GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF DUBLIN. 27 



THE OCCTJEEENCE OP DEIFT COAL IN SAND NEAE NEWCASTLE. 



Dueing a tour in search of geological information, that I made last sum- 

 mer in England, I visited, amongst other places, Durham, near^Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne. About a mile and a half from the town is a famous coal-pit, 

 called Old Durham, which I went to see. On leaving it, happening to 

 inquire the shortest way back to Durham, I was told to take a road 

 leading through a wood, on the bank of the river, that was pointed out 

 to me a short distance off. The wood lies on the side of a low hill that 

 runs down to the water's edge. In the cuttings made to form the road 

 appeared several very thin beds of coal, which at first were not more 

 than a quarter of an inch thick ; but further on, the road winding down 

 the hill, and the cutting becoming deeper, fresh beds, thicker than those 

 first seen, were exposed to view, two of which are each from 12 to 14 

 inches 'deep. On examining the beds and digging out part of them, I 

 found them to be made up of sand and round pieces of coal, so unlike 

 in that respect the coal of our coal-pits, that I concluded that I had met 

 with drift coal. I took several pieces from different beds, and all showed 

 marks of having travelled from a distance. All the beds are in a yel- 

 lowish buff-coloured sand ; and immediately above this sand, where the 

 two thick beds are seen, occurs what is commonly called drift, with round 

 stones in it, as large as a child's head. [Captain Molony exhibited a 

 rough sketch, taken from memory, and said] — I regret I had not more 

 time at command to enable me to give a minuter and more satisfactory 

 representation of them, as I had only paid a flying visit to Durham, and 

 was obliged to hurry back to the station to catch the train that was to 

 take me on to Edinburgh that night. These beds are, to all appearance, 

 perfectly parallel, and you will perceive that the several specimens taken 

 from them, which I place before the meeting, are rounded on the edges, 

 and bear every appearance of being drift matter. Having never heard 

 or read in any book on geology, of drift coal that had actually been 

 seen — for I deny that beds containing minute stems and delicate leaves 

 are drift coal — I am anxious to bring the occurrence of these beds before 

 the meeting, in hopes that some member more talented and better 

 acquainted with geology than myself may find an opportunity some day 

 of visiting the place and favouring us with his views on the subject. I 

 beg you will not suppose that I attempt in any way to disprove the 

 theory of our coal-hills being formed of vegetable matter that grew on 

 the spot where it now lies. Such is not my intention, for I believe in 

 that theory myself, and bring forward this drift coal as a proof that the 

 coal we burn is not drift coal. The proofs I adduce in support of this 

 being drift coal are these : — Its being found in pieces, and not in a con- 

 tinuous mass orbed ; the rolled appearance of these pieces ; and the spaces 

 between them being filled up with sand ; and, lastly, the absence in the 

 beds of any trace of the fossil organic remains usually found in coal-beds, 

 such as Sigillaria, Stigmaria, &c, &c. ; in fact, that they are the denu- 

 dation of a bed of coal already formed, but, unlike their parent bed, they 

 contain neither leaves, stems, nor roots. 



