Account of the Mineral-Iields of Airdrie and Bathgate. 179 
singular appearance, differing from any that we have seen, 
-and are used for grinding all kinds of grain, wheat excepted. 
Connected with the millstone bed there are good flag- 
stones, some of which are of excellent quality for grind- 
stones. 
Mineral-Field from Bathgate Hills to Edinburgh and Leith. 
There is a sudden rise of the strata to the east; and this 
elevated range, with the mountain-limestone, extends north- 
ward toa considerable distance, where many limestone quar- 
ries have been opened; but it is remarkable that this range 
is suddenly cut off upon the south, near Bathgate, and here 
the mountain-limestone disappears ; but limestones are found 
from this district, extending to the Blackburn and Whitburn 
districts, and contain coals, and their accompanying strata, 
such as sandstone, fire-clay, and ironstone. The coals hither- 
to found are few in number, being, in general, from three to 
four feet thick, and the beds of limestone from six to eight 
feet thick. 
It is worthy of remark, that at Blackburn there is a coal 
of four feet thick, found a few feet below the limestone, from 
which we infer that this coal- field to the south is a formation 
altogether different from that of Bathgate coal-field. 
Upon the east of the Bathgate Hills, a trap range of rocks 
commences, and we infer that they are the cause of having 
elevated the strata at the town of Bathgate ; as is precisely 
the case upon the south side of the Ochil Mountains in Clack- 
mannanshire, and upon the south side of the Pentland Hills, 
near Edinburgh. 
From some distance east from Bathgate, and towards 
Broxburn, the coals which had been wrought are all of the 
smithy or caking kind, and so disturbed by the trap rocks, 
that no coal-field of any extent has hitherto been discovered ; 
and the coals which have been wrought are in patches, and 
much disjoined. 
After passing Broxburn, no coals have been found ; but 
there are valuable beds of sandstone, which evidently belong 
to the series under the coal-formation : in this range, also, 
limestones are wrought of very good quality. 
