — Sub-globular from one to two inches in dia-
meter; surface markings principally hexagonal, and about two
lines in diameter.

Locality and Formation . — Trenton limestone. City of Ottawa,
where it is found in certain quarries in great numbers, usually
flattened or pressed into a hemispherical shape.

Collector. — E. Billings.

PLANTiE.

Gentis Beatricea.

The above generic name is proposed for certain tree-like
fossils collected in the Lower and Middle Silurian rocks of
Anticosti. They consist of nearly straight stems from one to
fourteen inches in diameter, perforated throughout by a cylin-
drical and nearly central tube, which is transversely septate.
Outside of the tube, they are composed of numerous concen-

trie layers resembling those of an exogenous tree. No traces
of roots or branches have been distinctly observed. There
appear to be two species, distinguishable only by the characters
of the surface.

Beatricea nodulosa.

Description . — The surface of this species is covered with
oblong, oval, or sub-triangular projections from one to three
lines in height, each terminating in a rounded blunt point which
is nearer to one end of the prominence than to the other*
Some of the projections are six or seven lines in length at the
base, and half as wide. Generally they are smaller, and often
with a nearly circular base ; the distance between them is
from one to three lines. They exhibit in some specimens a
tendency to an arrangement in rows following the length of
the stem. In some instances these rows wind around the stem
in spirals. In addition to these characters, the whole surface
is fretted with minute points, and these when partially worn
show a perforation in their centres.

In a specimen three inches in diameter, the diameter of the
central tube is three-quarters of an inch ; the transverse septa
are thin, very concave, and at distances from each other vary-
ing from one line to one inch.

Locality and Formation. — Anticosti, at Wreck Point, Salmon
River and Battery Cliff. Lower Silurian.

Collector. — ^J. Richardson.

Beatricea undulata.

Description . — The surface of this species is sulcated longitu-
dinally by short irregular wave-like furrows from two lines
to one inch across, according to the size of the specimen. In
other respects it appears very like B. nodulosa. The largest
specimen is ten feet five inches in length, about eight inches
in diameter at the large end, and six inches and a-half at the
smaller extremity. Another short fragment is fourteen inches,
in diameter.

All the specimens of both species are replaced by carbo-
nate of lime, but show more or less perfectly the septate char-
acter of the central tube and the concentric arrangement of the
layers of the stem. They are generally broken up into short
pieces.

Locality and Forrruition. — Qme James, Table Head, two
miles east of Gamache Bay, and numerous other localities in
the Middle Silurian.

Collector, — J. Richardson.

I have the honour to be.

Sir,

Your most obedient servant.

E. BILLINGS.

REPORT

FOR THE YEAR 1853,

T. STERRY HUNT, Esq., CHEMIST AND MINERALOGIST TO THE
PROVINCIAL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

ADDRESSED TO

WILLIAM E. LOGAN, Esq., F.R.S., PROVINCIAL GEOLOGIST.

Laboratory of the Geological Survey,
Montreal, 1^^ May^ 1854.
Sir,

In my last Report I endeavored to resume the analyses
of mineral waters which have from time to time appeared in
the published Reports of the Survey, to classify them, and to
indicate their relations to the different divisions of the sedi-
mentary rocks. All of these springs issue from the palaeozoic
formations, and the greater part from the Lower Silurian rocks
of Lower Canada ; their distribution is highly important both
in a geological and chemical point of view. You have shown
that the great palaeozoic basin of Canada is divided into two
secondary basins by an axis extending from Deschambault on
the St. Lawrence, in a direction south-west to Lake Champlain.
The eastern part of the western basin is more or less affected
by undulations, which appear to be connected with this great
axis, and present at the same time many dislocations which
you have traced for long distances, and shown to be connected
with the masses of intrusive rocks so common in the district
of Montreal.

♦

It is in this disturbed region that by far the greater number
of the mineral springs occur, and although it is often difficult
to establish the existence or trace the extent of the faults in
the stratification, on account of the quantity of quaternary and
diluvial deposits which generally cover the Silurian rocks of
the region, we are enabled to discover that in a great number
of cases the mineral springs occur along the lines of disturb-
ance, and it is probable that there exists a constant relation of
this kind. It would appear in many cases that a very small
dislocation is sufficient to give rise to springs impregnated
with the mineral matters of the disturbed strata. The great
western portion of the occidental basin, which is almost
undisturbed, presents but very few mineral springs, although
the wells which have been sunk at Kingston, Hallowell, St.
Catherines and elsewhere, show that the rocky strata of this
region are charged with' saline waters.

As we approach the south-eastern limit of the western
basin, the mineral springs become more and more numerous,
but this boundary once passed, we soon reach a region where
the rocks have become profoundly altered, and furnish no more
mineral waters ; it is however to be remarked that between
the anticlinal axis which forms the limit of the two basins,
and the metamorphic region on the south-east, several mineral
springs occur.

The two classes into which I have in a previous Report
divided the saline mineral waters, may be conveniently distin-
guished as the neutral and the alkaline waters. The former
contain chlorids of magnesium and calcium, while in the latter
the whole of these earthy bases occur the form of carbonates
and silicates, the waters being alkaline from the presence of
carbonate of soda. The few saline waters of the Upper Silu-
rian rocks are all neutral, as is also the greater number of
those issuing from |^e limestones which constitute the inferior
portion of the Lower Silurian series, while the alkaline waters
characterise the schistose strata which constitute its upper
portion. The schists of the Hudson River group are argilla-
ceous, and their analysis shows that they are composed to a
great extent of the debris of felspathic rocks, and contain three

349

or four-hundreths of alkalies, which they slowly give up in
a soluble form to the decomposing action of infiltrating waters.
In this way the neutral waters of the underlying liinestones
have their earthy chlorids decomposed, and are converted into
alkaline waters, which are still strongly saline.

There is however another class of alkaline waters in
which the alkaline carbonates and silicates predominate, and
which contain but a small portion of common salt. These
waters appear to be derived exclusively from the argillaceous
strata, and to have no connection with the underlying lime-
stone rocks. Such are the springs of St. Ours, of the Grand
Coteau of Chambly, and some of the waters of Nicolet.
I hiive examined from the region about Nicolet, six springs
which issue from the schists of the Hudson River Group along
the same line of disturbance, the whole of them within a
distance of three or four leagues. These waters are described
in the Report of last year ; two of them are strongly saline
and neutral, two others are also saline but alkaline, and the
remaining two are characterized by the predominance of
alkaline carbonates. These last are probably waters derived
entirely from the schists, while the other four have their
source in the limestones.

In continuation of these investigations, I have to submit
to you the results of the examination of several more mineral
waters, some of which are remarkable in their composition,
and serve to throw additional light upon the general conclu
sions already adduced. I shall in the first place give the
results of the examination of two strongly saline neutral
waters from Western Canada. One of these occurs at Bower-
man’s mills, on the thirty-second lot of the third concession
of Whitby. The spring is copious, rising to the surface and
filling a large cistern, the temperature of the water in which,
on the 12th of October, was found to be 51° F., but the
conditions were not such as to render this a satisfactory deter-
mination, and it is probably above the truth. The water is
highly saline, very bitter, and when concentrated almost acrid
to the taste. It deposits by boiling a portion of carbonates of
lime and magnesia, with a little strontia and traces of iron.

The water furnishes evidence of abundance of bromine, but it
is only in the alcoholic extract of the salts that the presence
of iodine is apparent. The analysis of the water was con-
ducted in the usual manner, but for the determination of the
bromine, the iodine having been separated in combination
with palladium, the soda salts were treated with one-sixth of
the amount of nitrate of silver requisite for their complete
decomposition, and the precipitate, which was found to con-
tain the whole of the bromine, was analysed by fusion in a
current of chlorine, until the whole of the bromid was decom-
posed with the evolution of copious red fumes of bromine, the
amount of which was 0*220 parts in 1000 of the water. The
alkaline chlorids yield but a trace of potash salt when treated
with chlorid of potassium.

The analysis of 1000 parts of the water gave as follows:

Chlorid of sodium, 18*9158

« calcium, 1 ’7*5315

“ “ magnesium, 9*543*7

Bromid “ sodium, *2482

lodid “ “ *0008

Carbonate of lime, *0411

** ** magnesia, *0227

Salts of potash, strontia, and iron, (traces)

46*3038

The spring at Whitby issues from the Trenton limestone,
and in the same formation in the township of Hallowell
several borings have been made with a view of obtaining
brine for the manufacture of salt. On the 11th lot of the 2nd
concession of the township there are two salt wells on the
land of Mr. Amos Hubbs, and one on the adjacent lot of Mr.
Stewart Christie. The rock is met with at a depth of from
six to ten feet, and the well of Mr. Christie having first been
sunken forty-five feet, a boring was carried down to the depth
of one hundred. The well was filled with surface water at
the time of my visit, but a portion of the brine raised from the
bottom of the well at forty-five feet, seemed less strong than
that extracted in the same manner from a well twenty-seven
feet deep, on the land of Mr. Hubbs. The latter was accor-

I 7

Sr)!

dingly selected for examination. It had a density of 10o3*n.
at 600 exceedingly bitter and saline to the taste.

By boiling it deposited no carbonates; and the residue after
evaporation and dessication at 800o F. was completely soluble
in a cold solution of sal-ammoniac, with etolution of ammonia,
showing that the portion insoluble in water was magnesia from
the decomposition of the chlorid of magnesium, which, with
the chlorid of calcium, is present in this brine in veiy large
proportions. The water contains no sulphates, and only traces
of potash salts ; it yields a strong reaction of bromine, and
unlike the Whitby spring, a large proportion of iodine. This
element is so abundant as to be readily detected in the uncon-
centrated water, which when mingled with a solution of starch
and a few drops of hydrochloric acid, becomes so deeply blue
on the addition of a little nitrite of potash, as to be nearly
opaque in a glass three inches in diameter. The iodine and
bromine were determined as in the previous analysis ; tlie
iodine was equal to 0'01128, and the bromine to 0'3G39 parts
in 1000 parts, for which the analysis gave : —

Chlorid of sodium, ....

“ calcium,...

“ “ magnesium,

Broiiiid sodium, ...
lodid “ ....

68-0423*

38-7315

15*92.30

12-9060

•4685

•0133

• A bottle of water .sent me the summer following by Mr. Hugh McDonell
from a well on the 17th lot of concession of Hallowell, resembled closely the
above, but was not so strong. The different chlorids were determined, and
the result was as follows

Chlorid of sodium,

** “ calcium,

** “ magnesium,

Bromids and iodids undetermined

36-0893

From the large amount of earthy chlorids, amounting to onc-half their
solid contents, it will be evident that these waters are not well adapted to
the manufacture of common salt.— See Report for 1847-’48, p. 161.

17*4000

9*2050

9*4843

352

Sainte Genevieve, on the Batiscan River, affords several
mineral springs, which issue from the lower limestones and are
strongly saline and neutral ; two of these have been quantita-
tively analyzed. Tlie first is on the land of Olivier Trudel,
about a league above the church, and on the banks of the
Riviere Veillette. The supply of water is abundant, and bub-
bles of carburetted hydrogen escape from the spring at short
inteiTals. The water is very strongly but pleasantly saline to
the taste, and has a density of 1016*72. It contains abundance
of earthy chlorids and carbonates, but no sulphates. The
precipitate on boiling was chiefly carbonate of magnesia ; that
from a litre of the water which had been boiled for an hour
consisted of 0*750 gr. of carbonate of magnesia and only 0*012 gr
of carbonate of lime, and in evaporating another portion of the
water by boiling to one-sixth, the precipitate was found to be
purely magnesian, without any carbonate of lime, and only a
trace of oxide of iron. It is evident from this, that the dissolved
chlorid of magnesium slowly re-dissolves the precipitated car-
bonate of lime at a temperature of 212^ F., a reaction which
has indeed long been known, and that the proportions in which
the chlorine is divided between the earthy bases in a natural
water, cannot be determined from the results of its analysis.
This spring is like the last, remarkable for the quantity of
iodine which it contains ; the unconcentrated water gives the
reaction already indicated for the Hallowell saline, and when
acidulated with h)^drochloric acid, yields with a palladium salt,
a precipitate of iodid of palladium after a few hours. 1000
parts of the water were found to contain :

Chlorid of sodium, 17*2671

“ “ potassium, *2409

** calcium, *6038

“ magnesium, 2*0523

Bromid “ sodium, *0587

Iodid “ ' “ *0133

Carbonate of lime, *0120

magnesia, *7506

At the feny, and directly opposite the church of Sainte
Genevieve, is another sj)ring, which discharges an abundance
of carburetted hydrogen gas. The water is not so bitter to the
taste as the last, and is agreeably saline. Although less rich
in chlorids than this, it contains the largest amount of iodids
yet found in any mineral water of the Province, the quantity
of iodine present being equal to AV. grains of iodid of sodium,
or iVuV iodid of potassium to the pound avoirdupois. In the
analysis the alkaline chlorids were estimated by the difference
between the other salts, which were directly determined, and
the total amonnt of saline matters left on evaporation. 1000
parts gave :

Chlorid of sodium, 11*5094

“ “ calcium, -2234

magnesium, *8942

Bromid “ sodium, .Q273

Iodid “ “ -0183

Carbonate of lime, *0180

“ magnesia, .4434

13*1400

It is to be remarked that all of these waters contain small
portions of oxyd of iron, as well as of alumina and silica ; the
latter elements are never wanting even in neutral waters,
although from the minute quantities in which they occur,
their piesence is generally overlooked. It is sufficient to
evaporate to dryness any water with an excess of hydrochloric
acid, and to dissolve the residue in water with the addition of
a little acid, to obtain a residue of silica. The acid liquid will
always yield with ammonia a small precipitate of alumina,
generally mingled with oxyd of iron, and containing phospho-
ric acid. This precipitate moreover rarely fails to give the
reactions of manganese.

Bcrtkicr. In the parish of Berthier (Leinster), about a
league above the manor, and on the banks of the Bayonne,
adjoining the land of Charles Boucher, is a copious saline
spring, which discharges bubbles of inflammable gas. The
water is cold, clear, and pleasant to the taste; it is neutral,

but contains only a very small portion of earthy chlorids.
The quantity of bromine present in this water is considerable,
but the amount of iodine is very minute. A partial analysis
gave the following results : —

Chlorid of sodium, 8’0454

“ ** calcium, *0466

“ “ magnesium, *0856

Carbonate of lime, •04*70

“ “ magnesia, *8354

Bromids and iodid undetermined.

9-0600

Another spring on the bank of the rivulet near the manor,
regarded as a chalybeate water, has a feebly ferruginous taste,
and deposits a sma]l amount of earthy carbonates mixed with
a little oxide of iron ; evaporated to one-fiftieth, it contains in
solution only traces of chlorids, a small portion of sulphates
and a little lime. It can hardly be called a mineral water.

Rtiwdoju — I have collected the waters from two springs in
this township, both of which are alkaline. The first is on the
land of Alexander Connolly, lot 27, range 3, where a copious
spring of clear, cold, and slightly sulphurous water issues
from the banks of the River Blanche ; the volume of water
discharged may be ten gallons a minute. The channel of the
spring is marked by a scanty white deposite. This water is
feebly saline and alkaline; 1000 parts of it contain 0*320 of
solid matter, consisting of earthy and alkaline carbonates and
alkaline chlorids, with small portions of sulphates, borates,
and a trace of bromine, but no iodine.

The second spring is on the 25th lot of the same range, on
the land of Mr. Thomas Lane. It is strongly saline, and when
concentrated, distinctly alkaline to the taste. It contains no
sulphates, but traces of baryta and strontia, and gives when
evaporated to a small volume, the reactions of boracic ‘acid,
bromine and iodine, the latter however very feeble. This
water contains 4*96 parts*' of solid matter in 1000, and has a
specific gravity of 1004*47.

355

Thnu, genet.— The water of a newly discoverecl saline spring
said to be from this township, and famished me by Mr. Peter
Macintosh, was neutral and strongly saline, containing 10-16
parts of solid matter in 1000. It yields by boiling abundance
of carbonates, and contains but a small proportion of earthy
chloiids; the reactions of iodine and bromine are very stron*’'.
The water also contains strontia in comparatively large quan-
tity, a little iron, and traces of boracic acid.

Johj. In the township of July there occurs a very interest-
ting spring on the banks of the Ruisseau Magnenat, a branch
ol the Riviere Souci, about five miles from the mills of Methot
at Ste. Croix. The spring furnishes three or four gallons a
minute of a water which is sulphurous to the taste and smell,
and deposits a white matter along its channel, which exhibits
the purple vegetation generally met with in sulphur springs.
The temperature of this spring in the evening of the 7th of
July w-as 460 ^ir being 52o F.

This water is not strongly saline, but when concentrated is
very alkaline and salt to the taste. It contains besides chlorids,
sulphates and carbonates, a considerable proportion of boracic
acid, which is made evident by its power of reddening paper
colored by turmeric, after being supersaturated with hydrochlo-
ric acid. There being no satisfactoi-y process for detemiining
directly boracic acid in such a mixture, the following indirect
method was devised : — Having evaporated a portion of the
mineral water to diyness, the soluble parts were taken up by
distilled water, and carbonate of ammonia added to precipi-
tate a portion of silica. The ammoniacal salt being removed
by ebullition, the liquid was digested at a gentle heat with
pure recently precipitated carbonate of silver until the whole
of the alkaline chlorid was decomposed ; the filtrate, holding
some oxyd of silver in solution, was evaporated to dryness,
and fused in a silver crucible. On re-solution, the reduced
silver remained behind. The solution, now containing only
alkaline carbonate and borate, with a little sulidiate, was
again evaporated, and the residue having been fused was sub-
mitted to analysis. The carbonic and sulphuric acids, the
soda and the potash having been directly determined, the

±11

^ i

r' ■ ^

!■ i

356

difference between the sum of these and the original weight
of the salt corresponds to the boracic acid. In this process all
the errors of analysis fall upon the boracic acid, but no direct
method is known for its estimation in such a mixture. The
sulphuric acid might be eliminated from the mixed salts by the
use of bi-carbonate of baryta, and the process be thus some-
what simplified.

The analysis of 1000 parts of the water gave as follows : —

Chlorid of sodium, 0*3818

“ potassium, *0067

Sulphate “ soda, *0215

Carbonate and borate of do, *2301

Carbonate of lime, *0620

“ “ magnesia, *0257

Silica, *0245

Alumina, (traces)

0*7523

The amount of boracic acid estimated by the method just
described was found to be equal to 0*0279. The sulphuretted
hydrogen was determined by mixing a portion of the water at
the spring, with a solution of chlorid of arsenic, and was
equivalent to 7.5 cubic centimetres to a litre, being 2.1 cubic
inches to an imperial gallon of 277 cubic inches. The amount
of solid matter obtained by direct evaporation was 0*7<10 parts,

I have already alluded to the rareness of mineral springs in
the undisturbed portion of the western basin of Canada; it
was with the hope of finding some springs in the region north
of Toronto which might sei*ve to confinn the observations made
in Lower Canada upon the distribution of the different kinds
of waters, that I visited last year some springs in the town-
ship of Scarborough, which have a local reputation. They
occur on the 16th lot of the 14th range, and are two in num-
ber, a little distance apart. The waters are clear, and give
by boiling a small amount of earthy carbonates ; even when
evaporated to one-tenth they have no marked taste, and they
contain only a little sulphate of lime and traces of chlorids.
The water from a well at the Bank of Upper Canada in
Toronto has a similar composition, and that of a spring at

357

1 '

Spadina, remarkable for the amount of carbonate of lime
which it deposits in the form of calcareous tufa along its chan-
nel, contains in solution besides the carbonate, only a trace of
chlorids, and no sulphates.

There is a spring in the village of Brompton which is
regarded as a mineral water; it has when recent an unplea-
sant smoky taste, and soon becomes putrid and sulphurous in
closed bottles. This water yields by evaporation 0-380 parts
of solid matter to 1000, consisting of earthy carbonates with
sulphates and chlorids, and a considerable amount of organic
matter, which blackens a solution of nitrate of silvei-.
Another copious spring, about half-a-mile below the village
of Brampton, on the Etobicoke, was found to deposite a con-
siderable amount of earthy salts in boiling, and when evapo-
rated to one-twentieth to be feebly saline to the taste, con-
taining small quantities of chlorids and sulphates of lime,
magnesia and alkalies. It is not probable that any of the six
springs just mentioned rise from the underlying Lower Silurian
rocks, to the waters of which they bear but little resemblance ;
they probably owe their feeble saline impregnation to the clays
and sands which cover the palaeozoic strata of the region.

TVutCTS the St* LdxcTCTice cun^ 0ttciivct Rivers*

The plan proposed for supplying the city with water from
one of these rivers, having made a knowledge of their chemical
composition a matter ot considerable interest, I proceeded,
agreeable to your desire, to make a careful analysis of their
wateis. The results, independent of their local value, are
important, as showing the composition of two immense rivers
which drain so large a portion of the continent.

The time chosen for collecting the waters was in the mouth
of March, before the melting of the snows had commenced ;
the river waters were then unafiected by the rains and the
drainings of the surface, which tend to make their composi-
tion variable during the summer season.

The water of the Ottawa was collected on the 9th of last
March at the head of the lock at Ste. Anne, where the positioji

and the rapid current assured me the water of the river free
from all local impurities. The river was here unfrozen, owing
to the rapidity of the current, and its temperature was found
to be 33^ F., that of the air being the same.

The water, which was free from all sediment or suspended
matter, had a pale amber-yellow color, very distinct in masses
of six inches. When heated this color deepens, and by boil-
ing, there separates a bright brown precipitate, which, when
the volume of the water is reduced to one-tenth, is seen to
consist of small brilliant iridescent scales. These are not
gypsum, of which the water does not contain a trace, but
consist of carbonates, with silica and organic matter. Mean-
while the water becomes more highly colored, and now
exhibits an alkaline reaction with test papers.

The recent water, mingled with hydrochloric acid and a salt
of baryta, remains clear for a time, but after an hoiu* a faint
turbidness appears, indicating a trace of sulphate. With
nitrate of silver and nitric acid, a slight milkiness from the
presence of chlorids is perceptible. The amounts of sulphuric
acid and chlorine were determined on portions of two or four
litres of the water reduced by evaporation to a small volume,
and acidulated. The precipitate obtained by the addition of a
few drops of nitric acid and nitrate of silver, was scanty and
reddish colored. After twelve hours of repose it was collected,
dissolved from the filter by ammonia, and the pure chlorid of
silver thrown down by a large excess of nitric acid, while
the silver- salt of an organic acid remained m the solution.

When the precipitate obtained during the evaporation of
the water is boiled with a dilute solution of potash, the organic
matter is dissolved, and the alkaline solution assumes a bright
brown color, which becomes paler on the addition of acetic
acid ; acetate of copper produces no precipitate in the liquid
thus acidulated, but on adding carbonate of ammonia and
heating the mixture, a minute white flocculent precipitate
separates, having the characters of crenate of copper. Another
portion of the precipitate by evaporation was dissolved in
hydrochloric acid, and decolorized by boiling with chlorate of
potash ; on evaporating the solution a portion of silica sepa-

359

lated, and the liquid gave witli ammonia a colorless precipitate,
which was chiefly composed of alumina ; re-dissolved in hydro-
chloric acid however, it gave with a sulphocyanid, evidence of
the pre^sence of oxyd of iron, and with molybdate of ammonia
an abundant yellow precipitate indicating phosphoric acid.
The aluminous precipitate heated on silver foil with caustic
potash gave a slight but decided reaction of manganese.

When the concentrated water, with its precipitate, was
evaporated to dryness in a platinum capsule with excess of
hydrochloric acid, and the residue treated with acidulated
water, a large amount of silica was obtained, equal to one-third
of all the solid matters present. ‘This silica was white after
ignition, and perfectly pure. A portion of the water was
evaporated to one-foiiiieth and filtered ; the residue being
farther evaporated to one-fourth, deposited on the platinum
capsule an opaque film, whicli was but imperfectly soluble in
hydrochloric acid. The concentrated liquid was dark blown
and alkaline, reddening turmeric paper; it was now evaporated
to dryness, ignited and treated with water. The soluble por-
tion was strongly alkaline to test papers, and perceptibly so to
the taste. Ihe residue insoluble in water was treated with
strong hydrochloric acid, which dissolved a portion of lime
without effervescence, and left a residue of pure silica ; the
acid solution contained no magnesia.

The dried residue from the evaporation of this water is of a
deep brown color; when ignited, the organic matter which it
contains burns like tinder, diffusing an agreeable vegetal)le
odour, and leaving a little carbon. The water was not exam-
ined for nitrates, but the absence of any deflagration during
the ignition of the residue showed, that if present they were in
veiy small amount. The season moreover at which the water
was collected (being at the end of a winter of four months of
unremitting frost), would not be favorable to the formation of
nitrates.

The following numbers are deduced from the means of two
or more concordant determinations made upon quantities of
two and four litres of the Ottawa, and calculated for ten litres
or 10-000 grammes.

360

Carbonate of lime,

0-2480 grms.

magnesia,

•0696

•00Y6

•0161

•2060.

•0601

•0293

•6975

•5340

Chlorine,

Sulphuric acid, . . .

Silica,

Chlorid of sodium.

potassium.

Residue dried at 300° F,

“ ignited.

The amounts of silica remaining dissolved in the water eva-
porated to one-twentieth and one-thirtieth, were found to be
0'019 and 0*020 for four litres, giving for ten litres a mean of
0*046 grammes of silica thus retained in solution. The amount
of lime remaining dissolved in this quantity of the water thus
evaporated, was equal to 0*023 of carbonate of lime.

The chlorine and sulphuric acid present in this water are
sufficient to neutralize only about one-half of the alkaline
bases present ; the remaining portion may be regarded as
existing in combination either with silica or with the organic
acids present, and it is probably in a similar state of combina-
tion that a portion of the lime remains dissolved in the
evaporated water.

In the following table the lime and the excess of alkalies
are however represented as carbonates, and we have for
10,000 parts.

Carbonate of lime, 0-2480

“ magnesia.

•0696

•2060

•0160

•0122

•0188

•0410

Silica,

Chlorid of potassium.
Sulphate of potash, . .

“ “ soda,

Carbonate of soda,

Alumina and oxyd of iron, . . . .
Manganese and phosphoric acid,

(traces)

0-6116

The water of the St. Lawrence was collected on the 30th
of March, on the south side of the Pointe des Cascades,
(Vaudreuil.) The rapid current had here left an opening
in the ice, from which the water was taken at a distance

361

of six feet from the shore. It was clear and transparent, and
unlike the water of the Ottawa, exhibited no color in vessels
several inches in diameter. The recent water gives a consi-
derable precipitate with salts of baryta, and a slight one with
nitrate of silver. When boiled it lets fall a white crystalline
I>recipitate which adheres to the sides of the vessel, unlike
the deposit from the Ottawa water. A little yellow floccu-
lent matter appears suspended in the concentrated liquid,
which is only slightly colored, and the dried residue contains
much less organic matter than that from the last mentioned
water. The residue from two litres, when dissolved in hydro-
chloric acid, sufficed to give distinct reactions of iron and
manganese. The ammoniacal precipitate from this solution
was in great part soluble in potash, and was alumina. From
a second portion of two litres a precipitate of phosphate was
obtained by molybdate of ammonia, less abundant however
than from the same quantity of the water from the Ottawa.
The determinations were made as in the previous analysis, and
gave for 10,000 parts.

Carbonate of lime, 0-8033

“ magnesia, -2537

Chlorine, *0242

Sulphuric acid, -0687

-3700

Chlorid of potassium, -0220

“ “ sodium, .]280

Residue dried at 300° F., 1*6780

“ ignited, 1*5380

When evaporated to one-fortieth this water still contains in
solution a portion of silica and some lime; the silica thus
dissolved was found equal to 0*075, and the lime to 0*050 of
carbonate of lime for 10,000 parts. The proportions of sul-
phuric acid and chlorine are much larger than in the Ottawa
water, but were found not quite sufficient to saturate the
whole of the alkaline bases present. The small portion of
lime is probably held in solution by the concentrated water
in the fonn of silicate, which, as is well known, possesses a
certain degree of solubility, while from the insolubility of the

362

. ;| silicate of magnesia, this base is completely separated during

|i the evaporation.

'v I subjoin the calculated results for 10,000 parts of the St.

I 11 Lawrence water, the lime and magnesia and the slight excess

; ; of alkalies being represented as carbonates.

■ Carbonate of lime, 0*8083

J I magnesia, *2537

I Silica, *3700

Chlorid of potassium, *0220

b[ll “ sodium, *0225

[ ^ Sulphate of soda, *1229

Carbonate “ *0061

Alumina, phosphoric acid, (traces.)

Oxyds of iron and manganese.

1*6055

The ignition of the dried residue expels a portion of car-
bonic acid from the earthy carbonates, and hence the calculated
results exceed the weight of the residue, besides which con-
siderable portions of the lime and magnesia are combined with
silica, and not with carbonic acid as in the calculated table.

The comparison of the water of these two rivers shows the
following ditterences : — The water of the Ottawa, containing
but little more than one-third as much solid matter as the
St. Lawrence, is hnpregnated with a much larger portion of
organic matter derived from the decomposition of vegetable
remains, and a large amount of alkalies uncombined with
chlorine or sulphuric acid. Of the alkalies determined as
chlorids, the chlorid of potassium in the Ottawa water forms
32 per cent, and in that of the St. Lawrence only 16 per cent.,
while in the former the silica equals 34 per cent., and in the
latter 23 per cent, of the mineral matters. The Ottawa drains
a region of crystalline rocks, and receives from these by far the
greater part of its waters ; hence the salts of potash liberated
by the decomposition of these rocks are in lai’ge proportion.
The extensive vegetable decomposition, evidenced by the
organic matters dissolved in the water, will also have contri-
buted a portion of potash. It will be recollected that the
proportions of potash salts in the chlorids of sea-water and

363

saline waters generally, does not equal more than two or three
per cent. As to the St. Lawrence, although the basin of Lake
Superior in which the river takes its origin is surrounded by
ancient sandstones, and by crystalline rocks, it afterwards
flows through lakes whose basins are composed of palmozoic
strata which abound in limestones rich in gypsum and salt,
and these rocks have given the waters of this river tliat
piedoininance of soda, chlorine and sulpliuric acid which dis-
tinguishes it from the Ottawa. It is an interesting geographi-
cal feature of these two rivers that they each pass through a
series of great lakes, in which tlie waters are enabled to deposit
their suspended unpurities, and thus are rendered remarkably
clear and transparent.

The piesence of large amounts of silica in river waters is a
tact only recently established, by the analyses by H. Ste.
Claire Deville of the rivers of France.* The silica of waters
had generally been entirely or in great part overlooked, or
had, as he suggests, from the mode of analysis adopted, been
confounded with gypsum. The iin2)ortance in an agricultural
point of view of such an amount of dissolved silica, where river
wateis serv^e for the imgation of the soil, is very great, and geo-
logically it is not less significant, as it marks a decomposition
of the silicious rocks by the action of water holding in solution
carbonic acid, and the organic acids arivsing from the decay of
vegetable matter. These acids combining with the bases of the
narive silicates, liberate the silica in a soluble form. In fact
silica is never wanting in natural waters, whether neutral or
alkaline, although proportionately much greater in those surface
uateis which are but slightly charged wdth mineral ingredients*
The alumina, wdiose presence is not less constant, although in
smallei quantity, equally belongs to the soluble constitueats of
the w’ater. The quantity of silica annually carried to the sea
in solution by the St. Lawrence and similar rivers, is very
gieat, and doubtless j)lays an im 2 )ortant 2)ai’t in the silici-
fication of organic remains, and in the formation of silicious
de2)osits, both directly and through the intervention of silicious
infusorial anunals.

• Annales de Chimie et de Physique^ 1848 , vol. xxiii., p. 32 .

364

As regards the question of a supply of water for the city
of Montreal, it is to be remarked that the composition of
these waters will be subject to considerable changes with the
different seasons. The waters from the melting of the snows
and the autumnal rains, will give to the river a character
somewhat different from that presented after the long droughts
of summer, or after several months of continued frost, when
we may suppose that the water will contain the largest amount
of soluble matters.

