480 



chair. The title of the paper was " The Geographical Position of 

 the Carboniferous Formation in Somersetshire, with Notes on 

 possible Coal Areas in adjoining districts of the South of England " 

 (vide -p. 454). Mr. McMurtrie treated first of the actual outcrops 

 of Carboniferous strata in the Somerset basin, then he endeavoured 

 to give an outline of the known Coalfield as it probably exists 

 beneath the Secondary rocks, and finished with some remarks on 

 the probable Coal areas in the South of England, South of the 

 Mendips, and between Bath and Calais. The paper was illustrated 

 by very fine maps and diagrams. 



In thanking Mr. Mc Murtrie for his paper, the President said 

 that it was especially interesting at this time, as touching on the 

 coal question. Taking into consideration the fears which were 

 entertained as to the continuance of the present supply of coal, 

 and the cost of the article, the paper was deserving of the greatest 

 attention, and he was much obliged to Mr. Mc Murtrie for bringing 

 the subject forward. 



The Secretary said that the paper had been due to the Club 

 for a year, but Mr. Mc Murtrie had refrained from giving it until 

 the Report of the Royal Coal Commission, on which he had been 

 recently consulted, had been published. He would commence at 

 the latter part of the paper with regard to the thickness of the 

 Secondary formation south of the Mendips. Mr. Prestwich, he 

 believed, adopted Mr. Moore's estimate of the great thickness of 

 that formation. Was there coal south of the Mendips ? that was 

 the question. He ventured at the meeting of the Someraet 

 Archaeological Society — standing as he then did on the axis of 

 the Quantocks, and looking towards the Mendips, with the vast 

 intervening plain of New red sandstone stretching before him 

 -^-to state that he saw no reason why there should not be coal 

 south of the Mendips, and he was pleased that Mr. McMurtrie had 

 now stated the same opinion on the subject. As he said then he 

 said now, that if only some public spirited individual would bore 

 through that thick mantle of Marls and sandstone which covered 

 up the intervening plain he could set the question at rest. If coal 

 were found there he did not think it would interfere with the 

 profits of the coal fields north of the Mendips, because the expense 

 of raising it would be so great on account of the depth. 



