i6 



[Proc. B.N.F.C., 



geological, and natural history objects. The valley of The Braid, 

 associated with the history of St. Patrick, is a rich field for the 

 archaeologist ; and Dr. Grainger has a valuable collection of bronze 

 and stone tools, implements, and personal ornaments, found within 

 the limits of his parish, one of the largest in the county ; indeed, 

 his collection would form in itself a very respectable museum. 



From Broughshane the party went to Ballycloghan, so-called, 

 " freestone" quarry. The stone of this quarry was supposed to be 

 a freestone, or sandstone, and, as such, connected with the coal 

 measures ; and for a long time past the people of this locality 

 believed that the coal existed there not far from the surface. This 

 opinion was confirmed by a mining engineer, who predicted that 

 several beds of coal would be found at certain depths ; he even 

 gave the thickness of the beds supposed to occur within 400 feet. 

 These favourable prospects cheered the whole country, and the 

 farmers of Carncoa told how they frequently raised coal in their 

 lands when turning up the soil for farming purposes, &c. When 

 this information was published here, a member of the Natu- 

 ralists' Field Club stated point-blank the whole affair was a mis- 

 take ; that no coal was ever found in the locality, or ever would 

 be found ; that the supposed "freestone" was not freestone, but 

 a variety of porphyry, and that if a boring was made the borer 

 would only find what could be found on the top of Cave Hill. 

 Here was a most direct conflict of opinion. The mining engineer 

 positively asserted coal would be found ; the amateur geologist 

 as decidedly stated it would not. Now for the test. Lord 

 O'Neill, on whose property the supposed freestone quarry occurs, 

 generously agreed to have a boring at his cost, and engaged 

 the services of the Diamond Boring Company, who came on the 

 ground at once and commenced operations, which were not 

 suspended until they reached a depth of 550 feet, or over 200 

 feet below the level of the sea ! But no coal was touched ; nothing, 

 in fact, but what could be had on the Cave Hill — common trap 

 rock ; and thus, at an expenditure of hundreds of pounds, the 

 predictions of the mining engineer were proved unfounded, and 



