Canterbury and Wcstland. 455 



north-west, where the neck or vent of the volcanic eruption has been 

 laid open by several trial shafts and adits. As a matter of course, the 

 sedimentary strata have here undergone great changes by faulting 

 crushing, and metamorphism. In this locality I examined a number 

 of sections, from which it appears that the coal seam nearest to the 

 basic rocks has become so much altered that it consists of a brittle 

 anthracite coal, whilst those seams separated only by 10 to 15 feet of 

 shale contain only a hydrous brown coal. 



There are several other localities where coal seams partly altered 

 have been worked, as for instance, Hart's and Hill's (Cordy's) collieries, 

 but either the seams were too thin, or the outlier of too small an 

 extent (Hart's and Kowhai). In other instances, the demand was not 

 sufficient, or the coal seams too difficult of access, other collieries 

 being nearer to the consumers. There is, however, no doubt that in 

 years to come, all these localities where coal seams of workable brown 

 -coal exist, will form a nucleus for population and industry. 



Of the localities in the valley of the Hakaia, where coal seams 

 occur, I wish to mention two, the first of them not so much on account 

 of the extent of the coal seams, but for the manner in which the 

 latter have become altered to a fine anthracite throughout. In the 

 valley of the Acheron the brown coal measures repose uncon- 

 formably upon palaeozoic rocks without any porphyry conglomerate 

 between them. The forme c consist first of 20 feet of black shales 

 with several small seams of coal changed to anthracite, and of a thick- 

 ness of 2 to 14 inches ; the main seam of an average thickness of 4 feet 

 2 inches follows next. It is very pure throughout, and lias been 

 changed by the action of the dolerite, principally close to the channels 

 of eruption, to a fine anthracitic coal. It dips in the locality where 

 Mr. Oakden obtains his supply of coal, N. N". "W. 39 ° ., whilst near the 

 dolerite stream it shews together with the shales a false stratification, 

 dipping apparently "W. N. "W. 70 ° . This seam is covered in ascending 

 order, by about 7 feet of black or iron grey shales; 8 feet of loose sands 

 coloured black by carbon; 24 feet of dark coloured shales, which for the 

 last 10 feet before we reach the dolerite have been greatly altered, so 

 as to assume a greyish white colour and the character of a porcelain 

 jasper, but still preserving the markings of obscure remains of plants 

 enclosed in them. These beds, following generally the surface outlines 

 of the palaeozoic rocks appear in several localities as isolated patches 

 from below the morainic accumulations or the post-pliocene alluvium. 



