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ton, Shiawassee, and Genesee. They consist of sandstone, shale coal, 

 and limestone. Covered, as these rocks are, with thick deposits of dilu- 

 viums and clays, they make out crops at but few points, and the de- 

 termination of their order and Extent has been a matter of no small 

 ilifficulty. 



" COAL OF INGHAM COUIfTY. 



Passing down the easterly side of the basin, the coal is again met 

 with in the northeast corner town of Ingham county. The coal has 

 here been penetrated two and a half feet, but the entire thickness of the 

 bed has not been determined. It may here be observed that the coal of 

 this lower bed, univei-sally, has more than usual compactness and pu- 

 rity, and is equal to the best bituminous coal of Pennsylvania. 



" COAL OF SHIAWASSEE COrUTY. 



The coal again makes its appeaiance at the border of the basin near 

 the county seat of Shiawassee county, and it crops out between thick 

 and extensive layei-s of sandstone in the banks of the small creek en- 

 tering Shiawassee River. The coal has here a thickness of from thiee 

 and a half to four feet, and is accompanied by shale, the entire thick- 

 ness of which is not ascertained." 



From these extracts, it will be seen that the coal bearing rocks extend 

 through nine counties of the State, and probably more, a distance of 

 nearly 100 miles, and that the same stratum of coal belonging to the 

 lower coal basin, is exhibited to view at three different points of out 

 crop, viz : at Bany, in -Jackson county ; at Red Cedar River, in Ingham 

 county, 35 miles from Barry; and at Shiawassee River, 26 miles from 

 Red Cedar River, occupying a line of at least 60 miles in extent, thus 

 affording conclusive evidence of a continuous stratum of coal for that 

 whole distance. The thickness of this stratum is found to be nearly the 

 same at each of these three out crops. The quality of the coal at Shi- 

 awassee and Red Cedar Rivers, I know from personal inspection, to be 

 identical ; that at Barry, from the Geological reports, seems to be of the 

 same quality. I cannot speak of this out crop from personal inspection, 

 for I have not seen it. 



In 1844, I sunk a shaft at Red Cedar River through the coal bed, 

 which at that point hes about seven feet below the surface. I found it 

 lo be two feet nine inches thick, overlaid by a stratum of fire clay, and 

 resting on a bed of sand stone. This coal bed is defined by the Geo- 



