Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-09-14

Cslami..s and Eqr;ssin;n, are vcry comm MY
me, with in vertical position, more % less eo.a.
pressed peTpendicula;ly. eLitrlain Il" u1un.
that The greater number OF thcsc pants s'aHo'us
erect in The bets alb We AM between III. s'' ~,
Of coal which sl@ al puiG.s many ih'!es u.s.
tant from each o.hcr, have efoTn III iae pace
where they are now buried in sand and MO- a.o
this lac implies the gradual accumulation ol 'he
coal measures during slDw aud repeated soo>'-
drnce OF The whole legion.
"A great number @. FOSSIL fish, Chiefly rriefao'e
10 lwo nearly allied species oil genus very .
lincl from any ichlhyoli:e hitherto discovered
elsewhere Ia genoid with homocercai lahJ "c'
cur in the lover sraia aih lev Shells; on my
afforded me no positive chaiac.cfs ~ le'ei n''"e
whether The dsposie was OF marine of l!esa
water origin. Above hr.e los-Iliiefons bees,
which probably Fever exceed 1lU or ouu i,e' III
thickness, great succession II stis, sahes one
and SHELLS OF unknown depth, cccar. Trey have
yield no coal, nor as yc, aay organic reinaihs'
No Spectator has been bid enough 10 Sink q
snaf through them, and il is believed lha' 'o"1io
the ceEtral paris oi he basin they might nave 70
pass through 1000 OF 300 ieel OF sterile rocks
before reaching the fundamental coal scans.
"The next IDEAL section will show me mars
nef in which | suppose The coal-held 10 Ut
placed in hollow in the cfanhic lcchs,
the whole country having suffered by great
dcnudaioE and the surface having Deth
planed uf uniformly, ard al the same lme over
spread b. deep covering Of gravel WIN rel ano
yellow clay, conccaling the suhlacenI formation
ifow view, so that the structure cf Inc region
could not be made out without difficulty oui ior
auifi .ial excavations. II will be stcn by Inc Sec
ton that the ,erliary strata first MAKE 'heif dp'
pearance al Richmond, about thirteen mics from
The eastern oui-ctop oil the coal and they continue
10 occupy the lower country between mat cily aEa
The Atlantic.
THE ony beds OF coal hitherto discovered lie
in the lowe! caIt of the coal measures, anu cons
scquenlly come up IL the surface all rouho Inc
margin oi The basin. As the dip is usually al a
considerable angle, vertical shas tom 4uU 10 o00
feet Deep are Tequifedt 10 reach The great seam al
The distance OF a lew hundred yards INSIDE 81 The
edge Of the basin. il is unly, therefore, along
narrow band OF country Iha; the coal can cIop
out naturally and even here il is rarely exDosed,
an. only where river or valley has cnt through
The superficial driil, often 80 or AZ ieel lhcs.-
The principal Goa! seam occurs in creates. force
At Bachheah and The adjoining paris OF Chs
lerleid county, where the coal * ior he most paH
very pure, ana actually aIains the unusnel Ihc.>
ness VI bstEeca thirty ana lofty let. was not
li!'le surprised when &, s,crded, with Mr..
Clifford "A shalt 500 ie,I desp. 10 lind myself IN
chamber more than 10 ire. high, caused b
lie re nova oil the coal. limb props OF great
strength are required TO support the root,
and although the usc OF wood is lavish
here, as IL most part, II The Uliei
, States, the strong props are seen 10 bend under
III. incumbent weight This great scam IS
sometimes parted from The fundamental granite
| By an inch or two oil shalc, which seems 10 have
| constituted The soil on which The plants grew
Al some points where The granite floor touches The
| coal, me contact may have been occtsiJned by
subsCqucu, disturbances, Tor III. rocks are lTac>
Jared "a shifted il many places. This more mo-
Gern coal, as well as ia. ., Newcastle, and ohsr
kinds III more aIci.nt dale, exhibits uaGef he
microscope distinct egiicncc ii 'c3cab.e siFuc>
,ure, consisting in this case principally 81 Paral-
I lc lo,es or Gbes; whose aas are pe.ced win
circular or elongated holes.
| by analysis IL is ior nd. thu, 50 .-r as relates
| 10 HE proportions {. carbon and hydrogen, tn
! con; POSITION oi this coal is .jsn.icel with h2. Of
I ordinary specimens o lhc iaosl ~ :ieai coa 81
! America and Europe, al,huu.h the lail-t mas
heen derived iIoul an assembia9c Of plants vi
very distinct epccies The b:tuminous COAL Tor
example, ct he Chic coal field. and that u AL
ALBANIA, yields the .a;nc elements.
"In conclusion, | may observe that | was
mich sruc.: with The genera similarity ot his
/ more III d.rn OF C9!ic ,ei-iict', ana III ,se 81
| aacienl u P.irta &c d"te III Enaanc ana III
I Europe 9thGlaiiy. ! was s>Pceih'ij icH''"aeu W
Tue cnibJnilciuIs ROCKS near 81 E'icnnt. H.
! France, winch visited III 1913. These aiso res!
| "a sta:,'c, and consist u. coarse sri, ahd sand
soae derived ifvn the ds.Ilus Il -fauie. In
boh zeal fl de, thv frcnca and he Vnsinish,
| rp.cn Cd annie, atoH. /; 1ssil plans ifc mcs
wIln III bo.h, ain ;. Ia the exclusion ol Cihef Or
san.c IenIa,ns, smells especially being absent
| The character u The coal - similar, hu! IN the
! ficnhcss aud thickness vi he seams tie virgin
iaG f. nation Is pIt-rmih"ui When WE achoid
| i'hruUn!ena 81 identical, itpcaied al iimes 80 r.
moe III me EARN. ais.uiy, ana al periods wn. u
s.ch yc,y di>tiGci tnms 81 vegetation ilJ2!ished,
wc may derive fom lhc tect Gsrial can.iob Ill
! :csard 10 cef AIN popnlaf stneIalz.;ans res
| ptciing peculiar s'air NJ The globe GnTln2 me
| reinoeI - the W. cpv"as ailnrG H. Some
s."lns 5 ioC example, nave Supposed at A''nus~
pare Grnsely caagtd ", il cat9onic acri 10 be
me- airy 10 explain In. origin II coat ." -
:ausynefe un!k. The pie-aat, :; > II IL u''h,
Iur the ey;scUcc oi ait breathing, vertebrate an
| finals; tut this theory my ~i!, hardly he prepat
ed to extend to somutern an era rs the Ooii.ic
or Tfiassic"