﻿544 
  

  

  Mr. 
  I. 
  L. 
  Bell 
  on 
  some 
  

  

  [June 
  17, 
  

  

  The 
  "Whin-sill, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  termed 
  by 
  the 
  lead-niiners 
  of 
  the 
  Alston-Moor 
  

   district, 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  remarkable 
  example 
  of 
  bedded 
  igneous 
  rock 
  in 
  the 
  

   northern 
  comities, 
  extending 
  as 
  it 
  does 
  from 
  the 
  Fame 
  Islands 
  in 
  the 
  

   north 
  to 
  the 
  county 
  of 
  Northumberland 
  ; 
  aud 
  after 
  passing 
  the 
  Stublick 
  

   Dyke, 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  faulted, 
  it 
  skirts 
  the 
  escarpment 
  of 
  the 
  Pennine 
  

   range 
  in 
  its 
  outcrop, 
  and 
  terminates, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  are 
  informed, 
  in 
  the 
  

   neighbourhood 
  of 
  Lunedale 
  in 
  Yorkshire. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  another 
  but 
  smaller 
  occurrence 
  of 
  bedded 
  basaltic 
  rock 
  near 
  

   Stanhope, 
  in 
  Weardale, 
  which 
  was 
  formerly, 
  and 
  very 
  accurately, 
  described 
  

   by 
  Sir 
  "Walter 
  Trevelyan 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  yolume 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Transactions 
  of 
  the 
  

   Natural-History 
  Society 
  of 
  Northumberland 
  and 
  Durham.' 
  

  

  Another 
  lateral 
  intrusive 
  mass 
  of 
  whin 
  exposed 
  by 
  denudation 
  at 
  the 
  

   surface 
  occurs 
  at 
  Bolam, 
  in 
  South 
  Durham, 
  in 
  connexion 
  with 
  the 
  cele- 
  

   brated 
  Cockfield-Pell 
  Dyke. 
  This 
  mass 
  has 
  been 
  figured 
  and 
  graphically 
  

   described 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Sedgwick 
  in 
  the 
  Cambridge 
  Transactions 
  above 
  

   quoted. 
  

  

  A 
  further 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  lateral 
  or 
  horizontal 
  intrusion 
  of 
  igneous 
  

   rock 
  which 
  we 
  have 
  now 
  to 
  describe 
  occurs 
  in 
  connexion 
  with 
  the 
  basaltic 
  

   dyke 
  which 
  extends 
  from 
  Egglestone 
  Moor 
  along 
  the 
  Bedburn 
  Beck, 
  

   through 
  Bitchburn 
  Colliery, 
  Constantine 
  Parm, 
  Whitworth, 
  Tudhoe, 
  Hett, 
  

   Tursdale, 
  and 
  Crow 
  Trees, 
  to 
  Quarrington 
  Hill, 
  on 
  the 
  escarpment 
  of 
  the 
  

   Magnesian 
  Limestone. 
  This 
  dyke 
  was 
  first 
  described, 
  and 
  its 
  direction 
  

   traced, 
  by 
  Prof. 
  Sedgwick. 
  Though 
  it 
  is 
  nowhere 
  seen 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  

   the 
  Magnesian 
  Limestone, 
  its 
  existence 
  is 
  proved 
  in 
  the 
  colliery 
  of 
  Shotton, 
  

   which 
  is 
  worked 
  entirely 
  under 
  that 
  formation. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  Hett 
  Whin-dyke 
  crosses 
  the 
  Wear 
  are 
  the 
  

   workings 
  of 
  Pagebank 
  Colliery, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  occupation 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  Bell 
  

   Brothers. 
  A 
  little 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  is 
  a 
  second 
  basaltic 
  

   dyke, 
  running 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  Hett 
  Dyke 
  for 
  some 
  distance 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  

   aware 
  that 
  any 
  actual 
  point 
  of 
  junction 
  has 
  hitherto 
  been 
  observed 
  between 
  

   these 
  neighbouring 
  dykes*. 
  

  

  Connected 
  with 
  the 
  mining-operations 
  of 
  the 
  above-named 
  colliery 
  a 
  

   bore-hole, 
  to 
  prove 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  coal, 
  was 
  commenced 
  about 
  730 
  

   yards 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  northern 
  dyke. 
  The 
  usual 
  well-known 
  

   strata 
  of 
  that 
  district 
  were 
  passed 
  through 
  ; 
  but 
  on 
  reaching 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  

   56 
  fathoms 
  a 
  hard 
  rock 
  was 
  struck, 
  which 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  whinstone. 
  

   Pourteen 
  weeks 
  were 
  consumed 
  in 
  penetrating 
  26 
  inches 
  into 
  this 
  obstacle, 
  

   after 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  abandoned 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  second 
  hole 
  was 
  commenced 
  940 
  yards 
  

   to 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  first, 
  but 
  with 
  no 
  better 
  results, 
  for 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  65 
  j 
  

   fathoms 
  the 
  same 
  impediment 
  was 
  met 
  with. 
  After 
  much 
  labour 
  and 
  

   loss 
  of 
  time 
  a 
  length 
  of 
  4 
  feet 
  9 
  inches 
  was 
  bored 
  into 
  the 
  whin, 
  and 
  then 
  

   no 
  further 
  progress 
  was 
  attempted. 
  

  

  * 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  to 
  rny 
  friend 
  Mr. 
  Hichard 
  Howse, 
  of 
  Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
  for 
  the 
  

   information 
  given 
  above 
  respecting 
  the 
  localities 
  in 
  which 
  basaltic 
  rock 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   North 
  of 
  England. 
  

  

  