New South Wales. 
49 
the invest igation recommended at Stony Creek is rewarded, when 
that very important work is totally ignored by the Paleontologist 
of the Survey, by whom all the specimens collected, sent to him 
by me, were examined, and who now has had his eyes so far 
opened as to acknowledge that some “Palaeozoic” Coal does exist 
in New South Wales ? * 
* In reference to the above remark the following passages from “ Geological 
Notes, with Plan anil Section, by Richard Pain tree, lucid Geologist, 
Victoria,’ ’ may be properly cited :— 
“ Prom Newcastle to Stony Creek is but a abort trip, and as these are 
sections on which Mr. Clarke bases his evidence of the Palaeozoic age of part, 
at least, of the New South Wales Coal-seams, it is one of the necessary 
pilgrimages of the wandering geologist in search of truth. What I saw there 
I will state in as fow words as possible. I saw three shafts on Mr. Russell’s 
estate — ladder shaft, working shaft, and 200 feet shaft.” 
lie then gives his measurements, which are not material to cite in this 
place, and goes on — 
“ When t he details of these shaft s were first made known by Mr. Clarke, as 
a proof of the Pala?ozoioagcof the Coal, Spirifers, Fenestella, &c., being found 
in abundance, and Glossoptcris associated with and below the Coal, it was 
suggested by Professor M‘Coy that the data given by Mr. Clarke showed the 
existence of a fault between ‘working’ and ‘ 200 feet, shaft,’ and that 
possibly to this fault the reversion of beds might be due, but the Palaeozoic 
character of tlie fauna was not called in question. 
“This error arose from taking the absolute distance between the shafts 
(3G0 feet), instead of the reduced distance to the line of dip 280 feet. 
“ Referring to the extension of Russell’s Coal-seams to the Northern Rail¬ 
way, unfortunately at a point where no marked bed of Russell’s series can bo 
absolutely identified” [but. at that point may be identified both plants and 
Marine fossils and traces of Coal in the strata there disturbed], “ we have an 
apparently unbroken scries of strata dipping in the same direction, and at 
about the same angle, as those in Russell's Coal-pits, extending from a point 
at 19 miles 73 chains from Honeysuckle Flat to 21 miles 37 chains from the 
same place, the beds furthest to the eastward dipping at a greater angle. 
“This affords a thickness (taking the angle of dip at 1(J deg.) of 2, 3(15 feet, 
of strata, abounding in fossil fauna from bottom to top — very low down in 
which Coal-seams with Glossoptcris occur. 
“ Fossils from each of the cuttings on the Railway and from Russell’s shafts 
were procured, that Palreontologists may satisfy themselves of their European 
parallel. 
“ If it be admitted that the fauna found in the upper strata of these shafts 
is Palaeozoic, then these Coal-seams at. least are Palieozoic, and Glossoptcris 
has a much lower range than has hitherto been assigned to it, except hv Mr. 
Clarke. 
“Neither does there seem any reason why Mr. Clarke should not place the 
Newcastle Coal-seams (his No. 3 Carboniferous group) in the upper portion of 
this Stony Creek group, no known unconformity existing, since no fauna or 
flora typical of the Mesozoic period has, I believe, yet been found in the said 
No. 3. 
“ This brings me to the consideration of Mr. Clarke’s present arrangement 
of the Carboniferous series of New South Wales : 
“ First. —‘ Wianamatta’ beds, with insignificant Coal-seams, the upper beds 
of which are the probable equivalents of our Otway, Bellerinc, and 
Wannon beds, in which Glossoptcris lias not yet been found. 
D 
