Penrose.] PEOSPHATES OF BELGIUM. 105 
resemble veryuauch in composition the nodules of the Marnes Crayeuses 
in France. The Poudingue de Ciply and the underlying Craie Grise or 
Craie Bruue combine to make a formation very similar to the phosphate 
conglomerate of New Hanover County, the Poudingue resembling the 
upper part of the New Hanover bed and the Craie Grise or Craie Brune 
resembling the lower part. As will be seen by referring to the descrip- 
tion of the North Carolina bed, the upper part contains much larger 
nodules and is more compact than the lower part, which is of a loose 
texture and has nodules of more uniform composition than the upper 
part. The nodules of the lower part of the New Hanover bed resemble 
those of the Craie Grise or Craie Brune both in decreasing in quantity 
at a depth and in their brown color. The principal differences are that 
the American beds are of Tertiary age, while the Belgium beds belong 
to the Cretaceous period. The nodules are smaller in the Chalk beds 
than in the lower part of the New Hanover beds, while the nodules of 
the Ciply Conglomerate are apt to be larger than those of the upper 
New Hanover bed. Also, the nodules of the upper part of the New 
Hanover beds are of more variable physical and chemical character 
than those of the Ciply Conglomerate. 
The phosphates of the Ciply Conglomerate bed were discovered as 
early as 1858 by Mr. Lehardy de Beaulieu, 1 and were described again in 
1866 by Messrs. Cornet and Briart. 2 But it was not until 1873 when 
Messrs. De Cuyper and Gendebien and Mr. Desailby opened mines, that 
the phosphates of Belgium were worked.' 
The phosphates of the Craie Grise were discovered in 1873 by Messrs. 
Cornet and Briart, 3 and since that time they have been almost the only 
beds worked, as they have proved more profitable than the Conglomer- 
ate bed. The mining is generally done in open trenches, though shal- 
low shafts are sometimes sunk, and horizontal galleries are run in from 
the sides for a distance of 10 to 12 meters. 
1 Mdmoires et Pub. Soc. sci. Haiuaut, 2d series, vol. 7, 1860. 
2 Bull. Acad. Roy. Belgique, vol. 22, 1866. 
3 Bull. Acad. Roy. Belgique, vol. 37, 1874. 
Note. — As this report is going to press I have received a memoir of Mr. F. L. Cornet, 
published in the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, August 2, 
1886, pp. 325-340, entitled "On the Upper Cretaceous series and the Phosphatic beds 
in the neighborhood of Mons (Belgium)." This valuable memoir contains some im- 
portant information concerning the geological and economic history of the region 
about Mons. The most important points are summarized below: 
Production of the Mons district in English Ions. 
Tear. Tons. 
1877 3,850 
1878 5,630 
1879 - 7,578 
1880 15,500 
Year. Tons. 
1881 29,528 
1882 40,043 
1883 58,660 
1884 85,000 
The most important points set forth in this contribution concern the circumstances 
which have led to the formation of the phosphates of the Mons district. The author 
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