192 NOTICE OF A COAL. VEIN IN 



within half a mile of the coal vein in question, when a fragile, dirty- 

 gray coloured argillaceous rock succeeds, which alternates with the 

 euphotides. 



Towards Guanabacoa, and indeed throughout a large portion of the 

 island of Cuba, the prevailing course of the rocks is about east and west ; 

 but in the vicinity of the coal we unexpectedly found that the direc- 

 tion is changed to north and south. 



The coal vein of Casualidad is visible at opposite extremities of an 

 excavation thirty feet deep, of a quadrangular form, descending on one 

 side by steps cut in the soft rock or clay, which bounds the coal on 

 either side. This soft rock is fragile, incoherent, distorted ; of a yel- 

 lowish green colour, like the prevailing euphotides, of which it is a 

 variety. A few feet to the eastward of the vein, there occurs a hard, 

 blue, siliceous rock, containing small cavities, that are partially filled 

 with a leek-green mineral, which we conceive is a variety of serpen- 

 tine. In cloiC connection vs'ith the above, a beautiful diorite occurs, 

 the base of which is petrosiliceous, tinged with green ; which colour is 

 caused by a mixture of serpentine. This rock is very bard, and has a 

 highly crystalline structure. It crops out at several points. 



The siliceous, blue rock, the diorites, aud the euphotides, alternate 

 the one with the other. The two first mentioned are in much less 

 proportion than is the third, which is by far the most predominant 

 rock of the country. 



All these arc highly inclined, and frequently vertical : their direc- 

 tion, as before stated, being north and south in the neighbourhood of 

 the mine. 



*dppcarance of the Coal Vein. 



The vein commences, or crops out, immediately under the alluvial 

 soil of the surface, and follows an irregular but nearly perpendicular 

 direction downwards, as shown in the drawing. 



It is visible to the depth of full thirty feet. The bottom of the ex- 

 cavation was covered with mud, washed in during the rainy season, so 

 that we could not there readily define the breadth of the vein ; but it 

 was stated by the overseer to be nine feet. From this pit many tons 

 of pure coal have been extracted. 



