OF THE COUNTY OF STAFFORD. 237 
with those before mentioned, and a careful examination would no 
doubt detect numerous anticlinal and synclinal lines running across 
the country, with an approximately N. and S. direction. An anti- 
clinal line, running N. and S. by Wetley Rocks and Cellar Head, 
certainly separates the Cheadle coal-field from that of the Potteries 
for some distance, as by Cellar Head shale may be seen, containing 
a bastard limestone, at the top of the hill, the gritstone dipping ra- 
pidly from it on either hand. How far, however, this line may run 
to the S. is unknown, on account of the overlying beds of the new 
red sandstone concealing the carboniferous rocks from our inspection. 
On the other hand, the position of synclinal lines in this direction, 
or lines towards which the rocks bend downwards, is marked by the 
position of the coal-fields themselves, which of course lie in troughs 
formed by the bending downwards of the gritstone rocks on which 
they rest. The small patch of coal measures mentioned before as 
occurring at Goldsitch, lies in a deep hollow of the gritstone rocks, 
which rise rapidly from under it on every side into lofty hills, more 
especially to the W. and S. on which sides the summits of the hills 
exhibit great beds and ledges of rock, whose rapid dip towards the 
valley may be seen a mile or two off. ‘The coal measures themselves, 
of course, follow the position of the rocks on which they rest, and, 
being horizontal in the centre of the basin, crop out on every side at 
an angle of 30°, except towards the N. where they are cut off by a 
fault. One bed of coal is here worked, which for a short distance is 
five or six feet thick: there are two others, neither of which exceed 
two feet. The northern part of the Cheadle coal-field, about 
Kingsley, contains three beds of coal, the thickest of which is three 
feet ; the beds are very nearly horizontal, what slight inclination 
there is being towards the N.W. S. of Cheadle, however, and 
about Delph Houses, five beds of coal are worked, the uppermost of 
which is six feet thick, the whole section having a thickness of one 
hundred and six yards, and over this part the inclination is S.W. 
the beds dipping at the rate of one in nine. At Dilhorne, I believe, 
similar beds are worked, but they here crop both to the N. and W. 
shewing that the anticlinal line mentioned before as passing by Cel- 
lar Head, throws out the beds on this side, and thus far, at least, 
produces a real separation between the Cheadle and Pottery coal- 
fields. 
Concerning that far more extensive district, the Pottery coal- 
field, I regret that all the information I was able to procure is ex- 
ceedingly scanty, owing partly to my own want of time, and partly 
to an absurd jealousy which still lurks in that district, with respect 
