462 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [June, 



April2. — The paper entitled " Sketch of the Geology of New 

 South Wales and Van Diemen's Land," by the Rev. T. H. 

 Scott, was concluded. 



The coast of New Holland, from Cape Howe to Port Stephens, 

 including Botany Bay, Port Jackson, &c. as examined by Mr. 

 Scott, consists of an uninterrupted series of the coal measures. 

 At Illasvarro, or the five islands, a seam of coal is found at the 

 surface. Between Broken-Bay and Port Hunter, a horizontal 

 seam of coal is bared by the action of the sea on the cliffs. 

 Very good coal is worked at Newcastle on Hunter's river, 37 

 yards from the surface, 3-feet 1-inch thick ; it is intersected by 

 trap dykes in some places ; and vegetable remains of a large 

 leaved fern, thought by the people to be an Euculyptus, are 

 picked up at the base of the Cliff. Limestone alternates with 

 the sandstone, and iron ore occurs. The wells at Sydney, 

 being not more than 30 feet deep, the water is not good ; one 

 well, sunk 82 feet to a great mass of sandstone, gives excellent 

 water. From Paramatta the coal measures continue, and are 

 broken by trap dykes at the Nepean to Emuford ; where the 

 ascent of the blue mountains commences, near the summit of 

 which, the coal measures rest on the old red sandstone. 

 The escarpment of this rock on the east side presents the as- 

 pect of a perpendicular wall, at the top of which the old red 

 Sandstone is found in contact with primitive rocks : these occur 

 in the vale of Cleuyd and Clareneers hilly range ; where the 

 Macquarrie rises, and, after a north-east course of 300 miles, ter- 

 minates in a vast swamp. Returning westward, porphyritic 

 rocks and clay slate accompany the primitive rocks near 

 Bathurst and the Sidmouth range, to lake George and the 

 Cookbundoon river, which continue to the cow pastures, where 

 the coal measures of the colony again appear. 



The geology of the Island of Van Diemen's Land is con- 

 formable to that of the continent of New Holland. Both 

 Hobart-town and George-town are upon the coal formation. 

 Between the former and Elizabeth-town, a limestone full of 

 shells is found, probably of the oolite series, and the same rock 

 occurs near George-town on an island in the Tamar. In the 

 middle of the island at Bagdad, a rock, which answers to the 

 description of the millstone grit, and salt, are found on the river 

 Macquarrie. To the east and the west of the inhabited tract 

 between the two towns, high mountains and elevated primitive 

 ridges are alone discoverable, so that the island probably con- 

 tains little other fertile soil to tempt future emigration when 

 this space shall have peopled, which is not the case in New 

 South Wales. 



A letter was read on a section obtained in sinking a well at 

 Streatham, by Mr. J. S. Yeats, communicated by G. H. Brown, 

 Esq. 



A well havingbeen sunk at Streatham to the depth of 285 feet, 



