78 THE COAL QUESTION. 



We may then say, that this is indeed a hurning question. 



^ Compared with this, the changes of ministry ; questions as to 



whether a man may call himself educated while ignorant of 



Modern History and Philosophy, sink into the merest 



insignificance . 



In reading the remarks of the Commissioners on the duration 

 of our coal, we must remember that it is framed with a view of 

 meeting or allaying the alarming fears which were justly excited 

 by Professor Jevons' book. 



We may therefore read over again Professor Jevons' argument 

 by the light of the data collected by the Commission. 



The annual consumption of coal is continually increasing. If 

 it were constant it would show that our trade was stagnant, and that 

 some cause or causes were keeping down the natural increase of 

 population. But this is not so, and never has been since the 

 invention of the steam-engine and the rise of modern manu- 

 factures and general use of machinery. It has not been so in 

 England, neither has it been so in any coal-producing country 

 that we know of. 



Since 1854 the amount of coal raised has been ascertained by a 

 Government Department attached to the Geological Survey, 

 viz. : — the Mining Eecord Office. 



The statistics since 1854 are therefore accurate; before that 

 we have nothing but more or less inaccurate guesses. It is 

 supposed that about 1781 the coal raised was a little over five 

 million ^tons ; about 1801 it was ten and a quarter millions, 

 thus nearly doubling itself in twenty years. This was owing to 

 Watts' invention of the steam engine, and the modern iron 

 smelting by coal ; from which time we may date the wonderful 

 gradual improvements in arts and manufactures. 



In 1821 it was about twenty and one-third millions, almost 

 doubling itself again in twenty years, as far as we may rely on 

 these estimates; 1841 it was about forty and a half million, again 

 nearly doubling itself. The coal raised in ten years, between 

 '54 and '63, was half as much as in all the previous seventy-two 



