1866. | Our Coal Supply and our Prosperity. 467 
is likely to be. The depth to which mining may be carried (for the 
coal is there), the probable stores beneath the sea, under our rivers 
and estuaries, and the extension of the present fields, are, we 
maintain, questions at present so vaguely defined and so incapable 
of a satisfactory solution, that it matters little in what ratio the 
consumption is likely to increase. Before a man is in a position to 
decide how long a newly-acquired fortune is likely to last, he should 
at least be certain of its amount, or his estimate of its probable 
duration is worthless. 
Proceeding practically in our inquiry, we shall for the present 
dismiss from our consideration all means of obtaining fresh data 
for arriving at an estimate of our future resources, except that of 
“boring ” for coal in suspected new fields. 
On principle, we are by no means favourable to the grant of 
public money for the prosecution of borings in search of coal: 
first, because the benefit or damage, as the case might be, could 
only accrue to private individuals on whose property the experiments 
would be carried out; secondly, because we are not at present, nor 
shall we be for a long time to come, in such need of additional coal- 
ground as to necessitate experiments of this kind; and chiefly, 
because we believe that when the time does arrive that such experi- 
ments are needed, they will be carried out by private enterprise, 
which in this country generally manages matters of this kind better 
than the Government. At the same time, as the subject has been 
pressed on the attention of the Royal Commissioners, and they may 
possibly come to the resolution to recommend Parliament to make 
several experiments with the public money, we now suggest the 
following localities for boring; the actual sites in each case would 
of course require mature consideration. 
CuMBERLAND—St. Bees. 
CursHIRE—1. The valley of the Dee, near the City of Chester. 
2. The promontory of Wirral, about two miles south of Birkenhead, 
on the banks of the Mersey. 3. Also some point near Hoylake, at 
the mouth of the Dee. 
LancasnirE—A spot to be selected between Liverpool and 
Runcorn Gap, along the estuary of the Mersey. 
Satop—l. Market Drayton. 2. Shiffnal. 
SrarrorpsHirE—1. The valley of the Trent, along the northern 
border of Cannock Chase, near Colwich. 2. New Red Sandstone 
east of Stafford. 
WarwioxsuirE—lIn the centre of the plain of Permian beds, 
west of the Warwickshire coal-field. 
Tuames VatnEy—1. Reading. 2. Kentish Town; the boring 
already commenced to be continued. 
Tue Wratp—Tunbridge Wells. 
Thus then the first three divisions of our inquiry lead us to 