The waters of the St. Lawrence meeting those of the
Ottawa below Vaudreuil, the two flow side by side, and may,
as is well known, be distinguished by their difference of color.
The clear greenish-blue of the larger river contrasts strongly
with the amber-brown color of its tributary. The agitation
of the current however gradually mingles the two streams,
and even the brown water along the front of the island of
Montreal is already mixed with a considerable portion of the
St. Lawrence water, as will be evident from the analyses
given below. As but a portion of the Ottawa enters the
channel of the St. Lawrence at the head of the island, and as
the volume of the former river is very variable, it happens
that the proportions of the mixture at a given point in front
of the island are subject to considerable changes. At the
close of the summer and winter seasons the waters of the
Ottawa are comparatively low, and then it may be observed
that the water supplied by the City Water Works is but
slightly colored, the water of the St. Lawrence predominat-
ing, while during the spring floods its deep color shows the
larger proportion of Ottawa water. It hence follows that the
purity of our supply of water is in an inverse ratio with its
color, and that in obtaining an uncolored water we exchange
a small proportion of organic matter for a much larger amount
of calcareous salts.

I subjoin the results of some analyses of the mixed waters
taken in front of the island of Montreal. The first (I.) is from
a specimen collected on the 9th of March, the same day as
that of the Ottawa, whose analysis is given above. It was
taken at Lower Lachine, about thirty feet from the shore, and

opposite the entrance to the new aqueduct, Mr. T. C. Keefer,
the engineer of the work, accompanying me and indicating
the locality. The second (II.) was taken from the well of the
piesent Water Works, immediately after it had been pumped
up from the river on the 15th of March ; the pale yellow color
of both of these waters indicated that the St. Lawrence pre-
dominated in the mixture. The third column (III.) contains
some determinations made in the month of April, 1850, when
the spring floods had evidently augmented the volume of the
Ottawa. The water was collected from the supply-pipe in
the laboratory of the Siiiwey. They are calculated as in the
previous analysis for 10,000 parts,

I. II.

•6440 *7400 *4228

•1970 *2160 -0989

•3250 -3450

•0183 -0296 -0296

•0487 -0498 -0447

1-4150 .1-5600

1-2020 1-3750 ....

Carbonate of lime,

“ “ magnesia,..

Silica,

Chlorine,

Sulphuric acid,

Residue dried at 300® F.,
“ ignited,

The composition of II. shows that opposite the city, where
the water is taken for our present supply, there is, as might
be expected, a greater mixture of the St. Lawrence water
than at Lower Lachine. The amount of chlorine which it
contains is moreover worthy of especial notice, it being greater
than in the pure water of the St. Lawi'ence, which yields
•0243 of chlorine (the Ottawa water containing only *0076 of
this element.) The result obtained in April 1850 shows a
similar excess, and another determination which I made on the
water drawn oq the 11th of last April from the supply-pipe in
my laboratoiy gave *0284 of chlorine. This constant excess of
chlorine in the water raised from the river in front of the city,
indicates a local source of this element, probably due to the
drainage of the town. It is known that the springs which
issue from the limestones of the island contain a considerable
portion of saline matter, and to this, carried by the sewerage
near to the mouth of the supply-pipe of the water works, we
may attribute the predominance of chlorids in the water.

366

Limestones and Dolomites^

Tlie following are some analysis of dolomites, and limestones
more or less magnesian, from the Laurentian rocks. The
specimens were collected by Mr. Murray in his examination of
last year, and their position in the stratification will be fouiicl
described in his report.

I. This is a dolomite from the fourth lot of the tenth range
of Loughborough ; it is made up of large cleaveable grains,
weathers reddish, and contains disseminated particles of a mat-
ter which is probably serpentine, and which when the rock is
dissolved in hydrochloric acid, remains behind intermingled
with quartz. The analysis gave : —

Carbonate of lime (by difference), 55*79

magnesia, 37*11

Insoluble, quartz, etc., '< ld

Oxyd of iron and phosphates, ....... (traces.)

100*00

II. This specimen is from the sixth lot of the tenth range ot
the township of Loughborough; it is a coarsely crystalline
limestone, but very coherent, snow-white, vitreous, and trans-
lucent in an unusual degree. It holds small grains of disse-
minated tremolite, quartz, sometimes rose-colored, bluish and
greenish apatite, and yellowish-brown mica, but all in very
small quantities. Its analysis gave 4*00 per cent, of insoluble
matters, and 7*50 per cent, of carbonate of magnesia, with a
trace only of oxyd of iron. This magnesian limestone is not
however homogeneous in its composition, as the following
experiment shows ; a portion in coarse powder was digested
in dilute acetic acid ; this was renewed, and the action conti-
nued with the aid of heat, so long as any effervescence was
apparent. The white granular residue after being washed and
dried, was not attacked in the cold by diluted hydrochloric
acid, but dissolved by heat with effervescence, leaving a
residue of quartz, tremolite and mica. The portion thus
dissolved was found to consist of carbonate of lime 63*30,
carbonate of magnesia 36*70, approaching to a pure dolomite

..2v

367

by its composition, while the large portion dissolved by acetic
acid contained only 3-6-5 per cent of magnesian carbonate. The
lock is tlms evidently a mixture of dolomite with carbonate
of lime ; dolomite itself is not altogether insoluble in acetic
acid, and hence a portion of magnesia is found in the acetic
solution.

III. Ihis rock, from the first lot of the sixth concession of
Sheffield, is pure white in color, and coarsely crystalline, exhi-
biting upon the cleavage faces diagonal stricC. The density of
selected fragments was found to be 7*863 — 7*864. It is a
nearly pure dolomite. Analysis gave : —

Carbonate of lime, 52-57

“ “ magnesia, 45.97

Peroxyd of iron, ’

Quartz and mica, .^9

99-38

IV. This dolomite is from the thirteenth lot of the eighth
concession of Madoc. It is grayish-white in color, fine-grained,
almost compact, and has a conchoidal fracture. Small veins
of quartz intersect the rock, which has a density of 2-849.
Analysis gave : —

Carbonate of lime,. . . .

“ “ magnesia,

Peroxyd of iron

Quartz,

100-04

V. This is a fine-grained, grayish-white, silicious magnesian
limestone from the fourth lot of the fifth concession of Jladoc ;
it has a density of 2-757, and contains a portion of carbonate
of iron. Its analysis gave .* —

Carbonate of lime,

magnesia,

“ “ iron,

Quartz,

51-90

11-39

4-71

32-00

46-47

40-17

1-24

12-16

100-00

368

VI This is a reddish granular dolomite from the village of
Madoc, having a density of 2-834. Its analysis gave : —

Carbonate of lime, 57*37

magnesia, 34*66

Peroxyd of iron, 1'32

Quartz, 7*10

100*45

Fossil Shells, S(c.

In the Report of Progress for 1852-53, p. 173, it was men-
tioned that the fossil shells of the Lingula Mantelli (nov. sp.,)
which occur in a sandstone belonging to the Chazy limestone,
at the Lac des Allumettes, were found to be composed in
great part of phosphate of lime, thus explaining the origin of
the phosphatic coprolites which occur in the same rock at that
place, as well as at Grenville, Hawkesbury, and many other
localities. (See Report for 1851-52, pp. 106-111.) Having
found that the Lingula quadrata from the Trenton limestone
has a similar composition, I proceeded at your desire to exa-
mine the Lingula jmma, and L, antiqua from the Potsdam
sandstone, both of which were found to consist in great part
of phosphate of lime. A recent species, L, ovalis, from the
Sandwich Islands, was then examined, and found to have a
similar composition. The green epidermis of the shell, which
swells up like horn when heated, leaves by incineration a
white residue of phosphate of lime. The whole shell left
after calcination 61-0 per cent, of earthy matter, whose ana-
lysis gave : —

Phosphate of lime, 85* 79

Carbonate “ “ 11*75

Magnesia, 2*80

100*34

This is very nearly the composition of calcined human
bones.

369

The exteiufil characters of ,the fossil Lingul(Z are tinlike
tliose of most other fossil shells; tliey are more or less
dark-brown in colour, brilliant, almost opaque, and not at all
crystalline. The same characters are observed in the fossil
species of the closely allied genus Orbicula, and on examining
two undescribed species of this genus from the Trenton lime”
stone, and from the Upper Silurian, as well as a recent species,
O. lamdlom from Callao, they were all found to consist chiefly
of phosjthate of lime. Similar physical characters being
obsei\ed in the shells of the genus Conularia, a fragment of
C. trentonensis was examined, and found to have the same
composition as Lingida and Orhicula. All of these dissolve
with veiy slight effervescence in hydrochloric acid, and the
solution gives with ammonia a copious precipitate of phos-
phate of lime, soluble in acetic acid. The solution affords
with molybdate of ammonia, an abundant yellow precipitate
of the characteristic molybdo-phosphate.

Several other fossil shells were examined for the sake of
e.ompaiqson ; among them Atrypa extans, Lcptcna allcmata and
Orthis pectenclla from the Trenton limestone, O. erratica from
the Hudson River Group, and Chonetes lata (?) from the Upper
Silurian, besides a species of Cylhere from the Trenton. The
external characters of all these were very different from
Lingula and Orhicula; they were lighter colored, more trans-
lucent, and granular in texture, and were found to consist of
carbonate of lime, with only such traces of phosphate as are
generally found in calcareous shells.

Assays of Galena and Gold.

The galena from Lansdowne was assayed by fusion with
salt of tartar and nitre, and gave 81-0 p. c. of metallic lead,
which left on cupellation but a veiy minute proportion of
silvei. The result of three closely agreeing assays gave only
one and a-half ounces of silver to the ton of ore. The galena
from Bedford, treated in the same manner, gave one and seven-
eighth ounces of silver, and that from Ramsay two and a-half
ounces of silver to the ton.

The quantity of the precious^ metal in the above ores is so
small that it can scarcely be said to enhance the value of the
lead; but the case is different with the lead ore from Mere-
dith’s location on Lake Superior. The galena here occurs with
variegated copper ore, in calcareous spar with laumontite. A
portion freed from copper was reduced by fusion with borax,
salt of tartar and metallic iron, and gave by cupellation a quan-
tity of silver equal to thirty and a- quarter ounces of silver to
the ton of metallic lead. In another assay a portion of the
galena from this locality, mixed with some copper ore, was
fused with salt of tartar and nitre, and the reduced lead, with
some adhering copper, gave at the rate of forty-three ounces
of silver to the ton of metal ; but in this assay, a portion of
the lead having been oxydized by the nitre, the deteiminatioii
is above the truth, and is only valuable as confirming the highly
argentiferous character of the galena.

A vein which occurs at the rapids of the Chaudiftre, in the
parish of St. Francois, (Beauce) contains in a gangue of quartz,
galena, blende, arsenical sulphuret of iron often well crystal- ,
lized, besides cubic and magnetic iron pyrites, and native gold
in minute grains. A portion of galena from the assorted and
washed ore, still containing a mixture of blende and pyrites,
gave by assay 69*0 p. c. of lead, and thirty-two ounces of silver
to the ton (2240 pounds) of ore. Another sample of the galena
more carefully dressed, gave at the rate of thirty-seven ounces
of silver. The button of silver obtained by cupellation from
this lead, contained a small but appreciable quantity of gold.
The assay of a second portion of the sample of ore which gave
69*0 per cent, of lead, afforded by cupellation a quantity of
silver equal to not less than 256 ounces of silver to the ton.
This amount of silver was probably due to the presence of a
fragment of some silver ore, perhaps a sulphuret, in the mix-
ture of cmshed and dressed galena. These assays were each
made upon 500 grains. 1000 grains of the pyrites from this
vein, mixed with a little blende, galena, and arsenical ore, were
roasted, and then being mingled with litharge, borax and salt
of tartar, were fused v ith the addition of fragments of iron,
and a button of lead obtained, which left by cupellation a

globule of 0*15 grains of an alloy of gold and silver. 700
grains of the impure blende were then roasted and treated in a
similar manner, and gave by cupellation 0-19 grains of a pale
yellow alloy; the buttons thus obtained contained a large pro-
portion of gold, especially that from the blende, which retained
its form and assumed a deep yellow color, when, after having
been beaten out, it was boiled with nitric acid, which dissolved
a portion of silver.

Gold. A quantity of gold dust, from the washing of the sands
of the Riviere du Loup, was submitted to amalgamation, and
left one-third of its weight of black ferruginous sand, of which
eighteen per cent, were separable by the magnet ; the non-
magnetic portion was dissolved by the successive action of
hydiochloiic acid and bisul^diate of potash, leaving 4*8 per
cent, of silicious residue. The solutions contained iron and
ediromium, and gave by prolonged ebullition, 23*15 p. c. of
by titanic acid. The mingled solutions afforded no trace of tin
hydrosulphuric acid, and were examined without success for
uranium, cerium and the rarer bases. The frequent presence
of tin ore in the auriferous gravel of different countries, should
ericouiage us to search for that valuable metal in our own
gold-bearing region. Samarskite, monazite, and other mine-
rals containing uranium, cerium, etc., are also sometimes met
met with in this association, and hence these bases were sought
for in the above examination.

The gold obtained by the distillation of the amalgam, lost
4*27 p. c. by fusion with borax, and the assay of the resulting
ingot gave 12*87 p. c. of silver. Thirty grammes of this alloy
were dissolved in aqua regia, and the solution examined with-
out success for copper and palladium ; a minute portion of
platinum, amounting to *0012 p. c., was however obtained.
The remaining portion of the alloy was pure gold.

I have the honor to be.

Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

T. STERRY HUNT.

REPORT

FOB THE YEAE 1854,

T. STERRY HUNT, ESQ., CHEMIST AND MINERALOGIST TO THE
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

ADDRESSED TO

WILLIAM EDMOND LOGAN, ESQ., P.R.S., DIRECTOR OF THE GEOLO-
GICAL SURVEY OF CANADA.

Montreal, April, 1855.

Sir,

In the following Report I have the honor to submit to
you the commencement of a series of investigations of the
stratified crystalline or metamorphic rocks of the country,
undertaken in the hope that a careful comparative study of
their composition, in connection with that of the unaltered
sedimentaiy strata, may lead to a clear understanding of the
nature of that metamorphic process whose results are so con-
spicuous in our Canadian Geology.

In my Report for 1853 I had occasion to call your attention
to the existence of the species known as Labrador felspar,
among the specimens brought by you from the townships of
Morin and Abercrombie, and to express the hope that farther
researches would enable us to determine more accurately than
had yet been done, the geological relations of this mineral
species, and the rocks of which it forms the principal part.
The investigations which I have made in connection with
yourself in the county of Terrebonne and Montmorenci, and

374

subsequently my own examinations in the county of Leinster,,
have justified the expectation, and furnished a quantity of
materials which have been partially examined during the past
winter.

Tlie rocks about to be described belong to the crystalline
sriata of the Laurentide mountains, and occur, as far as yet
observed, in close association with the crystalline limestones,
which alternate with the gneissoid and quartzose rocks of the
formation. They are composed chiefly of felspar, with small
portions of black mica, green pyroxene, and occasionally
epidote, garnet and quartz ; portions of hypersthene are also
frequently present, and hence the New York Geologists have
designated these essentially felspathic strata, by the name of
hypersthme rock. In addition to the minerals just mentioned
we may add ilmenite or titaniferous iron, which occurs some-
times in large masses, and at other times in small disseminated
grains, which like the hypersthene, appear to mark the places
of stratification. If to these we add small portions of iron
pyrites, and a little disseminated carbonate of lime, we shall
have the mineralogy of these rocks so far as yet known.

The texture of these felspar rocks is varied ; sometimes
the mass is a confusedly crystalline aggregate, exhibiting
cleavage surfaces three or four lines in diameter, with a fine
grained, somewhat calcareous paste in the interstices. Some-
times the whole rock is uniformly granular, while more fre-
quently a granular base holds at intervals, cleavable masses of
felspar, often several inches in diameter. The colours of these
rocks vary from grayish and bluish-white, to lavender and
violet-blue ; flesh-red, greenish and brownish tints are also
met with : the colours are rarely brilliant. These felspars
seldom occur in distinct crystals, but their cleavage is triclinic^
a fact which taken in connection with the densities, varying
from 2*G6 to 2*73, shows them to belong to the group of which
albite and anorthite may be taken as the representatives.
The bluish cleavable varieties often exhibit the opalescence of
labradorite, to which species American mineralogists have
hitherto referred them ; but with the exception of a few ana-
lyses by myself, we have had as yet no published chemical

examinations of any of these felspars. My investigations show
that while all of them are felspars with a base of lime and
soda, the composition varies very much, being sometimes that
of labradorite, andesine, or intermediate varieties, and at other
times approaching to that of aiiorthite. The results of these
investigations, so far as yet completed, I have now the honour
to submit to you, as the first part of the history of this felspa-
thic formation.

One of the most interesting localities of these felspathic
rocks is in the parish of Chfiteau Richer (Montmorenci), where
they cover a breadth of two or three miles across the strike,
bounded by crystalline limestone on one side, and a quartzo-
felspathic rock on the other, and rising into small hills. In this
region there occur several varieties of the rock, but the most
interesting is one made up of a fine granular base, greenish or
grayish-white in colour, holding masses of a reddish cleavable
felspar, which are sometimes from one-tenth to one-half an
inch in diameter, but often take the form of large imperfect
crystals, frequently twelve inches long and four or five inches
wide. These dimensions correspond to the faces M and T,
while the face P, characterized by its perfect cleavage, is from
half-an-inch to two inches broad. Twin crystals sometimes
occur, having a composition parallel to ]\I.

llypersthene is met with throughout the rock in flattened
masses, which, although variable and irregular in their distri-
bution, exhibit a general parallelism ; they are occasionally
four or five inches in breadth, by an inch or more in thickness,
and are separated from the granular felspathic rock by a thin
film of brownish-black mica. Titaniferous iron ore is also
found in the rock in grains and lenticular masses, occasionally
an inch or two in thickness ; these occur in the granular
base, and generally near the hypersthene, but grains of the
ore are occasionally found in the crystalline felspar. Quartz
in small grains is imbedded in the titaniferous iron ore, but
was not observed elsewhere in the rock, nor have any other
minerals than these been detected. In the specimens of the
rock which I selected on the spot for examination, the crys-
talline felspar constitutes from one-half to seven-eighths, while

376

the hypersthene does not equal more than two-hundreths, and
the titaniferous iron more than bne-hundreth of the mass; the
amounts of the quartz and mica are insignificant. In other
portions of the rock, however, the proportion of the ore may
equal five-hundreths, and in some parts the amount of the
hypersthene is nearly as gi-eat. By the action of. the weather
the surface of the rock becomes of a dull opaque white ; the
cleavable masses of felspar are, however, less affected than the
granular portion, and by their obscure reddish colour are dis-
tinctly visible on the weathered surfaces ; this change extends
but a very little distance into the rock. The colour of the
iron ore of course remains unaltered, but the dark brown
hypersthene becomes lighter, and inclines to pinchbeck brown.

This felspar is triclinic in cleavage ; the angle of P : M=
about 80^ 30' ; cleavage with P, perfect ; wdth the other
planes distinct ; P is often delicately striated, and sometimes
curved; hardness 0-0, and density 2-667 to 2*674. Lustre
vitreous, sometimes pearly on P ; colour flesh-red, passing into
reddish, greenish and greyish-brown; the surfaces are some-
times clouded with these different tints, but the red predomi-
nates.

The following analyses were made of three different speci-
mens, which were carefully selected, pulverized, and then
dried at 212° F. The earthy ingredients were determined
after fusion with carbonate of soda, and the alkalies by the
method of Dr. J. Lawrence Smith, which consists in igniting
for thirty minutes the finely levigated mineral with five or six
parts of carbonate of lime, and three-fourths its own weight
of sal-ammoniac. The agglutinated mass slakes by the action
of water, and yields to that liquid its alkalies in the form of
chlorids, mixed with chlorid of calcium. A second ignition
of the undissolved residue with two-thirds of the first amount
of sal-ammoniac, ensures the separation of the last portions of
alkali. These processes were adopted in all the analysis of
felspars here given : —

I. ir. in.

Silica, 59-55 59-85 59.80

Alumina, 25-62 25-55 25-39

377

Peroxyd of iron,

•65

•60

Lime,

6-94

7-78

Magnesia,

•11

Potash,

•96

1-00

Soda,

5-09

6*14

Loss by ignition,. . . . ,

•30

•00

—

100-15

99-45

99-82

In a fourth specimen the quantity of lime was found equal
to 7-89 p, c. The composition of tliis felspar is very nearly
that of andesine, which according to Abich, consists of silica,
59'CO ; alumina, 24,18 ; peroxyd of iron, 1-58 ; lime, 5-77 ;
magnesia, 1-08 ; potash, 1*08 ; soda, 6-53=99-92.

The greenish base of this rock is in general finely granular,
and strongly coherent ; the grains possess the cleavage, lustre
and hardness of felspar, and the density of carefully chosen
fiagments, was from 2'6G5 to 2‘6C8. The greenish-white of
the powder is changed to fawn colour by ignition. When
pulverized and digested with acetic acid, the mineral loses two
or three thousandths of carbonate of lime, with traces of mag-
nesia, alumina, and oxyd of iron. A portion which had been
thus treated and carefully dried, gave the following results.

Silica,

Alumina,

Peroxyd of iron,.

Lime,

Magnesia,

Potash,

Soda,

Loss by ignition.

IV.

58-50

25-80

1-00

8-06

•20

1.16

5-45

•40

100-57

It is therefore a felspar, differing but little from the crys-
talline andesine in its composition.

The hypersthene occurs in foliated masses with curved sur-
faces. Besides the basal cleavage thus exhibited, it cleaves
readily with the sides and the longer diagonal of an oblique
prism of 87^* The hardnesss of the mineral is 6*0, and its
density from 3.409 to 3*417. Lustre vitreous, sub-metallic ;

378

colour blackish-brown, in thin laminae yellowish-brown ;
streak and powder ash-gray, the powder turning reddish-gray
on ignition. Sub-translucent, brittle ; fracture, uneven. The
fragments which had served to determine the density, still
contained between their laminae flakes of felspathic matter,
which were as far as possible removed in breaking up the
hypersthene for analysis. The results of two analyses by
fusion with carbonate of soda were as follows :

VI.

Silica,

51-35

Alumina,

3-70

Peroxyd of iron, . .

20-56

Lime,

1-68

Magnesia,

22-59

Manganese,

Loss on ignition, . .

•10

99-66

99.98

It is almost identical in composition with the hypersthene
from Labrador, analysed by Darnour.

The accompanying ilmenite was more or less interpene-
trated with felspar and quartz, which could not easily be
separated. Its hardness was 6-0 and the density of selected
fragments from 4*65 to 4*68. Colour and streak iron-black;
lustre sub-metallic ; not attracted by the magnet. When
decomposed by fusion with bisulphate of potash it gave.

VII.

Titanic acid, 39.86

Peroxyd of iron, 56 64

Magnesia, 1’44

Insoluble, quartz, &c., 4’90

102-84

A large portion of the iron is to be regarded as existing in
the form of protoxyd.

Another variety of felspar rock from Chateau Richer is
is pale greenish or bluish-gray, with occasional reddish grains,
and is finely granular. The lustre is vitreous upon the
cleavages, but waxy elsewhere. The only foreign mineral

379

observed in the rock was brownish-black mica in small scat-
tered patches. The density of the greenish-gray portion was
2*681, and its analysis gave as follows :

VIII.

Silica, 65-80

Alumina, 26-90

Peroxyd of iron, 1*53

Lime, 901

Magnesia, *27

Potash, 86

Soda, 4.77

Loss by ignition,^ -45

99*59

In the parish of Chateau Kicher and its vicinity there are
found boulders of a well marked variety of the felspar rock,
which has not been met with in situ. The base is a coarsely
granular felspar, of a light reddish-gray colour and vitreous
lustre, exhibiting everywhere distinct cleavages, and holding
imbedded small brilliant grains of ilmenite, surrounded with
thin films of brownish mica. The imbedded crystals of
felspar are numerous, and often three or four inches in length
and breadth, by an inch in thickness. The faces of the per-
fect cleavage are beautifully striated, and the smaller crystals,
which are often slender and well defined, are sometimes
curved. Hardness 6 ; density 2*680 to 2*692 ; lustre vitreous ;
colour pale lavender-blue, with pearly opalescence ; semi-
transparent ; fracture conchoidal.

Analysis IX. is of a cleavable fragment from a boulder
of this variety found at Chateau Richer, and X. and XI. are
from a similar and larger mass in the neighbouring parish of
St. Joachim.

IX.

XI.

Silica,

57-55

57-35

Alumina,

Peroxyd of iron,

27-10

. 27-30

Lime,

8-73

Potash,

-79

Soda,

5-38

Loss by fgnition,

•20

•2&

99-66

99 15

1 ^

The district of Montreal also affords extensive exposures of
these same felspar rocks, associated with crystalline limestone,
in the counties of Leinster and Terrebonne. In the townships
of Rawdon and Chertsey, they are often fine-grained and
homogeneous, and constitute an exceedingly tough rock, with
an uneven sub-conchoidal fracture, and a feebly vitreous lustre ;
this variety is bluish or grayish-white in colour, somewhat
translucent, and exhibits here and there the cleavage of grains
of/elspar. Great masses of this rock are almost free from for-
eign minerals, while other portions abound in a green granular
pyroxene, arranged in thin, interrupted, parallel layers, with
ilmenite. These layers of pyroxene are seldom more than
four or five lines in thickness, and occur an inch or two
apart, while the layers of the ilmenite are still thinner and
often enclosed in those of the pyroxene, along the limits
of which deep-red grains of garnet are occasionally seen.
These different minerals appear in relief on the white wea-
thered surface of the rock, and give a picture of its stratified
structure, which is however not less apparent on the surfaces
of recent fracture. Small rounded bluish masses of cleavable
felspar are frequently disseminated in the same planes as the
other minerals. In some instances the pyroxene appears to
graduate into and to be replaced by foliated hypersthene.

The compact felspars of this region resemble some speci-
mens of the so-called saussurite, and many portions of these
rocks would constitue varieties of euphotide.

A fragment of a homogenous massive felspar from Rawdon
had a density of 2*691. It was bluish-white, granular, and
translucent, and gave by analysis :

XII.

Silica, 54 45

Alumina, 28*05

Peroxyd of iron, .45

Lime, 9-68

Potash, 1-06

Soda, 6*25

bj ignition, -55

381

This is essentially the composition of labradorite. See
my Reports for 1851, p. 40, and for 1853, p. 167, for analyses
of two opalescent felspars, containing 54-20 and 54-70 of
sihca, and 11-25 and 11-42 of lime, with less alkali than the
felspar of Rawdon. In the first mentioned Report, page 166,
will be found an examination of Thompson’s bytownitet which
occurs in boulders on the Ottawa, and is, as I then described
it, nothing more than a granular variety of the felspathic rocks
under description. It gave 47-40 of silica, and 14-24 of lime,
with 2-00 of matter volatile by ignition ; its density was 2.732.

Another variety of this rock, from a boulder found at Hun-
terstown, was more coarsely ci-ystalline than the bytownite,
and contained imbedded a large cleavable mass of felspar,
which was translucent, of a pale sea-green colour, and pos-
sessed a density of 2-695—2-703. Its analysis gave me :

XIII.

Silica,

Alumina,

Peroxyd of iron,

Lime,

Magnesia,

Alkalies by difference.
Loss by ignition, . . . .

49.10 48*90

26*80
•80

14*67 15 * 40 '

(traces)

7*33

1*30

100*00

At Lachute, on the Riviere du Nord, there is a felspar rock
which you have described as associated with crystalline lime-
stone, and which consists of a greenish granular base, holding
cleavable masses of a beautiful felspar, approaching andesine
in its composition. Its lustre is vitreous, and the face, as in
all these felspars, is finely striated ; density 2-687 ; colour lav-
ender-blue, passing into sapphire-blue ; semi-transparent. Its
analysis gave :

Silica,

Alumina,

Peroxyd of iron,

Lime,

Magnesia,

Potash,

Soda,

Loss on ignition,

XIV.

68*15

26*09

*50

7‘78

•16

1-21

6*55

•45

99*89

■CTPffi"’

382

This felspar resembles closely in its composition the rose col-
sDured crystals from the red antique porphyry of Egypt, analy-
sed by Uelesse. He obtained, silica, 58*92 ; alumina, 22*49 ;
peroxyd of iron, 0*75 ; oxyd of manganese, 0*60 ; lime, 5*53 ;
magnesia, 1*87 ; potash, 0*93 ; soda, 6*93 ; volatile matters,
1-64=99*66. After comparing this felspar with certain varie-
ties of andesine and oligoclase, this learned author remarks

it is much more important to know the composition of the fel-
spars which form the base of rocks, than to discuss the names
to be applied to these felspars. I have already had occasion
to remark that we have hitherto attached too much import-
ance to the vaiieties of the felspars of the sixth crystalline
system, and that nature has not always been limited by the
divisions established among them by chemists and geologists;
the same rock sometimes containing several varieties of these
felspars .” — DelcssCj Bulletin de la Societe Geologi'jue de France^
2^' serie, tome vii., p. 524.

Delesse further remarks in this connection, that “ the paste
and crystals of those poqihyries which are without quartz,
contain nearly equal proportions of silica. In the paste, how-
ever, the silica generally predominates slightly, while the
proportions of alumina, alkalies, and lime are somewhat less,
and the amounts of magnesia and oxyd of iron are larger.
These relations between the paste of porphyries and their
contained crystals of triclinic felspar, are of general appli*
cation for the porphyries of every age and colour.” This
observation finds its application to a certain extent in the
case of the rocks under consideration, which like the porphy-
ries in question are destitute of quartz, and often consist of
crystals of triclinic felspar imbedded in a felspathic paste,
which differs but little from the crystals in composition. This
paste is however generally so crystalline in its texture, that
these rocks, although often porphyritic in structure, are rarely
entitled to the name of porphyries*

We find in the rocks which have been the subject of these
examinations, a series of triclinic felspars in which the amount
of silica varies from 47*40 to 59*80 per cent., and that of the
lime from 7*73 to 14*24 per cent., the amount of the alkalies

383

as a general rule decreasing, as that of the lime augments.
These results only serve to confirm the opinion expressed by
Delesse, and to show that there are no defined limits for these
species which, like vosgite, labradorite, andesine, and oligo-
clase, have been created between albite on the one hand, and
anorthite on the other. I therefore some time since pro-
posed to regard all the intermediate felspars as mixtures of
these two species, which being homoeomorphous, may crys-
tallize together in indefinite proportions. The admitted
formulas of albite and anorthite, when multiplied, become as
follows : (Silica being SiO, and A120’=3al0.)

Equiv. wt. Density. Eq. vol.

Albite, (SP'al'^Na^O’^ 1054-4 2-62 = 402-4

Anorthite, (Sr-al‘‘Ca'‘)0^. . . . 1118-4 -j- 2-Y2 = 405-0

Albite is then a soda felspar, and anorthite a felspar with a
lime base, the two ciystallizing in similar forms, and having the
same atomic volume; the composition and densities of the inter-
mediate felspars are such as permit us to regard them for the
most part as mixture of these two species. There may liow-
evei be a lime-albite and a soda-anorthite, for some albites
contain from 1-0 to 2*5 per cent, of lime, and there are anor-
thites which yield from three to four per cent, of alkalies. In
like mannei the constant association ot a small amount of
potash with the soda ot these felspars, lead us to infer the
admixture of a potash-albite, which would be a triclinic oi*tho-
clase. Erjually significant is the presence of portions of mag-
nesia and potash in many varieties of anorthite. The diffi-
culties presented by the varying composition of these felspars
are obviated by admitting such mixtures of species as con-
stantly take in the ci^^stallization of homoeomorphous salts
from mixed solutions, and this consideration should never be
lost sight of in the study of mineral ogical chemistry.

Silurian Rocks,

In the Report for 1851-52, I had occasion to call your
attention to the composition of some of the sedimentary rocks

384

of the Hudson Eiver group, and to the local metamorphism
which they had undergone in the vicinity of intrusive trap
rocks at St. Nicolas, resulting in the production of minerals
wholly unlike those produced by the wide-spread metamor-
phism which has modified the Silurian strata through a large
part of the eastern basin. You have appreciated the import-
ance of carefully conducted chemical examinations as a means
of arriving at correct ideas of the nature of this metamorphism,
and in continuation of my investigations, I have now to pre-
sent some additional analyses of rocks from the Silurian series.

