62 repokt— 1877. 



And though this gypseous bed does not strictly come under the head of an 

 inquiry into the Permian and New Red Sandstones formations, yet it is 

 important as affording another and undescribed source of underground water- 

 supply in the Midland Counties. 



The various sources of supply he tabulates thus in descending order : — 



1. Great Gypsum bed. 



2. Upper Keuper Sandstone. 



3. Lower Keuper Sandstone. 



4. Bunter Sandstone. 



5. Permian Sandstone. 



Mr. Plant states that he trusts to have some further information about 

 deep borings now in operation in Leicestershire in addition to those he has 

 already obtained, and which are published in the previous lleports. 



In Staffordshire, Mr. Moltneux reports that he has obtained a large 

 amount of information ; but as important borings for water are still in 

 progress, he would prefer waiting until they are completed, so that he may 

 be able to present the Committee with a connected Eeport on the area he 

 has taken charge of, which shall include the resources of the Bunters of the 

 Cannock -Chase district, where the South-Staffordshire Waterworks are 

 erecting two large pumping stations, and also the results of mining opera- 

 tions through the so-called Permian beds south of "Walsall and elsewhere. 



Mineral Waters of St. Clement's, Oxford. 



It has lately been suggested by Prof. Prestwich that some of the saline 

 springs occurring in the Oolites may derive their supply from deep-seated 

 underlying New Red rocks. 



In a paper read before the Ashmolean Society ho describes the character 

 of tbe water now issuing from an artesian bore-hole carried 420 feet 

 through the Oxford Clay and Oolitic strata in 1832. An analysis by 

 Mr. Donkin proves tbis water to contain 1277 grains per gallon, a 

 quantity not exceeded by many of the continental saline waters. In tbe 

 large proportion of sulphates, this water more nearly resembles some of the 

 German mineral waters, such as Friederickshall and Eehme, than those of 

 England ; for that of Cheltenham only contains G94 grains of saline ingre- 

 dients, of which 104 grains per gallon consist of sulphate of soda, which, at 

 St. Clement's, amounts to 357 grains. 



As stated in your Committee's second Report, not less than 10,000 square 

 miles of area are occupied in England and Wales by the New Red Sandstone 

 and Permian formations, which absorb not less than 10 inches of rainfall 

 annually, and probably more in districts where the overlying drift is porous, 

 or absent altogether, and the sandstone is of an exceedingly open and per- 

 meable character and is traversed by joints and fissures. 



This area is a fertile source of shallow wells, and both the sandstone and 

 the overlying drift sand and gravel form an excellent water-bearing stratum ; 

 but unfortunately these shallow wells, though yielding clear and palatable 

 water, from the numerous and potent sources of pollution surrounding them, 

 are almost all valueless as a source of domestic supply, being charged with 

 organic matter derived from animal refuse matters, the total" solid impurity 

 amounting to 240 parts per 100,000, or 168 grains per gallon, in the water 



