POETAGE COUNTY. 145 



coal, and all the highlands should carry it ; but, unfortunately, heavy 

 beds of Drift conceal its outcrops, and make the work of exploration ex- 

 pensive and uncertain. 



In the central part of Edinburgh the land is all at least one hundred 

 and fifty feet above the coal level. This is proved, not only by barometric 

 measurement, but by the explorations made east of the center by Mr. 

 G. L. Chapman. He has bored many holes in search of coal, and has 

 found it in several. In one place a shaft was sunk with the expectation 

 of mining it. The coal, however, was found to be very irregular in thick- 

 ness, and the enterprise was not successful. In making these explora- 

 tions Mr. Chapman at first supposed that the coal he found was the Briar 

 Hill seam, but it is quite certain that the place of Coal No. 1 is at least 

 one hundred and fifty feet below the bottom of the shaft. Two beds of 

 coal and two of limestone were passed through in some of the borings 

 made by Mr. Chapman, all within fifty feet of the surface. The section 

 exposed in the shaft referred to is as follows : 



FT. 



1. Surface deposits 12-J- 



2. Sandy shale Hi 



3. White sandrook 7^ 



4. Shale, sandy above 17^ 



5. Coal No. 3 3i 



6. Sandrook and shale 4 



7. Fire-clay li 



The upper limestone is said to have been found in an adjacent field. 



A boring made somewhat east of the shaft, and carried to a greater 

 depth, affords a much better view of the geological sub-structure of this 

 region. The record of this boring is as follows : 



FT. m. 



1. Surface deposits 20 



2. Shale 4 



3. Limestone 3 6 



4. Fire-clay 3 6 



5. Shale 3 6 



6. Shaly sandstone 8 



7. Shale 6 



a Coal 4 



9. Shale 2 



10. Coal 2 6 



11. Shale 7 



12. Fire-clay 4 



13. Shale 7 6 



14. Sandrock 54 



15. Shale 2 



16. Bluish sandrook 6 



10 