In your Report for 1852-53, while describing the roofing
slate of Kingsey, you have given the results of some analyses,
in which I have compared this slate with similar ones from
Wales and from France. I have to add to these, the examina-
tion of another roofing slate from Westbury, which unlike
that of Kingsey, belongs to the Upper Silurian division. It
has a greenish-blue color, a silky lustre on the cleavage sufaces,
is translucent on the edges, and has the characters of an excel-
lent roofing slate. Its density is 2*771, and it gave by ana-
lysis : —

Silica, 65-85^

Alumina, 16*65

Protoxyd of iron, 6*31

Lime, *59

Magnesia, 2*95

Potash, 3*74

Soda, 1*31

Manganese, (traces)

Water, 3*10

99*50

The shining lustre and talcose aspect of many of the altered
slates of this region, do not depend upon the presence of talc
or other magnesian minerals, as is evident from the analysis of
one of these slates from Ste. Marie, (Beauce.) The red and
green slates of this locality undoubtedly belong to the Sillery
group ; they are very much intersected by veins of quartz,
and would be described as having a highly chloritic or rather
talcose character. The red beds have a purplish or lilac color.

and their cleavage surfaces are occasionally spotted with films
and scales of a greenish mineral, resembling chlorite in appear-
ance. Both the red and green beds are very soft and fissile,
exfoliating by the action of the weather, and even becoming
converted into a paste, which is very unctuous to the touch,
and has a silvery glimmering lustre. These slates are well
seen on the second concession of Ste. Marie, where they have
been quarried in making explorations for copper pyrites,
which occurs there in small quantities. A portion of the pale
reddish, highly unctuous material, was freed from quartzose
particles by eleutriation, and after being dried at 212® F.,
gave the following results on analysis : —

Silica,

Alumina,

Peroxyd of iron,

Lime,

Magnesia,

Alkalies (by difference),
Water,

66-70

16-20

6-90

-67

2 - 75

3 - 68
3-10

100-00

From the color of the mineral it is probable that the iron
exists in the state of peroxyd ; apart from this difference the
composition of the slate of Ste. Marie is almost identical with
that of Westbury just described. It would be regarded by
most obsei-vers as a highly talcose slate, but is almost destitute
of magnesia, of which talc contains 33-0 p. c., and chlorite
about the same proportion. It is probable that the talcoid
slates like this of Ste. Marie are composed in large part of
pyrophyllite, a mineral which has many of the*^ physical
properties of talc, but is a hydrated silicate of alumina con-
taining when pure, about G7-0 of silica, 26-0 of aluminl and
7-0 of water. Other aluminous silicates may however possess
similar physical characters, such as the sericite of List, which
is regarded as a hydrous mica, and pholerite, another species
about to be described.

Just below the fall of the Chaudi^re River, near Quebec,
there is found in a bed of sandstone belonging to the Quebec
group of the Lower Silurian series, and situated on the confines

386

of the metamorphic region, a peculiar mineral filling up fis-
sures in the rock. This substance is made up of minute, soft
scales, very unctuous to the touch, and having a silvery
lustre; the masses are greenish or yellowish-white in color,
and have but little coherence. Before the blow-pipe the
mineral exfoliates in snow-white caulillower-like masses, but
is infusible. It gives olf abundance of water when heated in
a tube, assumes a fine blue color when ignited after having
been moistened with a solution of nitrate of cobalt, and gives
a feeble manganese reaction with carbonate of soda.

A portion of the mineral gently crushed to powder was
suspended in water, and in this manner separated to a consid-
erable extent from intermixed grains of quartz. Thus purified,
it was levigated and dried at 212^ F. ; the aspect of the pow-
der was not changed by ignition. Analysis gave

Silica,. . . .
Alumina,.
Lime,. . . .
Magnesia,
Water,. . .

I. II.

46-05 45-55

38-37
•61
•63

14-00 13-90

99-66

There is without doubt an excess of silica in the specimen
analyzed, for it was impossible to ensure its freedom from
quartz. The pholerites described by Guillemin and those
subsequently analyzed by Dr. Lawrence Smith are hydrous
silicates, yielding from 40-7 to 44*4 of silica, and from 13-0 to
to 15'3 of water, the remainder being alumina wnth traces of
lime and magnesia. The differences in composition are pro-
bably due to mechanical impurities, and the mineral in its
pure form is no other than a crystalline kaolin, whose theore-
tical composition as expressed by the formula 3(alO,SiO)
_I_2H0, is silica 40'0, alumina 44-5, water 15-5=100-0. I he
species* kaolin is a product of the decomposition of felspars,
which lose their alkali and a portion of silica ; these are car-
ried away by solution, at the same time that the residual
silicate combines with water. In the case of lime-felspars,
and of scapolite, which may also be converted into kaolin, the
lime is removed at the same time with the alkalies.

387

The inofle in which this mineral ocoirs segregated in the
fissures of the sandstone at tlie Chaudi6re would lead to the
supposition that it lias been in a state of solution ; it may
evidently be produced during the decomposition of the clay
slates, which are made up to a large extent cf the ruins of
fidspathic rocks. These slates are slowly giving up their
alkalies to infiltrating waters, and are thus being converted
into kaolin. A great portion of the so-called talcose slates of
the Alleghany range, especially those associated with the gold
deposites throughout the eastern part of North America, are
•lerived from the alteration of clay-slates, and must be alu-
minous in their composition. It will be well for the future to
distinguish them on account of their lustre, by the name of
luicrcous dates or nacreom schists.

Associated with the argillaceous slates of this series there
are however great quantities of magnesian rocks; among
these, besides serpentine, diallage, dolomite and magnesite,
there are extensive beds of compact and schistose talc, and
others of w’ell characterized chlorite.

The magnesite which occurs in a very large bed in the
township of Bolton, has already been alluded to in the Report
for 1849, p. G l. An analysis of it gave : —

Carbonate of magnesia, 60*13

“ “ '■•on, 8-32

Insoluble silica, 32*20

100*65

The insoluble residue from the action of hydrochloric acid,
was found to be nearly pure silica, but contains a trace of
chiomium, while the solution contains besides magnesia and
protoxyd of iron, a small portion of nickel. The nickel in
fact forms greenish stains in the fissures of the rock, and
associated with chrome, has been found in the ferruginous
magnesite of Sutton. The chromic iron of Ham also co'ntains
tiaces of nickel and cobalt, and nickel appears to be present
in many of the serpentines and other magnesian rocks of the
Silurian series, both in Canada and Pennsylvania. The various
analyses by different chemists of magnesian minerals from

other regions, show that olivine, talc and haemmererite often
contain traces of nickel.

Ores of Nicleel.

Small portions of nickel occur in several parts of the Pro-
vince, and in other associations than those just mentioned.
Among the Laurentian rocks in the eleventh concession of
Daillehout, on the land of Mr. Louis Levesque, there occurs
on the bank of the Assumption River a quartz vein six or
eight inches wide in gneiss. This vein holds a considerable
amount of cubic iron pyrites, which contains small quantities
of nickel and cobalt. The amount of the mixed oxyds of the
two metals was found in two determinations to be only 0-54
and 0*56 per cent.

Some specimens furnished me by ]\Ir. Charles Bonner (who
aided me in several of the analyses,) from a mine on Michipi-
coten Island, (Lake Superior,) contains two minerals whicli
offer a more abundant source of nickel than the pyrites just
mentioned. The first of these is associated with quartz, and
is a massive mineral with an impalpable structure, a shining
metallic lustre, and a color varying from reddish-white to
bronze-yellow; brittle, fracture uneven, sub-conchoidal ; hard-
ness 5*0 ; density 7-3 d to 7-40. The mineral was at first
supposed to be nickeline or arseniuret of nickel, but the result
of several analyses shows it to consist of a mixture of this
species with an arseniuret of copper. The following are the
results of four analyses of different fragments detached from
the same mass : —

I. II. III. IV.

Arsenic, 37*36 44*67

Copper, 44*70 3C*81 27*60 10*28

Nickel, 17*03 24*55 27*29 36*89

Silver, ‘25 *21

99*09 100*28

It will be apparent from the following calculations that
these different specimens are mixtures of nickeline NPAs, and

389

domeykite Cu^^As, the former containing 44*1 of nickel and
00-9 of arsenic, and the latter 71*7 of copper and 28*3 of
arsenic. For the first analysis 44-70 parts of copper require
17-67 of arsenic to form 68-37 of domeykite, and 17*03 of
nickel unite with 21*57 of arsenic to form 38*60 of nickel ine,
requiring in all 39*24 parts of arsenic, while the analysis gives
37*36 parts, besides a deficiency of 0*91, which probably cor-
responds to a loss of arsenic. For the fourth analysis we have
only 10*28 of copper, requiring 4*05 of arsenic to form 14*33
of domeykite, and 36*89 of nickel, which demand 46*74 of
arsenic, giving 83*63 of nickeline, the two amounting to 97*96
parts for 100*00 of the mineral. The nickel contained traces
of cobalt. It is desirable that this locality should be farther
examined, for an ore so rich in nickel is very valuable. The
arseniuret of copper, which evidently predominates in some
[)ortions of the mass, is as yet a very rare species.

Another ore of nickel, said to be from the same mine as the
preceding, occurs as the gangue of native copper and native
silver, which are disseminated through it in grains. The
mineral is amorphous ; color greenish-yellow to apple green ;
lustre waxy ; sub-translucent, fracture conchoidal ; very soft,
polishes under the nail, and falls to pieces when immersed in
water. It is decomposed by acids with separation of pulveru-
lent silica. The analysis of this material showed the presence
ot silica, alumina, oxyds of nickel and iron, lime, magnesia
and water ; it yields moreover, traces of copper and cobalt,
but no arsenic. Two portions of the mineral carefully freed
from the disseminated metals gave the following results. The
specimen in the first analysis had been dried at 212^^ F., the
other at a higher temperatui’e, and had lost a portion of water.

II.

Silica,

35-80

Alumina,

Protoxjd of iron,

11-00

Oxyd of nickel,.

33-20

Lime,

3-81

Magnesia,

3-37

Water,

12-20

99.39

99.38

390

Another fragment containing the native metals in small
grains, gave me silver 2*55, copper 18-51, and oxyd of nickel
20*85 per cent. It is said that a large quantity^ of this valua-
ble ore was thrown away at the mine, being stamped and
washed for the purpose of extracting the copper and silver.

This substance can hardly be supposed to be homogenous
in its composition, being not improbably a result of the alte-
ration of some other ores. It resembles closely in its character
and composition the nickel-gymnite of Genth, which gave to
that chemist, silica 35-36, oxyd of nickel 30*64, oxyd of iron
0*24, magnesia 14*60, lime 0*26, and water 19*09 ; but neither
of these hydrated nickel ores are crystalline, and they are
perhaps, rather to be regarded as mechanical mixtures than
distinct mineral species.

I have the honour to be.

Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

T. STERRY HUNT.

REPORT

FOR THE YEAR 1855,

T. STERRY HUNT, Esq., CHEMIST AND MINERALOGIST TO THE
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

ADDRESSED TO

SIR WILLIAM EDMOND LOGAN, F.R.S., DIRECTOR OP THE
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA.

SIONTREAL, October^ 1856.

Sir,

Having been absent from the country during nearly the
whole of the year 1855, the usual course of my investiga-
tions was interrupted. In the month of June in that year I
was appointed by the Imperial Commission of the Exposition
Univcrselle at Paris, to be a member of the 1st class of the
International Jury, a class specially charged with the examina-
tion of all subjects connected with mining, metallurgy, mine-
ralogy and geology. I have now at your request prepared a
report upon such of those matters which fell under my notice,
during my duties as juror, as may be of interest to the Cana-
dian public. I do not propose to attempt a report upon the
objects of the 1st class at the Paris Exhibition, but simply to
notice at some length certain processes connected with the
metallurgy of iron, the manufacture of sea-salt and other salts
from sea-water, besides some points in connection with the
manufacture and economical application of cements, bitumen,
peat, etc-

392

METALLURGY OF IRON.

The new metallurgical processes of Adrien Chenot attracted
in a particular manner the attention of the Juiy at the Palace
ot Industry, and were the object of a special study by the 1st
class, who awarded to the inventor the Gold Medal of Honour.
M. Chenot there exhibited a series of specimens serving to
illustrate the processes which bear his name, and which have
been the result of extraordinary labors on his part, continued
through the last twenty-five years. As the industry of iron-
smelting promises for the future to be one of great importance
to Canada, it may be well to advert briefly to the history and
theory of the metallurgy of iron, in order to explain the pro-
cesses now in use, and to prepare the way for an exact under-
standing of those of Chenot.

The most ancient and simplest mode of obtaining iron from
its ores is that practiced in the Corsican and Catalan forges,
where pure ores are treated with charcoal in small furnaces, and
by variations in the mode of conducting the process, are made
to yield at once either malleable iron, or a kind of steel. But
this method requires very pure ores, and a large expenditure
of fuel and labour, while from the small size of the furnaces
it yields but a limited quantity of iron. It is scarcely used
except in the Pyrennees, Corsica, some parts of Germany, and
northern part of the State of New York.

The high or blast furnace, which converts the ore directly
into cast metal, furnishes by far the greater part of the iron of
commerce. This furnace may be described as consisting essen-
tially of a crucible in which the materials are melted, surmoun-
ted by a vertical tube or chimney some thirty feet in height, in
which the reduction of the ore is effected. Into this furnace a
mixture of ore and fuel is introduced from the top, and the fire,
once kindled, is kept up by a blast of hot or cold air, supplied
by a proper apparatus, and admitted near the bottom of the
furnace. The ores submitted to this process are essentially
combinations of iron with oxygen, often containing besides
water and carbonic acid, and always mingled with more or less
earthy matter, consisting of silica, alumina, &c. The water

and carbonic acid being readily volatile, are often expelled by a
previous process of roasting. When these oxyds of iron are
heated to redness in contact with charcoal, this material com-
bines with the oxygen of the ore, and the iron is set free or
reduced to the metallic state, after which by the further action
of the combustible it is fused, and collects in a liquid mass in
the crucible below. The earthy ingredients of the ore, with
the ashes of the fuel, are also melted by the intense heat, and
form a glassy substance or slag, which floats upon the surface
of the molten metal, and from time to time both of these are
drawn ofl* from the crucible It is very important to give to
these earthy matters that degree of fluidity which shall permit
their ready separation from the reduced and melted iron, and
to attain this end the different ores are generally mixed with
certain ingredients termed fluxes, which serve to augment the
fusibility of the slags. Limestone, sand and clay may each
of them be used for this object with different ores. It will
I)e kept in mind that the fuel employed in the process of
smelting, serves for two distinct objects ; first, as a combus-
tible to heat the materials, and secondly, as a reducing agent
to remove the oxygen from the ore.

The contents of a blast furnace in action consist then of a
great column of mingled ore and fuel, continually moving
downward towards the crucible, and constantly replenished
from the top, while a current of air and gases is constantly
traversing the mass in a contrary direction. The investi-
gations by Leplay and Ebelman of the theory of this opera-
tion have prepared the way for the processes of Chenot, and
we shall therefore state in a few words, the results of their
researches. They have shown in the first place, that the direct
agent in the reduction of the ore is a portion of the carbon of
the fuel in a gaseous state, and secondly, that this reduction
is eftected at a temperature far below that required for the
fusion of the metal. The oxygen of the air entering by the
blast, is at first converted by combination with the ignited
coal, into carbonic acid, in which an atom of carbon is con>
billed with two atoms of oxygen, but as this gas rising in the
the furnace encounters other portions of ignited coal, it takes

394

Tip another equivalent of carbon and forms carbonic oxyd gas,
in which the two atoms of oxygen are combined with two of
carbon. This gas is the reducing agent, for when in its upward
progress it meets with the ignited oxyd of iron, the second
atom of carbon in the gas takes from tlie iron two atoms of
oxygen to form a new portion of carbonic acid, which passes
on, wliile metallic iron remains.

The interior of the blast furnace may be divided into four
distinct regions ; the first and uppermost is that in which the
mixture of ore and fuel is roasted ; the water and volatile
matters are there driven off, and the whole is gradually heated
to redness. In the second region, immediately below tlie last,
the already ignited ore is reduced to the metallic state by the
ascending current of carbonic oxyd gas ; tlie metal thus pro-
duced is, however, in the condition of malleable iron, nearly
pure, and very difticultly fusible ; but in the third region is
it combines with a portion of carbon, and is converted into the
fusible compound known as cast iron. In addition to this,
small portions of magnesium, aluminium and silicium, whose
combinations are always present in the contents of the fur-
nace, become reduced, and alloying witli the iron affect very
much its quality for better or w^orse. Cast iron generally
contains besides these small portions of sulphur, phosphorus,
and other impurities less important.

In the fourth and lowest region of the furnace, which is
near to the blast, the heat becomes more intense, the car-
buretted metal melts, together with the earthy matters, and
both collect at the bottom of the crucible upon wdiat is called
the hearth, from which the two are drawn off from time to
time. The cast iron thus obtained is very fusible, but brittle,
and is far from possessing those precious qualities which be-
long to malleable iron or steel.

To convert the cast metal into malleable iron, it is exposed
to a process which is called jyifddling, and consists essentially
in fusing it in a furnace of a peculiar kind, where the metal is
exposed to the action of the air. The carbon, manganese,
silicium, and other foreign matters, arc thus burned away, and
the once liquid metal is converted into a j)asty granular mass,

! ' *

395

which is then consolidated under hammers or rollers, and
drawn out into bars of soft malleable iron.

To convert into steel the soft iron thus obtained, it is heated
for a lon.i^ time in close vessels with powdered charcoal, a
small quantity of which is absorbed by the iron, and penetra-
ting through the mass changes it into steel. This process is
known by tlie name of cementation. The change is however
irregular and imperfect ; it is tlierefore necessary to break up
these bars of cemented or blistered steel, as it is called, and
after assorting them according to their quality, cither to weld
them together, or to melt down each sort by itself in large
crucibles. The metal is then made into ingots, and forms
cast ste(‘l, which is afterwards wrought under the hammer
and drawn out into bars.

Such is an outline of the long and expensive processes by
which malleable iron and steel are obtained from the ores of
iron. The reduction of the iron to the metallic state consti-
tutes but a small part of the operation and consumes compara-
tively but little fuel, but as we have already seen that reduced
iron is first carbu retted as it descends in the furnace, then melt-
ed by an intense heat into the form of cast iron, which is again
fused in the puddling furnace before being converted into mal-
leable iron, the transformation of which into cast steel requires
a long continued heat for the cementation, and still another
fusion.

In Derbyshire in England, there are consumed for the fabri-
cation of one ton of cast iron, two tons and twelve quintals of
ore and two tons of mineral coal, while in Sralfordshire two
tons eight quintals of coal, and two tons seven quintals of ore
are employed for the production of a ton of cast metal. In
the furnaces of the Department of the Dordogne, in France,
wdiere wood charcoal is employed, two tons and seven quintals
of ore, and one ton and three quintals of charcoal are employ-
ed for a ton of iron. For the production of a ton of wrought
iron in England about one ton and one-third of cast iron,
and from two to two and a-half tons of mineral coal are con-
sumed, while the same amount of the cast iron of the Dordogne
requires to convert it into a ton of wrought iron, one ton and

396

a-half of charcoal. Thus in England the fabrication of a ton
of wrought iron, from poor ores yielding from thirty-eight to
forty per cent, of metal, requires a consumption of about five
tons of mineral coal, and in Dordogne a little over three tons
of wood charcoal, which costs there about fifty-eight shillings
currency the ton. The average price of charcoal in France,
however, according to Dufrenoy, is about seventy-four shillings,
while in Sweden it costs only about fourteen shillings, and in
the Ural Mountains eleven shillings the ton. In France much
of the pig iron manufactured with charcoal is refined by the
aid of mineral coal.

The questions of the price and the facility of obtaining fuel
are of the first importance in the manufiicture of iron. The
ores of this metal are very generally diffused in the earth’s
surface, and occur abundantly in a great many places wliere
fuel is dear. The iron which is manufactured either wholly
or in part with wood charcoal, is of a quality much superior
to that obtained with mineral coal, and commands a higher
price. One principal reason of this difference is that the
impurities present in the coal contaminate the iron, but it
is also true that the ores treated with mineral coal are for the
greater part of inferior quality. Interstratified with the beds
of coal in many parts of Great Britain, Europe and North
Aineiica there are found beds of what is called clay iron-
stone^ or argillaceous carbonate of iron, yielding from twenty
to thirty-five per cent, of the metal. This association of coal
with the ore offers great facilities for the fabrication of iron,
which is made in large quantities, and at very low prices from
these argillaceous ores.

These poor ores will not admit of being carried far for the
purpose of smelting, and it is not less evident that the large
quantity of coal required for their treatment could not be
brought from any great distance to the ores. As a general
rule the richest and purest ores of iron beloim to regions in
which mineral coal is wanting, while the carboniferous districts
yield only poorer and inferior ores. On this continent, which
contains vast areas of coal-bearing rocks, the great dejiosits of
magnetic and heinatitic iron ores are chiefly confined to the

397

moiintainoiis district north of the Saint Lawrence, and the
adjacent region of noi-thern New York, to wliich may be
added a similar tract of country in Missouri. In the old
world it is in Sweden, the Ural ilouiitains, Elba and Algiers,
that the most remarkable deposits of similar ores are met
with ; and it is not, perhaps, too much to say, that if
favourable conditions of fuel and labour were to be met with
in these regions, these purer and more productive ores would
be wrought to the exclusion of all others. But obliged to
have recourse to wood charcoal, the forests in the vicinity
of large iron furnaces are rapidly destroyed, and fuel at
length becomes scarce. In a country like ours where there is
a ready market for fire-wood near to the deposits of ore, the
price of fuel will one day become such as to preclude their
economic working by the ordinary processes. As the industrial
arts progress, the consumption of fuel is constantly increasing,
and its economical employ becomes an important considera-
tion.

From these preliminaries it is evident that a great problem
with regard to the manufacture of iron, is to find a process
which shall enable us to work wuth a small amount of fuel,
those rich ores which occur in districts remote from mineral
coal. Such was the problem proposed by Adrien Chenot, and
which in the opinion of the International Jury, he has in a
great measure resolved.

To return to the blast furnace ; we have seen that the second
and moderately heated region is that in which the reduction of
the ore is effected, and that the intense heat of the lower
regions of the furnace only affects the carburation and fusion
of the metal. M. Chenot conceived the idea of a furnace
which should consist only of the roasting and reducing regions ;
his apparatus is but the upper portion of an ordinary blast
furnace, the carburetting and fusing regions being dispensed
with. In this the ore is reduced at a low red heat, and the
metal obtained in the foini of a gray, soft, porous mass,
constituting a veritable metallic sponge, and resembling
spongy platinum. The furnace of Chenot is a vertical pris-
matic structure forty feet high, open at the top for the

398

reception of the ore, and having below a moveable grate by
which the charge can be removed ; the bottom is susceptible
of being closed air-tiglit. The lower part of the furnace is of
iron plate, and is kept cool, but about mid-way the heat is
applied for the reduction of the ore, and here comes in a most
important principle, which will require a particular expla-
nation. It is required to heat to moderate redness the
entire'surface of the rectangular vertical furnace throughout a
length of several feet, a result by no means easy to be effected
by the use of a solid combustible, but readily attained by a
gaseous fuel such as is employed by 31. Chenot.

We have already explained the theory of the production of
carbonic oxyd. The possibility of employing this gas as a
combustible was first suggested by Karsten, and in 1841
M. Ebclman of the School of Mines at Paris, made a series
of experiments on the subject by the direction of the Jlinis-
ter of Public Works. The process employed by this chemist
consisted essentially in forcing a current of air through a
mass of ignited coal of such thickness that the whole of the
*^^yS®** converted into carbonic oxyd ; this escaping
at an elevated temperature was brought into contact with
the outer air, and furnished by its combustion a heat sufficient
for all the ordinary operations of metallurgy. A consideration
of great importance connected with this process is, that it
permits the use of poor earthy coals, and other waste com-
bustibles, which could hardly be employed directly, while
by this method the whole of their carbonaceous matter is con-
verted into inflammable gas. Wood and tuif may be made
use of in the same way, and the gas thus obtained will be
mingled with a portion of hydrogen, and probably with some
hydrocarburet : a similar mixture may be obtained with char-
(!oal or anthracite, if a jet of steam be introduced into the
generating furnace, a modification of the process which has
however the effect of reducing the temperature of the evolved
gases.

■ 1 his mode of employing combustibles becomes of great
importance in the process of Chenot, who generates the gas
in small furnaces placed around the great prismatic tube, and

899

conducts it into a narrow space between this and an outer
wall ; through this by openings, a regulated supply of air
is introduced for the combustion of the gas, by which the ore
contained in the tube is raised to a red heat. The next step
is to provide the reducing material which shall remove the
oxygen from the ignited ore, and for this purpose we have
already seen, that even in the ordinary smelting process car-
bonic oxyd is always the agent ; but instead of the impure
gas obtained from his furnaces, and diluted with the nitrogen
of the air, M. Chenot prefers to prepare a pure gas, which he
obtains as follows. A small rpiantity of pure carbonic acid,
evolved from the decomposition of carbonate of lime, is passed
over ignited charcoal, and thus converted into double its volume
of carbonic oxyd gas ; this is then brought in contact wuth igni-
ted oxyd of iron, which is reduced to the metallic state, while
the gas is changed into carbonic acid, ready to be converted
into carbonic oxyd by charcoal as before. In this w^ay the
volume goes on doubling each time the two-fold operation
is repeated. I>y introducing the carbonic oxyd thus obtained
into the furnace charged with ignited iron ore, and with-
drawing a portion of the gas at a liigher level, for the pur-
pose of passing it again over ignited charcoal in a smaller
tube apart, the process may be carried on indefinitely, the
carbonic acid serving as it w^ere to carry the reducing com-
bustible from the one tube, to the ore in the other.

A modification of this process consists in mingling the ore
with an equal volume of small fragments of charcoal, and
admitting a limited supply of air into the body of the appar-
atus, by openings at mid-height, the heat being as before
applied from without. In this case the action is analogous
to that wdiich takes place in the ordinary blast furnace :
carbonic oxyd and carbonic acid are alternately formed by
the reactions between the oxygen of the air, the ore and
the charcoal ; but the supply of air being limited, and the
temperature low^, neither carburation nor fusion of the metal
can take place, and five-sixths of the charcoal employed remain
unchanged and serve for another operation. This simpler
w^ay has the disadvantage that one-half of the furnace is

!:ir; il^

^ir.

T;.!

occupied with charcoal, so that the product of metal is less
than when the reducing gas is prepared in a separate gen-
erator. In either case the product is the same, and the iron
remains as a soft porous substance, retaining the foiTn and
size of the original masses of ore. This metallic sponge is
readily oxydized by moisture, and if prepared at a very low
temperature, takes fire from a lighted taper, and bums like
tinder, yielding red oxyd of iron. In order to avoid the incon-
venience of this excessive tendency to oxydation, the metal
is exposed in the process of manufacture to a heat somewhat
greater than would be required for the reduction ; this ren-
ders the sponge more dense, a ad less liable to oxydation in
the air.

The part of the furnace below the action of the fire is so
prolonged, that the reduced metal in its slow descent, has
time to become very nearly cold before reaching the bottom.
It is then removed at intervals, by an ingenious arrange-
ment, which enables the operator to cut off, as it were, the
lower portion of the mass, without allowing the air to enter
into the apparatus. In the case where the ore has been mixed
with cliarcoal, the larger masses of metal are now separated
from it by a screen, and the smaller by a revolving magnetic
machine.

This spongy metallic iron may be applied to various uses.
If we grind it to pow^der and then submit it to strong pres-
sure, coherent masses are obtained, which at a wielding heat,
contract slightly, without losing their form, and yield mallea-
ble iron. By this process of moulding, which may be termed
a casting without fusion, the metal may be obtained in forms
retaining all the sharpness of the mould, and possessing the
tenacity, malleability and infusibility of wrought iron. The
masses thus compressed have in fact only to be forged, to
give wrought iron of the finest quality ; and it is found
that during the hammering, any earthy matters mechanically
intermixed, are eliminated like the scoriae of the iron from the
puddling furnace.

But without overlooking the great advantage of this method
of making malleable iron, and moulding it into the shapes

401

required, it is especially as applied to the manufacture of
steel, that the metallurgical methods of Chenot deserve atten-
tion. In the ordinary process, as we have already seen, the
bars of malleable are carburetted by a prolonged heating in
the midst of charcoal powder ; but the operation is long and
expensive, and the metal obtained by this mode of cementation
is not homogeneous. M. Chenot avails himself of the porosity
of the metallic sponge, to bring the carbon in a liquid state in
contact with the minutest particles of the iron. For this pur-
pose he plunges the sponge into a bath of oil, tar, or melted
resin, the composition of the bath varying according to the
quality of the steel which it is desired to obtain. The sponge
thus saturated, is drained, and heated in a close vessel. Tlie
oily or resinous matter is expelled partly as a gas, but for the
greater part distils over as a liquid, which may be again
employed for cementation. A small portion of carbon from
the decomposition of the oil rests however with the iron, and
at the temperature of low redness, employed near the end of
the distillation, appears to have already combined chemically
with the metal. This treatment with the bath and distillation,
may be renewed if the carbonization is not sufficient after one
operation.

The cemented sponge is now ground to powder and moulded
by hydraulic pressure into small ingots, which may be heated
and directly wrought under the hammer, like the compressed
iron sponge; the metal thus obtained may be compared to
refined blistered steel. If however the cemented and com-
pressed sponge is fused in crucibles, as in the ordinary process
for making cast steel, the whole of the earthy impurities which
may be present, rise to the surface as a liquid slag, which is
easily removed, while the fused metal is cast into ingots. In
this way, by cementation and a single fusion, the iron sponge
is converted into a cast steel, which is from the mode of its
preparation, more unifonn in quality than that obtained by
the ordinary process, and which was found by the Jury to be
of remarkable excellence.

Such is a brief outline of the methods invented by Adrien
Chenot for the reduction of iron ores, and the fabrication of

400

The part of the furnace below the action of the fire is so
prolonged, that the reduced metal in its slow descent, has
time to become very nearly cold before reaching the bottom.
It is then removed at intervals, by an ingenious arrange-
ment, which enables the operator to cut off, as it were, the
lower portion of the mass, without allowing the air to enter
into the apparatus. In the case w’here the ore has been mixed
with charcoal, the larger masses of metal are now separated
from it by a screen, and the smaller by a revolving magnetic
machine.

This spongy metallic iron may be applied to various uses.

I If we grind it to powder and then submit it to strong pres-

sure, coherent masses are obtained, which at a welding heat,
contract slightly, without losing their form, and yield mallea-
ble iron. By this j)rocess of moulding, which may be termed
a casting without fusion, the metal may be obtained in forms
retaining all the sharpness of the mould, and possessing the
tenacity, malleability and infusibility of wrought iron. The
masses thus compressed have in fact only to be forged, to
give wrought iron of the finest quality; and it is found
that during the hammering, any earthy matters mechanically
intermixed, are eliminated like the scoriae of the iron from the
puddling furnace.

But without overlooking the great advantage of this method
of making malleable iron, and moulding it into the shapes

^ I'

i I

401

!> required, it is especially as applied to the manufacture of

» steel, that the metallurgical methods of Chenot deserve atten-

i» tion. In the ordinary process, as we have already seen, the

a bars of malleable are carburetted by a prolonged heating in

Si the midst of charcoal powder ; but the operation is long and

k expensive, and the metal obtained by this mode of cementation

1 is not homogeneous. M. Chenot avails himself of the porosity

s of the metallic sponge, to bring the carbon in a liquid state in

s contact with the minutest particles of the iron. For this pur-

ii pose he plunges the sponge into a bath of oil, tar, or melted

I resin, the composition of the bath varying according to the

: quality of the steel which it is desired to obtain. The sponge

thus saturated, is drained, and heated in a close vessel. The
j, oily or resinous matter is expelled partly as a gas, but for the

j greater part distils over as a liquid, which may be again

, employed for cementation. A small portion of carbon from

, the decomposition of the oil rests however with the iron, and

at the temperature of low redness, employed near the end of
, the distillation, appears to have already combined chemically

. w'ith the metal. This treatment with the bath and distillation,

, may be renewed if the carbonization is not sufficient after one

, operation.

The cemented sponge is now ground to powder and moulded
. by hydraulic pressure into small ingots, which may be heated

and directly wrought under the hammer, like the compressed
^ iron sponge; the metal thus obtained may be compared to

^ refined blistered steel. If however the cemented and com-

I pressed sponge is fused in crucibles, as in the ordinaiy process

for making cast steel, the whole of the earthy impurities which
. may be present, rise to the surface as a liquid slag, which is

j easily removed, w'hile the fused metal is cast into ingots. In

this w'ay, by cementation and a single fusion, the iron sponge
' is converted into a cast steel, which is from the mode of its

I preparation, more uniform in quality than that obtained by

the ordinaiy process, and which w'as found by the Jury to be
' of remarkable excellence.

