[ 278 ] 



by which feveral loft their lives. Mr. Spedding, a late eminent 

 engineer and dircdor of the coal works at Whitehaven, difcovercd 

 that fparks produced from flint and fteel were not nearly fo 

 produdive of thefe explofions, by kindling the inflammable air, 

 as the flame of candles was. He therefore contrived a machine, 

 compofed fo that by being turned about by a wheel it ftruck a 

 great number of flints againft fteel in perpetual fuccefllon. This 

 gives light fufficicnt for the workmen to 'work by in fuch depths 

 as the inflammable air abounds in, whereby the danger is 

 greatly abated. Without this or fome fimilar contrivance the 

 deepeft coal works would probably before this have been totally 

 given up, as being fo dangerous to the men employed. 



It is now about one hundred and fifty years fince coals are 

 fuppofed to have been firft raifed here for exportation. What the 

 quantity exported has been at different periods cannot now be 

 well afcertained. Within the laft twenty years the export trade 

 has increafed about one-third part of what it now is. Whitehaven 

 colliery has produced for a few years laft paft from one hundred 

 thoufand to one hundred and twenty thoufand tons, Dublin 

 meafure, yearly. Two tons contain about a chaldron and a 

 quarter, London meafure. In general a Whitehaven waggon of 

 coals contains two Dublin tons, each ton weighing from twenty- 

 one to twenty- two hundred weight. The beft coals are inva- 

 riably the lighteft. One-third part of the main band feam, 

 which lies in the middle thereof, would, if feparated, be as good 

 as the beft Ncwcaftle coal. The bank or bottom is worfe in 

 quality, but when mixed they are allowed to be the beft coals 



raifed in the county of Cumberland. 



On 



