Page:Transactions NZ Institute Volume 15.djvu/472

In Westland no seams of brown coal have been worked, but a few samples have been forwarded from the Grey Coal Reserve, which have the following average composition:—

In Southland, mines have lately been opened in two seams of coal at the Nightcap Hill above Wairio, in which the composition of the coal is as follows:—

and another thick seam is known at Orepuki, which will probably be worked as soon as railway communication has been established. It consists of—

In Canterbury, a valuable series of brown coals exists in the Malvern Hills, which have often been locally altered, in the vicinity of intrusive rocks of later origin, to various stages between brown coals and anthracites. Mines are at present being worked in the unaltered brown coals at Springfield, Smithfield, Canterbury, Homebush, and Lees, in seams from 3 feet to 7 feet 6 inches thick, in which the quality of the coal often varies a great deal even between the top and bottom of the same seam. As an instance of this I may quote the analyses of the top and bottom of the 4½ feet seam at Springfield, from which it will be seen that the upper part was a glance coal, while the lower had the composition of a very good pitch coal.