APPENDIX. 43 



C..(p-28.) 



THE VICTOEIAN COAL-FIELDS. 



The following is the first Eeport of Mr. John Mackenzie, F.Gr.S., 

 Grovernment Examiner of Coal-fields, New South Wales, on 

 the Coal-fields of the sonth-eastei-n district of Victoria : — 



To the Honorable Angus Mackay, M.L.A., Minister for Mines. 



Sir, Melbourne, July 28, 1873. 



In accordance with your request, and with the permission 

 of the Honorable the Minister for Lands, I have visited and ex- 

 amined the coal and strata of The Bass, Grifiith's Point, Blue 

 Mountains, Sandy "Waterholes, Kilcunda, Cape Patersou, Strzelecki 

 near Anderson's Inlet, Stockyard Creek at Corner Inlet, Traralgon, 

 and Crossover. I have now the honor to submit the following 

 report thereon, 



THE BASa. 



A shaft has been sunk on the river bank (see A on plan), and 

 some coal said to have been found in it, but owing to its being 

 half full of water, I was unable to see the strata sunk through. 



I examined both sides of the river near the shaft, and could 

 observe no trace of coal. Several days' rain prevented my seeing 

 the rock in the bed of the creek, where Mr. Krause informed me 

 there was a small vein or patch of coal, and I could not hear of 

 any regular seam of coal having been discovered. 



geifeith's point. 



In this district I examined the clifi" sections and position of 

 the old shafts sunk for coal. The carboniferous strata, where the 

 shaft lettered B on plan has been sunk and a small vein of coal 

 found, are lying at an angle of 75°, and no workable seam of 

 coal exists there. It is, in my opinion, only a waste of money to 

 sink or bore further in this locality. 



At C on plan the strata dip north-east, and have been bored 

 through to a depth of 850 ft. below the sea level, and uo coal 

 seam found. Prom here to the Sandy "Waterholes (see letter D 

 on x^lan), a distance of about two and a half miles, a constantly 

 ascending series of beds, consisting of conglomerates, sandstones, 

 and shales, with drifted pieces of fossil wood, junks and streaks 

 of coal and carbonaceous matter, are exposed in natural sections 

 in the clifi"s, but in which there are no regular seams of coal. 



It is, therefore, useless to look for, or to expect to find, any 

 workable seams below those exposed in the clifts at the Sandy 

 Waterholes and G-riffith's Point, as the cliif sections and borings 

 show us that there are none. 



