370 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



the western parts of tlie colony (except that the carboniferous rocks 

 liave no pebbles). The quartzose sandstone, \\h\ch is in general 

 characteristic of this system, passes into chloritic schist at De Stade's 

 and Yan Staden's rivers, Avhere mines of galena and copper have 

 been for some time worked, bat I fear not profitably. 



" Js'o workable coal has yet been discovered in this system ; but 

 numerous species of carboniferous plants have been found near the 

 Kowie Eiver, Woest's Hill, Slowison's Poort, and other localities in 

 the talcose schist." — ' Eastern Province JN'Iagazine,' vol. i. p. 456j 

 Godlonton and White, Graham's Town. Compare with maps and 

 description of strata, Geol. Trans. 



Dr. Atherstone. — " Above the quartzose and micaceous sandstones 

 and chloritic schists at the IMaitland mines, and also along the Lorie 

 Eiver to Hankey, and still further on in the Q-amtoos Eiver, a dark 

 grey fine-grained magnesian limestone is found. . . . Above this lime- 

 stone in some places, as at the Maitland Mines, A^an Staden's Eiver, 

 and the Loorie Eiver, there is a hard and coarse sandstone vrith 

 quartz pebbles, wbicli makes excellent millstones. . . . Below the mag- 

 nesian limestone lie conformably quartzose sandstones and micaceous 

 shales and schists, similar to those of the carboniferous sandstones of 

 the Zeurberg. The sandstones and schists of the Coxcomb and Win- 

 terberg range appear more like the Old Eed Sandstone formation, 

 and are infinitely more contorted than the carboniferous rocks ; and 

 as no fossils have as yet been found in them,* and the range appears 



the slates and quartzites confornia'ble, aiid that he has made a mistake in the boundary of 

 the formation in the east, while he strongly affirms the accuracy of his section in the west. 



It will be seen by reference to former Papers, that on my belief in the truth of Mr. 

 ]kin's section I founded the prediction that the clay-slate and Devonian would be proved 

 one formation. When I use the word Devonian as applying to all our strata, I would 

 explain that I make no pretension to settle the question of their age on my own authority, 

 or to deny the possibility of there being strata as old or older than the Cambrian or older 

 rocks in Britain. I simply mean that I have seen no reason for believing in any older 

 I'ock unconformable with the Devonian ; and I hope I have shown that the position of 

 the quartzite, with reference to the latter, is the same as it is to the clay-slate, which Bain 

 and Wylie believe so much older. 



I ask for the aid I mention because T think the opinion of high authority would be of 

 great value to us by showing what is regarded as credible, and what is not. The assistant- 

 secretary of the Geological Society, some years ago, told me that the story of quartzite 

 metamorphosis was rejected in ioto. I hope the labours of Messrs. Sorby, Daubree, Hunt, 

 and othci's, have somewhat modified opinions. At the period in question my belief in this 

 assimilation of rocks of different ages had not been eoutirmed by those discoveries which 

 rendered the map ])ublished by the Society entirely obsolete as to some of the principal 

 iormations of the C'uh)ny. It was quite natural that under such circumstances tlie fultil- 

 inent of my early predietion should have been regarded as the confirmation of lucky 

 guesses ; but when I pointed out the fact that as to the Carboniferous and clay-slate for- 

 iiiatious, tlie result of my rcseai'ches was, as I have said, to render the map obsolete, I 

 think that in taking uo iiutioc of my communications the Society lost an o])portunity. 



* The discovery of Devonian fossils at the nortliern foot of tlie Coxcomb, in rocks with 

 but a slight inclination, and thai of the same species close to the Tan Stadensberg, in beds 

 with a dip of ^G*^, with a clear sectiur. connecting them with the schists at theDe Stade's 

 Kiyer mines, is singular in connection with this remark of my friend, and would seem 

 to indicate that he has been misled as to the relative ages of formations in the east, iu 

 the same manner as Mr. Bain has further west. 



