382 report — 1878. 



made available ; the object of completing tbe results arrived at by Messra. 

 Meux is to add to our knowledge of the structure of the whole of the 

 band at that place. This would lead us to the direction in which it should 

 be followed both east and west. 



Considering the vast importance of the discovery of productive coal- 

 measures from the S.E. of England westwards, both with reference to the 

 present high price of that article in the metropolis and to the many in- 

 dustries to which it would give rise along its whole course, of which 

 the line of country from Liege to Douai may serve as an illustration, 

 the time has come when the results so nearly arrived at at Tottenham 

 should be completed. 



Half the money spent upon the Sub-Wealden researches at Netherfield 

 would long since have settled the theoretical speculation — that the coal- 

 measures might be found along the line of the Thames Valley. No blame 

 is imputed to the promoters of the boring. During the inquiry of the 

 "Coal Commission," 1871, much discredit was thrown upon the supposition 

 of an extension of the Franco-Belgian coal band into our S.E. region by 

 the chairman, Sir R. Murchison (see p. 429, and reply of Mr. Dickinson * 

 as to the quality of the Boulonnais coal ; also the evidence of Sir R. Mur- 

 chison, p. 434, and following). 



As bearing on Sir R. Murchison's objection, which may be succinctly 

 stated to be, that the formations with which the coal-measures are asso- 

 ciated do not cross the Channel, and that, if they do, the coal that they 

 would contain would be worthless, no better than that of the Boulonnais, 

 I would quote from a recent work of the Abbe N. Boulay,t who refers 

 the Boulonnais coal to his upper category or bituminous coal. 



Fourth Report of the Committee for Investigating the Circulation 

 of the Underground Waters in the Jurassic, New Red Sandstone, 

 and Permian Formations of England, and the Quantity and 

 Character of the Waters supplied to various Towns and Districts 

 from these Formations, ivith Appendix, by Mr. Roberts, on the 

 Filtration of Water through Triassic Sandstone ; the Committee 

 consisting of Professor Hull, Rev. H. W. Crosskey, Captain D. 

 G alton, Mr. Glaisher, Mr. H. H. Howell, Mr. G. A. Lebour, 

 Mr. W. Moltneux, Mr. Morton, Mr. Pengellet, Professor Prest- 

 •wich, Mr. James Plant, Mr. Mellard Reade, Mr. W. Whitaker, 

 and Mr. De Rance {Reporter'). 



Your Committee, during the past year, has continued its inquiries into 

 the water-bearing capabilities of the Permian and Triassic strata, and, in 

 accordance with the instructions they received from you at the Plymouth 

 Meeting, have added the Jurassic rocks to the list of those under inves- 



* P. 429., 234. "In point of fact it is so bad that, though used by a few black- 

 smiths, it has never been extensively worked. (Mr. Dickinson) : If the coal is used 

 by blacksmiths it shows that it is good coal." 



t P. 11. " Les houilles se repartissent en trois categories universellement 

 adoptees dans le bassin du Nord : les charbons maigres, les charbons demi-gras et 

 les charbons gras." The Boulonnais coal is referred to this last. 



