468 NEW SOUTH WALES. 
Jackson, arising from the fissures alluded to. There are also other 
fissures, having the same direction, that intersect the whole cliff from 
top to bottom. 
The harbours and bays along the coast correspond in direction 
nearly with these fissures, running generally north-northeast and 
west-northwest. Major Mitchell mentions this as their direction, and 
without any reference to the courses of the fissures, which he had not 
observed. It is also worthy of note, in connexion, that the main 
mountain range has in general a northeast to north-northeast course, 
while some parts have a transverse direction. 
Organic Remains.—T his sandstone formation is remarkable for the 
paucity of its organic remains. Iam not aware that a fragment of a 
single animal relic has been detected in it. A few vegetable impres- 
sions and some thin seams of bituminous coal occur in some of its 
more argillaceous layers. In the micaceous shale of the section repre- 
sented in the figure on page 463, there were some fragments of leaves, 
extremely thin, having a yellowish-brown colour and easily peeling 
from the surface of the layers of shale. When detached, they were 
translucent, and appeared like dried Ulve, though showing longitu- 
dinal ribs when seen under the microscope. 
In the section represented on page 464, there is a coal bed three 
inches thick, consisting of thin layers of bituminous coal and argilla- 
ceous shale. The coal layers vary from half an inch toa sixteenth 
in thickness, and consist of perfectly formed coal, entirely destitute of 
all vegetable structure. This thin seam continues for a few rods 
only. 
Coaly impressions occur in the sandstone, some of which are four 
feet long, and are evidently parts of single plants or leaves. They 
are thin, not exceeding an eighth of an inch, but several inches in 
width. They are so perfectly carbonized as to have lost all traces 
of their original structure, and afforded no clue to their original cha- 
racter. About Port Jackson and at the Paramatta quarries, these 
impressions are not uncommon. 
This brief account includes all the information we have on the 
sandstone fossils: and we have reason to infer from the statements of 
several scientific gentlemen resident in the colony, that this subject 
will always form a short chapter in New South Wales geology. 
Imbedded Minerals.—This formation is nearly as barren in minerals 
as fossils. Iixcepting the ferruginous cement prevailing through the 
