i. 11. Slaty coal, 6 inches. 

 12. Mining dirt, 6 inches, 

 coal, 20-30 inches. " 13. Coal and slate, 20 inches. 

 " 10. Slate, 8 inches. " 14. Coal, 10 inches. 



No. 2 is quite soft, and a good material for blacksmiths. The 

 "bearing in" is done in Nos. 8 and 12. These are composed 

 of crushed coal and slate. All the material above and below 

 them is neglected. The roof above No. 14 is a coarse sand- 

 stone with some pebbles. In some localities two small seams 

 occur above this bed, within the space of forty-five feet. These 

 small seams may occur in Price's Mountain, but were not seen. 



The coal is all semi-bituminous, some of it approi 

 anthracite. The coal of the lower bed is harder than that of 

 the upper. In Price's Mountain the coal of the main portion 

 of the upper bed is a handsome, firm material, with a dull 

 lustre, much resembling the natural coke of the Richmond coal 

 field. It seems here to be remarkably free from sulphur. The 

 coal of Brush Mountain is usually glazed by friction, and seems 

 to have more sulphur. An analysis by Prof. Rogers makes 

 these coals to contain: 14 p. c. bituminous matter, 80 p. c. 

 carbon, and 6 p. c. of ash. The ash is very fine, and of 

 a white color. The coal is said to be excellent for grates and 



It will be seen from the above account that there has been a 

 very marked thickening of the Vespertine as we proceed from 

 north to south through the state, accompanied by an increase 

 in the amount of coal contained in it. This increase seems to 

 be largely at the expense of the supposed Catskill beds. It is 

 in conformity with a law of increase which holds good for all 

 the strata from the Devonian to, and including, the Lower Bar- 

 ren Measures of the Upper Coals. 

 Plants. 



I have, whenever opportunity offered, made a collection of 

 the plant impressions, but owing to their peculiar mode of 

 distribution, and the small amount of excavation made in these 

 strata, I have, as yet, not been able to procure a collection large 

 enough to be offered as representative of the series. Hence I 

 will not attempt to give here anything but a few general state- 

 ments, which may be greatly modified by farther discoveries. 



So far as my observations go, the plants of this series of strata 

 occur at any given locality, with but few species, while these 

 are marked by the great number of individuals which they 

 exhibit These species are widely distributed, and perfectly 

 characteristic of the series, at least as compared with the flora 

 of the beds above the Conglomerate. The most important and 

 characteristic plants are the following : 



