30 ■ fherary society, l^ewcastle, jf u/y lo'. 



portance to the general welfare, it would certainly be im- 

 proper in them so far to extend their plan, as to admit the 

 genera/ investigation of scientific subjects. On the other 

 hand, since the recitation of cases, with their symptoms 

 and treatment, cannot but be, at least uninteresting, to a 

 general audience, a society formed upon the idea of ad- 

 mitting persons of all profefsions, parties, and persuasions, 

 ftould proliibit the introduction of practical medicine, as 

 well as, for obvious reasons, oi politics and religion, 



*' Without interfering, therefore, with the Medical So- 

 ciety, it appears that there is still room for a general 

 literary afsociation j which, however, must probably still 

 look out, from among the members of that most respec- 

 table profefsion, for a considerable (hare of its credit and 

 support. 



" To return from this digrefsion : The circumstances 

 which seem to render Newcastle a favourable seat for a li- 

 terary society, are such as follow : 



" I. The two great natural products of this part of the 

 country, coal and lead. 



" I. The origin and chemical properties of coal, the 

 position in which it is found in the earth, the thicknefs and 

 inclination of its strata, the nature of the strata above and 

 below it, and the frequent interruption by perpendicular 

 fifsures called dykes, troubles, &c. (the knowledge of 

 which is almost entirely a literary desideratum, very lit- 

 tle, or nothing, being to be found about it in books *) are 

 curious and interesting subjects of inquiry, concerning 

 wliich the ingenious persons who are employed as viewers 

 are capable of supplying better information than can be 

 obtained any other way. To these gentlemen, on the 



* See Williams's Mineral Kingdom, almost the only book in which 

 tbf se interesting objects in minerulogy are explained. Edit^ 



