CARBONIFEROUS DISTRICT OF PICTOU. 335 



These coals being taken from the western part of the workings, do 

 not show the fall coal of the old pits, this part of the seam having 

 there, as already explained, thinned out. All these coals afford a fine 

 vesicular coke, and their ashes are light gray and powdery, with the 

 exception of those of the coals marked " coarse," which are heavy 

 and shaly. 



The Deep Seam., situated at the vertical depth of 150 feet beloAV 

 the main seam, and consequently cropping out to the surfiice about 

 150 yards to the south-west of the outcrop of the latter, contains about 

 twelve feet of good coal, divided by intervening layers of shaly and 

 impure coal into three bands. The best coal of this seam is superior 

 to that of the main seam, but owing to the division above mentioned, 

 it cannot be worked so economically as the main seam, and is there- 

 fore likely to be left until the latter is exhausted, at least in its more 

 accessible portions. The comparative purity of some portions of this 

 seam, however, would entitle them to demand a higher price in the 

 market than the ordinary produce of the Pictou mines. Its best por- 

 tions contain only from 5 '3 to 11 per cent, of ashes, and afford much 

 illuminating gas, and a fine vesicular coke, similar to that of the main 

 seam coal. The ashes of some of the deep seam layers are of a reddish 

 colour, whereas those of the coal from the main seam are invariably 

 white or light-gray. There can be no doubt that nothing but its 

 association with a bed of so much greater magnitude prevents this 

 seam from being more extensively worked. 



The following sectional view of the Deep Seam as it occurs at the 

 Dalhousie pits, is taken from a series of samples furnished to me by 

 Mr Poole in 1854 :— 



1. Gray argillaceous shale — roof. 



2. Tender laminated coal, much mineral charcoal. 



3. Laminated compact coal, less mineral charcoal. 



4. „ „ 



5. Carbonaceous ironstone, crusts of Cyprids. 



6. Laminated compact coal, much mineral charcoal. 



7. Laminated coarse coal. 



8. Laminated compact coal. 



9. Laminated coarse coal. 



10. Laminated compact tender coal. 



11. Laminated compact coal. 



12. Laminated compact coarse coal. 



13. Laminated compact hard coal. 



14. „ „ thick layer of mineral charcoal. 



