Mineralogy and Geology of « part of Nova wa Scotia. 155 
© "The sandstone continuing its eastward course e through the 
district of Pictou 
tain range, which it meets in the township of “Egerton near 
the sources of Middle and East Rivers. In the village of New 
Glasgow, there occurs an important bed of bituminous coal 
near the East River. It is included between the strata of 
sandstone and is overlaid by a decayed, blackish shale. The 
coal is of a jet black color, has a glossy appearance, and is 
highly charged with bitumen. It burns with a bright flame, 
and smokes much when first kindled. It appears to melt 
and cake like the Newcastle coal, and when completely on 
oe after the bituminous matter is dissipated, it rave like 
e. These characters show that it is a valuable coal, and 
of good quality, fitted for all the purposes of that brought to 
this country from En ngland. All that has yet been raised has 
a fault which greatly injures it for the market. It is very 
soft and friable, insomuch that it is broken into * small coal,” 
or even ground into dust by friction in transporting it to any 
considerable distance. There have been five or six shafts 
sunk in different parts of this bed, mostly under its former 
lessee, Mr. Carr, sa fsaaid resides _ this place. One of these is 
seven sd of coal. ‘This! hike a 
well pint Nhevaviacuae into ants bed This h hd betes 
effected by “ gins” and buckets worked se power. We 
believe it never afforded nitiehy profit to the persons 
in working it, for the mine had been abandoned for a | 
time when we visited-it, and the former machinery was 
most destroyed by decay. Preparations were then makin 
to explore this mine on a generous sca ale. A company had 
been organized in London to work the coal, and two very 
intelligent and scaoaming gentlemen, Messrs. Smith and 
Brown, sent to superintend the operations, with 
more than a bieindrecd European miners to assist in the work. 
They were building two steam engines to pump the water 
from the shafts, and to raise the coal. With such adequate 
ineans, strong hopes are entertained of obtaining coal of a 
more compact nature suited for exportation. e are una- 
ble to form any opinion respecting the foundation of these 
sanguine expectations, as the state of the shafts, being partly 
filled with water, precluded the necessary examination of the 
bed and associated rocks. We were informed that Mr. Carr 
had cut through the whole thickness of the bed with his prin- 
cipal shaft, and had found the black shale beneath, which he 
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