48 HISTORT of the SOCIE'tr. 



he faw none that could, with any probability, be fuppofed to 

 have done fo ; and he was equally unfuccefsful in all the other 

 parts he vifited, till returning, at a fmall diftance from Birming- 

 ham, the place from whence he had fet out, he found a rock 

 of the very kind which he had been in fearch of. It belongs 

 to a body of ftrata apparently primary, which break out be- 

 tween Broomfgrove and Birmingham, and have all the cha- 

 racters of the indurated gravel in queftion. If, however, they 

 have furnifhed the materials of that gravel, it feems probable 

 that it has been through the medium of the red fand-ftone, 

 which abounds in thofe countries *. 



In 1777 Dr Hutton's firft publication was given 'to the 

 world, viz. a fmall pamphlet, intituled, Confiderations on the 

 Nature, Quality, and DiJlin£lions of Coal and Culm. This little 

 work, an octavo pamphlet of 37 pages, was occafioned by a 

 queftion that had arifen, Whether the fmall coal of Scotland is 

 the fame with the culm of England ? and, Whether of courfe, 

 like the latter, it is entitled, when carried coaftwife, to an ex- 

 emption from the duty on coal ? Some of the fmall coal from 

 the Frith of Forth, which had been carried to the northern 

 counties for the purpofe of burning lime, had been confidered 

 by the revenue officers as liable to the fame duty with other 

 coal, while the proprietors contended that it ought only to pay 

 the lighter duty levied on culm. This was warmly difputed ; 

 and after occupying for fome time the attention of the Board 

 of Cuftoms in Scotland, was at laft brought before the Privy 

 Council. 



Dr Hutton's pamphlet was intended to fupply the informa- 

 tion necefTary for forming a judgment on this queftion. It is 

 very ingenious and fatisfactory, though perhaps, confidering the 

 purpofe for which it was written, it is on too fcientific a plan, 



and. 



' Illuftrations of the Huttonian Theory, p. 375, 



