ON THE UPPER CRETACEOUS SERIES ETC. XEAR MONS. 325 



27. On the Upper Cretaceous Series and the Phosphatic Beds in 

 the Neighbourhood o/Mons (Belgium). By M. F. L. Cornet, 

 Member of the Koyal Academy of Sciences of Belgium, Foreign 

 Correspondent of the Geological Society of London, &c. (Head 

 April 21, 1880.) 



The increasing importance of the use of phosphate of lime in 

 agriculture induces me to give to English geologists some account 

 of the beds that have been worked in Belgium during the last few 

 years. 



The phosphatic beds of which I wish to speak are situated in 

 the province of Hainaut, near to the town of Mons, on the lands of 

 the Communes of Cuesmes, Ciply, Mesviu, Nouvelles, Spiennes, Saint 

 Symphorien, and Havre. This part of Belgium is traversed by 

 numerous railways and by a canal which enables boats of from 200 

 to 300 tons to penetrate to the centre of France, and to reach the 

 ports of Ghent, Ostend, Antwerp, Dunkirk, &c. 



The working of the phosphate of lime began in 1870, and its 

 production, small at first, was not developed until 1877. The 

 following figures will show its increase from that date : — 



1877. Production in English tons . . 3,850 



1878. „ „ 5,630 



1879. „ „ 7,578 



1880. „ „ 35,500 



1881. „ „ 29,528 



1882. „ „ 40,043 



1883. „ „ 58,660 



1884. „ „ 85,000 



A large portion of this mass was sold in Great Britain and 

 Ireland, about 35,000 tons having been sent there in 1883, 



It is probable that the annual yield will soon exceed 100,000 

 tons ; but the description which I am about to give will show that 

 a much higher figure may be reached. 



Our beds of phosphate of lime occur in the Upper Cretaceous 

 series, the thickness and variety of the strata which constitute it 

 attaining greater importance in the neighbourhood of Mons than in 

 any other part of Western Euroi)e. 



The Cretaceous series of the province of Hainaut belongs to the 

 great Anglo-French geological basin. It is deposited in a long and 

 deep valley excavated in the Coal-measures, its direction being from 

 cast to west. The deposits of chalk which have filled this great 

 trough have subse(|uently been partly denuded. A new valley 

 has been formed in it, also with its direction from east to west ; 

 this has been filled up by Tertiary beds, which in their turn have 

 been partially removed by the quaternary water- currents which 