Such is a brief outline of the methods invented by Adrien
Chenot for the reduction of iron ores, and the fabrication of

wrought iron and steel, constituting in the opinion of one
eminently fitted to judge the case, (Mr. Leplay, of the Impe-
rial School of Mines, and Commissary General of the Exhi-
bition,) the most important metallurgical discovery of the age.

The peculiar condition of the iron sponge has enabled the
inventor to make many curious alloys, some of which promise
to be of great importance ; by impregnating it with a solution
of boracic acid, a peculiar steel is obtained, in which boron
replaces carbon, and by a similar application of different met-
allic solutions, various alloys are produced, whose formation
would otherwise be impossible.

The processes of M. Chenot are now being applied to the
fabrication of steel at Clichy, near Paris, where I had an
opportunity of studying in detail the manufacture. The iron
ore is imported from Spain, and notwithstanding the cost of
its transport, and the high prices of labor and fuel in the
vicinity of the metropolis, it appears from the data furnished
by M. Chenot to the Jury, that steel is manufactured by him
at Clichy, at a cost which is not more than one-fourth that of
the steel manufactured in the same vicinity from the iron im-
ported from Sweden. According to M. Chenot, at the works
lately established on his system by Villalonga & Co., near Bil-
boa in Spain, they are enabled to fabricate the metallic sponge
at a cost of 200 francs the ton, and the best quality of cast
steel at 500 francs, or $100 the ton of 1000 kilogrammes,
(2*200 pounds avoirdupois.) The conversion of the ore to the
condition of sponge is, I was assured by M. Chenot, effected
with little more than its own weight of charcoal.

The differences in the nature of the steel made from various
ores have long been well known, but until the recent experi-
ments of Chenot, the subject was but very imperfectly under-
stood. According to him the nature of the ore has much more
to do with the quality of the metal than the mode of treatment,
and he compares the diflferent steels to the wines of different
localities, which owe their varied qualities far more to the
nature of the grapes, than to any variations in the mode of
their fermentation. The process of cementation employed
by Chenot furnishes, according to him, an exact measure of the

403

capability of the iron to produce steel. The sponges of the
iron from Sweden and the Ural Mountains, after taking up
six per cent, of carbon, yield a metal which is still malleable,
while that of Elba with four per cent., becomes brittle and
approaches to cast iron in its properties. While the ores of
Sweden and the Urals are famous for the excellent quality of
their steel, the oi’e of Elba is known to yield a very superior
iron, but to be unfit for the fabrication of steel ; and Chenot
concludes, from a great many observations; that the steel-pro-
ducing capacity of any iron is measured by the quantity of
carbon which it can absorb before losing its malleability and
degenerating into cast iron.

Desirous to avail myself of these researches of M. Chenot,
I placed in his hands, in September, 1865, specimens of the
different iron ores from Canada, which had been sent to the
Exhibition at Paris, and engaged him to submit them to the
process of reduction, and to test their capabilities for the pro-
duction of steel. M. Chenot has also obtained remarkable
alloys of chromium and titanium with iron, his processes ena-
bling him to effect the direct reduction of chromic and titan-
iferous iron ores ; specimens of these two ores from Canada
were therefore furnished him, but the sudden and lamented
death of Chenot, by an accident, in the month of November
following, deprives us for a time of the advantages of his ex-
periments. His sons however are instructed in his processes,
and have promised to undertake at an early day the exam-
ination of our Canadian ores. I am disposed to attach great
importance to these investigations, from the hope that among
our numerous deposits of iron ore, belonging in great part to
the same geological formation as the iron ores of Scandinavia,
there may be found some capable of yielding a steel equal to
that of the Swedish iron. With the new and economical pro
cesses of Chenot a valuable steel ore will be sought for, even
in a distant country, and may be advantageously transported
in a crude state, to the localities where fuel and labour are
most available.

One great condition for the successful application of these
processes is, that the ores should be comparatively pure and

(' 1

free from earthy mixtures. We have already alluded to the
impurity of the ores which are smelted in the coal districts
of England, and even the ore brought by Chenot from Spain,
and employed by him in his works at the gates of Paris, con-
tains about ten per cent, of fixed, and as much volatile matter,
it being a decomposed spathic iron. Many of the magnetic
and hematite ores of Canada are almost chemically pure :
such are those of Marmora, Madoc, Hull, Crosby, Sherbrooke,
MacNab and Lake Nipissing, which even if they should not
prove adapted to the manufacture of superior steel, offer for
the fabrication of metallic iron, by the processes of Chenot,
veiy great advantuges over the poorer ores, which in many
parts of this continent are wrought by the ordinary processes.

The small amount of fuel required by the new methods, and
the fact that for the generation of the gas which is employed
as combustible, turf and other cheap fuels are equally availa-
ble, are considerations which should fix the attention of those
interested in developing the resources of the countiy. With
the advantages offered by these new modes of fiibrication, our
vast deposits of iron ore, unrivalled in richness and extent,
may become sources of national wealth, while by the ordinary
method of working they can scarcely, at the present prices of
iron and of labour, compete with the produce of much poorer
ores, wrought in the vicinity of deposits of mineral coal.

ON THE EXTRACTION OF SALTS FROM SEA WATER.

The manufacture of salt from the waters of the ocean has,
from an early period, been a most important branch of industry
for the south of Europe. Without reverting to high antiquity,
we may cite the salines of Venice, to which that republic
owed the commencement of its greatness and its wealth.
The lagoons which surrounded that city were enclosed, and set
apart for the breeding of fish, and for the manufacture of salt.
Making a monopoly of this staple of life, the policy of Venice
was to obtain possession of all those salines which could
compete with her, and we find the Venetians destroying such
as they could not make use of, and exacting from the neigh-

boTiring princes, treaties to the effect that they would not
re-establish the suppressed salines. It was only two or three
centuries later that this powerful republic ordered, in the
interest of her commerce, the suppression of the salines of her
own lagoons, and augmented the produce of those of Istria
and of the Grecian Islands, which had become her’s by right
of conquest, still retaining in her own hands the trade in salt
for all southern Europe. But with the downfall of Venitian
power, we find the salines of Provence and Languedoc grow-
ing into importance, while those of Venice had fallen into
decay, so that when the Emperor Napoleon I. created the
kingdom of Italy, he had recourse to a French engineer from
Marseilles to re-establish the salines of Venice, which are now
once more organised on a vast scale.

It is however in France, and especially upon the shores of
the Mediterranean, that we shall find the most extensive
salines, and the most intelligent system of working these great
sources of national wealth. On the western coast of France,
the salt marshes of Brittany and La Vendee are wrought to a
considerable extent, but the cool, moist and rainy climate of
these regions is much less favorable to this industry than that
of the southern shores of the empire, where diy and hot
summers offer great facilities for the evaporation of the sea-
water, which is effected in all the salines of which we have
spoken, by the sun and wind, without artificial heat.

The salt works of the Lake of Berre, near Marseilles, were
those whose products attracted the most attention at the
Exhibition, not only on account of the excellent method there
pursued for the manufacture of sea-salt, but from the fact that
the important processes of Mr. Balard for the extraction of
potash, sulphates and other valuable materials from the mother
liquors, are there applied on a large scale. Having had occa-
sion to examine carefully these products in the course of my
duties as Juror at the Exhibition, and having afterwards
visited the saline of Berre, I propose to give here some ac-
count of its construction and mode of operation, as well as of
the method employed for the working of the mother liquors.
I have to express my great obligations to my distinguished

]

406

colleague, Mr. Balard, of the Academy of Sciences, who most
/kindly furnished me with every information respecting the
processes of his invention which are there applied, and also
to Mr. Agard, the enlightened and scientific director of the
saline.

The first condition for the establishment of a salt work is a
low, broad, level ground on the border of the sea, which can be
protected by dykes from the action of the tides, and as these
are considerable on the Atlantic coast and insignificant in the
Mediterranean, the arrangements required in the two regions
are somewhat different. In both cases however the high tides
are taken advantage of to fill large and shallow basins with
the sea water, which there deposits its sediments, becomes
warmed by the sun’s rays and begins to evaporate. From
these reservoirs it is led by a canal to a series of basins from
ten to sixteen inches in depth, through which it passes succes-
sively, and where by the action of the sim and wind the water
is rapidly evaporated, and deposits its lime in the fonn of
sulphate. It then passes to another series of smaller basins,
where the evaporation is carried to such a point that the water
becomes a saturated brine, when its volume being greatly
diminished, it is transferred to still smaller shallow basins called
salting tables^ where the salt is to be deposited. In the salines
of the Atlantic coast, the different basins are nearly on the same
plane, and the w^ater flows from one series to the other as its
level is reduced by evaporation. In the large establishments
of the Mediterranean, the system is different ; the basins are
constructed at different levels, and the waters having passed
through one series, are raised by wooden tympans or drums
from eight to sixteen feet in diameter, (moved by steam or
horse power,) and conducted into the other basins. There
differences of level establish a constant current, and in this
way greatly promote the evaporation.

But in whatever manner the process is conducted, the con-
centrated brines, making 25® of Beaum^’s areometer, are finally
conducted to the salting tables, where they begin to deposit
their salt in the form of ciystalline crusts, which are either
collected with rakes as soon as they form, or as at Berre,

allowed to accumulate at the bottom, until they form masses
six or eight inches in thickness. The concentiation of the
brines must be carefully watched, and their density never
allowed to exceed 28®5, otherwise a deposit of sulphate of
magnesia would be formed, rendering the sea-salt impure.
The mother liquors, as they are called, are run off so soon as
they have reached the above density, and reserved for opera-
tions to be detailed further on. When the salt has attained a
sufficient thickness, it is broken up and piled upon the sides
of the basins in large pyramids, which are covered with clay
on the western coast of France, but left unprotected during
the summer season, in the drj^ climate of the south. In these
lieaps, the salt undergoes a process of purification ; the mois-
ture from the clay or from occasional rains penetrates slowly
through the mass, removing the more soluble foreign matters,
and leaving the salt much purer than before. In the south,
it is taken directly from these heaps and sent into the
market, but in the less favorable conditions presented on the
western coast, the thin layers of salt there collected are more
or less soiled with earthy matters, and for many uses require
a process of refining before they are brought into commerce.
For this purpose two methods are employed ; the one consists
in simply washing the crude salt with a concentrated brine,
which removes the foreign salts, and a large portion of the
earthy impurities. The other more perfect, but more costly
process, consists in dissolving the impure salt in water, and
adding a little lime to precipitate the salts of magnesia always
present, after which the filtered brine is rapidly boiled down,
when a fine-grained salt separates, or is more slowly evaporated
to obtain the large-grained cubic salt which is used in the
salting of provisions. The masses of coarsely crystalline salt
from the salines of the south have no need of these refining
processes.

In practice, the evaporation of the brines for sea-salt at Berre
is carried as far as 32^, and the salt separated into three
qualities. Between 25° and 26° the brine deposits one-fourth
of its salt, which is kept apart on account of its great purity,
and sold at a higher price than the rest. In passing from a

408

density of 26^ to 28^5, sixty per cent, more of salt of second
quality are deposited, and from this point to 32^ the remaining
fifteen per cent, are obtained, somewhat impure and deliques-
cent from the magnesian salts which it contains, but prefered
for the salting of fish, on account of its tendency to keep
them moist. The average price of the salt at the salines is
one franc for 100 kilogrammes, (220 pounds avoirdupois,)
while the impost upon it was, until recently, thirty times that
sura, and is even now ten francs the 100 kilogrammes.

The waters of the Mediterranean contain, according to the
analysis of Usiglio, about three per cent, of common salt,
while those of the Atlantic contain from 2*5 to 2-7 per cent.
In the waters of the Mediterranean there are besides, about 0*8
per cent, of sulphates and chlorids of calcium, magnesium and
potassium. The quantity of water which it is necessary to
evaporate in order to obtain a small amount of salt, thus
appears to be very great, but under favorable circumstances
this is a small consideration, as will appear from the following
fact. The saline of Berre is situated upon a small lake, com-
municating with the ocean, but fed by streams of fresh water,
so that while the waters of the open sea have a density of 3®5,
those of the lake have only 1 ^ 5 , or scarcely half the strength of
sea water. Nevertheless the advantages of the position offered
by the shores of the lake for the establishment of a saline,
are sufficient to compensate for the deficiency of salt in the
water, and to make of Berre one of the most flourishing salines
of the south of France. The evaporating surfaces here cover
3,300,000 square metres, equal to 815 English acres ; of this
area one-tenth is occupied with the salting tables, but with
sea-water, where less evaporation is required to bring the
brine to the crystallizing point, one-sixth of the area would
be thus occupied. The amount of salt annually produced at
saline of Berre is 20,000,000 of kilogrammes.

Owing to the dilution of the w\ater of the lake of Berre, the
proportion of salt there manufactured is small, when we con-
sider the area, and compare the produce with that of other
salines where pure sea-water is evaporated. According to
Mr. Balard, 2,000,000 square metres may yield 20,000,000

409

kilogramines annually; and Mr. Payen states that the same
amount of salt is produced at Baynas from a superfcies of
1,500,000 metres. As a cubic metre of sea water contains
about 25 ‘kilogrammes of salt, the evaporation required to
produce the above amount corresponds to 800,000 cubic me-
tres, equal in the second estimate given above, to a layer of
water 0*40 metre, or 15f English inches in thickness.

The plan hitherto adopted in the salines of the European
coasts, has been to commence the evaporation of the sea-water
with the spring time of each year ; in this way some three or
four months elapsed before a sufficiently large amount of strong
brine was accumulated to enable the manufacturer to com-
mence the deposition of salt on the salting tables, and as this
latter operation can only be carried on in fine weather, the rainy
season of autumn soon came to interrupt the process, so that
during a large part of the year the labours of the salines were
suspended. The enlightened director of the works of Berre,
M. Felicien Agard, has however introduced a very important
improvement, in the management of the salines, by means of
which he carries on the works throughout the whole year, and
is enabled to increase the produce by 50 per cent. During the
months of the autumn, the evaporation, which is still carried
on, though more slowly, enables him to obtain brines marking
7®, 10®, and even 20®. These are stored away in large pits,
where the depth of liquid being considerable, the diluting effect
of the spring rains is but little felt, and at the commencement
of the warm season these brines are raised into the evaporating
basins, so that the summer’s labours are commenced with con-
centrated liquors, and the salt is all harvested in the months
of August and September.

In selecting the site for a saline it is of great importance to
choose a clayey soil, an earth of this character being required
to render the basins and dykes impervious to water. In the
saline of Berre, a coriaceous fungous plant, to which botan-
ists have given the name Microcoleus corium^ was observed to
vegetate upon the bottom of the basins, and this being care-
fully protected, has finished by covering the clay with a layer
like felt, which protects the salt from contamination by the
earth, and enables it to be collected in a state of great purity.

410

The conditions of exposure to sun and*wind offered by the
locality ch .sen for a saline are also to be carefully considered,
for upon these will of course greatly depend the rapidity of
evaporation. The salines of the lagoons of Venice, to which
we have already alluded, have recently been re-organised by
Baron S. M. Rothschild and Mr. Chas. Astric, and cover an
area nearly twice that of Berre. The tides of the Adriatic are
considerable, and from the lowness of the ground, the labour
of constructing the basins and dykes could only be carried on
at low water. The moist and rainy climate of Venice also
offers serious obstacles to the manufacture of salt; to over-
come these, two plans are adopted. The salting tables are so
arranged that in case of heavy rains, the concentrated brines
can be rapidly run off into deep reservoirs, while other reser-
voirs of saturated brine at higher levels serve not only to feed
the salting tables, but to cover with a thick layer those tables
which may contain a large amount of salt, and thus protect
them from the atmospheric waters.

We may mention here a process which, although unknown
in France, is applied in Russia and on the borders of the
White Sea, and may, perhaps, be advantageously employed
on our own shores. It consists in applying the cold of winter
to the concentration of the sea-water. At a low temperature
a large quantity of ice separates, but all the saline matters rest
in the liquid portions, so that by separating the ice a concen-
trated brine is obtained, which may afterwards be evaporated
by the summer’s sun or by artificial heat.

Treatment of the Bittern or Mother Liquors.

The watem which have reached a density of 32^ in the salt-
ing tables, have already deposited the greater part of their
common salt, and now contain a large amount of sulphate and
hydrochlorate of magnesia, together with a portion of chlorid
of potassium. The admirable researches of Mr. Balard have
taught us to extract from these mother liquors, sulphate of
soda, and salts of magnesia and potash, so that although for-
merly rejected as worthless, these liquors are now ahnost as
valuable as the salt of which they are the residue.

411

The production of sulphate of soda, which is directly em-
ployed in the manufacture of glass, and as a manure, and still
more largely as a material for the fabrication of carbonate of
soda, is the most important object of the working of the mother
liquors. Immense quantities of sulphate of soda are now pre-
pared in France and England by decomposing sea-salt with
sulphuric acid, which is manufactured wuth sulphur obtained
chiefly from foreign sources. In view of this immense con-
sumption of sulphur, it becomes important especially in time of
war, when this substance is required for the fabrication of gun-
powder, to find some source of sulphate of soda other than the
decomposition of sea-salt by sulphuric acid. This process is
besides objectionable from the vast amount of hydrochloric
acid disengaged, which in most localities cannot be entirely
consumed, and is very pernicious to both animal and vegetable
life in the vicinity.

It had already been obseiwed that under certain conditions
the reaction between sulphate of magnesia and chlorid of
sodium could give rise to sulphate of soda ; and Mr. Balard
has shown that by taking advantage of this decomposition, the
sulphate of soda can be advantageously prepared from the
bittern of the salting tables.

When the liquors of 32^ are evaporated by the summer’s
lieat, they deposite during the day a portion of common salt ;
but the coolness of the nights causes the separation of crystals
of sulphate of magnesia, and the quantity of this latter salt
goes on increasing as the evaporation advances toward 35^.
This mixture of salts (A) is carefully collected, and reserved
for the manufacture of the sulphate of soda.

When the bittern at 35^ is still further evaporated by the
heat of the sun, it deposits a mixture which is called sel d^ete^
and contains a large amount of potash. By a second crystal-
lization of this product, a double sulphate of potash and mag-
nesia is obtained, which holds 24 per cent, of pure potash ; but
this mode of treating the mother liquors of 35^ is less advan-
tageous than the following, which is now adopted. The liquors
are placed in large basins and preserved until the first frosts,
when at a temperature of 35^ or 40^ Farenheit, they deposit

412

the greater part of their sulphate of magnesia in large crystals.
This sulphate, which is pure Epsom salt, is either sold to the
apothecaries, or used to prepare sulphate of soda by the process
about to be described. When the sulphate of magnesia has
been thus separated, the liquid is run off into large reservoirs,
and preserved until the next summer, when it is again evapo-
rated in shallow basins by the sun’s rays. It now deposits a
large amount of a fine granular salt, which is a double chlorid
of potassium and magnesium. This double salt can only be
crystallized from solutions containing a large quantity of chlorid
of magnesia, and when re-dissolved in pure water gives pure
chlorid of potassium by evaporation. The double chlorid is
raked up from the tables and placed in piles on the earth,
where the moisture causes the salt to decompose ; the magne-
sian salt deliquescing, drains off, and the chlorid of potassium
remains behind.

The mother liquors having acquired a density of SS®, have
deposited all their potash, and are now evaporated by artificial
heat to 440 ; during this evaporation they still deposit a por-
tion of common salt mixed with sulphate of magnesia (B),
and on cooling, the liquid becomes a solid mass of hydrated
chlorid of magnesium, which may be employed to furnish caustic
and carbonated magnesia by decomposition. When calcined
in a current of steam, it is completely decomposed into hydro-
chloric acid and an impure magnesia, still containing some
sulphates and chlorids, which may be removed by water.

By mingling in proper proportions the solution of chlorid of
magnesium at 44o with brine at 24*^, nearly the whole of the
sea-salt is precipitated in the form of minute crystals of great
pureness and beauty ; the mother liquors are then removed by
washing with a saturated brine, and in this way a very fine
quality of table salt may be advantageously manufactured.

During these successive concentrations the volume of the
water has become greatly diminished. 10,000 gallons of sea-
water reduced to 25®, (the point at which it begins to deposit
salt,) measure only 935 gallons; at 30®, 200 gallons; at 31®
50 gallons ; and at 34®, are reduced to a volume of only 30

gallons.

413

Preparation of Sulphate of Soda.

For this process the cold of autumn and winter is required.
The mixtures of sea-salt and sulphate of magnesia, (A and B,)
together with the pure sulphate of magnesia obtained from
the mother liquors at 32<^, are dissolved in water heated to
95^ F., with the addition of such a quantity of common salt
as shall make the proportions of the two salts equal to 90
parts of .chlorid of sodium to 60 of anhydrous sulphate of
magnesia. The warm saturated solution is exposed in shallow
basins to a cold of 32^ F., when it deposits 120 parts of
hydrated sulphate of soda, equal to 54 of anhydrous sulphate,
or three-fourths of the sulphuric acid of the mixture. In
theory, about equal weights of the two salts are necessary for
their mutual decomposition, but an excess of common salt
diminishes the solubility of the sulphate of soda, and thus
augments the product. From the residual liquid, which con-
tains chlorid of magnesium mixed with common salt and a
portion of sulphate of magnesia, the latter salts may be sepa-
rated by evaporation. The sulphate of soda is converted into
carbonate of soda by the usual process of calcination with
carbonate of lime and coal.

The Potash Salts.

The chlorid of potassium obtained by the process already
indicated, is decomposed by sulphuric acid, and the resulting
sulphate at once converted into carbonate of potash by a
process similar to that employed for the manufacture of
carbonate of soda. The carbonate of potash thus prepared
is free from sulphate and chlorid, as well as from silica and
alumina, and those metallic impurities which like iron and
manganese, are always present in the salt obtained from
wood-ashes, and render the potashes of America and Russia
unfit for the fabrication of fine crystal glass. The double sul-
phate of potash and magnesia may be at once decomposed
like the sulphate of potash, by limestone and coal, and both it
and the chlorid may be directly employed in the fabrication of

414

potash-alum, a salt which contains nearly ten per cent, potash,
and of which five thousand tons are annually manufactured in
France. The high price of the salts of potash has led the
manufacturers of alum, to replace this alkali wholly or in part
by ammonia, but the potash salts from sea-water will furnish
potash so cheaply as to render the use of ammonia no longer
advantageous.

The greater part of chlorid of potassium as yet produced in
the salines in the south of France is now, however, employed
chiefly in the Imperial manufactories of saltpetre or nitrate of
potash. The nitrate of soda which is so abundant in some parts
of South America, is directly decomposed by "chlorid of potas-
sium, yielding common salt and pure nitrate of potash for the
fabrication of gunpowder.

Yield of the Mother Liquors*

According to a calculation of Mr. Balard the amount of
sulphate in sea-water corresponds to a quantity of anhydrous
sulphate of soda equal to one-eight that of the common salt,
but on a large scale the whole of this cannot be economi-
cally extracted : the saline of Baynas yields annually besides
20,000 tons of sea-salt, 1,550 tons of dried sulphate of soda,
or 7*75 per cent., instead of the 12*50 per cent, indicated by
theory. Estimating the yield at 7*0 per cent, according to
Payen, the cost of the sulphate will be 30 francs the ton,
which will make the cost of the crude carbonate of soda 50
francs, while it brings in France from 80 to 120 francs the ton.

The amount of chlorid of potassium obtained is equal to
one-hundredth or to 200 tons for the above amount of sea-
salt, and the value of this salt is 360 francs the ton. By its
decomposition it will yield 185 tons of pure carbonate of
potash, which sells for 1000 or 1100 francs the ton. Thus it
appears that for 20,000 tons of sea-salt, worth at 10 francs the
ton, 200,000 francs, there is obtained chlorid of potassium
for the value of 72,000 francs. The potash being a secondary
product from the residues of the processes for sea-salt and
sulphate of soda, is obtained almost without additional cost.

v_-

415

It has been shown by careful calculations that the sulphate of
"•Wi soda and the potash from the waters of the Mediterranean, will

Wl alone repay the expense of extraction, the sea-salt first depo-

sited, being re-dissolved and carried back to the ocean. A
ioi powerful company is now erecting works on a great scale in
•Ifl the vicinity of Marseilles, where the marshes of the Camarguc
offer a great extent of waste lands, valueless for cultivation,
l»l! but well adapted for this manufacture. Here it is proposed

liii to evaporate the sea-water solely for the sake of the sulphates,

t®. the potash and the riiagnesia which it contains. Basins which

tji are already covered with a layer of sea-salt, are very advan-

[jl tageously employed for the evaporation of the mother liquors,

iij from the ease with which the potash and magnesia salts may

be collected from it in a state of j)urity.

The amount of salt produced in France in 1847 was
about 570,000 tons, of which 263,000 were from the salt-
marshes of the Mediterranean, 231,000 from those of the
m western coast, and 76,000 from salt-springs and a mine of

p rock salt; there were employed in these 16,650 workmen.

II If we estimate the produce of the salt marshes in round num-

n bers at 500,000 tons, the amount of chiorid of potassium to be

, obtained from the mother liquors, at one per cent., will be

j 5000 tons, and that of the sulphate of soda at seven per cent.

II will be 35,000 tons. The amount of sulphate of soda

II annually manufactured in France is 65,000 tons, requiring for

. this purpose 54,000 tons of sea-salt, and nearly 14,000 tons

, of sulphur, which is completely lost in the manufacture of

^ carbonate of soda.* If now the mother liquors from an area

I twice as great as is now occupied by all the salines in France,

^ were wrought with the same results as at Baynas, they would

• The soda manufactory of Chaunay, established in connection with the glass
works of St. Gobain, consumes above 5,000 tons of sulphur yearly, and the
; immense establishment of Tennant, at St. Rollox, near Glasgow, employs annu-

ally 17,000 tons of salt, 5,550 of sulphur and 4,500 tons of oxyd of manganese.
It produced in 1854, 12,000 tons of soda-ash, 7,000 of crystallized carbonate of
soda, besides 7,000 tons of chiorid of lime, prepared with the chlorine obtained
by decomposing the waste hydrochloric acid from the soda process by the
oxyd of manganese. The cost of the sulphur in England in 1854 was about
twenty-five dollars the ton.

416

5 rield besides 70,000 tons of sulphate of soda, or more than is
required for the wants of the country, 10,000 tons of chlorid
of potassium, equal to 9,250 tons of pure carbonate of potash,
a quantity far greater than is consumed in France, and would
enable her to export potash salts. According to Mr. Balard
the consumption of potash in France amounted in 1848 to
5,000 tons, of which 3,000 were imported, and 1,000 tons
extracted from the refuse of the beet-root employed in the
manufacture of sugar.

The production of the two alkalies, potash and soda, offers
some very interesting relations. Previous to the year 1792,
soda was obtained only by the incineration of sea-weed and
maritime plants, but it was at that epoch, when France was
at war with the whole of Europe, that her necessities led to
the discovery of a mode of extracting soda from sea-salt.
Obliged for the purposes of war to employ all the potash
which the country could produce, for the manufacture of
saltpetre, it became necessary for the fabrication of soaps
and glass to replace this alkali by soda, and therefore to
devise some more abundant source of it that was afforded by
sea-weed. It was then that the Government having offered
a prize from the most advantageous method of extracting
the soda from sea-salt, Leblanc proposed the process above
alluded to, which consist in converting the chlorid of sodium
into sulphate, and decomposing this salt by calcining it
with a proper mixture of ground limestone and coal, thus
producing carbonate of soda and an insoluble oxy-sulphuret
of calcium. This remarkable process, perfect from its infancy,
has now been adopted throughout the world, “ and those who
thought to annihilate the industry of France were soon
obliged to borrow from her those great resources which
French science had invented.” (Vaijeny Chimie Indiistrielkj
p. 209.)

Soda has now replaced potash to a very great extent in all
those aits where it can without prejudice be substituted for
the latter ; potash is however indispensable for the manufac-
ture of fine crystal and Bohemian glass, for fSie fabrication of
saltpetre, as well as for the preparation of various other salts

employed in the arts. The country people in France having
been accustomed to employ the crude American potash for the
bleaching of linen, were unwilling to make use of the purer
soda-ash, and the result is that a great part of what is sold as
American potash in France, is nothing more than an impure
caustic soda, coloured red with sub-oxyd of copper, and fused
with an admixture of common salt, which serves to reduce
its strength, and give it the aspect of the crude potash of this
country.

But notwithstanding the soda from sea-salt is now replac-
ing potash to so large an extent, the supply of this alkali is
scarcely adequate to the demand, and the consequence is that
while the price of soda has greatly diminished, that of potash
has of late years considerably augmented, and it has even been
proposed to extract this alkali from felspar and granitic rocks,
by processes which can hardly prove remunerative. The
rapid destruction of the forests before the advancing coloniza-
tion of this continent, threatens at no distant day to diminish
greatly the supplies of this as yet important production of our
country, and it was therefore a problem of no small import-
ance for the industrial science of the future, to discover an
economical and unfailing source of potash. The new process
of Mr. Balard appears to fulfil the conditions required, and
vdll, for the time to come, render the arts independent of the
supplies to be derived from vegetation.

In more ways than one, this result will be advantageous for
our country ; the importance of potash salts as a manure, is
now beginning to be understood, and it is seen that the re-
moval from the land in the shape of ashes, of the alkali which
during a century has been taken up from the earth and stored
in the growing forest, is really an unwise economy, for the
same alkali restored to the soil becomes a fertilizer of great
value. It is to be feared too that in many parts of the coun-
try, the colonist wishing to render the forest available as an
immediate source of gain, has thought rather to cut down and
bum the wood for the sake of its ashes, than to cultivate the
land thus cleared. The effect of this short-sighted policy in
thus destroying our forests, is already beginning to be seriously

418

felt in some parts of our country, where the early settlers
looking upon the forest as their greatest enemy, sought only
to drive back its limits as fast and as far as possible, and have
thus left the borders of the St. Lawrence nearly destitute of
wood, so that the cultivator is often obliged to bring from a
distance of many miles that fuel, which in a country like oure,
is such an important necessary of life, and now commands in
our large towns a high price, which is annually increasing.
But apart from their value as sources of fuel, the importance
of occasional forests in breaking the force of winds, and tem-
pering both the cold blasts of winter, and the heat and diyness
of the summer, should not be overlooked in a country which
like ours, is exposed to great extremes of tempciature. The
unwise policy which formerly levelled with an unsparing hand
the forests of Provence, has rendered portions of that country
almost a desert, exposed to the strong winds which descend
from the Alps. Future generations may plant foi-ests where
we are now destroying them.

But to return from this digression ; it is worthy of consider-
ation whether the extraction of salt from sea-water, for the
internal consumption of the province, as well as for the supply
of the immense fisheries on pur coasts, might not be made a
profitable branch of industry. The shores of the lower St.
Lawrence, or of the Bay of Chaleurs, would probably afford
many favorable localities for the establishment of salines;
the heat of our summers, which may be compared to those of
the south of France, would produce a very rapid evaporation,
while the severe frosts of our winters might be turned to
account for the concentration of the water by freezing, as is
practiced in northern Russia. Experiments would enable us
to determine how far the concentration can be carried during
the winter months, and w’hether this process could be advan-
tageously employed during tlie cold season, in preparing strong
brines for the summer. The sulphates of magnesia and soda,
and the potash salts, would find a ready market in England,
if the consumption of carbonate of soda and soda-ash in the
province, should not be found sufficient to warrant the estab-
lishment of furnaces for the manufacture of these alkalies in
the country.

In the construction of a saline it would be necessary to
choose a locality where is a considerable extent of nearly level
surface between the lines of high and low water. High
embankments would be necessary to protect the evaporating
giound against the tides of our coasts, but these once construct-
ed, the high tides would enable us to fill reservoirs at such an
elevation as would carry the water by its own gravity through
a series of basins, and thus dispense, in a great measure at
least, with the elevating machines employed in the salines of
the Mediterranean.

I have given these suggestions, and have entered into many
details of the process of working the salines, from a conviction
of the great importance of tins industry as now developed in
Fiance, and from a hope that some persons may be induced
to inquire whether these processes may not be economically
applied upon our own coasts.

MAGNESIAN MORTARS.

