378 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



the flatness of the county around Silloth Harbour, he had assumed that 

 the bottom of the basin will exist in that quarter, for appearances of a 

 coal-outcrop exist in the neighbourhood of the Criffle mountains in Kir- 

 cudbright. In pursuance of this theory he assumed that the coalfield of 

 Canobie is similarly circumstanced, for the Eed Sandstone there crops out 

 contiguous to the pits, and the nature of the various seams of coal simu- 

 late closely upon those of Cumberland. Another corresponding fact at- 

 tends the colliery of Kirkhouse, belonging to the Earl of Carlisle, although 

 a portion of it also contains coals belonging to the limestone formation. 

 He had compared the sandstone in the neighbourhood of Maryport with 

 that upon Sir J. Graham's property at Netherby, and found that they were 

 identical, — that is, the upper portion ; the lower portion of the beds being of 

 a much paler colour, and approximating towards the specimens of the ordi- 

 nary coal sandstone. The deepest perforation which has yet been made 

 in the New Eed Sandstone was by Mr. Cockburn, papermaker, near We- 

 therall, who bored in search of water, but failed in obtaining a supply. In 

 a letter in August, 1862, he said the hole is standing 600 feet from the 

 surface, 50 feet of clay and 550 feet of red rock, which experiment shows 

 that the rock is remarkably free from water, and that the sinkings would 

 in all probability be free from those expensive operations incurred else- 

 where. But the most convincing argument as to his theory had been fur- 

 nished by the Aspatria Colliery, belonging to the representatives of the 

 late Captain Harris, a plan of which, with its connection with the Eed 

 Sandstone, was exhibited, showing that sinking took place in the Eed 

 Sandstone with a drifting into the main coalfield ; the belief of the ma- 

 nagers was that their coal was thrown down and passed underneath the 

 said sandstones ; all around the village and down to the Solway exhibiting 

 nothing but red rock. Since he first promulgated these opinions he had 

 found that many persons in the district had come to the same conclusion, 

 although certain geological objections have been started. However, he 

 had resolved to submit the foregoing facts to be canvassed and determined 

 by an association of gentlemen so well able to dispose of the subject, which 

 is supposed to comprise one of the greatest fields of coal yet untouched, 

 and which in future generations may uphold England's greatness, — one 

 which may not have been considered in Sir W. Armstrong's able elucida- 

 tion as to the duration of our northern coalfields. 

 On Gold in Wales. By Mr. T. A. Beadwin. 



Aetifictally-peoduced Quaetzites. — Mr. A. Bryson exhibited spe- 

 cimens produced experimentally, the object of which was to prove, from 

 the fact that cavities in quartz could not be filled up at a higher tempera- 

 ture than 94 degrees, that granite rock had not been formed at a high 

 temperature. 



An architect preseut favoured this theory. He had seen repeatedly distinct water- 

 lines in granite, and they might he seen outside the Euston Square Station, London. 

 There was reason to helieve that certain granites were of an aqueous origin. 



The Antiquity of Man. By Professor Phillips. — He said that one 

 of the remarkable fruits of geological investigation was to invest almost 

 every point of the earth's surface with a new interest. The small French 

 village of St. Acheul had long been remarkable for the school of Jesuits 

 established there ; but antiquarians had discovered that it was near a 

 burial-ground of great antiquity. In the course of excavation there were 

 discovered the graves of people far more ancient than any known to have 

 been buried there. Other memorials were also discovered, and on one 

 he had obtained from the workmen he read the name of Constantius. 



