144 Proceedings of Philosophical Societies. [Fkb. 



completely scaly ; calcareous spar, either single or mixed, with 

 quartz ur agate ; quartz either common or amethystine ; and agate 

 and coloured and zoned chalcedony : sometimes the agate is partly 

 stalactitical and partly zoned from green heliotrope without the red 

 spots by which it is usuallj' marked which also occurs in veins. 



On the top of the great mass of trap is a l)ed of conglomerate, 

 consisting of trap pebbles imbedded in a cement of the same nature. 

 The most remarkable circumstance, however, in the hill of Kin- 

 noul, is the variety of interesting junctions which it presents of the 

 trap with grey-wacke-slate. These two rocks are intermixed and 

 involved with the other in various ways, and the slate adjacent to 

 the planes of contact is inflated and spongy, exhibiting a structure 

 very analogous to that of the burnt micaceous schistus which is 

 sometimes found in the v.alls of the vitrified forts, except that in 

 the former the cavities are filled with calcareous spar. 



The peculiarities in the structure of some of the agates, and in 

 the trap and grcy-wacke at the places of their junction, are in the 

 opinion of the author of this pajjcr, not to be accounted for by the 

 exclusive agency either of fusion or of consolidation from aqueous 

 solution. 



A letter from Mr. Henry Sports, of Salisbury, on the formation 

 of flint was also read. Certain of the flint nodules exhibit unques- 

 tionable marks of animal organization ; and from this fact Mr. S. 

 supposes that all flint has originated from sponges, alcyonia, and the 

 spongeous zoophiles, converted by some unknown process into 

 silicious earth. 



On the 18th of March and 1st of April, a paper by Nat. Wynch, 

 Esq. on the geology of part of Northumberland and Durham was 

 partly read. 



Mr. W. begins his paper with a description of the mflgncsian 

 lime-stone which makes its first appearance at Cullercoates, ia 

 Northumberland, and stretches in a S. W. direction between the 

 rivers Tyne and Tees. At Whitley quarry, near Cullercoates, tiiis 

 formation may be seen resting on the coal strata; and in other parts 

 the workings of adjacent collieries have been actually driven to a 

 short distance under the lime-stone, although no sinkings begun in 

 the lime-stone have ever been carried down as far as the coal. It is 

 not, therefore, ascertained that the coal is of equal extent with the 

 lime-stone ; but unfortunately it is too well known that the coal has 

 constantly proved to be excessively deteriorated where covered by 

 the magnesian lime-stone. This formation is composed of strata of 

 lime-stone of various qualities and appearance, such as white, brown, 

 and fetid, very ferruginous, oolitic, &c. alternating with shale, and 

 traversed by thin strings of galena. In the beds of the Tees occurs 

 a red sand-stone, the geological relations of which are but little 

 known. Sinkings have been made in it in dift'erent places to the 

 depth of from 7^ lo SO fathoms in search of coal, but wholly 

 without success. 



The coal formation rests upon the lead-mine measures, and is ia 



i 