The attention of several chemists has been of late years
turned to the study of cements and mortars, but it is especially
to the laborious and admirable researches of Mr. Vicat of Gre-
noble, that we are indebted for a complete elucidation of some
of the most important questions connected with the subject.
The ordinary mortars composed of lime and sand, harden gra-
dually by exposure to the air, and this process depends upon
two distinct reactions ; first, the absorption of carbonic acid
from the air, and the foiTnation of a sub-carbonate of lime, and
secondly, upon a partial combination of the lime with the
sand, forming a silicate of lime. When placed under water
however, and excluded from the influence of carbonic acid,
mortars thus compo^d do not harden, but become dissolved or
disintegrated ; they cannot therefore be employed for con-
structions which are submerged.

Certain limestones have long been known to yield mortars
or cements, which have the property of hardening under water,
and the pozzuolanas of Italy and some other countries, when
mingled with ordinary lime, yield mortars which are possessed

of similar properties. Pozzuolanas, and these peculiar lime-
stones are comparatively rare ; but Vicat has shown that it is
possible to mutate them in a very simple manner, and with
matenals which are everywhere present, to prepare good
hydraulic cements. The limestones which yield hydraulic
cements are those which are mingled with a ceLn proportion
ot clay, and by calcining an artificial mixture of carbonate of
lime and clay, we may prepare hydraulic cements, vaiyingin
character according to the proportions of the mixture. wLn
the limestone contains 10 , 15 , or 25 per cent, of clay it
becomes more and more hydraulic, and when the mixture
amounts o onerthird of the lime, we obtain a mortar whlh
haidens alniost immediately in air or under water. The pro-
portion of clay may even rise to 60 per cent.

sn^T ^ of this

rnkn!" y’ preparation of such a cement was

unknown to the Romans. The ^pozzuohm or tra^s, which was

employed by them to give hardness to their mortars, is a fel-
spathic or argillaceous matter, which has been calcined by
VO came heat, and has thus acquired the property of rendering
ordinary lime hydraulic. It suffices, in fact, to calcine any

ordinary clay especially with the addition of a little alkali, to
obtain an artificial pozzuolana.

colnl!" because its

colour resembles that of the Portland stone,) is prepared by

ca cining a mixture in proper proportions, of chalk with the

c ayey mud of the Thames ; but similar and equally good

cements are now manufactured elsewhere in England and

France by mixing chalk or marl with other clays. The mate-

^ to fine powder, and intimately mixed with

the addition of water. The resulting paste is Lulded into
bneks, which are dried and burned. It is of importance that
the heat in calcining be sufficiently elevated, otherwise the
carbonic acid and water may be expelled without that reac-
tion between the hme and clay which is required for the pro-
uction of a cement. It is necessary to employ a white hLt,
which shall agglutinate and frit the mixture. After this
ojeration the material is assorted, and the portions which

are scorified by too much heat, as well as those insufficiently
calcined, being set aside, the cement is pulverized for use. It
is often advantageous to grind to powder the native mix-
tures of limestone and clay before burning them, in order to
ensure greater homogeneousness. It will also be seen that a
calcination at a very elevated temperature is frequently re-
quired to develope the hydraulic character of limestones ; the
greater the temperature employed, the more slow is the soli- *
dification of the cement, but the harder does it become.

The portions of cement which have been over-heated and
converted into a slag, as well the semi-vitrified masses ob-
tained in the calcination of ordinary lime, over-burned bricks
and tiles, and the scoriae of iron-furnaces, may all be used with
advantage to give hydraulic properties to ordinary lime, either
by mingling with it before burning, or by employing them as
pozzuolanas to mix with the slacked lime. The theory of
the solidification of these various cements, and the important
part played by the alkali which is always present, in forming
a silicate of lime, has been carefully studied by Kuhlmann and
Fuchs ; the application of soluble glass for the silicatisation of
limestones and other calcareous materials, depends upon a
similar reaction. But important as is this question, both in a
theoretical and practical point of view, I shall reserve it for
another occasion.

The cements prepared by the different processes above in-
dicated, leave nothing to be desired for constructions in fresh
water, but do not uniformly resist the action of the sea,
which causes a great many of these hydraulic cements to lose
their cohesion, and eventually fall to pieces when immersed in
sea-water. Mr. Vicat, junior, has found that this change de-
pends upon the action of the magnesian salts of the sea-water
upon the lime of the cement, and has proposed a mortar from
which lime is excluded, consisting of caustic magnesia mixed
with an artificial pozzuolana. For this purpose such materials
should be selected as contain no calcareous matter, and he re-
commends pipe-clay, or the debris of certain felspathic rocks.
These when calcined and mixed with 15 or 20 per cent, of
magnesia, previously made into a paste with water, yield a

cement wliicli hardens after three or four days, either under
fresli or salt water, and acquires after some time a great decree
of strength. ^

But important as this discovery of Mr. Vicat promises to be,
the liigh price of magnesia is opposed to tlie general adoption
of this cement for marine constructions. The inventor calcu-
lates that if magnesia can be funiished for S30 or $40 the ton,
the cement can be economically made use of, and the directors
of the salines of the south of France are now endeavoring to
manufacture magnesia on a large scale, from the chlorid of
magnesium in the bittern of the sea water. Carbonate of mag-
nesia is abundant in nature, but almost always found united
With carbonate of lime, forming a dolomite, and the pure mag-
nesian carbonate has hitherto been a rare mineral. Associated
with a little carbonate of iron and some silicious matters
however, it is found in abundance in the Eastern Townships,
where it fomrs beds among the Silurian slates in Sutton and
Bolton. Specimens of it from these localities attracted parti-
cular attention at the Exhibition at Paris, where the magnesian
mortar of Vicat was first brought forward, and the Keporter
of the Jury of the 14th class calls particular attention to the
value of this mineral as a source of magnesia, and as possibly
destined to become an article of e.xport from Canada.

1 he magnesite from Bolton, where it forms an iinmeiise bed,
resembles a crystalline limestone, and consists of about GO.O
per cent, of carbonate of magnesia, 9.0 per cent, of carbonate
of iron, and 31.0 of quartz in grains, besides small portions of
nickel and chrome. Some specimens fiom Sutton contain
more than 80.0 per ct. of carbonate of magnesia. When this
mineial is calcined, the carbonic acid is expelled, and there
remains a mixture of magnesia with quartz and oxyd of iron.
But as these impurities do not interfere with its application to
the jHiiposcs of a cement, the j)i’eviously ignited rock, which
m the case of that from Bolton will contain 43.0 per cent, of
caustic magnesia, may be directly mixed with calcined clay
or .pozzuolana, to form the magnesian mortar. Although it is
not certain that these native carbonates can be economically
wrought for exportation, the subject is certainly worthy of the

attention of our engineers who are engaged in the construction
of docks and piers in the lower ports of the St. Lawrence. At
the same time the application of this mineral as an economical
source of pure magnesia and magnesian salts on a large scale,
is one worthy of consideration.

ON THE PURIFICATION OF PLUMBAGO.

Mr. Brodie, of London, presented at the Exhibition a quan-
tity of plumbago purified by a new and remarkable process,
which excited the attention of the Jury not less by its economic
importance, than by the curious chemical reaction upon which
it depends. The pure plumbago furnished by the mines of
Borrowdale in Cumberland, is exceedingly fine-grained, and so
compact that it may be sawn into thin plates, which are used
for the fabrication of pencils. This plumbago, as is well
known, commands an enormous price, and the locality is now
nearly exhausted. Many other countries, as Bohemia, Spain,
Ceylon, Greenland and Canada furnish abundance of the mine-
ral, but it is almost always impure from the presence of earthy
matters, and generally so crystalline in its texture that it
cannot be wrought by the same processes as the Cumberland
lead.

Attempts had been made to reduce these varieties to pow-
der, and then to consolidate them by the aid of some adhesive
matter, but these results were not satisfactory. Mr. Brockedon
at length conceived the happy idea of solidifying the powder
by pressure, without the intervention of any foreign substance ;
but it was necessary first to remove the air from between the
particles, for without this precaution, all attempts to compress
it resulted only in the breaking of the instruments employed.
The prepared mineral, moulded by a slight pressure into a
mass of the required shape, was enveloped in very fine paper,
covered over with glue. Having made a small round hole in
the paper, the parcel was placed beneath the receiver of an
air-pump ; the air bei)ig exhausted, the aperture in the ‘paper
‘was closed by a small disc of the same glued paper, and the
parcel being withdrawn, was then submitted to a heavy pres-

sure, which caused the adhesion of the particles, and gave
masses of graphite equal in beauty and solidity to the na«ve
nnnera of Cumberland. For this ingenious inventionlhe

JZcn Me fte

But to give its full value to the discovery of Mr. Brockdon
there was still wanting a means of purifying the ordinani
plumbago, and removing the earthy matters with which it I
generally contaminated. To effect this is one of the objects of
the process of Mr. Brodie. He mixes the plumbago in coarse
powder m an iron vessel, with twice its oL weight of coT
on sulphuiic acid, and seven per cent, of chlorate of potash
and he^ats the whole over a water-bath until chloril oxyd
ceases to be evolved. By this means the compounds of iron

e, and the subsequent addition of a little fluorid o^f sodium
to the acid mixture, will decompose any silicates which inav
lemain, and volatilize the silica present. The mass is now
washed with abundance of water, dried, and heated to redness
This last operation causes the grains of plumbago to exfoliate

to ^ surprising manner, and is reduced

to a state of very minute division. It is then levigated, and

The process of Mr. Brodie is now patented in England, and

nmthof'^ f of plumbago by this

finelv A- ■ 1 fabrication of pencils, this

dazl. of advantageously employed for the

glazing of gunpowder, and according to Mr. Brodie for the

f ^ r" «:

Zl fr c ^ supenority over ordinary plumbago as an
application for preventing friction in machinery.

to tho ZZ y peculiarly applicable

to the purification of the lamellar variety from Ceylon, which

resembles closely that found in Grenville and Bu gess ; and

ON PEAT, AND THE PRODUCTS DERIVED FROM IT.

Within a few years much has been said about the economi-
cal applications of peat, not only as a combustible in a com-
pressed state, or converted into charcoal ; but also as a source
of oils, paraffine, illuminating gas and ammoniacal salts. My
attention was therefore naturally directed to this matter while
at the Exhibition, and I had an opportunity of examining
collections of these products from various parts of France, and
obtaining considerable information upon the subject.

There are several deposits of peat which furnish the supply
of this material for the Paris market. A portion of a large peat
bog near Liancourt (Oise) which is on the Northern Railway,
nineteen leagues from Paris, is now wrought by Messrs.
Debonne & Co., and it is to the kindness of Mr. Debonije,
that I am indebted for the following facts with regard to his
establishment. The layer of peat has an average thickness of
ten feet, and the working, which is carried on during five
months in the year, employs 300 men. The peat from the top
and bottom of the bog is mixed, and being transferred to flat-
boats, is turned over with shovels, and trampled beneath the
feet of the workmen, after which it is moulded with pressure
into the form of small bricks, which when dried are heavier
than water. The moulded peat is worth in Paris 20 francs the
ton of 1,000 kilogrammes (2,204 pounds avoirdupois.) The
quantity annually raised by Debonne & Co. is from 10,000 to
12,000 tons, all of which was in 1855 converted upon the spot
into charcoal, of which it yields from 40 to 42 per cent. This
charcoal is sold in Paris at wholesale for 100 francs the ton,
and retailed at the rate of 13 francs the 100 kilogrammes.
This was about the price of wood-charcoal at Paris in 1855,
when mineral coal was sold there at from 4-00 francs to 5-00
francs the 100 kilos, and wood at from 4*0 to 5*5 francs for the
same weight, or by measure at from 35 to 38 francs the siere of
35*3 cubic feet English. The dried peat yields from 10 to 11
per cent, of ash, and the charcoal 27 per cent. ; its combustion
is slower than that of ordinary charcoal, and it is much em-
ployed for domestic purposes in Paris.

Mr. Hebert of Reims, (Marne) prepares a large quantity of
compressed peat of excellent quality, amounting to 14,000 tons
annually, a part of which is manufactured into charcoal. The
peats and charcoals prepared by the patented process of Chal-
leton at Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dome), and Montauger
(Seine-et-Oise), were remarkable for their homogeneousness,
density and cheapness, and attracted particular attention at
the Exhibition. They are said to be economically employed
for stationary steam-engines, and even for locomotives. His
coal yields 28 per cent, of ash.

In the ordinary process for carbonizing peat, its volatile
products are lost, but when distilled in close vessels it yields
besides water, ammonia, and inflammable gases, a large amount
of oily matter. According to Mr. Armand, the skilful chemist
of the establishment of Babonneau & Co., of Paris, good peat
yields on an average about forty per cent, of charcoal, and
fifteen to eighteen per cent, of crude oil containing paraffine.
1000 kilogrammes of the compressed and dried peat of Lian-
court, still containing fifteen per cent, of hygrometric mois
ture, gave to him 400 of charcoal, 167 of oils, bitumen and
paraffine, 358 of water, containing carbonate, acetate and sulph-
ydrate of ammonia, and a little wood spiiit; besides 75 kilo-
grammes of inflammable gases and loss. The ammonia was
equal to 20 kilogrammes of sal-ammoniac. The oil by dis-
tillation is separated into a liglit oil or naphtha, which is
burned for illumination in lamps of a peculiar construction,
and a heavy, less volatile portion, which is used for lubricating
machinery, or is mingled with fat oils for burning in ordinary
lamps. There is obtained besides, a portion of solid bitumen
or pitch, amounting for the above quantity to 48 kilogrammes.

1 he application of peat charcoal as a manure, either alone
or mingled with animal matters, for which its great antiseptic
power makes it admirably adap)ted, is a consideration not to be
overlooked. It has a much greater de-odorizing effect than
ordinary charcoal, while tlie inorganic salts wliich it contains
will enliance its value as a manure. I have already called
attention to this latter point in my Report for 1850, where
I have shown that the peat of St. Dominique, which yields

IdB

427

thirty-six per cent, of charcoal, gives from six to seven per
cent, of ash, containing besides carbonates and silicates of
lime and magnesia, more than one per cent, of alkaline salts,
two per cent, of phosphate of lime, and fifteen per cent, of
sulphate of lime. It will be observed that this peat contains
much less ash than that of Liancourt.

The paraffine, which is dissolved in the oils, is separated from
them by exposure to cold, and afterwards purified by peculiar
processes. According to Mr. Armand, peat may be made to
yield from two to three per cent, of this matter. When pure
it is a white, fusible, crystalline solid, devoid of taste or smell,
much resembling spermaceti in appearance, and like it employ-
ed for the manufacture of caudles. For this purpose it is said
to be mixed with eight or ten per cent, of ordinary stearine,
(stearic acid,) and to yield candles of great beauty, hard-
ness and illuminating power. It is also advantageously min-
gled in smaller quantities with stearine, or even with common
tallow, to which it communicates hardness and other valuable
properties. The price of the pure refined paraffine at the
Exhibition, was given as 250 francs the 100 kilogrammes,
(220 pounds,) or about half the price of spermaceti.

The gas evolved duririg the distillation of the peat may be
employed as a combustible for heating the retorts, but it bums
with too pale a flame to be used for illuminating purposes.
The crude oil from the peat however, when decomposed by a
high temperature, as in the manufiicture of gas from oil or
resin, yields a gas of great illuminating power, which when
mingled with the gaseous product of the first distillation, gives
a gas of very superior quality. Experiments made in 1855
with this mixed gas, showed that its illuminating power was
three and four-tenth times that of coal gas, but I am not able
to state the comparative cost of the two. From the absence
of sulphur in peat, the purification of this gas would be much
more simple than that from coal.

The solid bitumen from the distillation of peat may be
employed like asphalt in the preparation of mastic for paving,
and I liave been assured that experiments have shown that
peat itself may be converted into a similar material, by the

; f i

i :i:! • i'^

following process. Having been well dried, it is mingled with
from ten to fifteen per cent, of coal-tar, and the mixture boiled
tor several hours, until the peat disolves into a viscid liquid
which when cooled, is solid and resembles asphalt.

The distillation of bituminous shales, and mineral bitumens
IS earned on to a p-eat extent both in England and on the
contment. To this class of matters belong the so-called
Boghead and cannel coals, as well as the bituminous minerals
of vanous parts of France and Switzerland. These sub-
stances afford by distillation products similar to those of peat
The crude oil from bituminous schists yields by rectification, a
considerable amount of solid bitumen, but only a small quan-
tity of paraffine, of which peat promises to be the most abund-
ant and economical source. The price of the rectified oils for
illuminating purposes, was quoted in Paris at from 40 francs
to 75 francs the hectolitre, which is equal to 22 imperial
gallons. A peculiar unctuosity is said to be given to the
denser oils by the addition of a little lime, which thickens
.hem, and renders them better adapted for lubricating puiposes,
but these oils, it is said, cannot replace those of animal or
vegetable origin, for machines where great velocity is required.
Large quantities of mineral oils are however now manufac-
tured for these purposes, both in England and Fiance; a
sunilar product is also obtained by the distillation of resin.

The crude residues from the rectification of the oils of peat
and bitumen are burned in proper apparatus, and furnish abun-
dance of lamp-black. The solid bitumen, which is obtained
in considerable quantity from bituminous schists, is employed
with the native asphalt, for the preparation of the mastics, now
so much used for pavements and the covering of roofs and walls.
The house of Babonneau & Co., in Paris, which conducts the
working of the bitumens of Val de Travers in Switzerland, of
Chavaroche in Savoy, and of Rocca Secca near Naples, has
establishments for distilling on a large scale these various min-
erals, and the extraction of the products already mentioned.
To Mr. Babonneau, and to M. Armand, the able chemist of
the company, I am much indebted for their kindness in affor-
ding me information. Mr. Armand informed me that bitunii-

nous shales cannot be economically wrought in France unless
they yield five per cent, of bituminous matter, the residue
from the distillation being, unlike that from peat, compara-
tively worthless. The distillation of peat appears to be as yet
in its infancy, and probably destined to become a very im-
portant branch of industry.

The Canadian bitumen from Enniskillen is properly an
inspissated petroleum, and yields when distilled a great deal
of oil containing paraffine; it will probably be more advanta-
geously employed as a source of lubricating and illuminatin<T
oils, than an asphalt. ®

I have the honour to be.

Sir,

Your most obedient servant,

T. STERRY HUNT.

REPORT

FOK THE YEAR 1856,

T. STERHY HUNT, Esq., CHEMIST AND MINERALOGIST TO THE
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY,

ADDRESSED TO

SIR WILLIAM EDMOND LOGAN*, F.R.S , DIRECTOR OF THE
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA.

Montreal, Is; Airr'il, 1857.

Sir,

I have the honour to submit to you the results of my
investigations dui'ing the past year, having reference to the
mineralogy of the metamorphic rocks of the country. In the
Reports for 1853 and 1854, 1 had occasion to describe the fels-
pathic and hypersthenic rocks of the Laurentian series, with its
limestones and dolomites. I have now to call your attention
to some of its serpentines and other magnesian minerals, and at
the same time to show that the metamorphic Lower Silurian
region offers a series of rocks veiy closely analogous in chemi-
cal and mineralogical constitution to those of the Laurentian
formation. The carbonates and silicates of lime and magne-
sia are there repeated, and a felspathic rock, allied to diorite, ‘
replaces the triclinic felspars and hypersthenites of the older
series. The mineral species garnet, which sometimes foi-rns
a rock in the Laurentian series, plays an important part in

432

connection with the serpentines and diallage of the Silurian
period, and gives rise to some remarkable varieties of rocks ;
notwithstanding these parallelisms, there are however charac-
teristic differences between the two series, which may serve to
shew some light upon the mode of fomation of these strata.

Finally, in connection with a great number of analyses of
these altered rocks, and of various unaltered sedimentary depo-
sits of the Silurian series, I have to mention briefly a series of
enquiries, commenced in the hope of being enabled to explain
the mode of formation of certain sediments, and the production
of the various minerals of the altered rocks, from the meta-
morphism of the sedimentary strata. I shall commence by a
description of several varieties of magnesian and other rocks
from the Silurian series.

SILURIAN ROCKS.

Serpentine$ or Ophiolites. — In your Report of 1847, you have
described the serpentines of the Green Mountains as occurring
in beds, interstratified with the limestones, dolomites, quartz-
ites, argillites, talcose and chloritic rocks, which belong to the
altered Hudson River group of the Lower Silurian strata of
the eastern basin. The mineral species serpentine, is essen-
tially a hydrous silicate of magnesia, and its composition, ac-
cording to the received formula, is represented by silica 43-7,
magnesia 43'3, water 13'0, = lOO'O; a portion of protoxyd
of iron, sometimes amounting to ten per cent., frequently
replaces an equivalent quantity of magnesia. Besides, as
serpentine is rarely crystallized, it may often include foreign
minerals, and the result is that the analyses of this species
from different regions, offer slight variations, especially in the
proportions of silica and water.

The rocks known as serpentines are variable in their consti-
tutions, being sometimes composed almost entirely of the sili-
cate just mentioned ; at other times this is mingled with other
silicates, such as garnet, diallage and hornblende, with quartz,
or with carbonate of lime, dolomite or carbonate of magne-
sia. Mineralogists have therefore distinguished these rocks

by the general names of ophiolke and ojihicalce. Thus we have
besides a rock which is composed essentially of serpentine, and
may be regarded as the common or normal ophiolite, varieties
characterized by admixtures of garnet, diallage, hornblende
and chromic iron ore, which may be respectively designated
as grenatic or garnetiferous, diallagic, hornblendic and chromifcrous
ophiolites; to these we must add the quartzose ophiolite of
Brongniart, which is composed of nodules of quartz in a base
of serpentine The gaibro of the Italian geologists is a dial-
lagic ophiolite.

The name of ophkalce has been given by Brongniart to
rocks composed essentially of carbonate of lime and serpentine,
or talc. Crystalline limestones which like that of Grenville,
hold disseminated grains of serpentine, are designated by him
as granular ophicalce, while under the name of reticulated
aphicalce he has described an aggregate of rounded masses of
carbonate of lime, cemented by a base of talcose serpentine.
In addition to these, the same author describes an aggregate
of rounded masses of quartz, green jasper and silicious slate,
cemented by serpentine, and several breccias, consisting of
angular fragments of quartz, of serpentine, and of Jasper, in a
paste of serpentine. These rocks he separates from the pre-
ceding species under the name of anagenitcs and breccias. But
such aggregates, in which serpentine is sometimes the paste,
and sometimes the imbedded mineral, cannot be separated
from certain varieties of ophicalce. Again in this last species
the calcareous matter is often replaced by dolomite, and even
by crystalline carbonate of magnesia, forming varieties of rock
to which the name of ophicalce is no longer appropriate. I
therefore propose to unite all these varieties under the general
name of ophiolite, and to describe them as calcareous, dolo-
mitic and magnesitic ophiolites, which may be granular, gnessoid,
conglomerate, or brecciated in their structure. I have been
thus particular in distinguishing these diflFerent varieties, be-
cause they have doubtless a common origin, and because their
study will aid us in getting an idea of the mode of formation
of serpentine rocks.

434

The ophiolites of the Green Mountains often contain dial-
lage, and more rarely actynolite and garnet. Calcareous,
dolomitic and magnesitic varieties are common, and are gran-
ular, gneissoid,'and sometimes conglomerate in their structure.
Small portions of nickel and chrome are seldom or never
V anting in these rocks, which often contain grains, and even
beds of chromic iron. Foliated and fibrous varieties of
sei’pentine are also met with there, constituting the varieties
which have been named baltimorite^ picrolite and chrysotile. A
fine collection of ophiolites from the township of Orford, where
these rocks are very extensively displayed, has furnished me
with a large number of the specimens about to be described.

The analysis of the sei-pentines was generally effected by
treating the mineral in fine powder, wdth sulphuric acid dilu-
ted with its own volume of water, and heating the mixture
in a platinum capsule until acid fumes were evolved ; it was
sometimes necessary to repeat this process with the undis-
solved residue.

The purity of the separated silica was in all cases detennin-
ed by dissolving it with the aid of heat, in a solution of car-
bonate of soda. The action of a boiling solution of nitrate
of ammonia upon the mineral, either before or after ignition,
was generally had recourse to, for the detennination of any
earthy carbonates which might be present.

1. Normal Ophiolite . — A very beautiful and homogenous
variety of serpentine rock from the tenth lot of the eighteenth
range of Orford, was found to have a density of 2.597. It
was finely granular in texture, and had a scaly conchoidal
fracture ; colour deep olive-green, with small bluish veins ;
it was sub-translucent, and had a highly argillaceous odour.
This serpentine holds in very small quantity, disseminated
grains of magnetic and chromic iron ores, and contain a little
nickel, but no cobalt. When ignited and boiled with a solu-
tion of nitrate of ammonia, it gave a trace of magnesia, but
no lime. Its analysis yielded

Silica, 40-30

Magnesia (by difference), 39*07

Protoxyd of iron, 7-02

Oxyd of nickel, *26

** chrome, (traces.)

Water, by ignition, 13*35

100*00

2. A fragment of pure serpentine from a conglomerate
(lolomitic ophiolite about to be described, had a density of
2-622, a blackish-green colour, a conchoidal fracture, and wai#
almost opaque. The pulverized and ignited mineral yielded
to nitrate of ammonia, 0-40 of carbonate of lime and 0*27 of
carbonate of magnesia. This serpentine contains a small
quantity of chromic iron. The oxyd of nickel, detennined
upon four grammes of the mineral, gave no trace of cobalt
before the blow-pipe. Its analysis gave as follows : —

Silica, 42*90

Magnesia, 36*28

Protoxyd of iron, 7*47

Oxyd of nickel, *15

Chromic iron, *25

Loss by ignition, 13*14

100*19

3. I may cite in this place the analysis of a serpentine given
in my Report for 1852, p. 99. It forms the rock in contact
with the bed of chromic iron ore in Ham, has a hardness of
3-5, and a density of 2-546. It is massive and compact, with
a splintery fracture ; colour greenish-w^hite, and translucent.
The analysis, which failed to detect either chrome or lime,
gave as follows : —

Silica, 43*4

Magnesia (by difference), 40*0

Alumina and oxyd of iron, 3.6

Water, 13*0

100*0

The associated chromic iron ore gave by analysis 0-22 per
cent, of oxyd of nickel, which, fused with borax before the
blow-pipe, gave distinct evidence of the presence of cobalt.

436

4. A characteristic fibrous serpentine (jncrolite) from the
seventh lot of the eighth range of Bolton, has a hardness of 4,
and a density of 2'607. It breaks into ligneous masses several
inches in length ; very compact; fracture splintery; fibres stiff
and elastic ; shows an oblique cleavage. Colour celandine-
green ; lustre vitreous, silky ; transparent in small fragments ;
.tough, and difficult to pulverize. The finely-sifted powder is
completely decomposed by sulphuric acid, and the silica retains
the form and lustre of the fibres ; the mineral contains appa-
rently as much nickel as 1. Its analysis gave : —

Silica 43.70

Magnesia,

Protoxyd of iron, 3.5^

Oxyd of nickel (undetermined)

Water, 12.45

100-34

5. Calcareous Ophiolite. — The specimen of this variety which
I have analyzed is from the tenth lot of the sixteenth* range of
Orford. It is fine grained and sub-crystalline, with a scaly,
somewhat conchoidal fracture. Colour, mottled greenish-grey,
with an occasional pui-plish tinge. Translucent on the edges,
and leseinbles, except in colour, many common limestones.
Ip powder, the rock effervesces with acetic acid, even in the
cold, and by the aid of heat fifty-seven per cent, of the mass
were dissolved, consisting of carbonate of lime, wdth a little
magnesia and a trace of iron. The residue effeiwesced in the
cold with dilute nitric acid, w^hose action, aided by a gentle
heat during half-an-hour, dissolved 10-76 per cent, of carbo-
nate of lime and magnesia, with a little iron, corresponding to
a ferriferous dolomite. The pale-green residue from the action
of the nitric acid, when dried at 212® F., equalled 32-00 per
cent. It w-as readily decomposed by sulphuric acid, without
any effervescence, and had the characters of serpentine. Its
analysis gave : —

Silica,

Magnesia,

Protoxyd of iron.
Lime,

41-20

32-16

11-16

•65

Alumina, 2*67

Water, 12*70

100*64

Tlie portion soluble in acetic acid (I.) and that dissolved in
nitric acid (11.) had the following composition for 100 parts: —

I. II.

91*33 49*45

8*67 43*68

(traces.) 6*87

100-00 100*00

It will be seen that the dilute acids attack but slightly the
sei’pentine, and that the nitric acid dissolves an intermingled
dolomite, which is but little acted upon by the acetic acid. I
have taken advantage of this reaction to separate the dolomite
from the carbonate of lime in a crystalline magnesian lime-
stone, whose analysis is given in my Report for 1854. The
proximate analysis of the rock in question shows it to be a
mixture of carbonate of lime, dolomite and serpentine, and
we have for 100 parts : —

Soluble in acetic acid, 57*00

nitric acid, 10*76

Insoluble, serpentine, 32*00

99*76

6. Dohmitic Ophiolite . — This granular variety is from the
shore of Brompton Lake, in the seventh range of the thir-
teenth lot of Orford. It is fine grained and greyish-green
like the last, but somewhat darker in colour, and weathers
reddish-brown. Its fracture is uneven and sub-conchoidal,
presenting grains of a crystalline spar. A fibrous coating is
sometimes apparent in the joints of the rock. Its hardness is
about 4. When reduced to powder it did not effeiwesce with
acetic acid like the last, but was readily attached by dilute
nitric acid, which removed carbonates of lime, magnesia and
iron, with elfervescence, leaving a residue of serpentine. A
proximate analysis gave 51'9 parts of serpentine, and 48*1 of
dolomite = 100-0. The nitric solution contained some man-
ganese and nickel.

Carbonate of lime,

“ “ magnesia,

“ iron,

The composition of the sei^pentine left by the nitric acid
was : —

Silica, 43*20

Magnesia (by difference), 36*11

Protoxyd of iron with nickel, 8*29

Water, 12*40

100*00

The dolomite dissolved, gave for 100 parts : —

Carbonate of lime, 49*58

“ magnesia, 46*32

“ “ iron with manganese, 4*io

100*00

7. Dolomitic Ophiolite. — This rock, also from Brompton
Lake, on the twelfth lot of the eighteenth range of Oiford,
has furnished some fine blocks for ornamental purposes. It
is a conglomerate, made up of fragments of sei'pentine thickly
disseminated in a greenish-white dolomitic base. The masses
of serpentine vary from a line to more than an inch in diam-
eter, and although rounded, are more or less angular in form.
Their colours are various shades of dark green, sometimes
appearing nearly black when polished. The analysis of one
of these imbedded masses has already been given (No. 2).
This rock contains both nickel and chromic iron.

An average specimen of the conglomerate was pulverized
for examination. The powder effervesced even in the cold,
with acetic acid, which with the aid of heat, took up by
prolonged digestion, twenty per cent, of carbonates of lime
and magnesia, and 0-2 of oxyd of iron. The soluble portion
contained carbonate of lime 88*30, carbonate of magnesia
11*70. The residue from acetic acid effervesced slightly
with warm dilute nitric acid, and the solution was found to
contain a quantity of magnesia equivalent to 5*68 per cent,
of the original mass (11*70 per cent, of magnesian carbonate),
besides 1*36 of peroxj^d of iron and 0*60 of alumina, but no
lime, the whole of that base having been removed by the
acetic acid. The residue from the action of nitric acid, was
decomposed by fusion with carbonate of soda, and gave : —

Silica, 45. 10

Magnesia, (by difference), 34 * 6 ^

Protoxyd of iron, 6-12

Alumina, .30

Water 13.30

100-00

The residue when ignited, yielded but a trace of magnesia
to a boiling solution of nitrate of ammonia, showing that it
retained no carbonate ; but from the excess of silica it was
evident that a partial decomposition of the serpentine had
been effected by the nitric acid. In confirmation of this, I
found that a second portion of the pulverized rock, when sub-
mitted to a prolonged digestion with acetic acid, left 75*5 per
cent, of matter dried at 212^ F. ; this residue gave a feeble
effervescence with nitric acid, which by prolonged digestion,
took up 13*0 per cent, of magnesia, although w’hen previously
ignited, the residue gave to a solution of nitrate of ammonia
only a trace of lime, and but 0*3 per cent, of magnesia. Its
analysis by fusion with carbonate of soda gave : —

Silica, 43-10

Magnesia, 35.52

Protoxyd of iron, 8-82

Water, 11-90

99-34

Another specimen of the conglomerate was now pulverized,
and eight grammes of it were digested for a long time with
boiling acetic acid ; the insoluble residue, after levigation, was
subjected a second time to the same treatment. The matters
thus dissolved, for 100 parts of the mineral, were : —

Carbonate of lime, 7.35

“ magnesia, 7*72

“ “ iron, 1-78

16-85

A portion of the residue from the acid was ignited and
boiled with nitrate of ammonia, which dissolved a portion of
lime equal to 0*3 per cent, of carbonate, and of magnesia equa

440

to 3*26 of carbonate of magnesia ; making a total of 10*98 of
carbonate of magnesia to 7*65 of carbonate of lime. The
serpentine residue, still containing these 3*56 per cent, of
carbonates, gave by analysis with carbonate of soda, the fol-
lowing results : —

Silica, (by difference), • 43-93

Magnesia, 35-64

Protoxyd of iron, 7*83

Lime, (traces.)

