374 Reports and Proceedings. 



of coal of a much superior character to any hitherto described. 

 These beds from the contained fossils appear to be Cretaceous. Every- 

 where the strata named form a characteristic accompaniment of the coal 

 (especially this coarse conglomerate), and nearly everywhere it is 

 underlain by one or more seams of coal cropping out at some point 

 on the circuit named., though it may reasonably be supposed yet to 

 be found on the opposite shores of British Columbia. Outcrops are 

 seen on some of the coast-lying islands, &c. ; but it is only at 

 Nanaimo where it is wrought to any extent, this being the only 

 mine in Vancouver Island (or in the British North Pacific territories) 

 exporting coal. Here is a village of 500 inhabitants and some fifty 

 miners. Last year the company exported 43,778 tons. The coal is 

 bright, tolerably hard, and not unlike some of the best qualities of 

 English coal. It is used all along the coast for steaming and domestic 

 purposes. An analysis gives carbon, 66-93 ; hydrogen, 5-32 ; 

 nitrogen, 1-02; sulphur, 2-20 ; oxygen, 8-70; ash, 15-83. The fossil 

 remains were then described. North of Nanaimo, on Brown's Kiver, 

 immense seams of coal were discovered by Mr. Brown and party ; 

 on Salmon River the Indians report coal ; at Sukwash, near Fort 

 Eupert, coal appears ; and at Koskeemo Sound, on the western shore, 

 are extensive undeveloped fields of what will ultimately, no doubt, 

 prove the best coal in Vancouver Island, both from its quality and 

 easy shipment. The latter, on analysis, gave — carbon, 66-15 ; 

 hydrogen, 4-70 ; nitrogen, 1-25 ; sulphur, -80 ; oxygen, 13-59 ; ash, 

 13-60. Other coal-fields will no doubt be discovered as exploration 

 proceeds, but the country is so covered with dense forests and under- 

 growth as to render exploration very difficult. The anthracite is 

 found on the Queen Charlotte Islands, off the north coast of British 

 Columbia. The beds are much broken up by faults, felspathio trap 

 dykes, and other disturbing influences, so that to work it will always 

 be expensive and troublesome. Still the value of the discovery is of 

 the highest importance to the coast. The coal is associated with 

 conglomerates, a fine hard slate (out of which the Hydah Indians 

 carve the pipes and other ornaments so common in the European 

 museums) and metamorphosed sandstones. From fossils recently 

 discovered the author is induced to believe it of Palaeozoic age. An 

 analysis gave — Carbon 71-20 ; moisture, 5-10 ; volatile combustible 

 matter, 7-27 ; ash, 6-43. The author concluded his paper with some 

 account of the Coal-trade of the North Pacific. 



3. " On the Trap-Dykes of Edinburgh and Neighbourhood." By 

 George Lyon. The igneous rocks around Edinburgh have been very 

 faithfully and accurately described by many eminent geologists, chief 

 of whom may be mentioned the late President of the society, Mr. 

 Charles Maclaren. Eeferring to the trap-dykes, which are extrava- 

 sated portions of igneous or fluid matter ejected into the fissures of 

 the rocks and filling up the rents, he stated that Mr. Maclaren, in his 

 " Geology of Fife and the Lothians," mentions nine localities where 

 they have been observed. In the second edition of that work other 

 three have been added. Mr. Lyon mentioned and described other 

 localities which had not hitherto been recorded, and a few more 



