Schouten Island, 9 



the beach at the entrance. There is a tramway along 

 the bottom upon which trucks have been used to convey 

 away the coal. Water stood nearly a foot deep in a 

 great part of the drift at the time I inspected it, in 

 consequence of its being dammed in by rubbish fallen 

 from the roof and sides. There was a continual dripping 

 from the roof in some parts of the drift ; and at its 

 termination the drops fell so thick that it was difficult to 

 maintain a light. 



The drift ended abruptly, and apparently in massive 

 clay, having its surface worn and smoothed by the per- 

 petual flow of water over it. 



To me, in the imperfect light which I could command, 

 it looked like a fault or shift of the strata; and I was dis- 

 posed to consider the coal-seam as suddenly broken off 

 at or near that point by the greenstone. 



On this assumption, I calculated that no greater 

 amount than 25,000 or 30,000 tons could be realized by 

 working out the seam to its crop ; and that a similar or 

 somewhat larger quantity might be drawn from workings 

 to the dip by the employment of a steam engine, &;c. 



Having since referred to some of the persons formerly 

 working the Schouten coal, I am assured that the appear- 

 ance of a fault or shift at the end of the main gallery 

 was deceptions, and that the coal-seam was perfect where 

 the workings were relinquished ; a fact which gives a 

 very different aspect to the extent and value of the 

 colliery. 



There is a second drift 30 yards to the westward, and 

 about 15 feet higher up the bank — of course nearer the 

 crop of the seam. 



This drift proceeds horizontally in the same direction 

 as the former for about 50 yards. The second drift is free 

 from water, but portions of the roof and walls have 

 fallen in at many points. 



