Mineralogy and Geology of apart of Nova Scotia. 155 



The sandstone continuing its eastward course through the 

 district of Pictou, approximates to the slate of the South Moun- 

 tain range, which it meets in the township of Egerton, near 

 the sources of Middle and East Rivers. In the village of New 

 Glasgow, there occurs an important bed of bituminous coal 

 near the East River. It is included between the strata of 

 sandstone and is overlaid by a decayed, blackish shale. The 

 coal is of a jet black color, has a glossy appearance, and is 

 highly charged with bitumen. It burns with a bright flame, 

 and smokes much when first kindled. It appears to melt 

 and cake like the Newcastle coal, and when completely on 

 fire, after the bituminous matter is dissipated, it burns like 

 coke. These characters show that it is a valuable coal, and 

 of good quality, fitted for all the purposes of that brought to 

 this country from England. All that has yet been raised has 

 a fault which greatly injures it for the market. It is very 

 soft and friable, insomuch that it is broken into " small coal," 

 or even ground into dust by friction in transporting it to any 

 considerable distance. There have been five or six shafts 

 sunk in different parts of this bed, mostly under its former 

 lessee, Mr. Carr, who resides at this place. One of these is 

 seventy or eighty feet deep, sinking perpendicularly like a 

 well through the surface into the bed of coal. This has been 

 effected by " gins" and buckets worked by horse power. We 

 behove it never afforded much profit to the persons engaged 

 in working it, for the mine had been abandoned for a long 

 time when we visited it, and the former machinery was al- 

 most destroyed by decay. Preparations were then making 

 to explore this mine on a generous scale. A company had 

 been organized in London to work the coal, and two very 

 intelligent and practical gentlemen, Messrs. Smith and 

 Brown, had been sent to superintend the operations, with 

 more than a hundred European miners to assist in the work. 

 They were building two steam engines to pump the water 

 from the shafts, and to raise the coal. With such adequate 

 means, strong hopes are entertained of obtaining coal of a 

 more compact nature suited for exportation. We are una^ 

 ble to form any opinion respecting the foundation of these 

 sanguine expectations, as the state of the shafts, being partly 

 filled with water, precluded the necessary examination of the 

 bed and associated rocks. We were informed that Mr. Carr 

 had cut through the whole thickness of the bed with his prin- 

 cipal shaft, and had found the black shale beneath, which he 



