The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-21 00:00:00

THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION.

While the meeting of the Association is in pro-
gress, and there are 3,000, or 4,000 members and
associates entitled to be present at the addresses,
lectures, discussions, soirees, &c., it would mani-
festly be impracticable to admit other ladies and
gentlemen, on this or that particular occasion, in
consideration of a separate payment. Bnt the meet-
ing which opens on Wednesday, the 26th inst.,
closes on Tuesday, Sept. 1 ; and then the exhibition,
instead of being at once broken up, may be pro-
longed fora day or two, and thrown open to the
general public at a moderate charge. This, we are
happy to say, will be done. In pursuance of a re-
solution passed by the Executive Committee on the
30th ult., the exhibition will on Wednesday be open
to all, and remain so for a brief season, so that any
one who chooses may pay it a visit—a commend-
able arrangement, and calculated to give general
satisfaction.

The cfficial programme of the excursion to Cano-
bie, Liddesdale, and fielder, appointed for Satur-
day, the 22th inst., is published.
On
leaving the Central Station, the train will
pass almig the Carlisle Railway as far as Hexham,
and thence up the picturesque vale of the North
Tyne to Riccarton, where it will join the Border
Union Railway, and thence pr3ceed to Penton
station, Here the excursionists leave the train, and
divide into two parties ; one of them, not desiring
an extended walk, will be accompanied by a guide,
to examine the great Pormain Fault in the railway
cutting near the Penton station. Here the Permian
rocks are thrown down and brought into imme-
diate contact with the coal measures, which con-
tain, over a very small area, a workable seam of
coal, and an interesting deposit of haematite iron
ore. The excursionists will then walk down to
the bed of the river Liddell, and here again observe
the Permian-Fault in sections. On one side of the
fault may be seen the highest bed of limestone in
the limestone series, in juxtaposition with the per-
main rocks of the other side. The excursionists
Mill continue their course upwards on the east side
of the river Liddell, to the bridge, and return down
the opposite side to the fault, where they will be
joined by the remainder of the party, who will have
walked from Canobie Coal Field,a distance of three
miles.
The scenery of the river Liddell is here exceed-
ingly picturesque and beautiful, owing, in great
measure, to the rough peaks and edges of limestone
rocks, the strata of which lie in almost perpendi-
cular position in the river bed. This part of the
excursion will be of interest to the naturalist, as so
many beds of strata are exposed to view, and the
rocks abound in many of the fossils peculiar to the
mountain group, and are interspersed with beds of
sandstone and shale, containing the usual vegeta-
ble remains. . _

The party which did not alight from the train at
Penton will proceed by the branch railway to
Canobie, where Mr. Gibsone will meet and conduct
them uver the coal measures, and with the aid of
large diagrams exhibiting the chief features of inte-
rest in this locality, further explain this interesting
deposit of coal.

It contains two groups of coal seams, which con-
sist in all of about 50 feet of workable seams of coal,
varying from 3 to 11 feet in thickness, of which
about 30,000 tons are worked annually.
The coal measures extend over an area of only
two square miles, from the Permian-Fault on the
south to another large fault on the north-east,
which throws the coal seams into juxtaposition with
the Mill Stone Grit Fault.

The party will then proceed, under the guidance
of Mr. Gibsone, to the Archer-Beck Burn, which in-
tercepts a small portion of the coal measures, and
where the whole of the strata can be seen distinctly
in sections. The party may proceed from the Mill
Stone Grit Rocks, at the Archer-Beek Bridge, down
the stream, examining the Mill Stone Grit Fault,
the red sandstone beds, and the coal strata. Nume-
rous fossil coal plants may be obtained here. The
excursionists will then walk to the river Liddell,
and join the remainder of the party as before de-
scribed.

The joint excursionists will then return to the
Penton railway station, where the train will be in
waiting to convey them on their homeward journey
to Riccarton, where half an hour will be allowed to
view the cutting through the strata at that place.
The train will then continue its course to Kielder,
where his Grace the Duke of Northumberland has
hospitably offered to provide luncheon in Kielder
Castle, which the committee will find will only
accommodate a limited number.

On Wednesday a meeting of the Reception Com-
mittee was held at Sunderland, in the Mayor's
Chambers—the Rev. R. Skipsey presiding. It
was announced that for the accommodation of
associates belonging to Sunderland there would
be a special train to leave Newcastle for
Sunderland every night. The Rev. G. C. Abbe
said that persons who intended to become associates
must send in their names at once to the committee,
and it elected they would have to pay a guinea sub-
scription. Mr. Young stated that Captain Heard,
R N , had offered to conduct the trials of the life-
boats and life-saving apparatus. The Lifeboat Com-
mittee had £2OO or £3OO in hand for the purpose of
having practice with the boats, and as a trial had
bee❑ fixed for September, they might be induced to
hold it on the day the British Association visitors
came to the town. Ultimately it was resolved that
the train should leave Newcastle at 10 o'clock in the
morning, and that on arriving the visitors should be
divided into five parties as follows :—The first party
to visit the Monkwearmouth Colliery; the second,
geologists, to visit Claxheugh, then Hnmbledon,
and, if time permits, Fulwell also; the third to visit
the docks, and witness the display of lifeboats,
rockets, and life-saving apparatus; the fourth to
visit the bridge and the wood and iron shipbuilding
yards ; fifth, the manufactories, including the Wear
glass works and bottle works.—Newcastle Chronicle.