FORMATION 01' COAL. 199 



which he shows that Tasmanite and Australian White Coal 

 examined by him, contained a number of '' small seed-like bodies 

 very similar to, although smaller than, the microspores of 



The analysis of the White Coal he gives thus : — 



Combustible matter 29*58 



Ash 68'47 



Water i*95 



lOO'OO 



Now I submit that the term coal is wrongly applied here, as for 

 fuel it would be worthless owing to the amount of ash : it is a 

 shale, and may have been formed as I have described. 



It may be that some Bituminous coals^ contain spores, but they 

 form only a small portion of the whole mass : these spores have, by 

 some,, been considered similar to Lycopodium, but this is far from 

 having been substantiated. 



Dr. Dawson has ably treated this subject, but makes no 

 reference to spores, he says,* " with respect to the plants which 

 •*have contributed the vegetable matter of the coal, these are 

 " principally the Sigillariae and Calamiteae, but especially the former. 

 " With these, however, are intermixed remains of most of the other 

 " plants of the period, contributing, though in an inferior degree, 

 " to the accumulation of the mass. This conclusion is confirmed 

 '' by facts derived from the associated beds, as for instance, the 

 '•^ prevalence of Stigmaria in the under clays, and of Sigillaria and 

 " Calamites in the roof shales, and erect forests.'" He refers to 

 the Stigmaria roots in the underclay, and later on calls attention 

 to their size, from which we may gather that the trees were very 

 large, if this be so, the underclay should be full of them 3 but 

 whatever may be the case on the other side of the Atlantic, it is 



* Q.J.aS. 1., p. 639, 1859. 



