﻿1864.] 
  WINTLE 
  HOBAET. 
  467 
  

  

  greenstone 
  eruptions. 
  To 
  me 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  an 
  overflow 
  of 
  

   a 
  volcano 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  deposition 
  of 
  the 
  trap 
  and 
  the 
  greenstone. 
  

  

  2. 
  New 
  Red 
  Sandstone 
  (?). 
  — 
  If 
  we 
  imagine 
  a 
  vast 
  sheet 
  of 
  sand- 
  

   stone, 
  about 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  having 
  a 
  diameter 
  of 
  from 
  

   eight 
  to 
  ten 
  miles 
  in 
  its 
  widest 
  part, 
  enclosed 
  by 
  lofty 
  hills 
  on 
  the 
  

   eastern 
  and 
  western 
  sides, 
  with 
  the 
  river 
  Derwent 
  winding 
  through 
  

   the 
  centre, 
  we 
  shall 
  have 
  a 
  tolerably 
  correct 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  plateau 
  of 
  

   sandstone 
  on 
  part 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Hobart 
  is 
  built. 
  This 
  exten- 
  

   sive 
  formation 
  has 
  been 
  shattered 
  in 
  every 
  conceivable 
  direction 
  by 
  

   subsequent 
  eruptions, 
  which 
  have 
  lifted 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  altitude. 
  

   This 
  sandstone 
  is 
  remarkable 
  for 
  the 
  great 
  quantity 
  of 
  iron 
  it 
  con- 
  

   tains, 
  immense 
  veins 
  being 
  frequently 
  met 
  with 
  of 
  almost 
  pure 
  oxide. 
  

   I 
  have 
  not 
  succeeded 
  in 
  discovering 
  any 
  fossils 
  in 
  this 
  formation. 
  

   On 
  the 
  opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  quarry 
  of 
  white 
  sand- 
  

   stone 
  of 
  very 
  beautiful 
  quality, 
  which 
  is 
  exported 
  to 
  Victoria 
  and 
  the 
  

   other 
  colonies 
  for 
  architectural 
  purposes, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  sent 
  

   to 
  the 
  late 
  International 
  Exhibition. 
  As 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  can 
  judge, 
  I 
  believe 
  

   it 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  lowest 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Red 
  series. 
  Here 
  and 
  there, 
  on 
  

   the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  Derwent, 
  the 
  New 
  Red 
  Sandstone 
  forms 
  rather 
  lofty 
  

   cliffs, 
  which 
  add 
  greatly 
  to 
  the 
  beauty 
  of 
  the 
  scenery 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  3. 
  Carboniferous 
  System. 
  — 
  This 
  formation 
  is 
  very 
  extensively 
  

   developed 
  throughout 
  the 
  island, 
  but 
  the 
  coal 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  con- 
  

   sists 
  of 
  anthracite, 
  of 
  a 
  hard 
  slaty 
  nature. 
  There 
  are 
  some 
  very 
  fine 
  

   beds 
  of 
  bituminous 
  coal, 
  but 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  little 
  

   value, 
  owing 
  to 
  their 
  situation 
  rendering 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  transit 
  diffi- 
  

   cult 
  and 
  expensive. 
  

  

  At 
  New 
  Town 
  there 
  are 
  six 
  shafts 
  being 
  worked 
  on 
  two 
  seams 
  of 
  

   anthracite, 
  one 
  4 
  feet 
  thick, 
  and 
  the 
  other, 
  the 
  lower 
  one, 
  3 
  feet 
  

   8 
  inches. 
  These 
  seams 
  are 
  situated 
  in 
  an 
  extensive 
  flat, 
  bounded 
  by 
  

   Mount 
  Wellington 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  and 
  the 
  New 
  Town 
  Hills 
  on 
  the 
  south- 
  

   east, 
  and 
  are 
  three 
  miles 
  by 
  the 
  road 
  from 
  the 
  city. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  

   known 
  coal 
  within 
  many 
  miles. 
  The 
  first 
  seam 
  is 
  120 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  

   surface, 
  in 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  flat, 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  seam 
  50 
  feet 
  below 
  

   that. 
  Carboniferous 
  shale, 
  with 
  two 
  thin 
  bands 
  of 
  earthy 
  anthracite, 
  

   and 
  the 
  dark 
  brown 
  associated 
  sandstone, 
  are 
  found 
  cropping 
  out 
  at 
  

   the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  main 
  line 
  through 
  the 
  island. 
  

   The 
  spot 
  at 
  which 
  these 
  strata 
  make 
  their 
  appearance 
  fa 
  about 
  a 
  

   mile 
  from 
  the 
  city, 
  and 
  two 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  shafts. 
  In 
  the 
  120 
  -feet 
  

   shaft, 
  80 
  feet 
  of 
  Carboniferous 
  Sandstone, 
  containing 
  impressions 
  of 
  

   carbonized 
  stems 
  of 
  Coniferce 
  scantily 
  diffused, 
  was 
  passed 
  through, 
  

   then 
  a 
  stratum 
  of 
  shale 
  with 
  fern-impressions, 
  2 
  feet 
  thick, 
  then 
  

   sandstone 
  30 
  feet, 
  and 
  lastly, 
  8 
  feet 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  thin 
  bands 
  of 
  shaly 
  

   sandstone 
  with 
  streaks 
  of 
  coal 
  — 
  the 
  shale 
  containing 
  a 
  great 
  quantity 
  

   of 
  nodular 
  ironstone. 
  These 
  beds 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  faulted 
  — 
  a 
  dis- 
  

   advantage 
  which 
  is 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  Coal-measures 
  throughout 
  

   the 
  island. 
  The 
  whole 
  of 
  this 
  coal-field 
  is 
  surrounded 
  by 
  trap- 
  

   dykes 
  ; 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  cuts 
  it 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  line 
  of 
  road 
  where 
  

   the 
  outcrop 
  is 
  seen. 
  In 
  this 
  coal-field 
  we 
  meet 
  with 
  nothing 
  but 
  

   Carboniferous 
  strata 
  : 
  the 
  New 
  Red 
  Sandstone, 
  so 
  characteristic 
  of 
  

   Hobart, 
  is 
  entirely 
  wanting. 
  Beneath 
  the 
  alluvial 
  soil 
  the 
  true 
  Coal- 
  

  

  