Notices of Alemoirs — Austria's Coal-supply. 235 



Not being versed in astronomy, I dare not even venture to criticize 

 the first of these hypotheses ; but as regards the second, I cannot but 

 regard it as in the highest degree visionary and improbable, if for 

 no other reasons than, firstly, because the now generally received 

 theory of meteors teaches us to regard them as bodies which have 

 been revolving probably for countless ages in space devoid of 

 atmospheric conditions requisite to sustain life ; and, secondly, 

 because the meteorites we are acquainted with have in their descent 

 had their external surface actually melted by the intense heat pro- 

 duced by the friction and oxidation of the air, so that the very 

 supposition that any vegetable or animal being, seed or germ, could 

 by any possibility retain its vitality or reach the earth unconsumed, 

 seems to me in the very highest degree improbable. 



zKTOTioiES ozp nycEnyiioiie-s 



AUSTRO-HUNGAKIAN CoAL SuPPLY, 



Das Vobkommen, die Pkobuction und Cikculation des mineeal- 



ISCHEN BrENNSTOFFES IN DEK OSTERREICHISCH-UNGARISCHEN 



MoNARCHiE iM Jahbe 1868. Von F. Foetterle. (Jahrb. der 

 k. k. geol. Eeichsanst., 1870.) 



THE distribution, the production and consumption of coal in this 

 monarchy is clearly shown by a large and well-executed map, 

 which appeared a short time ago, published by order of the Austrian 

 Government, and drawn by F. Foetterle, who also gave a short 

 explanation of it. The map is on the scale of 1-1,296,000, and the 

 formation to which the coal belongs is shown by five different 

 colours. A glance at the map will convince every one of the scanty 

 distribution of this important mineral over the enormous surface of 

 the Austro- Hungarian dominions, and that most of the coal be- 

 longs to the v/estern and the central districts. 



a. True Coal-measures Coal is found in Bohemia, in Moravia, and 

 Austrian Silesia, in the Alps and in the Hungarian dominions. 



h. Trias and Lias Coal in the Alps, in Hungary and in the Banat. 



c. Cretaceous Coal in Moravia, in the Aljps, and in Hungary. 



d. Eocene Coal (sometimes still showing the structure of the wood, 

 then called Lignite, but generally a good black coal, which, when 

 burnt, cakes, and is excellent for gas manufacture) is chiefly found 

 in the Alps, where it is embedded in Cosina beds, below the 

 Nummulite Limestone ; Carpano near Albona, the large Coal-basin 

 of the Marburg district, Sotzka, Eibiswald. The coal of Haring, 

 in Tyrol, belongs to a higher horizon of the Eocene, as does also 

 the coal of Monte Promina and of Scbenico in Dalmatia. The coal 

 of Gran, in Hungary, is also of Eocene age, 



e. Neogene Coal forms large basins in Moravia, Bohemia, Galicia, 

 Bucovina, and in the north and south zones of the Alps and in 

 Hungary. 



A glance at the accompanying map of the distribution of fossil 

 fuel in Austria shows at once how insignificant is the extent of her 



