and Bituminous Coal-fields in China. 207 



mountains at about a day's journey, or thirty miles only from 

 Pekin. The coal formation is largely developed, in which 

 thick beds of coal occur. They appear to be of various qua- 

 lities. Some of this coal, occurring in shale beds, is singularly 

 decomposed, and its particles have so little cohesion, that they 

 are almost reduced to a state of powder. Beneath these coal 

 shales are beds of ferruginous sandstone, and below those 

 occur another series, consisting of much richer seams of coal 

 than the upper group. 



In this range are seen also both horizontal and vertical beds 

 of conglomerate, accompanied by seams of coal which have the 

 conglomerate for the roof and diorite or greenstone for the 

 floor. As might be expected, this coal very much resembles 

 anthracite. It is shining, of compact texture, difficult to ignite, 

 does not flame in burning, or give out any smoke. Its sub- 

 stance is entirely homogeneous. Every thing respecting it leads 

 to the belief that there had been a great development of heat 

 at the period of its formation, or subsequently. The horizon- 

 tal coal beds are the most important and valuable, and are 

 denominated large ; but no greater thickness than three and 

 a half feet is quoted. The blacksmiths and those who work 

 in copper, prefer this coal, on account of the intense heat 

 which it gives out. 



Throughout the whole of this mountain range may be con- 

 tinually seen the outcrops of this combustible, where they have 

 never, as yet, been touched by the hand of man. 



In those parts of China where wood is very dear, coal is 

 worked on a great scale for the Pekin market : but the process 

 of mining is very little understood by those people, who excel 

 in the preparation of charcoal. 



Coal in other parts of China. — The Missionaries and others 

 inform us that coal is so abundant in every province of China, 

 that there is perhaps no country in the world in which it is 

 so common. The quays at Nankin are stored with the finest 

 native coal. Some of the coal which was brought down to 

 the coast, from the Pekin country, to the Gulf of Pe-tchee-lee, 

 was anthracite, partaking of the character of plumbago or 

 graphite. Coal, apparently of the brown coal species, exists 

 extensively in the direction of Canton ; while all the coals seen 

 on the Yang-tse-kiang river, south of Nankin, resembled can- 

 nel coal. Nearer to Canton it possessed the comparatively 

 modern characterof the brown coal. It was abundantly offered 

 for sale in the different cities through which Lord Amherst's 

 embassy passed, between the lake Po-yang-how and Canton, 

 and the boats were largely supplied with it. It is there ob- 

 tained by means of pits, like wells \ and we infer that, like 



