PROCEEDIXOS, 1859 — 1870. 
881 
In April, IftCjO, Mr. John Watson, of Whitby, contributed a 
paper on tlie Geology of the Esk Valley, in which he described the 
several series of rocks composiiiLT the Oolitic and Lias formations 
exhibited there. He described the method of obtaining alum from 
the Alum Shales of the Lias at the Kettleness Alum Works, now 
disused. At these Alum Works pieces of lignite had been obtained, 
weighing two or three hundredweight, completely encrusted with jet 
about half an inch in thickness. The manufacture of jet ornaments 
appears to have been known in Whitby since about 1589 ; the use of 
it subsequently declined, and in 1810 there was no consumption of 
jet in the town. Now the manufacture of jet was the staple trade of 
Whitby, and during the previous year (1859) the amount of money 
turned over at Whitby in jet was £20,000, and it found employment 
for 800 or 1,000 of the inhabitants. At the conclusion of the paper. 
Prof. Robert Hunt said he did not think that jet was due directly to 
the conversion of lignite. He was disposed to believe that the vege- 
table matter from which jet may have been derived waslirst converted 
into a sort of fluid bitumen, which was eventually consolidated into 
jet ; and he referred to specimens in the museum at AVhitby in proof 
of his argument. Prof. Hunt read a paper on the iron ores of Lin- 
colnshire. He had examined the district about half a mile from the 
railway station at Kirton-in-Lindsay. The iron ore was found about 
a foot below the cultivated surface : in some places it was only neces- 
sary to remove a few inches of soil and the iron ore deposit was ex- 
posed. It was in a loose state of aggTegation, and had the appear- 
ance of a ferruginous earth. It varied in depth from two to five feet. 
Similar superficial deposits occur at Schimthorpe, where the bed was 
ten or fourteen feet in thickness. The upper part was composed of a 
black sand, nearly pure peroxide of iron. Lower down it became more 
indurated. Analyses of several examples of the iron ore were made 
by Mr. Pattinson, of Newcastle, and Mr. Sollitt, of Hull, the results 
of which were given. These analyses show that the beds must at one 
time have been Carbonate of Iron, and it is probable that the long- 
continued action of percolating water and of atmospheric air has 
produced the change to oxide. Similar iron workings occur at Stam- 
ford and near Peterboro'. They are similar to the deposits so well 
known in Northamptonshire. 
