592 Chronicles of Science. [ Oct., 
rocks from what have hitherto been supposed to exist in North 
Devon. There a formation known as the Carboniferous Slate 
occurs, reposing conformably on the Old Red Sandstone, and itself 
as conformably overlain by Coal-measures. In some districts Car- 
boniferous Limestone occurs above the Carboniferous Slate, but 
then the latter is much thinner than when the former is absent; 
and, generally, when one of these two formations is most developed 
the other is either entirely absent or very thin, so that a general 
section may be drawn, having at one end Carboniferous Slate 
reposing on Old Red Sandstone, at the other Carboniferous Lime- 
stone on the same base, and in the centre a thinner development of 
both Carboniferous Limestone and Carboniferous Slate, the latter 
(being the lower rock) reposing as before on Old Red Sandstone. 
Now, in this paper Mr. Jukes endeavours to show that the 
Devonian rocks of North Devon are the same, stratigraphically and 
lithologically, as the Carboniferous Slate of the south-west of Ire- 
land; and that, instead of there being a conformable and uninter- 
rupted succession of rocks from Lynton to Barnstaple, the series is 
repeated, owing either to a reversed anticlinal, or (what he thinks 
more probable) a great east and west fault running through the 
centre of North Devon, and haying a downthrow to the north. 
At any rate, he considers that the rocks of Baggy and Marwood 
are the same as those of Lynton, and he suggests the only two 
possible modes of explaining the circumstance, seeing that the dip 
of the beds is, to all appearance, persistently south. 
VII. MINING, MINERALOGY, AND METALLURGY. 
Mrininec. 
Tue condition of British mining is far from promising. The 
continued low prices of copper and tin press very heavily upon our 
mines, which are now, in nearly all cases, worked to great depths, 
and necessarily at heavy costs. The wages of the miners in 
Cornwall and Devonshire are reduced, and as there is but little 
prospect of improvement for some time to come, emigration is 
taking place to an unusual degree. This is much to be regretted, 
as the ablest men are those who emigrate, and we can ill afford to 
lose this class of labourers. The ‘Mineral Statistics’ recently 
published put us in possession of the results of our mining opera- 
tions during 1865. Out of 619 mines which have been recently 
in activity in Cornwall and Devonshire, we find that 238 have 
suspended operations, and we learn that several others, and 
unfortunately some of those mines employing the largest numbers 
of people, are to be closed shortly. 
