11 
a very steep ridge, along which the carboniferous conglomerates 
crop out at every few yards. Descending into a narrow 
gully or watercourse, a very good section of the beds was 
obtained. They dipped away at a high angle underneath the 
neighbouring hill. As I ascended the creek, many outcrops of 
dark carbonaceous shale were exposed in seams of about one 
foot to twenty inches thick. The shale was not near so pro- 
mising in appearance as that on the creek visited the previous 
day, which was about three miles distant. I should think, 
however, that the locality should be well tested for coal seams. 
The lower coal measures of the Hunter lliver are known to 
have rich seams, and they, are highly inclined like the strata near 
a Cooktown, which, for convenience, I shall distinguish as the 
Normanby shales. 
The ranges of hills in the neighbourhood were capped by 
the horizontal Dalrymple sandstones. I could not say what the 
underlying rock is, but Mr. Jack is of opinion that there is in 
this neighbourhood a line of fault. I am quoting from memory, 
but I believe he considered that the fault was at the foot of the 
ranges, and that the Hormanby shales abut on the Dalrymple 
sandstones. 
The creek on which the outcrop of carboniferous shales is 
seen forms a series of cascades and rock basins. This place 
being in the centre of a fierce and numerous tribe of natives, 
{ and our position on the rock basins being so very assailable, we 
were not able to give them a lengthened examination, especially 
as we were obliged to leave our horses tied to trees at the edge 
of the gully. It seemed to me, however, as if the rocks were 
not so full of conglomerate near the shales. 
The Maytown or Palmer River diggings are about 80 miles 
from this locality. I had not an opportunity of visiting them, 
but I received a geological map of the district from Mr. 
Selheim, the Mining Warden, who is a geologist and a very 
intelligent observer. In this map he lays down areas of vertical 
slates, carboniferous sandstones and shales, with outcrops of 
granite and trap. As the outlines are only approximate, it 
would be of little service to give them. He says in his letter io 
me, “ I have no data to fix the extent of the slates to the north- 
ward, as they dip under the plains of the Laura, and I have not 
met with any sections. However, there can be little doubt that 
they are succeeded by the carboniferous sandstones and slates 
found by Mr. Jack at Deep Creek. There are no granites 
between the Normanby and the Palmer. Those we have on the 
latter held are evidently part of the series traversed by you on 
your journey to the Hodgkinson. They are certainly meta- 
morphic, but there is no visible transition from slate to granite. 
Their boundaries are defined with great precision, as, for 
instance, at Granite Creek, where the east bank is granitic and 
the west bank slate. Hence the creek is mined for both gold 
and tin. These granites are conspicuous for large crystals 
of orthoclase felspar some two inches long. I forward here- 