Loss by ignition, 12-60

^ 100-00

A portion of the powder of this last specimen of the con-
glomerate was ignited for ten minutes over a spirit-lamp, and
then boiled with a solution of nitrate of ammonia, so long as
a perceptible odour of ammonia was evolved ; there were dis-
solved by this means 6*50 per cent, of carbonate of lime, and
7*65 of carbonate of magnesia.

Veins of from four to six lines in breadth are often met
with in this conglomerate. Their walls are covered with a
thin layer of pale green serpentine, having a fibrous stnicture
perpendicular to the sides of the vein , upon this is deposited
a bluish-white, fine grained dolomite, while in the middle a
nearly pure cleavable calcite occurs. The analysis of a portion
of this dolomite gave : —

Carbonate of lime, 59-32

magnesia, 34-15

“ iron, 4*83

98-30

8. Magnesitic Ophiolite . — In the three preceeding specimens
we have examples of ophiolites which are mixtures of serpen-
tine with carbonates of lime and magnesia ; in the first the
lime is greatly in excess, in the second the two carbonates are
united in the proportions required to form a dolomite, while
in the third the magnesian carbonate predominates, but from
the action of cold acetic acid, it would appear that a portion
at least of the carbonate of lime in this specimen, is not in

chemical combination with the magnesian carbonate The
histoiy of these rocks would however be incomplete without
the description of another variety, in which the carbonate of
lime is entirely wanting, and which consists wholly of silicates
and carbonates of magnesia and iron. This remarkable rock
has not yet been noticed in Canada, but is found in Vermont,
in the southern prolongation of the Green Mountains, and
constitutes the so-called serpentine marble of Roxbury in that
state ; it has been examined by Dr. C. T. Jackson and Dr.
A. A. Hayes, of Boston.

Dr. Jackson {American Journal of Science^ II. vol. xxiii., p.
125,) succeeded in separating from the rock a mineral having
the composition of serpentine, and describes veins composed
of feiTiferous carbonate of magnesia, and others of ferriferous
dolomite, which traverse the mass. According to Dr. Hayes,
(Ibid, II. vol. xxi., p. 382,) the rock is an aggregate of fibrous
and compact asbestus, talc, chlorite and chromic iron, with
angular fragments of talc-schist and argillite ; the whole
cemented by carbonate of magnesia, which forms according to
him, on an average, 38 p. c. of the mass. He has also shewn
that the ophiolites of Cavendish, and of Lynnfield in the same
region, contain carbonate of magnesia, without any lime.
Through the kindness of the above-named gentlemen, I have
been furnished with a series of specimens, which have permit-
ed me to make a careful examination of the Roxbury ophiolite.

Some portions of the rock appear as a mottled granular mass,
having a hardness of about 4*0, with an uneven fracture, and
presenting cleavable grains of magnesite ; the colors vary from
blackish-green to greenish-white, and the rock is susceptible
of a high polish. Other specimens are white and crystalline,
with numerous greenish-grey bands, the whole arranged in
parallel layers, as if stratified, and resembling closely some
varieties of gneiss. The rock cleaves with these layers, which
contain serpentine and talc, intermingled with carbonate of
magnesia. This mineral, as described by Drs. Jackson and
Hayes, is nearly pure in the white portions, and has a hardness
of 4*0, and a density of 2*99 — 3*00, according to my determina-
tions. Dr. Hayes found for its composition, carbonic acid 48*80>

'U ,

442

magnesia 45*60, talc and a little silica 3*60, silicate of pro-
toxyd of iron 1*96 = 99*96.

This result corresponds closely with my own. I obtained
from 100 parts, 2*76 of talc, and 1*82 of silica, besides 2*40 of
peroxyd of iron, corresponding to 3*48 of carbonate of iron, the
rest being carbonic acid and magnesia, with a little manganese.
The greater portion of the iron exists here as carbonate, as is
evident from the fact that it is dissolved by a boiling solution
of nitrate of ammonia ; but there is also present a portion of
silicate of iron and magnesia, decomposable by acids. In my
analysis the powdered magnesite was digested for a long time
at a boiling heat with hydrochloric acid ; the insoluble portion
was then boiled with strong sulphuric acid, and from the resi-
due the silica was removed by a solution of carbonate of soda,
the talc remaining.

The talc thus purified from magnesite and serpentine by
successive treatments with hydrochloric and sulphuric acid
and carbonate of soda, was gently ignited, and then decom-
posed by fusion with carbonate of soda ; it gave : —

Silica, 62-60

Magnesia, 31-30

Alumina and oxyd of iron, 4*06

Water and loss, 2*04

100-00

In the analysis of Dr. Hayes just cited, the 48*80 parts of
carbonic acid are sufficient only for 44*36 parts of magnesia,
leaving 1*24 of this base in the form of a silicate decomposa-
ble by sulphuric acid. In order to determine the composition
of this silicate, a dark-green portion of the rock was pulverized,
and boiled for a long time with dilute nitric acid, which dis-
solved a large amount of magnesia with disengagement of
carbonic acid ; the solution contained besides, magnesia, iron,
manganese and a trace of nickel, but no lime. The undissolved
residue was then boiled with a solution of carbonate of soda,
which took up a considerable amount of silica derived from
the silicate which had been jiartially decomposed by the nitric
acid, and left a dense granular matter mingled with silvery

scales of greenish talc, which were in great part removed by
washing. The denser silicate was then dried at 2500 ^nd
submitted to analysis. By ignition it lost 11-40 per cent, and
then gave to a boiling solution of nitrate of ammonia a quan-
tity of magnesia equal to 1-21 of carbonate. Another portion
was decomposed by sulphuric acid, and the silica separated
from the insoluble talc by a solution of carbonate of soda.
The results of the analysis were as follows : —

Silica,

Magnesia,

Protoxyd of iron,
Oxyd of nickel,, .

Talc,

Water,

Carbonic acid, . .

39-60

36-72

4-86

(traces.)

6-80

10-77

-63

99-38

Deducting the talc, the carbonic acid, and the amount of
magnesia required to form with it 1*21 of carbonate, we have
for the composition of this silicate dried at 250^ F. : —

Silica,

Magnesia,

Protoxyd of iron,

Oxyd of nickel,

Water

100-00

This is the composition of serpentine, and the ophiolite of
Roxbury is thus shown to consist of serpentine and talc, inter-
mixed with a ferriferous carbonate of magnesia ; the compact
a^bestus of Dr. Hayes is nothing more than serpentine.

9. Diallage Rock. — Associated with the ophiolites, through-
out the Eastern Townships, there are found in abundance,
interstratified masses of rocks, made up chiefly of diallage and
actynolite. The township of Orford furnishes fine varieties
of diallage rock, one of which, from the fifteenth lot of the
thirieenth range, is the subject of the present examination.
It consists in great part of a celandine-green, translucent
diallage, the cleavage surfaces of which are sometimes ha

an inch in breadth, and have a pearly sub-metallic lustre.
The interstices between the masses of diallage are filled with
a soft amorphous matter, varying from light to dark-green in
colour, and resembling chlorite in its aspect. The rock is
exceedingly tough, and weathers superficially reddish-brown.

Carefully selected cleavable portions of the diallage had a
hardness of 5*0, and a density of 3*02 — 3*03 ; they contained
intermixed grains of magnetic iron, which after the mineral
had been reduced to powder, and suspended in water, was
removed by a magnet, and equalled 4’37 per cent. Two
analysis were made of difierent portions of the diallage thus
purified ; in the first the mineral had previously been digested
with warm dilute nitric acid, which had however, no action
upon it. This diallage, like the seiq)entines, loses all its water
by calcination over a spirit-lamp, and then becomes very red
from the peroxydation of the iron : —

II.

Oxygen.

Silica,

47-10

24-90

Magnesia,

24-58

10.01

Protoxyd of iron, . . .

8-55

1-89

Oxyd of nickel,

. . (traces.) ....

....

“ “ chrome,

....

Alumina,

3-50

1-63

Lime,

11-34

3-24

Water,

5-85

5-20

101-20

100-92

This mineral differs

from ordinary diallage

the great

excess of baseS| and the large amount

of water

which it

contains. Further analysis . are required to show whether
this composition is constant, or belongs to the diallage in its
pure state.

The mass of the rock, consisting of diallage intermixed with
magnetite and with the amorphous mineral, gave the following
results on analysis ; —

Silica,

Magnesia

Protoxyd of iron,

Oxyd of nickel, (traces)

“ chrome, <<

41-80

26-13

11-05

446

Aluminaj
Lime,. . .
Water,. .

6-80

roo

Y-eo

100-38

The material subjected to the above analysis had been
digested for some minutes with warm dilute nitric acid, which
removed insignificant traces of alumina, iron, lime and magnesia,
but no nickel ; the presence of which, and the absence of
cobalt, was clearly established in the three analyses just given.
The separated magnetite yielded no trace of chrome, though
the diallage contains some thousandths of this element. From
the last analysis it is evident that the intermixed mineral con-
tains little or no lime, but more water and alumina than the
diallage, and probably approaches to chlorite or pyrosclerite
in its composition.

10. A diallage rock from the vicinity of the chromic iron
ore-bod, in Ham, is made up almost entirely of a pale bronze
coloured diallage, which sometimes exhibits cleavages two
inches in length. An analysis of it gave the following results ;
chrome and nickel were not sought for in this specimen :

50-00

Magnesia, 0 . 27-1*7

Protoxyd of iron.

Lime,

Water,

13-59

3-80

6-30

100-86

11. An actynolite rock from St. Francois (Beauce), was
examined ; it is exceedingly tough, and made up of interlacing
fibres of actynolite, without any apparent intermixture ; color
within, dark greyish-green, but weathers nearly white. Its
analysis gave : —

Silica, 62-30

Magnesia, 21-50

Protoxyd of iron, g. >75

Oxyd of nickel, (traces)

99-95

446

12. An almost opaque greyish-green rock, resembling a
serpentine, from the twentieth lot of the first range of Ire-
land, has been described in my Report for 1851. It had a
density of 2*65, and gave by analysis : —

Silica, 43- YO

Magnesia, 23*46

Alumina, ? 23*00

Peroxyd of iron, ^

Water, 11*5Y

101* Y3

From the absence of lime and the large amount of alumina,
this substance may perhaps be regarded as an impure mixture
of serpentine with an aluminous silicate, such as chlorite or
pyrosclerite. Its analysis is only interesting as showing the
very variable composition of the magnesian rocks of this series.

13. Talc . — This species frequently occurs in the series of
rocks now under consideration, sometimes in pale green, foliated,
crystalline masses ; more frequently hovs ever, a massive schis-
tose variety is met with, forming beds of steatite, which are
sometimes interstratified with ophiolites, and at other times
with clay slates. The be^s of talc sometimes contain crystals
of actynolite, or inclose crystalline masses of carbonate of
magnesia, containing carbonate of iron and a little nickel.

A bed of steatite, on the sixteenth lot of the fifth range of
Potton, which has afforded large blocks of excellent quality,
was examined. It is greenish-white in colour, translucent, and
occurs in slaty masses ; when triturated in a mortar it shews
a foliated structure ; ignited over a spirit-lamp, it loses 3-70
per cent, of water, but at a white heat, 4*40 per cent. Its
analysis by fusion with carbonate of soda gave as follows. It
contained no trace of lime : —

Silica,

Magnesia,

Protoxyd of iron,

Oxyd of nickel, . .

Alumina,

Loss by ignition,

59*50

29*15

4*50

(traces.)

*40

4*40

97-95

of it.
lull

IHf

i)i

447

14. A soft silvery-white exfoliating talcose schist, from the
twentieth lot of the fifth range of Potton, after being dried at
212^ F., lost 3*0 per cent, by igniting over a spirit-lamp,
and 3-6 per cent, by the heat of a furnace. The ignited
mineral yielded nothing to a boiling solution of nitrate of
ammonia. Its analysis was effected by fusion with carbonate
of soda, and the absence of chrome and manganese was shown.
The results were as follows : —

Silica,

Magnesia,

Protoxyd of iron,

Oxyd of nickel, . .

Lime,

Alumina,

Water,

99-59

From the analysis, it appears probable that this material
consists of a mixture of talc with some anhydrous silicate
containing lime, perhaps a hornblende.

15. Chlorke. — This mineral species is abundant in the altered
rocks of the series under consideration, sometimes intermingled
with grains of quartz and felspathic matters, forming chloritic
sandstones and schists, which frequently contain epidote, and
magnetic and specular iron ores ; the latter are often met
/with distinctly crystallized, sometimes with rutile, in chlorite
slate, or in a chloritic dolomite. At other times, massive beds
of slaty chlorite or potstone are met with, which being free
from harder minerals, may be sawn and wrought with great
facility. A rock of this description from the twenty-sixth lot
of the sixth range of Potton, was of a pale greenish-gray
colour, unctuous to the touch, and composed of lamellm of
chlorite, arranged in such a way as to give a schistose-structure
to the mass. Its analysis gave me : —

Silica,

Magnesia,

Protoxyd of iron,

Alumina,

Water,

29-60

25-95

14-49

19-70

11-30

51-50

22-36

7-38

(traces.)

11-25

3-50

3-60

i )

101-04

I'! ^

ti:'

<- ,

Vi.-,

448

This is the composition of a true chlorite. Another portion
of this rock furnished to Mr. Delesse, by a partial analysis :
silica 29-88, water 1J.-50, lime 0-77 ; the alumina, oxyd of iron
and magnesia not being determined. He found also a small
portion of chrome, whose presence in some other specimens
of the chloritic rocks of this region, is indicated in the Report
for 1847.

16. In my Report for 1854 I had occasion to show that
many of the so-called talcose slates owe their peculiar charac-
ters to a hydrous silicate of alumina, allied to pholerite or
pyrophyllite, or to a hydrous mica, and the following analysis
of a rock which had been wrought as potstone in the township
of Shipton, is a case in point. It had a greenish-gray colour,
somewhat lighter than the chlorite just described, than which
it is finer-grained, and less schistose. It appears to be made
up of minute shining scales, confusedly arranged, and its pow-
der is not unctuous to the touch. Its analysis gave : —

Silica, 51'50

Alumina, 29*20

Protoxjd of iron, 9’27

Magnesia, 1*08

Potash, 1*54

Soda, 1*59

Water, 5*10

99*28

This aluminous silicate differs from the micas in the presence
of water, and in the small quantity of alkalies which enters
into its composition. It contains neither lime nor nickel, but
traces of manganese.

17. Garnet Rock. — The ophiolites, talcs and actynolites
which we have already described, are essentially silicates of
earthy protoxyd bases, while in diallage and chlorite these
bases are associated with alumina. Two other minerals,
which are double silicates of lime and alumina, are conspicuous
among the rocks of this metamoi'phic series ; they are epidote
and garnet. The former characterises great masses of chloritic
rock, although it is seldom well crystallized, or in a state of
purity ; but a peculiar white garnet occasionally forms a rock
by itself, and merits a particular description.

A remarkable locality of this mineral is found in contact
with an ophiolite on the sixteenth lot of the sixteenth range
of Orford. The rock resembles some of the so-called serpen-
tmous euphotides, and consists of a white garnet, having the
aspect of saussurite, intermingled with a small amount of a soft
green serpentine, which fills the interstices between irregular
rounded masses of the garnet; portions of this mineral in a
state of purity, are easily obtained half-an-inch in diameter.
It IS at once distinguished by a hardness of 7-0, and by its
density, which for selected fragments, was found to be 3-522
—3-536. It is amorphous, finely granular, and extremely
tenacious, with a conchoidal fracture; lustre feeble, waxy;
colour yellowish or greenish-white ; sub-translucent. After
intense ignition, which did not however effect its fusion, the
pulverized mineral gelatinized with hydrochloric acid. Its

analysis was made after fusion with carbonate of soda, and
gave : —

38-60

Alamina, 22-11

*!!!!!!!!!! 34-83

Magnesia,...

Oxyds of iron and manganese, i.0()

Soda and a trace of potash, .4^

Loss by ignition, j.jq

ir.

38-80

99-80

This mineral agrees closely in composition and properties
with lime-garnet, whose theoretical composition is represented
by silica 40-1, alumina 22-7, lime 37-2,=100-0. Croft obtain-
ed for a white garnet from the Ural Mountains, having a
density of 3-504 : silica 36-86, alumina 24-90, lime 37-15 =
•98-10.

18. A similar silicate is also found at the Falls of the River
Guillaume, in St. Francois (Beauoe , where it appears as a
bed in contact with serpentine, and forms an exceedingly
tough homogeneous rock, which has a hardness of 7-0, and
scratches deeply the surface of agate ; its density was found

450

to be 3-333 — 3-364. The rock has a sub-conchoidal fracture,
with traces of crystallization ; lustre shining, somewhat silky ;
colour yellowish-white ; sub-translucent. It also occurs at
the same locality as a greenish or greyish-white, somewhat
granular rock, cavities in which ai-e lined with small indistinct
crystals ; the density of this variety was 3*397 — 3-436.

Other specimens from the same locality exhibit the garnet
intermingled with large cleavable masses of dark-green horn-
blende, which passes into a pearl-grey or lavender-grey variety.
Small fragments of the garnet from this mixture had a density
of 3-496 ; they were white, opaque, with a conchoidal fracture,
and somewhat vitreous lustre. Intermingled with the garnet
and hornblende, was another white or yellowish-white amor-
phous mineral, with a waxy lustre and a hardness of 6-0 ; the
density of a nearly pure specimen of it was 2-729, of another
2-823. This, conjoined with its hardness, renders it probable
that it is a felspar ; but it is very difficult to separate it from
the garnet, or even to distinguish between the two species by
the eye alone. Another specimen of a white granular rock
from the same locality, which had been taken for garnet, had
a density of only 2-800, and was supposed to be chiefly fel-
spathic in its nature. The specific gravity of the greyish
hornblende was 3-046.

A specimen having a density of 3-333 was selected for
analysis ; its powder did not eflfervesce with heated nitric
acid, which however dissolved from it considerable alumina
and lime. By the ignition of the rock, its yellowish colour
was only changed by the appearance of rare points of black-

ish-green. The analysis gave as follows

Oxygen.

= 23-69

10-T6

= 5-03

. . 3*20

= *96

= 9-n

= 2-09

T.nsq Viv iorn.it.ioii.

. 110

99;53

If we regard the alumina, the peroxyd of iron, and a portion
ol hme, as forming a garnet with the formula Si2,(al fe)Ca 0*
the residual lime and silica, with the magnesia, are in the
proportions requisite to form a pyroxene, Si*,(CaMg,)0*. In
these formulae we have represented silica by SiO, while alO
and feO correspond to these sesquioxyds with one-third their
ordinary equivalent, thus : Al^O* = 3 alO. We liave for the
garnet : —

Silica,

Alumina,

Peroxyd of iron,
Lime,

22*69
10*76 )
3*20 5
21*07

Oxygen.

= 11*98 = 2

= 5*99 = 1

57*72

For the pyroxene there remains

Silica, . , .
Lime, .. . .
Magnesia,

22*16
13*31 )
5*24 >

Oxygen.
11*71 = 2
5*87 = 1

40*71

The rock just described will, according to this calculation,
consist of garnet 57.72, and pyroxene 40-71, which, with 1-10
of volatile matter, make up the sum of 99-53.

Felspathic Rocks.

In the Report for 1854, I have described at some length a
class of stratified felspathic rocks, which form an important
part of the Laurentian series, and are associated with the
calcareous and magnesian deposits of that ancient formation.
These rocks are essentially composed of felspars of the triclinic
system, generally associated with pyroxene, which passes into
the variety hypersthene, and containing as accidental minerals,
mica, garnet and ilmenite. The felspars, which contain lime
and soda, with a small amount of potash, vary in composition

452

from bytownite, a variety approaching anorthite, to labrador
felspar and andesine. These rocks are sometimes coarsely
crystalline, at others porphyritic, or finely granular, passing
into aphanite. The pyroxene is rarely in large quantity, and
often wanting in a coarsely crystalline variety of the rock,
which is the lahradorite of d’Halloy, while others correspond
to his hyyersthenite, the hyjycrite of some other authors.

Various names have been employed to designate the differ-
ent rocks which are essentially composed of felspars with
pyroxene or hornblende. When the pyroxene is of the variety
called augite, the rock is known as dolerite; it becomes
hyperite when the pyroxene assumes the form of hypei’sthene,
and takes the name of eiiphotide when the felspar, which is
then generally compact (saussurite), contains the varieties of
pyroxene known as smaragdite or diallage. In the euphotide
of Corsica, according to Eose, the diallage, with the external
form of pyroxene, has the cleavage of hornblende, constituting
the variety uralite. In the euphotides of Baste and Veltlin,
hornblende is associated with the diallage, and predominates
over it at the latter locality, often replacing the diallage
entirely, and giving rise to a rock composed of felspar and
hornblende, which is the composition of what is called diorite
or diabase.

When the elements of these compound rocks become so inti-
mately mingled that the mass appears homogenous, the name
of aplianite is given to it. This is the cornean or corneous rock
of Brongniari, so called from its somewhat horny aspect. The
various rocks which we have just mentioned, are in great pari
altered sedimentary strata, but some of them appear likewise
as intrusive masses ; the greenstones, traps and basalts of geo-
logists, are either diorites or dolerites. These explanations
will serve to prevent confusion for the future, in speaking of
these felspathic rocks, which it will be seen pass insensibly
into one another.

Associated with the ophiolites of the Silurian series, we have
a very abundant rock, consisting of felspar intimately mixed
with a silicate having the composition of a hornblende or
pyroxene, and forming an aggregate scarcely to be distin-

These rocks weather of an opaque white, which is character-
istic.

19. A variety of this diorite was examined from Brompton
L.ake, in the second lot of the sixteenth range of Orford • its
colour is white, with a tinge of greenish or yellowish-grey,
eiudently due to the presence of an amorphous disseminated
mineral, which becomes yellowish-brown after ignition, while
the base IS rendered white and more opaque, and is seen to
consist of grains of crystalline felspar, sometimes with very
^stinctly striated cleavage plains. The rock before ignition
has a waxy lustre, is sub-translucent, and has a sub-conchoidal
tiActure ; its hardness is 6-0, that of ordinary felspar, and its
density 2-748— 2*764. Its powder does not effenresce with
nitnc acid, which appears to be be without action upon it.
Its analysis was effected by fusion with carbonate of soda, and
the alkalies were determined by decomposing a separate por-
tion with carbonate of lime and sal-ammoniac ; the results

were as follows :

63-60

II.

63*40

12-70

7-95

•13

7-50

3 - 37

4 - 23
•40

Oxygen.

Silica,

33-53

5-93

2*06

Alumina,

Soda, . .
Potash,
Lime,. .

7-28

2 - 13 ^

1-31 > 4-38
.* 94 ^

Magnesia,

Protoxyd of iron.
Loss by ignition.

99-68

The oxygen ratios of the alkalies and the alumina are verv

nearly as 1 : 3 ; and if we add to these the silica corresponding

to 12 equivalents, or in round numbers to 24-00 of oxygen,
(equal to 43*20 of silica) ; we have the composition of albite,
in which species the oxygen ratios of the silica, alumina and
alkalies are as 12 : 3 : 1. There will then remain of the oxygen
of the silica, 9-53, which is to 4*38, the sum of the oxygen of
the lime, magnesia and iron-oxyd, very nearly as 9 ; 4, the ratio
of hornblende ; the rock then consists of 64-0 parts of albite,
and 35-3 parts of hornblende.

20. Another specimen of a similar rock from St. Francois
(Beauce), was rather more coarsely ciystalline than the last,
and had a pale bluish-green colour, from the presence of an
imperfectly crystalline hornblende, which is abundantly dis-
seminated among the grains of a somewhat translucent cleav-
able felspar. The hornblende turns dark olive-brown by
ignition, and the structure of the rock is then very evident;
its lustre is feeble and waxy, and its density was found to be
from 2*708 to 2*725 ; the pulverized rock yields to dilute
nitric acid, a trace of alumina and a little lime. Its analysis
gave me : —

Oxygen.

Silica,

33-95

Alumina,

6-63

Soda,

1-31 >

UntflsiVi

•TO >

Lime,

4-3 1

1-22

Magnesia,

2-T3

Protoxyd of iron,

-43

Loss by ignition,

-TO

100-85

If we regard the whole of alumina as representing the fel-
spar, we find that the oxygen of the alkalies does not equal
one-third of that of the sesqui-oxyd ; and we must therefore
suppose that a portion of lime equal to 0*20 of oxygen, enters
into the coihposition of the felspar. We shall then have for
the oxygen ratios; silica 26*52, alumina 6*63, alkalies
(2*01 + 0*20), = 2*21, or 12 : 3 : 1. The oxygen of the silica
to that of the remaining bases, will then be as 7*43 : 4*18 ; the
hornblende ratio of 9 : 4, requires 3*30, and that of pyroxene

2 : 1, demands 3*71 of protoxyd. The slight excess is ex-
plained by tlie fact that there is a gain in the analysis, probably
due to an error in the determination of the magnesia ; besides
which a little lime apparently exists in the rock as a carbonate.
We have then for the felspathic portion of this diorite, 49-68
parts of silica, together with the alumina, alkalies, and 0-71 of
lime, combined to form 73-81 parts of a felspar, which has the
formula of albite, but is distinguished from that of the pre-
vious specimen, by the large proportion of potash which it
contains.

Euphotide . — Much confusion exists among mineralogical
writers as to the nature and characters of saussnrite, a mineral,
which mingled with smaragdite, constitutes the rock to which
Haiiy applied the name of euphotide De Saussure (senior),
who first distinguished under the name of jade, the mineral
which afterwards received his name, describes it as greenish-
white in colour, sufficiently hard to scratch quartz, and having
a density of 3-310—3-319; while Mohs gives 3-2-56 for the
specific gravity of a granular variety from Piedmont, and 3-342
for a compact saussurite from the Canton de Vaud. Naumann
assigns to the species a density of 3-40.

The earlier analyses of saussurite appear to correspond to
impure felspathic mixtures; that examined by Stromeyer
has the composition of labradorite, to which species the saus-
eurite from the euphotide of Odern, examined by Delesse,
belongs ; it gave him : silica 55-23, alumina 24-24, lime 6-86,
soda 4-83, potash 3-03, oxyd of iron 1-11, magnesia 1-48, vola-
tile matters 3-05,=99-83. The saussurite of Mount Genbvre,
(Hautes Alpes), is according to Delesse a crystalline felspar,
containing silica 49-73, lime 11-18, soda and a little potash
4-28, besides 3-75 of water and carbonic acid ; while that from
the euphotide of Levaldens, (Is6re) according to Lory is a
cleavable felspar, having the composition of andesine.

These observers have lor the most part neglected to record
the density of the specimens which they have examined,
although Delesse remarks that the specific gravity of the
saussurites is seldom inferior to 2-80. Von Rath has recently
described as saussurite, a white mineral which forms with

456

hornblende, (uralite) the greenstone of Neurode in Silesia, and
possesses the hardnes, cleavage and crystallization of labra-
dorite, with a density of 2*99. His analysis approaches closely
to that from Mount Gen^vre, but gives 2*73 per cent, of
peroxyd of iron, evidently showing some admixture.

The saussurite from the Lizard, in Cornwall, examined by
Thompson, has a hardness of 7*0, a density of 2*80, and con-
tains 82*0 per cent of silica, besides alumina, lime, magnesia,
Jind iron ; it is apparently a petrosilex.

It is evident that all these felspathic minerals of low specific
gravity are distinct from the saussurite described by de Saus-
sure, which I imagine to have been nothing more than a white
massive gaimet, like that of Orford. This substance agrees in
in hardness and density with the mineral described by de
Saussure, and the aggregate of garnet and serpentine from
Orford, (17) resembles completely some of the euphotides of
Switzerland. The intimate manner in which the garnet is
mingled wdth compact felspar and hornblende in the specimens
from St. Francois, (19) will help to explain many of the dis-
cordant analyses and observ^ations of previous authors.

The mixture of felspar and diallage which has generally re-
ceived the name of euphotide, is on the contrary closely related
to the diorites, such as we have described under 19 and 20,
and is the granitonc of the Tuscan geologists, improperly con-
founded by some writers wuth the gahbro of the Italians, which
is a diallagic.ophiolite, according to Brongniart and dTIalloy.

Fetrosilex or Eurite . — Associated with the sei*pentines in the
region under consideration, a peculiar rock is often met with,
resembling those just described, but distinguished by being
more homogeneous, more translucent, and by the absence of
the opaque white coating on its weathered surfaces. A speci-
men of this rock from the sixth lot of the sixteenth range of
Orford was examined. It was compact, veiy tough, and had
a scaly conchoidal fracture. Color greenish or greyish-white ;
sub-translucent ; lustre waxy, dull. It was apparently homo-
geneous, and had a hardness of 6*0, and a density of 2*635 —
2*639. Its analysis gave : —

n-To

Silica, if8-40

Alumina, 11-81

Soda, 4.42

Potash, 1-93

Liras, -84

Magnesia, .^7

Protoxyd of iron, •*J 2

Loss by ignition, .90

99* *79

This rock differs chemically from those just described, by the
large excess of silica, and the very small amounts of lime,
magnesia and protoxyd of iron, which it contains. It is very
shnilar in composition to the baulite or krablite from Iceland,
and to some obsidians and pitchstones. It is the compact fel-
spar of Ilaiiy, the petrosilex, eurite and adinole of other authors.
These rocks in the present state of our knowledge, may be
considered as intimate mixtures of felspar with quartz, although
the krablite occurs, according to Von Walterhausen, in distinct
triclinic ciystals.

Rocks of this composition are not, however, confined to the
metamorphic portion of the Silurian series. I found at St.
Henri, beds of compact felspar interstratified with the unaltered
argillaceous shales and bituminous limestones of the Quebec
group. The greatest mass of this rock observed in the section
near the falls of the Etchemin river, at St.^Henri, is fifty feet
in thickness, and is divided into layers of from two to twelve
inches by films of interposed shale, sometimes bright green in
color. This is succeeded by a smaller mass of the same rock
fifteen feet in thickness, the whole interstratified with greenish
and greyish shales. Thin beds of a like substance are also
met with at St. Anselme, in a similar series.

The rock is finely granular, sub-conchoidal in fracture,
tough, and translucent on the edges ; in colour is pale greenish-
white, sometimes verging upon olive-green, and varied by
clouds of darker green. The rock is singularly unifoiTn in its
characters, and has a great resemblance to the petrosilex from
Orford, just described, but is somewhat less compact and

tenacious. Its hardness is 6. A specimen from St. Henri,
gave the following results on analysis : —

Silica, Yl-40

Alumina, 13-60

Soda, 3-31

Potash, 2*37

Lime, *84

Magnesia, 2-40

Protoxyd of iron, 3-24

Loss on ignition, 2*50

99-66

We find in these various felspathic rocks, which are evi-
dently of sedimentaiy origin, but small amounts of oxyd of
iron, varying from less than one, to three and four per cent.,
quantities much less than are found in ordinary felspathic or
argillaceous sediments of this and other formations. It is
well known that water dissolves protoxyd of iron when
combined with carbonic or organic acids, and we have in
waters holding dissolved organic matters, an agent which is
constantly removing this metal from the superficial strata,
and depositing it again in the forms of ochre and limonite.
To a similar process we must ascribe the absence of iron
from the under-clay of coal-beds, which, as you have shown,
is but the soil of the ancient carboniferous vegetation, and
from the felspathic rocks now under consideration. This
metal has been dissolved out from the sediments by action of
organic substances, and is found accumulated in the clay
ironstones of the coal formation, and in the highly ferruginous
schists of the Quebec group, which often contain beds of
iron ore.

