230 THE CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. 



effectual measures should be taken to ascertain their actual value, 

 either by boring or by searching for their outcrops, and also that the 

 Grand Lake beds themselves should be proved in their extension both 

 east and west. In Nova Scotia very remarkable changes of thickness 

 occur in the coal-beds in tracing them from one locality to another ; 

 and though this is perhaps less likely in New Brunswick, yet it is 

 quite possible that more valuable beds than any yet known may exist, 

 more especially in the central part of the area, where the great flatness 

 of the beds and their general covering with soil and forest have pre- 

 vented any effective exploration. 



I have not had an opportunity of visiting the coal mines at Grand 

 Lake ; but, from a paper read by Mr Matthew before the Natural 

 History Society of New Brunswick, it appears that mining is pro- 

 secuted at two places, — Coal Ridge and Coal Creek. At the former 

 place the coal is found in a bed nineteen inches in thickness. At the 

 latter the thickness is only seventeen inches — the distance between 

 the two localities being three and a half miles. Only one bed appears 

 to have been discovered. The dip of the coal is to the southward at 

 a very small angle. 



Mr Matthew states, in addition to the considerations above mentioned, 

 the very important fact, that older slates are found cropping out to the 

 surface about ten miles from the mouth of Coal Creek. This would 

 indicate, as he states, that the Coal measures may be very shallow at 

 this place. It gives, however, a probability that the coal-beds may 

 vary in productiveness on different sides of such an island of older 

 rocks, as is observed to be the case in Nova Scotia. In other words, 

 if the New Brunswick coal area is traversed by buried ridges of older 

 rocks, these may divide it into subordinate areas of deposit, some of 

 which may be much more valuable than others. 



In conclusion, I would venture to express the opinion that the 

 question as to the actual value of the coal area of New Brunswick can 

 be settled only by the slow progress of accidental discovery, or by 

 boring operations undertaken in those places where the upper series of 

 coal-beds makes its appearance; and that the analogy of the Nova 

 Scotia coal regions would indicate that the probability of the occur- 

 rence of large beds will be greatest along the southern side of the coal 

 area, and where the Coal measures approach most closely to the older 

 rocks. Of course, it would be useless to bore so near to these last that 

 only the lower part of the Carboniferous series would be penetrated. 

 It is where indisputable indications exist of the presence of the upper 

 portion of the Coal measures that such trials should be made ; and the 

 best scientific advice as to locality should be secured before entering 

 on expensive operations. 



