sidered to represent the Carboniferous limestone. Now, Dungannon 

 field is more like the southern fields, whereas Ballycastle is 

 similar to the Scotch fields, and therefore there cannot be any 

 connexion or continuation of the beds. Mr. Gray also said that 

 the Dungannon field was detached from the Antrim area by the 

 natural depression forming the site of Lough Neagh. The Coal 

 Measures of Dungannon very probably continued for some distance 

 under the New Red Sandstone to the east towards Lough Neagh, 

 but it was not likely they continued further, or there would be 

 some indication of the shales and sandstones found along the 

 slopes of the southern escarpment of the Antrim area forming the 

 valley of the Lagan, but there is no representation of the sand- 

 stones of Dungannon, or Cookstown, in the Lagan valley. The New 

 Red Sandstone system reposes directly on the Silurian rocks. The 

 geological features, as well as the physical geography of the two 

 localities show that they are dissimilar and unconnected. On 

 the whole, Mr. Gray said he was clearly of opinion that, while it 

 was barely possible to have coal near Belfast, the probability was 

 extremely remote indeed, and he saw no hope of speculators in 

 search of it realising any advantage. 



Mr. Joseph J. Murphy, President of the Natural History and Phi- 

 losophical Society; Mr. John Anderson, J. P., F.G.S.,Holywood; Mr. 

 Joseph Wright, F.G.S.; Mr. Robert Young, C.E. ; Mr. M, Fitzpatrick, 

 and Mr. Saml. Stewart, having spoken upon the paper, Mr. Gray re- 

 plied, and in doing so, said (in reply to the remarks of Mr. Murphy) 

 that he did not deny the possibility of the existence of coal on the 

 Antrim side of the lough. He had endeavoured to prove that it was 

 quite possible to exist there, but he had also endeavoured to show that 

 it was highly improbable. And even if it did exist in small basins 

 over the Silurian or older rocks below the Red Sandstone of Antrim 

 and Derry, its uncertain position, limited area, and possible depth 

 would render it enormously expensive to win. Mr. Anderson 

 thought that, as we have in the neighbourhood of Belfast the suc- 

 cession of rocks that are found over the coal at Ballycastle and 

 Dungannon, we might also expect to find the coal below as in those 

 localities. Mr. Gray stated that, although we have the Trap, Chalk, 