The upper part of the Richelieu shales, a little above Cap
Rouge, presents two remarkable beds of a homogeneous jasper-
like rock, sharply conchoidal in fracture, translucent on the
edges, and in some parts so hard as to resist steel. Its colour
varies from dark grass-green to blackish-green. The beds,
which are six or eight feet in thickness, are traversed by veins

calcareous spar, and are interstratified a few feet from each

other, with the shales of the region, which are contorted, but
not at all altered. The same green chert or jasper is met with
among the graptolitic shales at St. Henri, near the felspathic
beds just described, and is also seen among the altered rocks
of this group near the ophiolites, as at St. Francois (Beauce),
and the Owl’s Head mountain, itself having undergone but
very little apparent alteration. It weathers opaque white.
The density of a specimen from Cap Rouge was 2*640, and
from St. Henri 2*662. The results of two analyses of the
chert from Cap Rouge are as follows, I being the lower band,
and II the upper band : —

11.

Silica,

‘73-30

Alumina,

Iron as )

Protoxyd of iron,

peroxyd )

16-30

Lime,

traces

Magnesia,

3-90

Soda,

....

Potash,

....

Loss by ignition,

3-80

99-20

This rock is but slightly attacked by acids. On boiling a
portion of I, for an hour, with a dilute solution of caustic soda,
an amount of silica equal to 20*8 per cent was dissolved, but
only 1*2 per cent of alumina ; this would appear to indicate
the presence of a large amount of silica in its soluble modifi-
cation. The petrosilex of St. Henri gave to a solution of soda
by a similar treatment, only 6*1 per cent, of silica, and a few
thousandths of alumina.

You have described a bed of red and green jasper which
exists at Riviere Ouelle, in the slates of the Sillery group, and
resembles the rock of Cap Rouge just described; it contains
veins of calcedony, and the red colour of certain portions of it
appears to be due to disseminated hematite. Near Sherbrooke
there is a bed of red jasper, which contains grains of hematite,
and passes into a jaspery-red iron ore. These rocks require a
particular study.

460

Magnesites and Dolomites.

The existence of beds of carbonate of magnesia among the
Silurian strata in the townships of Bolton and Sutton was
noticed in the Report for 1847, and partial analyses of these
rocks have been since given. I have however recently made
these remarkable masses the subject of a more detailed exami-
nation, the results of which are here presented.

1. Associated with the dolomites and steatites of the twelfth
lot of the seventh range of Sutton, there occurs a bed about
twelve inches in thickness, made up of white crystalline mag-
nesite spar, intermingled with grains of a felspathic mineral,
and scales of bright green talc, which predominates in certain
planes, and gives to the bed a gnessoid structure coincident
with the stratification ; small grains of pyrites are disseminated
through the mass. On the weathered surfaces, the bright
green colour of the rock is obscured by a msty brown hue,
due to the oxydation of a portion of carbonate of iron, which
is combined with the carbonate of magnesia.

The composition of this rock varies in diflferent layers, not
only in the amount of insoluble silicious matters, but in the
proportions of the two carbonates. A pure, slightly coloured
portion, gave of carbonate of magnesia 83*35, carbonate of iron
9*02, insoluble 8*03, = 100*40 ; the analysis of another frag-
ment afforded carbonate of magnesia 33*00, carbonate of iron
19*35, alumina 0*50, insoluble matters 45*90, = 98*70.

A small proportion of iron in the last analysis is however
derived from the disseminated pyrites, which is nickel iferous ;
sulphur separates during the solution of the mineral in nitric
acid, and the liquid then contains a little nickel ; but when
hydrochloric acid is employed as the solvent, the nickel
is found with the residue. The insoluble portion has a fine
pale-gieen colour, and when thoroughly purified from iron, by
digestion with nitric acid, preserved its tint after ignition,
durmg which process it lost 5*66 per cent.; after this opera-
tion it gave to a boiling solution of nitrate of ammonia a
minute trace of magnesia. The analysis of a specimen which
had been purified by nitric acid and ignited, gave (A) silica

50-2.5, alumina 36-88, magnesia 1-12, oxyds of iron and chrome
0-87, alkalies and loss 10-88,= 100-00.

The analysis of the residue left from the treatment of another
portion of the rock by hydrochloric acid, gave the result B

B. c.

43-30 62-17

32*10 38*67

5*40 )

6*90 S

*55

(traces.)

5*00 6*03

1*09 1*32

7*50

100*84 100*00

The presence of a poi-tion of carbonates in this residue was
evident from the amounts of magnesia and iron present, as well
as from the brovra colour which it assumed by ignition. The
amount of the green chromiferous talc in the residue is very
small, as is evident from the first analysis ; and if, excluding
from the second, (B) all but the silica, alumina and alkalies,
and a little magnesia and oxyd of iron, we compare the calcu-
lated result C, with A, we obtain a pretty correct idea of the
composition of the felspathic matter, which mingled with a
little talc, and probably with some silicate of alumina, forms
the silicious portion of this magnesite rock.

2. The magnesite of the seventeenth lot of the ninth range
of Bolton, has a breadth of many yards, and resembles closely
many crystalline limestones, being made up of brilliant cleav-
able grains of ferriferous carbonate of magnesia, of a bluish-grey
colour, but sometimes nearly white; it contains irregularly
distributed, a considerable proportion of grains of white hyaline
quartz, which sometimes forms small in-egular veins. Many
parts of the rock are marked by yellowish-green stains, due to
a compound of nickel, which is probably a hydro-carbonate
allied to the pennite of Hermann, and sometimes forms thin
incrustations in the joints of the rock. The rock, which is
strongly coherent, weathers superficially reddish-brown, from

Silica,

Alumina,

Magnesia,

Protoxyd of iron,. . .
Oxyd of nickel, ....
“ chrome, . . . ,

Soda,

Potash,

Soluble matters, . . . ;

462

the oxydation of the carbonate of iron. It contains a little
oxyd of chrome and a small amount of pyrites.

The results of two analyses of different portions of the rock
are as follows : —

11 .

Carbonate of magnesia,

59-T2

** iron,

8*32

10*31

29*90

Insoluble,

99*65

99*93

This rock, like that of Sutton, contains a variable amount
of carbonate of iron. Another specimen analysed by Mr.
Delesse of Paris, gave him carbonate of magnesia 58*59,
carbonate of iron 9*06, quartz 30*12, lime and oxyd of chrome
traces, water and loss 2*53.

The insoluble residue from the action of acids upon the
Bolton magnesite, unlike that from Sutton, consists chiefly of
quartz, as is evident from its reactions before the blow-pipe.
A portion which had been twice digested with nitric acid, lost
but 0*5 per cent by ignition, and had then a greenish-grey
colour ; fused with carbonate of soda, it gave 93*6 per cent, of
pure silica, and 3*3 per cent, of alumina, with a little oxyd
of iron and chrome, and traces of lime and magnesia, besides
0*8 per cent, of potash and soda. The nickel separated from
several pounds of the rock was equal to about one-thousandth,
and gave no indications of cobalt.

When calcined over a spirit-lamp, with access of air, the
specimen II. lost 34*20 per cent.; 59*72 parts of carbonate of
magnesia contain 31*28 of carbonic acid, and if to this we add
3*21, the difference between 10*31, the amount of carbonate
of iron, and 7*10, that of the corresponding peroxyd, we have
34*49, which agrees closely with the above determination, and
shows that the carbonic acid of the magnesite is completely
expelled at a red heat. The ignited residue expelled ammonia
from a boiling solution of nitrate of ammonia, which dissolved
a portion of magnesia equal to 57*03 per cent, of carbonate.

The calcination of the rock is more easily effected than that
of limestone, and yields a friable mass of caustic magnesia

463

and oxyd of iron, mixed with quartz; as this mixture will
contain about 44 per cent, of magnesia, it may, as I have
elsewhere suggested, be advantageously employed for the pre-
paration of magnesian mortars. (Report for 1855, ante p. 422.)
The calcined rock at once gives up its magnesia to a dilute
acid, and may be economically made use of for the manufac-
ture of magnesian salts. The iron is rendered nearly insoluble
by the calcination, and the action of dilute sulphuric acid, the
mineral being in excess, yields at once a solution of sulphate
of magnesia, contaminated only by a little salt of nickel, which
may be got rid of by the subsequent addition of a small por-
tion of sulphuret of barium. In this way 100 parts of the
calcined rock may be made to yield about 270 parts of crys-
tallized sulphate of magnesia.

These crystalline carbonates of magnesia do not effervesce
in the cold with nitric or hydrochloric acid, and require a
prolonged digestion with these acids, aided by heat, for then-
complete solution. Acetic acid however decomposes them
slowly at the boiling point; in this way two per cent, of
carbonate of magnesia with a little oxyd of iron, were dissolved
after fifteen minutes of ebullition. A solution. of nitrate of.
ammonia also attacks pulverized magnesite ; when that from
Sutton was boiled for an hour with a solution of this salt,
about two per cent, of the carbonate were dissolved, together
with a notable portion of a protosalt of iron, from the decom-
position of the carbonate of iron. The nickeliferous pyrites
was not attacked, as was evident from the absence of nickel
and sulphuric acid from the ammoniacal solution.

The existence of carbonate of magnesia in the form of rock
masses has hitherto been but rarely observed ; but it has pro-
bably often been confounded with dolomite. I have already
described the ophiolite from Roxbury, Vermont, which is in
large part composed of carbonate of magnesia, and among a
collection of rocks brought from the gold region of California,
by Mr. W. P. Blake of New York, I have detected a crystalline
ferriferous carbonate of magnesia, mingled with quartz and
films of emerald-green talc. The specimens resembled closely
the rock from Bolton, and like it contained nickel and chrome.

Carbonate of magnesia also occurs in California as a compact
porcelain-like rock, free from iron and silicious mixtures.

The dolomites of the Green Mountains resemble the mag-
nesites in the mode of their occurrence, their aspect, and
their associations, so much that it is only by analysis, or by
their density, that it becomes possible to distinguish them.
They generally contain besides carbonate of iron, traces of
chrome and small amounts of nickel, which often stains the
rock green, like the Bolton magnesite. This is conspicuous in
a dark bluish-gray crystalline dolomite from the seventh lot
of the twelfth concession of Windsor. The nickel is however
sometimes wanting; thus a grey, crystalline, yellow-weather-
ing, very ferruginous dolomite, which is interstratified with
argillite, at the Falls of the Bras, in St. Francois (Beauce),
gave me no trace of this metal, while a bed of steatite near to
it, in the same series, is stained with nickel, and filled with
crystalline grains, which are magnesite, without a trace of lime.

The magnesian rocks among the unaltered sediments of the
Hudson River group afford an intefi’esting study, which is as
yet far from completed ; but I beg leave to mention here a few
facts which I have observed. The dolomites of Pointe Ldvis,
whose distribution you have followed out, are interstratified
with the pure limestones, sandstones and graptolitic shales of
the Quebec division of the Hudson River group. Both lime-
stones and dolomites are very irregular and inteiTupted in
their distribution, the beds sometimes attaining a considerable
volume, while at other times they thin out, or appear to be
replaced by sandstones.

The limestones frequently form masses of many feet in
thickness, which are without any visible marks of stratifi-
cation, and destitute of organic remains. These masses are
compact, conchoidal in fracture, sub-translucent, and exhibit
a banded agatized structure, which leads to the conclusion
they are chemical deposits from water, in fact veritable tra-
vertines. Their colours are pearly-grey of different shades,
and occasionally pale green ; they weather smooth and white.
Analysis sliows that they are pure carbonate of lime, and con-
tain neither silica, iron nor magnesia in appreciable quantities.

465

Interstratified with these travertines however, there are beds
of fine granular opaque limestones, weathering bluish-grey,
and holding in abundance remains of orthoceratites, trilobites
and other fossils, which are replaced by a yellow- weathering
dolomite.

The dolomites about to be described, occur both among the
travertines and the fossiliferous limestones, sometimes in small
lenticular masses, or in layers of a few lines, interposed in
masses of limestone. At other times these layers of dolomites
are several feet in thickness. They are always granular in
texture, greyish vdthin, and weathering reddish or yellowish-
brown without. Unlike the intercalated limestones, which
are generally free from mechanical impurities, the dolomites
almost always contain a mixture of clay or sand, which some-
times so far predominates, that the rock is a friable dolomitic
sandstone, whose fracture occasionally shows brilliant cleav-
age faces, thickly studded with grains of quartz, the carbonate
having assumed a crystalline arrangment throughout the mass,
as in the ciystals of the Fontainebleau sandstone. No fossils
have been detected in these dolomitic beds, which are some-
times traversed by veins of calcareous spar.

When dissolved in hydrochloric acid, the carbonic acid
evolved from these dolomites has a bituminous odour, and the
solution contains a considerable amount of iron as a proto-
salt. Of the following analyses, I is of fine-grained dolomite
from the Island of Orleans, and II of a specimen from the
lime-quarries near the church of St. Joseph at Pointe L^vis :

I. II.

Carbonate of lime, 45*06 53*04

“ magnesia, 31*81 31*96

“ iron, 10-31 5*80

Insoluble, 13-80 8*80

100*98 99*60

The insoluble portion from II was nearly pure quartz ; that
from I contained a portion of clay. The oxyd of iron from I
was mixed with a little manganese, but neither chrome nor
nickel were detected in these dolomites. Small masses of

pyrites which are found in the rock from Orleans, were like-
wise examined for nickel without success.

A bed of argillaceous rock from Pointe Levis, which was
compact, earthy in fracture, and weathered reddish-yellow to
a considerable depth, gave to acids about fifty per cent, of
soluble matter, corresponding to a ferriferous dolomite, like
those just described. The insoluble residue was essentially a
clay, containing about four per cent, of alkalies, of which
two-thirds were potash.

Interstratified with these limestones and dolomites of Pomte
Levis, there are found beds of conglomerate of a remarkable
character. In addition to sand and clay, the dolomites fre-
quently enclose grains and rounded fragments of limestone and
dolomite, both seemingly derived from the adjacent strata ; so
that we have beds consisting of pebbles of limestone, often
having the characters of the travertine, of dolomite, and occa-
sionally of quartz and argillite ; the whole cemented by a
ferriferous dolomite. At other times the cementing material
of the conglomerate is a carbonate of lime, with only traces of
magnesia and oxyd of iron; portions of the travertine itself
sometimes inclose grains of quartzose sand.

ON THE PROBABLE ORIGIN OF DOLOMITES AND MAGNESITES.

The facts w'hich we have indicated, clearly show that the
dolomites just described have been precipitated from water,
under conditions which brought more or less sand and clay,
and sometimes fragments of the adjacent rocks, into the basins
where this process was going on ; during the intervals of
which the travertines and fossiliferous limestones were depo-
sited, to the exclusion of magnesia. Similar conditions are
met with in some limestones of the Niagara division, in the
eastern basin, where purely calcareous corals, of many species,
are imbedded in a paste of granular magnesian carbonate
of lime, which would seem to have been precipitated in the
medium where the zoophytes grew. A somewhat different
process is presented in the replacement by dolomite, of fossils
in the limestone at Pointe Ldvis, as well as at many localities

in the Chazy limestone, where various shells are replaced,
and sometimes entirely filled, with a crystalline ferriferous
dolomite, (Report for 1852, page 174,) the surrounding lime-
stone being destitute of magnesia and iron.

The following considerations may aid us in fomiing an idea
of the origin, hitherto so obscure, of magnesian deposits. It is
known that those mineral waters which hold large quantities
of carbonate of lime and magnesia in solution, deposit only
the lime on exposure to the air, and retain all the magnesia
in solution ; hence travertines and tufas, both ancient and
modem, contain little or no magnesia. The carbonate of this
base is soluble to a considerable extent, in solutions both of
magnesian and alkaline salts, but is deposited when those
solutions are boiled, or evaporated at low temperatures.
Thus the alkaline waters of Carlsbad in Bohemia, which
contain according to the analysis of Berzelius, seventeen parts
of carbonate of lime for ten of carbonate of magnesia, deposit
great masses of travertine, which is purely calcareous, but if
suffered to evaporate in open basins, would afterwards yield
dolomite or magnesite.

But besides these waters, which contain an excess of carbonic
acid, and a larger amount of carbonate of lime than of mag-
nesia, we meet with another class of saline mineral waters,
which contain very little carbonic acid, and a small amount of
carbonate of lime, but large portions of carbonate of magnesia.
The mineral spring of Piillna, accordmg to Stmvd, contains in
1000 parts of water, 32'72 of solid matters, consisting entirely
of sulphates and chlorids of magnesium and sodium, with 0*10
of carbonate of lime and 0-83 of carbonate of magnesia, and
only seven-hundredths of its volume of carbonic acid. Waters
of this kind appear, from the analyses of Berzelius and Struvd,
to be rare in Germany, but are very numerous in this country.

The saline waters which in the western basin of Canada, rise
from the lower limestones of the palaeozoic rocks, have no
excess of carbonic acid, and no appreciable amounts of earthy
carbonates, but contain, besides common salt, great quantities
of chlorids of magnesium and calcium, the latter in excess ;
in this respect they differ from sea-water.

The saline springs rising from the same rocks farther east,
are more dilute than the last, and contain, proportionably, a
much less amount of earthy chlorids, that of magnesium always
greatly predominating. They contain no excess of carbonic
acid, but like thePullna spring, hold in solution large amounts
of carbonate of magnesia, and but yerj little carbonate of lime.
I have elsewhere remarked that the substitution of these
waters, for the brines which issue from the same strata
farther west, is to be attributed to the action of the alkaline
carbonates derived from the argillaceous sediments which
occur in the Chazy limestone, and make up the great bulk of
the Hudson River group. We also find in this region, saline
springs containing carbonate of soda, and another class in
which the amount of chlorid of sodium is very small, the car-
bonate of soda predominating. These springs appear to be
derived from the argillaceous rocks, and by their admixtures
with the brines, to have given rise both to the alkaline salines,
and to the waters containing carbonate of magnesia. (Report
for 1853, ante p. 348.)

The elimination of the greater part of the lime from the saline
magnesian waters, is explained by the following experiment: a
solution was prepared with eighty parts of common salt, eight
of chlorid of calcium, a portion of crystallized hydrochlorate
equal to about nine parts of chlorid of magnesium, and 1000
parts of water. To this liquid, at a temperature of 60"^ F., there
was added a solution of carbonate of soda, sufficient to decom-
pose about two-thirds of the earthy chlorids ; the voluminous
precipitate which was formed, became dense and granular after
foriy-eight hours, and after some days was separated, washed
and analysed ; it consisted of carbonate of lime, with 16 per
cent of carbonate of magnesia. The saline liquid when eva-
porated at a gentle heat to one-twentieth, gave an abundant
granular precipitate of the mixed carbonates, in the proportions
of 16-3 of carbonate of lime to 83*7 of carbonate of magnesia ;
and the solution now contained abundance of magnesian chlorid,
but not a trace of lime. On adding to this solution of chlorids
of sodium and magnesium, diluted to its original volume, car-
bonate of soda enough to decompose about one-half of the
latter, there is obtained a precipitate of carbonate of magnesia,

which becomes granular after a few days ; and the liquid, by
evaporation to one-twelfth, at a temperature below 212®,
deposited a granular precipitate, which, in one experiment,’
coiTesponded to one and a-half parts of carbonate to 1000, or
more than one-third of the magnesia in solution.

The mingling of alkaline carbonates with sea-water or saline
springs of analogous constitution, effects then a partial separa-
tion of the lime from the magnesia, and gives rise to waters
having a composition analogous to the Pullna spring, which
by slow evaporation, or by a subsequent addition of carbonate
of soda, may deposit carbonate of magnesia containing little
or no lime. I subjoin some results of the analyses of differ-
ent rnineral waters of Canada, which serve to illustrate the
question. The analyses will be found in detail in proceeding
Reports ; in this table the sum of the solid ingredients, and
the amounts of the earthy chlorids, and alkaline and earthy
carbonates, for 1000 parts are given ; these waters are for the
most part destitute of sulphates.

A, saline waters containing little or no earthy carbonates.

B, saline waters containg abundance of earthy carbonates.

a, neutral.
h, alkaline.

C, waters feebly saline, containing alkaline carbonates,
borates, and silicates.

LOCALITIES.

A, Whitby,

Hallowell,

u u

Ba, Caledonia, (V^

“ St. L4on,

“ Caxton, *.

** Plantagenet, . . .
“ Ste. Genevieve,.

“ Berthier,

B^r Varennes,

“ Fitzroy,

Caledonia, (I.) .

C, Chambly,.

Nicolet, .......

St. Ours,

“ Jacques Cartier,
Joly,

SOLID

MATTERS

CHLOR.

CALCIUM

CHLOR.

MAQNES.

CARD.

SODA.

CARS.

LIME.

CARD.

HAONB8.

46*30

17*53

9*54

0 -

68-00

15*90

12*90

•

36*00

9*20

9-40

14.64

•28

1*03

• 12 ^

• 86 "

13*83

•07

•66

•35

*94

13*65

•05

*37

*21

1*06

13*16

•13

*24

*03

•89

20-99

•60

2*05

•01

•75

9-06

•04

•08

*05

*83

9-58

*32

*35

•35

8*34

*59

• 1 ^

• *7Q

7-75

•05

*15

•52

2-13

1*06

*04

•07

1*56

1*13

*53

•13

•17

•13

•34

.....

•19

•07

•03

•75

•23

•06

•02

Waters containing carbonate of soda are very abundant in
nature ; we may mention the celebrated mineral springs of
Vichy, and those of Carlsbad, which latter discharge annually,
according to the calculation of Gilbert, more than thirteen
millions of pounds of carbonate of soda, besides sulphates and
chlorids in still larger amount. The water obtained from the
chalk beneath the clays of the London basin, by the artesian
well in Trafalgar square, contains according to the analysis of
Messrs. Abel and Rowney, 68-24 grains of solid matters to the
imperial gallon, of which 18-05 grains are carbonate of soda,
the rest being chlorids and sulphates of alkalies, with small
amounts of phosphates and of earthy carbonates. ( De la BecJie,
Geological Observer, p. 693.) This water is remarkable for its
great proportion of potash salts, equalling 13-67 grains of
sulphate of potash, and resembles in this respect the alkaline
water of St. Oui-s, in which potash constitutes one-fourth of
the alkaline bases. (Report for 1852, p. 158.)

The natron lakes of Lower Egypt are basins, fed by springs
holding in solution common salt and carbonate of soda, and
deposit by spontaneous evaporation large quantities of the
latter salt, which under the name of natron, has been an article
of commerce in Egypt from remote antiquity. The soda lakes
of central Hungary are similar to those of Egypt, and furnish
annually large quantities of carbonate of soda for consumption.-
Soda lakes also occur on the shores of the Black Sea, in north-
ern Africa and in Columbia. Lake Van, w-hich is situated on
the western confines of Persia, has, according to de Chancour-
tois, an area of nearly 800 square miles, and its waters contain
in 1000 parts, 22-6 of salts, of which 8-6 are carbonate of soda.
If similar conditions of soil and of climate were met with in
Canada, the springs of Chambly and Nicolet would give i-ise
to natron lakes precisely like those of Egypt and Hungai-y.
Rivero and Boussingault have described beds of the sesqui-
carbonate of soda, called trona, which occur in clays of the
tertiary period near Lagunilla, in Columbia.

With such evidence of its distribution in nature, we cannot
avoid the conclusion that the reaction between carbonate of
soda, and the soluble salts of lime and magnesia which the sea

contains, must have played an important part in the produc-
tion of sedimentary deposits, and given rise to many of our
magnesian rocks. In the evaporation of sea-water we observe
a phenomenon worthy of notice in this connection, which is
that the lime which the water contains, is all precipitated in
the form of gypsum, before the separation of common salt, so
that the salt lakes of the Crimea and the basin of the Caspian,
which are saturated with the chlorids of sodium and magne-
sium, contain no lime salts, but are true bitterns. This ex-
plains the frequent association of beds of gypsum with the
rock-salt of ancient basins. When the mother liquors from
sea-water are still further evaporated, sulphate of magnesia
separates, and finally a double chlorid of potassium and mag-
nesium, both of which salts occur native in the solid state.

The analyses of Deville and myself, among others, have shown
that a great many river-waters contain small portions of car-
bonate of soda, which, together with the more strongly alkaline
waters, must in the course of ages have diminished the quantity
of lime salts in the sea-water, separating this base in the form
of carbonate, to be precipitated as such, or secreted by animals,
and we find that at the present day, magnesia greatly predomi-
nates over the lime in the ocean. 100 parts of the salts from
the German Ocean contain 11*04 parts of chlorid of magne-
sium, and 5*15 of sulphate of magnesia, with only 4*72 of
sulphate of lime, while in the waters which impregnate the
palaeozoic limestones, the salts of lime predominate over those
of magnesia. Are we to look upon these waters as represent-
ing the composition of the sea at the time when these ancient
strata were deposited, or suppose their composition to have
been modified by subsequent reactions between the carbonate
of lime and the magnesian salts ? This is a question which I
propose very soon to investigate.

Metals cf Magnesian Rocks.

The various magnesian rocks which we have described from
the Green Mountains, are distinguished by the presence of
considerable amounts of protoxyd of iron, and smaller portions

472

of the rarer metals, chrome, titanium, nickel^ and more rarely
cobalt. Chrome and nickel, as we have seen, characterize the
magnesites and dolomites, as well as the serpentines, talcs,
dolomites, and diallages of the Eastern Townships. These
two metals seem to be very generally present in the ophiolites
of the Green Mountain range. I have found them in those of
Roxbury, Vermont, New Haven, Connecticut, and Hoboken,
New Jersey, as well as in an ophiolite and a magnesite from
California, and in specimens of serpentine from Cornwall,*
from Banffshire in Scotland, and the Vosges in France.
Chromic iron, in fact, is peculiarly characteristic of serpentine
rocks, in North America, the Shetland Isles, Norway, and
ill the department of the Var in France. Both nickel and
chrome have besides been found by Hermann in the pyros-
clerite of Pennsylvania, and by Brush in antigorite, a slaty
sei-pentine from Piedmont, and williamsite, a serpentine from

♦ The ophiolites of Cornwall occur, according to De la Beche, among rocks of
Devonian age. I have examined a clouded, reddish-brown and greenish serpen-
tine, containing small grains of diallage, and said to be from the Lizard Point.

It gave on analysis ir-

Silica, 40*40

Magnesia by difference, 37*43

Protoxyd of iron and chrome, 7*47

Oxyd of nickel, *15

Alumina, *65

Loss on ignition, 13*90

100*00

I have examined specimens of the following serpentines without detecting
the presence of nickel : —

1. Pale greenish-yellow granular serpentine, from Easton, Pennsylvania,
density 2*501.

2. Fine wax-yellow translucent serpentine, from Montville, New Jersey; it
contains veins of beautiful yellowish-white chrysotile, which has a density
of 2*435.

3. Pale olive-green serpentine, from Phillipstown, New York ; contains no
trace of chrome.

4. Pale-green serpentine from Modum, Norway, with ilmenite and magnetite;
contains no chrome.

5. Yellowish-green serpentine, from Newburyport, Massachusetts ; density
2*561 ; probably of Devonian age. — Am, Jour, Science^ (II.) vol. xviii., p. 198.

i ■ ^

1 ■ .

473

Pennsylvania. The talcs and chrysolites of many foreign
localities have also afforded small quantities of nickel to
Stromeyer and others. Oxyd of cerium has been found in a
seipentine by Lychnell, and vanadium by Ficinus in that of
Zoblitz in Saxony, and in the bronzite of Genoa, by Schafliautl.

The almost constant presence of these metals in magnesian
rocks acquires a new significance when we consider, in con-
nection with the view which I have advanced of the origin of
these rocks, that nickel and cobalt have been found with tita-
nium and glucina, in the ochreous deposit from the mineral
spring of Neyrac, and in the water of this and several other
chalybeates, and that nickel and cobalt, with chrome, have
also been detected in the deposit from the alkaline waters of
Carlsbad. Muller moreover found in a hydrated peroxyd of
iron (limonite from Wurtemburg, small portions both of
chrome and vanadium.

I have already noticed the presence of titanium in the
Lower Silurian rocks, in some of the unaltered red ferrugin-
ous slates ; as titanic iron or ilmenite in a serpentine from
Beauce, and in the chloritic iron-schists, where it is also
occasionally found in the forms of sphene and rutile. The
analysis of an impure limestone, which contains at the same
time magnesia, iron, manganese, titanium, chrome, and nickel,
is therefore not without interest in this connection.

This remarkable rock occurs interstratified with the red and
green shales, and sandstones of Granby, which appear to belong
to the upper portion of the Hudson River group. The rocks
are here disturbed, and upon the confines of the metamorphic
region. The green sandstones, according to your descrip-
tion, (Report for 1847, p. 25,) are sometimes calcareous, and
hold scales of chlorite, mica, and graphite ; they frequently
weather black from the presence of manganese. Other beds
of these sandstones are red ; they are sometimes conglomerate,
and hold small pebbles of quartz and felspar, having the char-
acters of an arkose. The red shales exhibit in one place a
layer of titaniferous jaspery red iron ore ; the green slates are
chloritic, and associated with others greyish in colour, and
with thin layers of a carbonaceous shale.

474

Among these shales yon have described two beds of chloritic
calcareous rock, of one foot and two feet in thickness; they
weather to some depth of a chocolate brown, but have within,
a dull greyish-green colour, and an earthy aspect. When
moistened, the rock is seen to consist of a pale green base, in
which are imbedded darker green scales of chlorite.

In the Report already cited, it has been said that this rock
yields 30 per cent, of carbonate of lime, besides portions of
magnesia, iron, chrome, and manganese. I have since sub-
mitted it to a farther examination. The rock in powder, effer-
vesces strongly with acetic acid, and a little hydrochloric acid
having been added towards the close of the operation, there
were dissolved, carbonate of lime 30*08, magnesia, calculated
as carbonate, 3*68, oxyd of iron and alumina 5*45, oxyd of
manganese 0*58= 39*76. The residue contained no lime, but
the presence of chrome in it was again verified, and 0*15 per
cent, of nickel were also found, besides a large amount of
titanic acid, amounting in two determinations to 5*3 and 6*2
per cent. The analysis was effected by fusion with carbonate
of soda, and gave for 100 parts of the residue insoluble in
acetic acid : —

Silica, 53*20

Alumina, VOO

Protox^d of iron, 15*75

Magnesia, 8*79

Titanic acid, 6*30

Oxyd of nickel, -15

Oxyds of chrome, manganese, and loss, 2*45

Soda and potash, -66

Loss on ignition, 4*80

100*00

Serpentine of Syracnse, New York.

There exists in the State of New York, a remarkable case of
local metamorphism of the Onondaga salt group of the Upper
Silurian rocks, which has resulted in the production of an
ophiolite. As this group is largely developed in Western

I *''i;i;5i:}jl!i;'';/-'’-. •; 'i'l:'; ■ •? *l; i. r ‘ •: .'f, ;r.; ^■'i,.|,.i -. ^

475

Canada, and as the case has much interest in relation to the
theory of metamoi’phism, I propose to give here a short notice
of the rocks of the formation, and of the results of my exami-
nation of the ophiolite.

The lithological characters of the Onondaga salt group are
as follows : — Reposing upon a curious concretionary limestone
which belongs to the Niagara division, there is a series of very
feiTuginous shales, succeeded by others red and green in colour,
which are calcareous. These are overlaid by the so-called
gypseous marls, which include great masses of gypsum, ar-
ranged in layers, together with beds of cellular tufaceous
limestone, and of a compact argillaceous dolomite, which is
used for the fabrication of a hydraulic cement, and contains
according to the analyses of Dr. Beck, from 30 to 38 per cent,
of carbonate of magnesia, with from 10 to 20 per cent of silica,
and portions of alumina and oxyd of iron. Similar cement-
beds occur in the same formation in Western Canada, at Paris,
and in Oneida, and yield as much as 40 per cent, of magne-
sian carbonate.

The marls of this series are filled with those well known
hopper-shaped cavities, supposed to have been left by the
solution of crystals of common salt, with which the waters
issuing from these strata are strongly impregnated. Overly-
ing these gypsiferous marls, is a limestone marked by curious
needle-shaped cavities, which Mr. Vanuxem, to whom we owe
this description, ascribes to the crystallization of sulphate of
magnesia during the deposition of the rock. He remarks that
we find in the succession of the gypsum and other salts in this
formation, the evidences of conditions similar to those presen-
ted during the slow evaporation of sea-water.

