The case now to be detailed is one which was investigated at Malmsbury, in Wiltshire. At this place the worthy burgesses to whom the land had been bequeathed by king Athelstan had undoubted evidence that a shaft had been sunk for coal on the land in question. This operation was actually performed about a century ago, and, in order to pay the attendant expenses, the whole of the timber from a large estate was felled and sold. Tradition said that “the coal had been arrived at, but, in reality, those engaged had been bought off by some proprietors in the Bristol coal-field, for fear the new district coal should come in competition with theirs.” But, besides evidence of this kind, about two pounds of Lignite was submitted to my inspection, with the assurance that it burnt like good coal; and the argument founded upon this pseudo-coal was as follows:—“This coal is about two inches thick at about 20 feet from the surface; how thick, therefore, may we not expect it at a hundred yards?” But for fear this should not be deemed conclusive, a bill of sale of some land in the district, many years before the date of this examination, was produced, on which was the statement that “Mining rights were reserved.” But I should state that upon inquiry it was found that the said land belonged to the Crown, and I believe that in all Crown lands there is a reservation made of mining rights; thus this, it will be perceived, was no evidence whatever of the presence of mineral matter. These, then, were the foundations upon which the burgesses relied; now for the geological examination.