Genre:

Reportage, Spoof

Subjects:

Geology, Societies

    Describes the Geological Society's inspection of 'the treasure of the dust-hole'. After this 'rich mine of geological lore' was opened up a cloud of 'ashy particles' filled the room. Exploring the contents of the hole, the president of the society found cinders, 'chiefly to be found in the neighbourhood of Mount Vesuvius' and 'a good deal of vegetable matter'. The society also discovered a piece of slate among the ashes—the result of 'an experiment of the coal-merchant [...] desirous of witnessing the combination of slate and carbon'—and a 'tertiary deposit of potato peelings'.