the club mosses of our moors, plants which run from three to six inches in height, have been found fossil as large as a tolerably-sized factory chimmey.

The lecturer produced some very curious specimens of fossils, to which he called the attention of the audience, accompanying them by explanatory remarks.

After alluding to the probable formation of seams of coal, together with their modes of occurrence, Mr. Bailey said :-The various seams or beds of coal met with in our different coal fields, vary in number, in thickness, in the character of their roof and floor, and in many other particulars, all of which have to be taken into account when deciding upon the best and most profitable manner of working them. Sometimes coal seams attain a thickness of yards, as in the ten-yard coal of South Staffordshire; sometimes only of inches, as at Over Darwen, where the oldest, or first deposited, mine in this coalfield, is worked of a thickness of only twelve inches. In some districts several workable seams occur in close proximity, one below another, and are worked at the same colliery-in others only one is found. At Harecastle, in North Staffordshire, the aggregate thickness of the workable seams is estimated at 200 feet, and that within an attainable depth, which, with numerous beds of ironstone, also there occurring, make this one of the richest mineral districts in England. The North Stafford Railway Company were asked £100,000 for the mines left for thirty yards on each side of their canal tunnel there, and the sum actually paid was upwards of £35,000. In Lancashire, I suppose, the whole workable seams make an aggregate thickness of some seventy feet, but only a small proportion of this is worked at any one colliery. In Durham and Northumberland the aggregate thickness is about forty-five feet; but there are eleven seams, which, on account of their thinness, are not workable. In Yorkshire and Derbyshire the aggregate thickness of all the seams is about eighty feet. The superficial area of the coal fields in

it unquestionably is? I answer, an abundant and unfailing supply of cheap coal. If there were any uncertainty of this being always attainable, the capitalist would not be induced to invest his money here, but he would rather choose a spot where suitable fuel could at all times be obtained in abundance. I say, then, a cheap and plentiful supply of coal is one of the main considerations in determining and fixing the centres of manufacturing industry; and I don't think there is any district in the world where the manufacturer has in this respect greater advantages than he possesses in this part of Lancashire.

Let us consider the nature and origin of this all important production-coal. In the present advanced state of geological science, there is very little difficulty in proving that it is of organic origin-that is, it is like Topsy's idea of herself, "spects it growed." This can be proved in many ways-first, by examining very thin slices of the coal under a microscope, a method first used by Mr. Witham, of Lartington, near Barnard Castle. The vegetable structure of coal has thus been detected, even where no external trace has been discernible. The tissue is seen only in patches, but it exactly resembles that of the recent cone-bearing trees, and of the fossil genera purites. Indeed, evidence of the extreme abundance of vegetable life during the time of the coal being formed, is furnished by a cursory glance at almost any piece of coal with which we renew our fires. Did any of you ever attempt to do this without the aid of the tongs ?-excuse the implication, for coal is clean dirt-you would most likely blacken your fingers. But these defiling particles form not the whole, nor even any considerable portion of the mass, and if you examine farther, to see what these are and whence they come, you will find them to proceed from marks on the coal, having the peculiar lustre of the charcoal of the shops, which fossil botanists will tell you, with the utmost certainty, are the carbonised remains of coniferous trees. I have a specimen here, and also some collected and pulverised.

Secondly, we argue that coal is of organic origin, because the strata, both above and below the coal seams, bear unmistakable record of having been deposited in the time of a superabundant vegetation. That stratum lying immediately under, and invariably accompanying a seam of coal, to which in this neighbourhood the name of "warrent," or "warrent earth,” is given, consists of a loose friable fire-clay, always full of the stygmariæ, or roots of the sigillariæ, which, we may presume, helped in no small degree to form the seam of coal. Thirdly-reasoning from analogy would lead us to the same conclusion, because in nature, carbon, which forms the base of all coal, is not found in a free state, except as the product of organisation. Wood, peat, tallow, oil, resin, and the thousand-and-one forms in which we are acquainted with that substance, all are known to us as the products of organised nature, and I think we can scarcely resist the conviction that coal is the same. Moreover, if coal were not of organic origin, it must have been miraculously created. Now, the Almighty,-with all reverence be it spoken,-never performed a miracle needlessly, or to accomplish anything that could be done by natural causes or forces already in existence. Now it can be proved, almost to demonstration, that the climate upon the earth's surface was at this time so highly favourable to the growth of vegetation, that after plants were once created, there would scarcely be a limit to their growth and increase. Moisture, warmth, and light, are the three great requisites of rapid vegetation, and according as the two former are present in a greater or less degree, exactly in that proportion will the growth and development of the plant go on.

