Canterbury and Westland. 453 



south-east, and thus possessing a considerable thickness. In descend- 

 ing order there occurs, first a set of two seams, consisting of 



ft. in. 

 Brown coal ... ... ... ... 2 8 



Shale ... ... ... ... ... 2 6 



Brown coal ... ... ... ... 1 2 



These two ssams were worked in 1861. Three and a half chains from 

 this drive, now abandoned for some time, Mr Jebson first began to 

 work, extracting coal from three seams of 11 inches, 14 inches, and 

 20 inches respectively. These seams were separated by small bands 

 of fire-clay and micaceous shales. Afterwards Mr Jebson went lower 

 down into the series, and six and three-quarter chains from the first 

 workings, a new mine was opened, from which brown coal of fair 

 ■quality is now extracted. This set consists of two seams, each about 

 two feet thick, dipping 18 to 19 degrees to the E. S. E., with two feet 

 of fire-clay between them. 



The next locality where brown coal of good quality crops out is in 

 Surveyor's Grully, a small tributary of the Selwyn, in which I observed 

 in 1870 two seams of coal, the lowest one being six feet thick. On 

 this seam repose 2 feet 6 inches of shale, upon which another workable 

 seam of three feet in thickness follows. 



To reach the coal at a lower level the Homebush Colliery was opened 

 in 1872 about half a mile lower down the valley, when the following 

 strata were passed through (section !N"o. 6 on plate 3), beginning with 

 the lowest bed. 



ft. in. 



a. Shale, only exposed in part 



b. Brown Coal ... ... ... ... 2 8 



c. Shale ... ... ... ... ... 1 6 



d. Brown Coal ... ... ... ... 6 



e. Shale {micaceous) ... ... ... 1 6 



/. Brown Coal ... ... ... ... 1 10 



(j. Shale (argillaceous) ... ... ... 3 



h. Brown Coal ... ... ... ... 3 6 



i. Shale, with small seams, and streaks of coal... 30 



h. Carbonaceous Shale ... ... ... 3 6 



I. Light Shale ... ... ... ... 4 5 



m. Coal ... ... ... ... ... 2 



n. Shale ... ... ... ... ...46 



o. Ironstone ... ... ... ... 3 



». Quartzose Sands, only exposed in part 



