The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-03-31
Pre1sssor LyeIl's geology on the Coal For


natlOns
Mr. Lyelps lecture last night was on the great
coal formations of Europe and America.
He stated that on both continents the coal was IT,
yarablv found between the old red sandstone and
the new red sandstone formations; and twas folly
to look for them in any other relative position
Above the coal lie the post plocene rocks, the ter
tiary, the chalk the green marie of New Jersey,
the iron and greenIsands, the Oxfoid clay, the oole
or Jura limestone, the blue and white lias, the new
red sandstone, and the carboniierous shales, IRON
stones, and me-stones. Below the coal came the
various slate rocks greensboro hornblende rocks,
old red sandstone and granite. The State Of New
York was composed Of these old rocks bene ath the
coal, and therefore no coal could ever be found in
this state. The rocks Immediately associated with
coal seams congomerate, limestone, shale, grit,
and sandstone, and some arglllaceous iron ORE
The coal beds in this country precisely resemble
those in England although $500 miles apart al
though the geological structure Of the earth varies
immensely on different sides of the Alps and
Pyrenees; yet these latter are go much more
modern, that the beds forming them were not
de posted at the bottom Of the ocean when the
coal was formed Coal was known to be Of We
petabe origin. Thin slices OF il has been examined
by a microscope, and the annual rings Of growth
of various trees, the medullary rays, and even the
spiral vessels were very distinct. So they were
sometimes in the limestone connected with the
coal Innumerabe leaves Of plants, and even large
trees are found in the coal ferns, the bark carbon
lied, and the inside percolated with sand. 300 diff
ferent spe cies of plants found among the coal
beds; and the intiorescenCe OF the terms have
been preserved at the back OF the leaves The 81
L. La E.,,p etA snP
free fern ~ species OF this tree; also one specimen
of the colloptaris large tree resembling in its ge
nera the ferns OF the present day These
all infer warm and humid climate; much warmer
than il now is where coal is found for we find II even
in Melville Island and Baffins Bay Pnes have been
also found in the coal not resembng our northern
pines but of the class arcolari-the pines found at
Norfolk Island, and the north part OF Chill. Also
other equi cetaceous plants, the calamites, &C.,
larger than any now extant, and which must have
lived in climate warmer than can now be found in
any part Of the globe. One stgillariA was found 20
feet long.
There are two theories as to the formation Of
coal One is that trees and ferns, and moss, and
islands ofplans were carried down the rivers TO the
sea, as is now in the Mississippi, and particu
larry in the Guerra in Africa after getting out a
certain distance from the land, they become water
logged and sunk /; then the delta Of the river
changed, and in course Of time spread oat and CO.
vered this vegetable mass with sand and mud. The
other theory is that there was great accumulation
of vegetable matter on one spot, in the same way
that peat now accumulates and that by tar the
greater part of the coal has grown on the spot where
it is now found. After it accumulated for long
time, the land sunk down, and was submerged, and
sand and clay, Sc deposited in layers over the coal
At section on the Bolton Railway, several trees OF
the lepidodendra class were found growing upright
W 18th their roots growing IN bed OF clay some
were Is feet in circumference, and IL feet
high, broken off short thin seam OF coal was
above the clay in which the roots were this
was caused by the leaves, moss, grass, &c; then
came de post of sand from an overflow OF water,
eleven feet deep;tli broke off some of the trees and
bent down others horizontally; then came bed OF
fine clay, with no plant but the stigmaria in it, this
always formed the floor Of the coal Then came
clay then Goa, land then bed Of sand In Wales, in
80 seams of coal that were examined, the hire clay
was found under eyeycoal seam, and no plant but the
stigmaria in it. This stigmara has all Its leaves
stigmaria is found in any other bed the leaves are
all stripped Off This plant is OF family and genus
entirely extinct. In the Bossburg Coal Field and al
Pottsville and Mauch Chunk Mr. Lyons found the
same rule prevail with regard to the stigmarla and
fire clay. The anthracite coal was proved to be Of
same age as the Btumnous coal, not only from the
relative position of the strata. but from the peculiar
plants and trees found in it. The stlgmara grew In
rass becams dry enough for other trees and plants
TO grow it, these accumulate and form the vege-
table deposit, since become coal then an eruption
Of the water. and y bed Of sand deposited on the
Alter referring to the great Dismal Swamp in this
country, as being case in point, where a similar
process was going on now; and few remarks on
the climate OF the earth when coal was formed
MIR. Lyell concluded by paying tribute to the state
geologists Of New York and Pennsy lvana; and said
they had conferred an enormous benefit on the COM
munity by preventing any more useless and fool.
ish attempts to find coal where coal could not be
found.
New York STATE EREcr.-Governor Seward has
signed the bill creating the State tax, but in such
sneaking form as 10 take away all the merit The