of Northumherland and Durham. 89 



containing about 5 per cent, of common salt. At Long Benton 

 in Northumberland, the proprietors have obtained by act ot 

 parliament the exclusive privilege of extracting soda from the 

 brine, without the payment of the regular duties. Another spring 

 rises in part of the river Wear * . 



At the depth of about 300 yards below the lov.est principal 

 beds of coal, the beds of metalliferous limestone commence, par- 

 ticularlv what are provincially called the Little and the Groat 

 limestones., lliere is a bed below these sometimes called the 

 Great limestone, or the Melmerby Scar limestone, which is much 

 thicker than the upper great limestone bed. The Little limestone 

 is the first of the metalliferous limestones. Between this and the 

 first great limestone are strata of sandstone and plate, with two 

 seams of sulphurous coal. The first great limestone is about 

 21 yards in thickness, and is the most productive of lead of any 

 limestone on the Wear or Tees. About four yards of the upper 

 parts of this limestone in Northumberland are called the Tumbler 

 beds ; they contain entrochi and other organic remains. There 

 are in all not less than nineteen beds of limestone, of which the 

 most remarkable are called the Four fathom limestone ; the Five 

 yards limestone; the Three yards limestone; Scar limestone 

 (five fathoms) ; Tyne bottom limestone, so called because the 

 river Tyne runs in this limestone nearly all the way from Tyne 

 head to Garrvgall gate, a distance of about four miles. It is 

 stated by Mr. Fonster to be the lowest limestone of Alston Moor, 

 and the uppermost stratum at Dufton Fell in Westmoreland : its 



* The difference in the thickness of tlie upper coal beds on ti;e rivers 

 Tyne and Wear laay periiaps make i: doubtful whether they are tlie same 

 (according to Mr. Forster): " tlie first eight small seams and the hish main 

 coal on the river Tyne are scarcely noticed on the river V^'ear. The nest 

 below called the metal coal on Tyne, makes part of the fire quarters coal 

 on Wear; then the next called the yaid coal on Tyne foiins the hijj;h main 

 coal on Wear six feettliick; then there is a small scam six inches thick, 

 from which we come to t!ie Bentham seam on Tyne three feet three inches 

 thick, which forms the Maudlin seam on the Wear four feet thick. The 

 next below is a coal called the six quarter coal on Tyne three feet six 

 inches thick, part of the low main coal on Wear. Underneath is a small 

 seam nine inches thick, from whence wc come to the low main coal on 

 'I'yne six feet six inches thii.'k, which forms the liutton seam ou Wear 

 foui feet three inches thick. From thence we hnd five seams, as will appear 

 by tlie section, when we. come to the Hervey seam three feet thick on Tyne, 

 and to Wickham stone coal on Tyne six feet thic k. From thence to the 

 Brookwell soan-., which is little known on Tyne, is totally unknown on Wear, 

 and is the lowest seam discovered either on the river Weai' or Tyne." In 

 a «.cctioa so extensive as this taken liy Mr. F'orster, over a country broken 

 and disturbed by numerous faults, it is possible tirat there may be some 

 uncertainty with respect to the identity of the strata in particular situa- 

 lions; but the section may be reiiarded as a valuablf ap|)ro\iination to 

 truth. 



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