At Syracuse, the strata between two beds of the porous
limestones just described, are very much altered; the shales
are rendered harder, and some portion of the calcareous rocks
have become crystalline, and are filled with crystals of celestine
and calcite, while other beds are converted into a calcareous
ophiolite, a specimen of which I have examined. It agrees
closely with the description given by Vanuxem, being an
aggregate of grains and rounded masses of serpentine of various

476

sizes, imbedded in a greenish-gray calcareous base. The
colours of the serpentine vary from blackish-green to green-
ish-white; it is often translucent, and takes a high polish.
Small portions of bronze-coloured diallage are disseminated in
the ophiolite. Mr. Vanuxem has also observed among these
rocks, the existence of mica, in aggregates having the charac-
ters of granite, and others in which hornblende replaces the
mica, and which he compares to syenite.

I found a portion of this ophiolite in powder, to be readily
attacked by acetic acid, which dissolved a large amount of
carbonate of lime, besides a little magnesia, and traces of
alumina and iron. This proximate analysis gave : carbonate of
lime 34*43, carbonate of magnesia 2*73, serpentine, insoluble
in acetic acid, 62*50, iron and alumina 0*34= 100*00. The
analysis of the serpentine gave me : —

Silica, 40-67

Magnesia, 32 - 6 !

Protoxyd of iron, 8*12

Alumina, 5-13

Water, 12*77

99*30

No traces of nickel or chrome were detected. A rounc^ed
fragment of greenish fine grained limestone, which was imbeded
in this ophiolite, was found to be nearly pure carbonate of lime.

Mr. Vanuxem remarks of these metamorphic rocks of Syra-
cuse, that we have here no evidence of igneous action, or of
the intervention of a dry heat, which he supposes however to
be often concerned in alterations of this kind; he suggests
that water, aided by heat to produce the solution of the ele-
ments present, might give rise to the results there obseiTed.
(Report on the Geology of the Zrd District of New York, pages
108—110.)

ON THE METAMORPHISM OF SEDIMENTARY ROCKS.

The fact that sedimentaiy strata of different ages, may under
certain circumstances, assume the characters which were for-

Merly attributed to the primary rocks, having been once
established, geologists sought to explain this alteration by the
influence of heat, communicated through the medium of
intrusive rocks, which was supposed to have produced a
partial fusion and crystallization of the sediments. Bond,
Silliman, Lyell and others, who have written upon this
subject, conceive that for these changes a temperature of
ignition has been required, aided probably by the presence of
water, or aqueous vapour. But the presence of unoxydized
carbon, as graphite, in various metamorphic rocks, which would
oblige us to admit that this element had been submitted to a
red heat in contact with water, with carbonates, and with
oxyd of iron, leads us to reject this view as untenable. Graph-
ite, like the other fonns of carbon, is oxydized under all these
conditions. The slight alterations suffered by many of the
sediments in metamorphic regions, furnish us with other
reasons for rejecting the idea of metamorphism at a very ele-
vated temperature.

It is besides to be remarked that the igneous rocks, which
are supposed by this hypothesis to be the source of heat, are
often wanting in metamorphic regions, while on the other
hand, their presence, although sometimes accompanied with a
considerable extent of alteration, is frequently almost without
effect on the adjacent strata. Numerous facts seem to show
that the heat of igneous rocks extends to but very short dis-
tances in the non-conducting masses of sedimentary rocks.

These considerations, not less than the difficulty of con-
ceiving an agency capable of heating to ignition immense
masses of strata over large areas, lead us to reject alike the
idea of an intense heat, or the proximity of igneous rocks, as
the efficient cause of metamorphism. We are led to seek for
an agent, which under conditions of temperature easily attain-
able, shall suffice for the production of these chemical changes
which are required for the alteration of the sedimentary rocks.
Such an agent we have in solutions of alkaline carbonates,
which at a temperature of 212 ^ F., lose a portion of their
carbonic acid,* and acquire the power of dissolving silica,

• Jacquelain, ^nn, de Chimie et de Physique^ 3me s4rie, tome xzzii.| p. 211.

478

even in the form of quartz, forming with it a soluble alkaline
silicate.

Kuhlmann, in his investigations of the soluble silicates,
observed that carbonate of lime removes all the silica from a
boiling solution of silicate of soda, forming an insoluble sili-
cate of lime. Having moreover detected traces of alkalies in
a great many natural silicates, other than those into whose
composition these elements are supposed to enter, he sugges-
ted that alkaline silicates may have played an important part
in the fonnation of these minerals.* Pursuing this idea, I
have found that the carbonates of magnesia and protoxyd of
iron possess a similar power of decomposing the soluble alka-
line silicates, and that by boiling for some time with a solution
of carbonate of soda, mixtures of these carbonates with silica,
they were changed into silicates, which retained small portions
of the alkali. This reaction takes place readily at 212^ F.
with ignited soluble silica, and although more slowly, even
with pulverized quartz. The silicate of soda at first formed, is
converted into carbonate by double decomposition, and is then
free to dissolve a new portion of silica.

Recurring now to those sedimentary rocks which consist of
carbonates of protoxyd bases, intermingled with silica, we
have only to suppose them saturated with a solution of car-
bonate of soda, such as the water which impregnates the
palaeozoic schists of Canada, or the chalk of the London basin,
and exposed to a heat of 212° F., and we have all the condi-
tions required for the production of silicates of lime, magnesia
and iron. The small portion of carbonate of soda acts as an
intermedium between the silica and the bases, while at the
same time the agency of the disengaged carbonic acid, in dis-
solving the carbonates, and bringing them in contact with the
newly-fonned alkaline silicate, is not to be overlooked. The
presence of alumina in these sediments would furnish the
element necessary for the production of garnet, epidote and
chlorite.

But while some of these changes may take place at 212^ F.,
it is probable that other phenomena of metamorphism may

♦ Comptes Rendus de VMadimie des Sciences^ tome xli., p. 1029.

lUii

iitili

iki

iai

iitp

wii

leiit

Hill

Ilia

il?!

T,il]

imii

liH

479

require a somewhat more elevated temperature. De Senar-
mont has shown that sulphate of baryta is dissolved when
heated to 480^ F., in a sealed tube, with a solution of bicar-
bonate of soda, and crystallizes unchanged on cooling.* It is
probably by a similar process that felspathic and micaceous
silicates have been crystallized during the metamorphism of
sediments, often without obliterating the accompanying fossils.

A similar process must have given rise to the crystals of
chiastolite, staurotide, and ganiet, in the argillites and mica
slates. That the silicate of magnesia has also been in solution,
is evident from the veins of chrysotile and other varieties of
serpentine wdiich occur in the ophiolites. The layer of pure
massive serpentine (retinalite,) with picrolite, which you have
observed at Grenville, lining the walls of a trap dyke, in a
calcareous ophiolite, is also a case in point. (Report for 1845,
page 85.) Apparent evidences of a concretionary arrangement
are sometimes met with in ophiolites, but the general resemb-
lance between their structure, and that of the magnesites and
dolomites which we have described, is obvious.

When the amount of alkaline salt is small, and the volume
of sediment large, the process of metamorphism may find a
limit in the fixation of the alkali, by the silicates which are
formed. Apart from the small portions of it which thus enter
into the silicates of magnesia and lime, it may perhaps com-
bine with aluminous silicates to form felspathic and micaceous
minerals; thus it will happen that portions of the strata,
in regions of altered rocks, are sometimes found to have es-
caped the metamorphic process. This consideration enables
us to understand why, in some cases, the influence of a mass of
igneous rock has altered sedimentary strata to a considerable
distance, these having contained the alkaline salt necessary to
give solubility to the elements present, while those rocks in
which the alkali w^as absent, have escaped change. The pres-
ence of soluble salts of lime or magnesia in a sediment, by
neutralizing the alkali which might be infiltrated from other
strata, would also prevent metamorpliism.

* Experiences sur la formation des miniraux par la voie humide^ etc., Ann. de
Chimie et de Physique^ 3me s^rie, tome xxxii., p. 129.

It how remains for us to inquire for the sources of the heat
required to produce these changes. Local alterations are
often caused by the injection of igneous rocks, and probably
by thermal waters, which sometimes have a temperature of
212^ at the surfaces, and doubtless surpass that degree at small
depths. By such an agency we may explain the production of
the ophiolites of Syracuse, and of similar localities in Europe,
where we find masses of these magnesian silicates, often with
gypsum and sea-salt, in rocks even of the tertiary period.
But the alteration of the strata over wide areas, which are
often free from igneous rocks, I conceive to be due to the
heat of the earth’s crust, which, as is well known, increases
regularly as we descend, so that at a depth of 10,000 feet, it
is calculated that the temperature must be equal to that of
boiling water, and at 20,000 feet, to nearly 400^ F.

It follows then from what we have said, that rocks covered
by 10,000 feet or more of sediment, and permeated by alkaline
waters, are in the conditions required for their alteration, and
that elevation and denudation would exhibit these lower strata
to us in the state of metamorphic crystalline rocks.

LAURENTIAN ROCKS.

Ophiolites . — The crystalline limestones and dolomites of this
formation are occasionally associated with serpentine, which is
sometimes disseminated in grains through them, or more rarely
forms beds, in which the magnesian silicate greatly predomi-
nates. In the analyses given at page 366, we have seen that
the dolomites of tliis series, unlike those of the Silurian rocks,
contain veiy little oxyd of iron ; and the same thing is true of
the ophiolites. Hence the serpentines of the Laurentian series
are paler in colour, and have a less specific gravity than those
which we have already described. My examinations of them
have not yet enabled me to detect the presence of either nickel
or chrome, which characterize the magnesian rocks of so many
other regions. The sei-pentines about to be described are more
tender than those of the Green Mountains, and from their brit-
tleness and pale colours, are less fitted for the purposes of

v^) ^

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toil

nli

ttgni

Ktiir

Enin

!iti

IffiK

itf

all

311

481

dajcoration ; they also contain a larger amount of water, which
may in part be hygroscopic.

The ophiolites of this series occasionally enclose small por-
tions of mica and pyrites, and the calcareous ones sometimes
contain sphene, and small crystals of phosphate of lime.

1. A calcareous ophiolite from Burgess, discovered by Dr.
Wilson, IS made up of a pale olive-green serpentine, somewhat
crystalline in ite texture, intermingled with a little magnesian
carbonate of lime, which is sometimes white, and at other
times reddish in colour. The rock contains besides, some
crystals of a greenish-white mica, and disseminated pulverulent
hematite, giving a red colour to portions of the mass. When
reduced to powder, it gave to boiling acetic acid, 6-2S p. c of
carbonate of lime, and 3-27 p. c. of carbonate of magnesia.
The insoluble residue lost by ignition 14-5 per cent., and then
gave te a boiling solution of nitrate of ammonia, an amount of
magnesia equal to 0-67 per cent, of carbonate, making a total
of 3-94 p. c. of carbonate of magnesia. The pulverized rock.
Ignited without previous digestion in acetic acid, and boiled for
a long time with nitrate of ammonia, yielded 5-90 per cent, of
carbonate of lime and 3’84 of carbonate of magnesia, numbers
agreeing with the preceding, while by the same process the
unignited mineral gave 6-30 of carbonate of lime, and a large
amount of magnesia. °

The residue fiom the action of acetic acid, including however
0*67 per cent, of carbonate of magnesia, gave by analysis :

42-10

33.^^

Protoxyd of iron, 3.^3

Loss by ignition,

99-23

2. A dull reddish-brown ophiolite, from the same locality
as the last, likewise contained a small amount of disseminated
carbonates, which were completely removed by acetic acid.
Thus purified, the matter gave on analysis : —

482

Silica,

Magnesia (by difference),

Protoxyd of iron,

Loss by ignition,

39-80

38-40

Y-92

13-80

100-00

The dark colour and opacity of this rock seem to be due to
the presence of disseminated ^eroxyd of iron, to which some
foreign ophiolites appear to owe their red colours.

3. A pale greenish-grey ophiolite, nearly opaque, soft, and
earthy in its aspect, occurs at the Calumet Island, on the
Ottawa, and being sought after by the Indians, who fashion
the stone into calumets or pipes, has given the name to the
Island. It contains no lime, but after ignition, yields a trace
of magnesia to a solution of nitrate of ammonia. Its analysis
showed a mixture of an argillaceous matter ; it gave : —

Silica, 3T'50

Magnesia, 37’58

Alumina and oxyd of iron, 9’00

Loss by ignition, 15*00

99-08

4. A white lamellar dolomite from Grenville, which held
abundance of honey-yellow grains of serpentine, was examined.
Small fragments of the rock were digested with cold dilute
nitric acid, and the carbonates being slowly dissolved, the
grains of serpentine were liberated, and were found to be only
slightly attacked upon their surfaces, which were rendered
dull and opaque. The larger grains, some of which were
one-tenth of an inch in diameter, were selected for analysis,
and gave as follows : —

Silica, 44-10

Magnesia, 40 05

Oxyd of iron and alumina.
Loss by ignition,

100-00

The serpentine makes up about one-fifth of the rock. The
portion soluble in nitric acid, consisted of carbonate of lime
55-13, carbonate of magnesia 44-87, being a pure dolomite.

5. In this connection I will cite from my Report of 1850,
three analyses of serpentines from the Laurentian rocks. I
and II are specimens of the retinalite of Thompson, which
occurs at Grenville, disseminated in a white crystalline lime-
stone. This serpentine has a hardness of 3-5, and a density of
2-^6 — 2-525; lustre resinous, shining; fracture conchoidal,
without any traces of crystallization ; translucent ; colour
honey-yellow, passing into oil-green and olive-green. Ill is a
serpentine closely resembling the last, from a similar rock at
the Grand Calumet Island ; it has a density of 2-362—2-381,
and a pale wax-yellow colour.

Silica,

II.

il A

ni.

41-20

43.52

•80

Magnesia,

Peroxyd of iron,

Soda,

4U*1U

41-65

1-90

Water,

-90

«...

10 uu

15*40

99-25

99-55

100-92

These serpentines, like the others from the same rocks
already described, contain less oxyd of iron and a larger pro-
portion of water than ordinary serpentine, approaching in
composition to marmolite and deweylite.

Remselacrite . — This mineral was first described and named
by Dr. Emmons of the New York Geological Survey. It
occurs, according to him, in beds or large masses among the
Laurentian rocks of northern New York, and you have detected
it forming a bed in the crystalline limestones of the same
formation, on the thirteenth lot of the fifth range of Grenville,
( ante, page 44.) Its structure is coarsely granular, the mass
being apparently composed of cleavable crystalline grains,
strongly coherent. Hardness, 2-5 — 3-0 ; density of masses
containing a small amount of intermixed carbonate of lime,
2-757. (2-87, Emmons.) Colour greenish-white to pale sea-

484

green ; translucent ; lustre vitreous, shining on the cleavage
surfaces, elsewhere waxy ; sectile ; the powdered mineral is
unctuous, like steatite.

The rock contains a little carbonate of lime disseminated
among the grains, but is a hydrated silicate of magnesia ; the
analysis of carefully selected portions gave me : —

Silica, 61*60

Magnesia, 31*06

Protoxyd of iron, 153

Water, 5*60

99*79

No traces of lime, nickel nor manganese, were detected.
The pulverized mineral loses no appreciable weight at 300<^ F.,
and by long continued ignition over a spirit-lamp, only 3*80
per cent., but by a white heat the loss is equal to 5*55 or 5*60
per cent. The renssellaerite is attacked and partially decom-
posed by boiling concentrated sulphuric acid ; a portion thus
treated, yielded to the acid 3-89 pe^ cent, of magnesia. In
this respect it differs from talc, and resembles an agalmato-
lite from China, examined by Wackenroder.

Cavities in the massive renssellaerite of Grenville are lined
with crystals of the mineral, resembling exactly those occur-
ring in similar conditions in Canton, New York, which are
described by Dr. Beck as having the form and cleavage of
pyroxene. Crystals from the latter locality, for which I am
indebted to the kindness of Dr. Emmons, gave me by analysis,
results identical with those obtained with the massive mineral
of Grenville, viz.: silica 61*10, magnesia 31*63, protoxyd of
iron 1*62, water 5-60 = 100*05. The crystals were from one-
twentieth to one-tenth of an inch in length, translucent and
pearl-grey in colour ; they afforded no trace of lime.

Dr. Beck, in his analysis of renssellaerite, obtained: silica
59*75, magnesia 32*90, peroxyd of iron 3*40, lime 1*00, and
water 2*85. The lime, and the large quantity of iron however
show’ his specimen to have been impure, and his estimation of
the water is probably inexact.

485

Renssellaerite appears then to be identical in composition
with pure talc, from which it differs in crystalline form and in
its relations with acids. Dr. Beck regards it as an altered
pyroxene, but I see no reason, apart from its crystallization,
for such a view, and am inclined to regard renssellaerite and
talc as dimorphous conditions of the same silicate of magnesia.

A bed of rock having the characters of renssellaerite, and
holding silvery mica and scales of graphite, occurs with the
crystalline limestones in Rawdon, and a crystalline columnar
variety, of what appears to be the same species, is found on
Charleston Lake, in Lansdowne. Renssellaerite seems to
replace in this formation, the talcs and steatites which are so
abundant among the magnesian rocks of the metamorphic
Silurian strata.

A yellowish-white earthy mineral is found filling fissures in
the renssellaerite of Grenville. It is very soft and sectile ;
polishes under the nail, acquiring a waxy lustre, and adheres
strongly to the tongue. Some portions of the mass contain
disseminated scales of silvery mica. The mineral in powder is
decomposed by boiling sulphuric acid, like serpentine, which
it resembles in composition. It gave : —

46-66

Magnesia (by difference), 38 05 !

Protoxyd of iron, 1-33 t

Loss by ignition, 13 96 f

100 00

It is related by its physical characters to meerschaum or
aphrodite, but contains less silica than these minerals.

IGNEOUS ROCKS.

I have now to present the results obtained in the examina^
tion of some of the trappean rocks of the District of Montreal.
Among the great variety of intrusive rocks which penetrate
the Silurian strata of this vicinity, there is a class known as
white traps, which I have made the subject of a chemical and
mineralogical investigation, and found to offer some interesting
varieties.

486

1. A peculiar porphyritic trap from the Richelieu shales,
near Chamhly, is remarkable for the beautiful crystals of fel-
spar which it contains. The base of the rock is of a pale
fawn colour, and seems at first sight to he micaceous, but on
closer examination it is seen to be made up entirely of la-
mellae of felspar. Minute portions of pyrites, and grains of
magnetic iron ore, are rarely met with, and small scales of
what appears to he a dark-green decomposing mica, are very
sparsely disseminated. The crystals of felspar, which are
abundant, are sometimes an inch in length, and one-fourth of
an inch in thickness, and are more or less modified, and termi-
nated at both ends. The crystals are easily detached from the
rock, and are yellowish and opaque on the exterior ; hut the
interior portions of the larger ones are translucent and vitreous.
The analysis of selected crystals gave me : —

Silica, 66-15

Alumina, 19*75

Lime,

Potash,

Soda,

Loss by ignition, ’^5

100-12

The paste carefully freed from the crystals, lost by ignition
2*10 per cent. When treated with nitric acid, it effervesced
slightly, evolving carbonic acid and red fumes, from the oxyd-
ation of the pyrites, and the decomposition of carbonates, and
gave : carbonate of lime 1*70 per cent., carbonate of magnesia
0-98, and peroxyd of iron, nearly pure, 2*12 per cent. The
residue from the action of nitric acid, dried at 300^ F., gave
by analysis as follows : —

Silica, 67-60

Alumina, 18-30

Peroxyd of iron, 1‘40

Lime, ’45

Potash, 5-10

Soda, * 5-85

Loss by ignition, *25

98-9S

487

It will be seen that the crystals have the composition of
orthoclase, and the paste, apart from the matter soluble in nitric
acid, differs but very little from the crystals ; it seems in fact
a lamellar orthoclase, but contains a little more silica and less
alkali than the crystals. The predominance of soda in the
paste is also to be^ remarked. Delesse has observed as a gen-
eral rule, that in those felspar porphyries which are without
quartz, the paste, although differing but slightly from the
crystals, contain a little more silica and less alkali than the
felspar itself, (ante p. 382.)

2. The white traps of the Island of Montreal are more
recent than the other igneous rocks, since they cut not only
the limestones and shales, but the dolerites and melaphyres
which penetrate these last. The first variety to be noticed
is from a dyke near McGill College; it is a rock having the
hardness of felspar, and a density of 2*617 — 2*632 ; colour white,
passing into bluish and greyish-white ; lustre, feeble, shining ;
translucent on the edges ; fracture sub-conchoidal, uneven ;
texture, compact or fine granular ; sonorous. Before the
blow-pipe, it fuses with •intumescence, into a white enamel
with black points. The rock is divided by joints into irregular
fragments, whose surfaces are often coated with thin bladed
crystals of a mineral, frequently arranged in a radiated form,
and somewhat resembling tremolite in aspect ; from its blow-
pipe characters however, it appears to be aluminous, and is
probably a zeolite. Iron pyrites in small brilliant cubic
crystals, often highly modified, is disseminated throughout the
rock.

Examination showed that this rock was heterogeneous in
its nature, and contained besides a felspar, portions of carbo-
nates, and a silicate readily decomposable by acids. Its
powder is attacked slightly even by acetic acid. A portion of
the finely pulverized and sifted trap, was digested at a gentle
heat with nitric acid of specific gravity, 1*25, until the red
fumes from the oxydation of the pyrites had ceased. The
liquid was then removed by filtration, and the residue boiled
with a solution of carbonate of soda, which dissolved a portion
of silica. The contents of the acid solution wei’e also caj*efully

S 9

488

analyzed, and the following results obtained for the soluble
matters of 100 parts of the rock : —

Silica, 1*43

Alumina, 2*43

Lime, *60

Potash, *40

Soda, *98

Red oxyd of manganese, 1-31

Peroxyd of iron, 2*40

The amount of lime dissolved by acetic acid is equal to 0*45
per cent., or 0*80 per cent, of carbonate ; the remaining 0*15
are probably present as a silicate. Acetic acid dissolves more-
over, 1*5 per cent, of alumina and oxyd of iron, probably
derived from a carbonate of iron, but a great part of this metal
exists as sulphuret, in which state of combination the manga-
nese also probably occurs. The whole of the manganese
present is soluble in nitric acid, and while the white portions
of the rock afford no trace of it before the blow-pipe, some
minute dark-coloured grains were found to give an intense
manganese redaction. Further examinations are however
required to determine whether the manganese exists in the
rock as a carbonate or sulphuret.

The white insoluble matter which had been treated with
nitric acid and carbonate of soda, and dried at 300^ F., was
free from iron and manganese, and gave on analysis : —

Silica, 63*25

Alumina, 22*12

Potash, • 5*92

Soda, 6*29

Lime, *56

Loss on ignition, *93

99*07

Another determination of the alkalies, upon a portion of the
rock which had not been submitted to the action of acid, gave
potash 5*40, soda 6*49.

3. A specimen of a white trap from a dyke near the last,
and scarcely distinguishable from it in appearance, gave to
nitric acid, for 100 parts of the rock : —

Alumina and peroxyd of iron,

Red oxyd of manganese,

Potash,

Soda,

Carbonate of lime,

2- 84
•87
•25
•21

3- 33

The insoluble residue from the acid in this case, was not
treated with a solution of carbonate of soda, but after drying
in a water-bath, was submitted to analysis. It gave :

Silica r'o.oA

Alumina,

Potash,

Soda,

Lime,

•45

Loss by ignition,

98-97

Another determination of the alkalies gave 2-28 of potash,
and 7 ‘95 of soda.

4. Another white trap from Lachine was similar in appear-
ance to the preceding, but somewhat earthy in its aspect, and
had an argillaceous odour. It contains disseminated pyrites,
and occasionally, fissured crystals of a glassy felspar. The
rock freed from these crystals, and reduced to powder, eifer-
vesccs with nitric acid, which dissolves a considerable amount
of lime, some magnesia, a little iron, no manganese, and only
traces of alumina. 100 parts yielded of soluble matters : —

Lime, 4*14

Magnesia, 1*34

1*47
•27

Peroxyd of iron.
Alumina,

The above amount of lime equals 7*40 per cent, of carbonate.
On boiling the pulverized trap with a solution of nitrate of
ammonia, there was dissolved a quantity of lime equal to 5*33
per cent, of carbonate, or nearly three-fourths of the amount
soluble in nitric acid. The dried residue from the acid gave
by analysis: silica 58-50, alumina 24-90, lime 0-45, volatile
matters 2-10, alkalies, by difference, 14-05=100-00. A por-
tion of the alkalies was lost by an accident, but their propor-
tions were determined upon the remainder, and the potash
was found to be to the soda, very nearly as 2 : 3.

5. Another white trap from Lachine was concretionary, and
stained, as if from infiltrated matters ; the interior of the con-
cretions resembled the last variety. It yielded to nitric acid,
3-50 of lime, 1-35 of magnesia, 1-32 of alumina, and 2-51 of
peroxyd of iron ; the residue then gave to a solution of car-
bonate of soda 5-0 per cent, of soluble silica. A partial
analysis of this insoluble silicate shewed it to be a felspar,
nearly resembling the last in composition ; the potash and
soda were however present in the proportion of 4 : 3.

6. Associated with the felspathic traps at Lachine, there
occurs a dyke of another intrusive rock, which is very remark-
able in its composition. It is brittle, breaking into angular
fragments, and somewhat schistose in its structure. The eye
distinguishes in this rock, a reddish fawn-coloured base, in
which are disseminated small greenish-white rounded masses,
often grouped, and seemingly concretionary in their nature.
These greenish portions are sometimes half-an-inch or more in
diameter, and cover from one-third to one-half of the surface,
but are often indistinctly seen, unless the rock is moistened.
The hardness of the different portions does not greatly vary,
and is nearly that of apatite ; the density is remarkably low,
being only 2-4J 4. The rock contains small cavities filled with
calcareous spar, rarely stained purple ; carbonate of lime also
forms thin films in the joints of the mass. Fracture granular ;
lustre none ; feebly translucent on the edges.

When reduced to powder, and mingled with nitric acid of
specific gravity 1-25, a slight effervescence ensues, with abun-
dant red fumes ; the mass grows warm, and becomes gelatinous

like a zeolite, but on adding a solution of caustic soda to the
the separated silica and the alumina are both dissolved
by the alkali, leaving a white granular residue. This reaction
is the same with the fawn-colored and greenish portions, but
it is apparent that the amount of insoluble matter is greater
in the greenish portions.

For the analysis of the rock, it was finely pulverized and
sifted, treated with nitric acid as above, and digested for a few
minutes at a gentle heat The soluble parts being then re-
moved by water, the residue was warmed with a dilute solu-
tion of caustic soda, which readily dissolved the gelatinous
silica, without attacking the silicate, as was evident from the
fact that the alkaline solution contained besides the silica, a
portion of alumina equal to only 0-40 per cent, of the undis-
solved mineral. This was found to be no longer acted upon
by nitric acid, which only took up from it 0T2 of alumina.

The nitric solution was evaporated to diyness, and heated
to decompose the nitrates of alumina and iron ; the residue
being digested with a warm solution of nitrate of ammonia,
these bases were left behind. The lime was precipitated from
the filtrate as oxalate, and the ammoniacal salts being then
expelled by evaporation and heating, the remaining nitrates
were by an excess of oxalic acid converted into oxalates, and
these being changed by ignition into carbonates, a portion of
magnesia was separated from the alkalies, which were esti-
mated as chlorids. The alumina and oxyd of iron being dis-
solved in hydrochloric acid, left a little silica, which was added
to that from the soda solution. The minute portions of
alumina and iron from this, and from the subsequent treatment
of the insoluble silicate by nitric acid, were united to the
larger portions, and the iron separated from the alumina as
sulphuret. This elegant process of Ste. Claire Deville offers
great advantages for the separation of all the above-named
bases.

The soluble portion of the rock was found to consist
essentially of silica, alumina, and soda, with some oxyd of iron,
traces of manganese, a little potash, and some magnesia and
lime. The great part of the lime was evidently present in the

492

form of carbonate, for when a portion of the rock, which
yielded to nitric acid a quantity of this base equal to 4*36 per
cent, of carbonate, was boiled with nitrate of ammonia, there
were dissolved 3*87 per cent, of carbonate of lime, besides a
large amount of protoxyd of iron. The almost total absence
of sulphur from the soluble portions, is shown by the fact that
the alkalies separated by the process just described, did not
contain an appreciable trace of sulphates, and we are led to
conclude that the iron exists in the rock chiefly in the foim of
carbonate, whose oxydation gives rise to the red fumes evolved
by the action of nitric acid. I have therefore calculated the
lime and iron, as well as the trace of magnesia, as carbonates;
although a little oxyd of iron doubtless gives its colour to the
rock. The following are the results of the analyses of 4*0
grammes of the rock, as free as possible from the green por-
tions, (I) and of 2-5 grammes, in which the green was inter-
mingled, (II.)

I. II.

Insoluble silicate 45*'75 55-40

Soluble silicate, (by difference) 46*57 36'16

Carbonate of lime, 3*63 . 4*36

** “ iron, 3*52 3*72

“ “ magnesia, '53 '36

100-00 100-00

In order to arrive at the composition of the soluble silicate,
the amounts of the insoluble mineral, the silica, alumina, and
alkalies having been carefully determined, and the lime, mag-
nesia and iron calculated as above, the water was estimated
by the loss. In this way the following results were obtained
for the zeolitic portion of I and II.

II.

Silica

51-96

51-66

^lumindi,

24-42

24-88

Sodfl T.T t.t.

12-93

13-05

Potash,

1-15

1-28

IVatcr,

9-54

9-13

100-00

493

The amount of hygroscopic moisture in this trap is very
small ; a portion of I, in powder, lost only 0-20 per cent, after
long exposure to a heat of SOO® F., but 7-10 per cent at a red
heat.

The insoluble silicate was submitted to analysis in the ordi-
nary way , and yielded for I and II the following results :

Silica,

II.

Alumina,

bu yo

Potash,

Soda,

....

Lime,

....

Water,

*45

0- 1 A

98-30

Z iU

It will be seen from the foregoing analysis that this trap is
a mixture, in variable proportions, of a potash-felspar, with
small portions of carbonates, and a zeolite, which is probably
natrolite. The formula of natrolite requires silica 47’4, alu-
mina 26-9, soda 16‘2, and water 9-5, while analcime contains
silica 54-6, alumina 23-2, soda 14-1, water 8*1. The compo-
sition of the zeolite of the trap as calculated above, is inter-
mediate between these two species, but the readiness with
which it gelatinizes by the action of acids, leads to the suppo-
sition that it is natrolite rather than analcime; If we sup-
pose a portion of the felspar to be in such a state of decompo-
sition as to be attacked by the nitric acid, we account for the
excess of silica, as w’ell as for the potash in the soluble
portion. •

The felspar of this last trap, and those of the preceding,
resemble the felspar of I, in the almost complete absence of
lime, and the large amount of alkalies which they contain.
Like it, they are probably all to be referred to the species
orthoclase ; but they have undergone a commencement of
that decomposition, which consists in the abstraction of a
portion of silica and alkali, and the formation of kaolin, which
is a hydrous silicate, containing silica 40-0, alumina 44-5,
water 15-5. An admixture of this with the orthoclase will

494

explain the presence of water, and the diminished amount of
silica, in the more earthy of these felspathic traps. The
variations in the proportions of the two alkalies, observed in
these different rocks, are remarkable.

The name of phonolite has been applied to some trappean
rocks composed of felspar and zeolite, and may be used to
distinguish this which we have just described, from the other
felspathic traps. The composition of this phonolite is such,
that I am disposed to look upon the water which it now
contains, as having fonned part of the mass at the time of
its ejection, so that the felspar and zeolite were both formed
during the cooling of the mass. The other felspathic traps
may have been ejected under similar conditions, but the excess
of silica has given rise to the formation of felspathic rocks, in
which the zeolite is in smaller proportion, as in 2 and 3, or
altogether wanting, as in 1. These considerations are closely
connected with the now disputed question of the mode of
formation of many intrusive rocks. The discussion of many
points which are suggested in this connection, is however
reserved for a future Keport, which will include a series of
analyses, as yet incomplete, of the intrusive rocks of Grenville.

I have the honour to be.

Sir,

Your most obedient servant.

T. STERRY HUNT.