1874.] -^^«^ [Stevenson. 



with Wills, Legacies and Intestacies ; witli the Constitutions, Charters 

 and Statutes of the United States, the State, and of our Cities. With 

 the Laws, Ordinances and Usages of Philadelphia he was especially 

 familiar. His love for his native city was intense, and he was ever ready 

 to devote his time and talents to her service. His zeal continued to the 

 last ;. and he was earnest in his efforts that this should be the place of 

 the Centennial Celebration, and that it should be a great success. His 

 patriotism never grew cold or suffered loss from the chill of age ; but he 

 was always young, progressive and ardent for the progress and improve- 

 ment of the City. The Park, Public Buildings, and wide well-paved 

 streets, and the water supply were objects of his lively sympathy. 



The State and LTnited States, their welfare and prosperity, were also 

 very near to his sympathies, and he was ever alive to all that concerned 

 their well-being and safety. This is shown in all the acts of his life, both 

 as citizen and judge. That he lived and labored in the law as he did, 

 and was the able and patriotic citizen that he was, make the name of 

 Chief Justice Read an honor to his family, his City, his State, and 

 Country, and by them all his memory will be held in respect and honor 

 through future time. 



The late Chief Justice Read left to survive him, a widow, and his only 

 heir, John Meredith Read, who ably represented our Country, as Consul 

 General to France, and resided in Paris during her fearful investment 

 by the German armies, in 1870 ; and who now again represents our 

 Nation as Minister to Greece. 



Chief Justice Read lived and died in the Christian faith ; and was ever 

 an opponent of those false philosophies of France, Germany and Great 

 Britain, and more sparcely of our own Country, which seek to undermine 

 the Christian religion ; that religion which gives to life its greatest con- 

 solations, and enables man to triumph over the fears of death ; that re- 

 ligion whose immortal faith, alone, gives adequate meaning to the 

 Universe. 



ON THE ALLEGED PARALLELISM OF COAL BEDS. 



By Jno. J. Stevenson. 



{Bead before tJie American PJdlosopMcal Society, Dec. 18, 1874.) 



That coal seams are approximately parallel, is a common belief 

 among persons residing in the coal fields of our country. The more ob- 

 serving of our coal operatives, however, long ago discovered that the 

 assertion of parallelism is a fallacy, and that the interval between any 

 two given beds of coal is liable to vary many feet in thickness within 

 comparatively short distances. So general is this variation that it 

 amounts to a positive law. Until this was accepted as a fact, to the 

 utter exclusion of any notion of parallelism, the coals of southwestern 

 Pennsylvania remained a worse than Chinese puzzle to Geologists, and 