Relating to this part of my subject, a story is told of the late George Stephenson, a man who saw further and deeper into things than perhaps any man of his time. He was staying with a party of gentlemen at the house of a friend, and called their attention to a railway train passing in the distance, asking who could

tell him what it was that drove it along? Why, the engine, to be sure, said one. Ah, well, but what impels the engine? Another suggested the steam but of course that was not the first cause to which o George referred. So when all were silent, the far-seeing deep-thinking old man told them it was nothing le than the light and power of the sun, which had be stored up in the fuel for our use, through countles ages. And so, no doubt, it was; for the sun is reall the only great source of light and heat; and plants whatever kind, only assimilate and take up their carbos or heat-producing matter, when under the influence the sun's rays-in other words, they can only incr in bulk when exposed to the light of the sun. Well then, granted that coal is of vegetable origi question next arises, how came it where we fis How is it possible that these immense deposits of vege table matter could ever have accumulated? Without entering into the question of geology, in its bearings on the Mosaic version and account of the creation, allow me to remind you that the earth is there said to have

brought forth grass, and herbs, and trees on the third day-that is, before we have the account of the sun's becoming directly visible from the earth. The whole earth, however, must by this time have cooled down very considerably since the volcanic ages of chaos still be sufficiently warm to produce a dense fog, cloud, which at this period is supposed to have e Iveloped the whole earth, whilst obscuring the sun, Thus would be produced the exact atmospheric condi tions and climates most favourable to creation. W certainly find wonderful records of the fertility of the earth at this period. Plants, resembling in the marshes, attained, in those days, the height and bull

character the insignificant cat-tails of our ponds and

of forest trees.

Sigillariæ, fosil reed-like plants.

have been found measuring seventy feet in length and

three or four feet in diameter.

Others, resembling

the club mosses of our moors, plants which run from three to six inches in height, have been found fossil large as a tolerably-sized factory chimmey.

The lecturer produced some very curious specimens fossils, to which he called the attention of the dience, accompanying them by explanatory remarks. After alluding to the probable formation of seams of mal, together with their modes of occurrence, Mr. Bailey said:-The various seams or beds of coal met within our different coal fields, vary in number, in Thickness, in the character of their roof and floor, and many other particulars, all of which have to be into account when deciding upon the best and profitable manner of working them. Sometimes al seams attain a thickness of yards, as in the ten-yard al of South Staffordshire; sometimes only of inches, at Over Darwen, where the oldest, or first deposited, ne in this coalfield, is worked of a thickness of only welve inches. In some districts several workable socar in close proximity, one below another, and are worked at the same colliery-in others only At Harecastle, in North Staffordshire, aggregate thickness of the workable seams is estimated at 200 feet, and that within an attainable depth, which, with numerous beds of ironstone, also there occurring, make this one of the richest mineral districts in England. The North Stafford Railway Company were asked £100,000 for the mines left for thirty yards on each side of their canal tunnel there, and the sum actually paid was upwards of £35,000. In Lancashire, I suppose, the whole workable seams make an aggregate thickness of some seventy feet, a small proportion of this is worked at colliery. In Durham and Northumberland aggregate thickness is about forty-five feet; but there are eleven seams, which, on account of their thinness, are not workable. In Yorkshire and Derbyshire the aggregate thickness of all the seams is about eighty feet. The superficial area of the coal fields in

but only

any one

the