1872.] The Coal Commusstoner’s Report. 39 
Armstrong, was desirable in the public interest. On the 
12th June, 1866, the subject was brought before the House 
of Commons, by Mr. Hussey Vivian, in a very able speech, 
in which he moved for the appointment of a Royal Com- 
mission to inquire into several questions connected with the 
coal resources of the United Kingdom. ‘This motion was 
agreed to, and on the 28th idem, the Commission was 
accordingly appointed, consisting of fifteen members,* with 
the Duke of Argyll as chairman. 
The special instructions to the Royal Commission were 
as follows :— 
“To investigate the probable quantity of coal contained 
in the coal-fields of the United Kingdom, and to report on 
the quantity of such coal which may be reasonably expected 
to be available for use. 
‘‘ Whether it is probable that coal exists at workable 
depths under the permian, new red sandstone, and other 
superincumbent strata. 
**To inquire as to the quantity of coal at present con- 
sumed in the various branches of manufacture, for steam 
navigation, and for domestic purposes, as well as the 
quantity exported, and how far and to what extent such 
consumption and export may be expected to increase. 
‘And whether there is reason to believe that coal is 
wasted by bad working, or by carelessness, or neglect of 
proper appliances for its economical consumption.” 
The first a¢ét of the Commissioners was to form amongst 
themselves five committees for the following purposes :— 
Committee on possible depths of working. 
Committee on waste in combustion. 
Committee on waste in working. 
. Committee on the probability of finding coal under 
permian, new red sandstone, and other superin- 
cumbent strata. 
5. E. Committee on mineral statistics. 
Riera arg 
CONE 
Without confining ourselves in any way to the order 
in which these Committees subdivided the several questions 
submitted for their investigation, we now proceed to give 
briefly the results arrived at by them, and which have been 
embodied in their respective reports, or brought out in 
the evidence taken by them. 
* Sir R. J. Murchison, Sir W. G. Armstrong, Messrs. H. H. Vivian, G. T. 
Clark, J. Dickinson, G. Elliott, T. E. Forster, J. Geddes, R. Hunt, J. B. Jukes, 
J. Hartley, J. Percy, J. Prestwich, A. C. Ramsay, and J. T. Woodhouse. 
