T. SPRATT ON THE COAL-BEARING DEPOSITS NEAR EREKLI. 529 



worked by the Turkish Government until five or six years before 

 my visit, although Croat squatters worked at some of the best- 

 developed and most easily worked seams near the coast, for some 

 years previous to this time. 



The following are the names of localities near to Kosloo where 

 coal was known by Mr. Barkley to exist, with a description of its 

 quality : — 



Okoosnu, five miles from Kosloo. Several seams exist near the 

 summit of the mountains, at two and a half miles from the coast, 

 quality both good and bad, and are being worked by Croats. 



Yani Annan. Coal obtained from the hills by Croats, but the 

 quality indifferent. 



Doomooz Dereh. Contains a seam of coal 8 feet thick and of 

 good quality, but deteriorating rapidly by exposure. AYas being 

 worked by Mr. Barkley. 



Zungledek, Has seven or eight workable seams of varying 

 quality, and all lying at various inclinations. Once worked by 

 Croat squatters, but now abandoned by them, from the difficulties 

 encountered in consequence of being so disturbed, and of their want 

 of capital to meet these difficulties. 



BaluTc and Uzulmas. The coal in this valley is similar to that 

 in the Zungledek. One seam exists at two miles from the sea, which 

 is 12 feet thick and of good quality. The coal at Uzulmas is nine 

 miles from the coast. 



Feeling it necessary, or rather desirable, to see something of the 

 coal-bearing deposits in the neighbourhood, I started on the morn- 

 ing of March 30th with Mr. Barkley to ride across the intervening- 

 district between Kosloo and Erekli, where I ordered my ship to 

 meet me, the distance being nearly thirty miles. 



A short delay occurred in the time of starting, in consequence of 

 an explosion of gas in one of the mines, on the miners first entering 

 it soon after daylight, by which three native miners were rather 

 severely burnt, one poor fellow especially so, in the face and neck. 

 This was only the second instance of the kind that had occurred 

 since Mr. Barkley had been in charge of the mine. 



In reference to the geology of the district crossed in our ride 

 to Erekli, I feel that, from the distance of time since it occurred, 

 I can simply give a few extracts from my private journal, without 

 attempting to enlarge or enter into details. Deep drifts of snow 

 lay on some parts of the route, where the road ascended over the 

 higher parts of the ridges crossed, and thus hid some of the beds 

 and associated shales &c. from view and examination. 



After ascending for half an hour the western ridge bounding the 

 Kosloo valley, where a mass of limestone decidedly overlies the coal- 

 bearing deposits, we reached and followed the backbone of a ridge 

 nearly 2000 feet above the sea, where the shales and schists com- 

 posing it appeared to be but little inclined from the horizontal 

 position, but whether conformable or not with the former or latter 

 could not be determined ; and after crossing two valleys, with a 



