172 
Mines and Mineral Statistics. 
I will quote here an additional testimony to the faets already 
declared, respecting the inter])olation of our Glossopteris coal in 
the marine beds. Mr. Oderuheimer in Ids final report to the 
Austi’alian Agricultural Company, says : — “ The lowest coal seam 
at Wollongong, rests on older Spiriter sandstone, and is covered 
by sandstone, with Pachydonius shells and a few spirifer.” (p. 88.) 
I have ])aid more attention perliaps, to the lleport on the 
AVcstcru Port Coal Fields of 1872, tlian it de.serv^es ; but as it 
contains specific allusions to myself, and in fact is an attack on 
the evidence T have conscientiously given on the subject of New 
South Wales Geology, it is only just to that Colony to show that 
the conclusions arrived at in that Eeport are “ based” as much on 
personal ignorance respecting our territory, and a pre-determi- 
nation to disbelieve the statements of men quite as much entitled 
to be believed as the reporters in Victoria themselves, as on 
anything else. 1 am thoroughly persuaded that if such personal 
investigation on his part had taken place, an old correspondent 
and assumed friend of my own would not have dealt with my 
writings as he has done. 
The advocates for the Oolitic (or as now called Mesozoic) age 
of our coal plead the cases of Eichmond in America, and India 
as well as ChiTia j Africa is unnoticed. It will be fitting to 2 n‘oduce 
evidence on each bead. 
As to China, Mr. Purnpelly is tlie only autliority quoted hy 
the Victorian l^oard, who make him to have in 18G2 G5 found 
in the coal beds fossils proving that “ those beds are g colog imlhj 
of the same age as the Ylctorian^ Yfew iioutHi JYales, Tasmanian^ 
and JS^eiv Zealand hedsf p. S, and Professor Newberry is quoted 
as identifying “ tbese fossils as tliose characteristic of Triassic or 
Jurassic ages.” In the Ocean Ilighivags for Nov., IS73, Baron 
von Eichtliofen says, the Puiiqmll^' observations were only very 
limited in extent, and his map an Iiypothetical one made up from 
native reports, “ in which lie attempted to cxhiliit among other 
data, the distribution of the coal measures in China.” “ The 
favourable result at which Mr. Putnpelly arrived, in respect to 
the great extent occupied hy coal-hcaring strata in China was 
modified in some measure hy the somewhtl nnsalisfacfo^'g conclu^ 
sion drawn by him, from the determinations by Dr. Newberry of a 
few vegetahle remains, that all Chinese measures are of the same 
age as tlie formation of Europe” (p. 311). What is there 
herein of JurasskY or “ Oolitic” coal P The coal of China, 
hoAvever, found a far better qualified expositor in Baron AVin 
Eichtbofen liimself, who from 1808 to 1872, made journeys nearly 
all over China, and foxind coal-fields of enormous extent in many 
districts, nearly eveiy one of Avhich he ^^ersonally visited, as he 
tells us in various publications. 
