Ejnahan — On Irish Metal Mining. 299 



The coals of the Upper Measures in Annagher, Coalisland, and 

 Annaghone have respectively individual characteristics. It has 

 been supposed that those of the Annagher series are ahove the 

 Coalisland series, but there are no positive proofs that this is the 

 case, while the facts appear to be against such a supposition. 

 The Battiboy coal of the Coalisland series is said to be the 

 sixth or lowest coal of the Annagher series. This, according to 

 the published section, is, at the most, only 192 feet above the 

 Derry or highest workable coal in the Coalisland series ; while in 

 the intervening measures there are four thin coals, ranging from 

 nine inches to two feet in thickness ; but in the bore-hole put 

 down by Griffith for a depth of 270 feet below the sixth ooal 

 at Annagher no coal was found. It is possible that these four 

 minor coals might have died out, and be unrepresented in the 

 measures under Annagher ; but it is scarcely possible that 

 the Derry Coal, from three to five feet thick, should be totally 

 absent. In the Annaghone Colliery, the Main Coal is said to be 

 "undoubtedly" the Annagher Nine-foot Coal, which would necessi- 

 tate a down throw to the eastward of over 2000 feet. It seems to 

 me therefore more likely that the different series of coals in the 

 several portions of the Upper Measures, are in more or less de- 

 tached basins, in each of which the strata were accumulated under 

 different conditions, similarly as in Kilkenny and Tipperary. 



We, hoover, do know, that in the Annagher series there are 

 four coals, over 2'5 feet thick, more or less capable of being pro- 

 fitably worked ; while in the Coalisland series there are throe coals, 

 over three feet high. The Annaghone colliery had a coal nine 

 feet thick, and above it another that varies from 1*5 to 3 feet. 

 There are no apparent reasons why these Annaghone coals may 

 not extend northward and north-eastward under the Trias, even 

 into the Co. Londonderry. 



From the very imperfect data at present procurable there is no 

 possibility of making any sort of an approximate estimate of the- 

 quantity of unwrought profitable coal in this portion of Ulster ; 

 but it appears safe to suggest that there is probably much more 

 unwrought coal here, than elsewhere in Ireland. 



The coals are bituminous, and when burnt have a white ash ; 

 near the surface they are brittle, but improve in depth. They 

 were not wrought, at least extensively, until the present century,. 



