Kinahan — On Irish Marbles and Limestones. 417 



The dolomytes of this county have been utilized for the manu- 

 facture of fluid magnesia. 



Donegal. 



The areas of Carboniferous rock are of very limited extent, the 

 largest being that in which Donegal and Ballyshannon are 

 situated. At Pettigoe there is a little strip outside the mearing of 

 Fermanagh. There are, however, in various places among the 

 metamorphic rocks (Ordovician and Cambrian), beds and patches 

 of the older limestone. Some of these are well suited for cut-stone 

 work. The cut stone in the little church of Glenalla, near Rath- 

 mullen, is from this class, and has a remarkably good appearance, 

 and seems to be durable. The white and shaded whites, of which 

 there are many varieties, are capable of being polished, and might 

 be worked as marble ; but almost invariably they are more or less 

 coarsely crystalline ; or when fine-grained and compact, they are 

 thin-bedded and full of joints, preventing their being raised, except 

 in small pieces. These causes deteriorate their value, and prevent 

 their being able to compete with the Italian stone. 



In the Metamorphic Rocks (Cambrian (?), Arenig, and Ordo- 

 vician) limestones occur at the following places : — 



Ballymore. Four miles from Dunfanaghy. — Creamy white, in 

 places clouded with brown, or having brown portions ; highly 

 crystalline ; polishes well. Has been used as a marble. Difficult 

 to work, but an excellent material for all cut-stone purposes. 



Marble Hill or Glaisheen. Two and a-half miles from Dun- 

 fanaghy. — Pink and white, of a delicate colour, but with imbedded 

 clouds of grey ; crystalline and slightly schistose. 



Hock Sill. — One and a-half miles from Dunfanaghy. Whitish- 

 grey, slightly crystalline, in parts pyritous and micaceous, making 

 the stone liable to discolour. 



Rinclevin. — Nearly a mile from Dunfanaghy. "White, with 

 greyish tint ; highly crystalline ; fracture smooth. 



Dunleivey. Six miles E. S.E. of Gweedore. — White and pink- 

 tinted creamy white ; blue, and green-tinted. At the western end 

 of the seam there was a hard, white crystalline rock, very durable, 

 as seen in the church close by, where it has not even lost colour. 

 This stone was not followed in depth. The creamy and tinted 

 varieties in the eastern portion of the quarry are in very thin beds, 



SCIEN. PEOC. K.P.S. — VOL. T. PT. V. 2 F 



