Northumberland and Durham. 79 



that the veinstones on the east side of this fissure are soft, consisting 

 of calcareous and fluor spars, as is the case in all the Weardale 

 mines ; but that on the west side, as at Coal cleugh, Kilhope, 

 Aldstone, and in Teesdale, the matrix is hard, being composed of 

 quartz, heavy spar, and pearl spar, together with much black jack 

 or blende. This observation however cannot apply to the veins 

 on the Derwent towards the east, or to those on Cross Fell towards 

 the west ; for in the former quartz passing into chalcedony is the 

 most common matrix ; and in the latter amorphous fluor prevails. 

 Disintegrated fluor was the most common veinstone at Breckensyke 

 mine, situated on the south bank of the Wear between 1 and 2 

 miles below Burtree-ford, which in 1803, when I visited it, pro- 

 duced more ore than any other in the district. 



About 2 miles west of Burtree-ford dyke, Whetstone-mea vein 

 crosses the mining field from south-east to north-west, and passes 

 by Coal cleugh and Kilhope. Its north-eastern side is thrown up. 



At Coal cleugh and Rampsgill, Bainder end vein is met with pass- 

 ing from north to south. The throw occasioned by this vein is 1 

 yard on the west side. At Coal cleugh Moss cross vein and Hand- 

 some-mea vein have been worked. The bearing of the first is north 

 and south, and it is an upcast to the east of 6 fathoms. The 

 second runs south-east and north-west, and throws up the sills 13 

 or 14 fathoms on the north-eastern side. 



On Aldstone moor the wide open vein called White-heaps, from 

 containing large quantities of spar, was formerly worked, but like 

 most broad fissures proved unproductive, and has long since been 

 abandoned. Little alteration was occasioned in the level of the 

 strata by this vein, the range of which was south-east and north- 

 west. Linn bank cross-vein, which passes from north to south, 

 Intersects it. 



