The Ohjections to sinking more Pits, obviated. 443 



to his devastations of the Land, have so justly and seriously 

 alarmed may Gentlemen, that they will sooner forego the advan- 

 tage of working their Coal, than submit to it ; while several 

 others whom I know, would on almost any terms buy up the 

 Coal-Lease that themselves or their Fathers had granted, if this 

 were in their power: it is not therefore to be wondered at,that 

 in almost all Coal Leases of modern dates, the exact limits 

 within which the Collier may at his discretion commence and 

 pursue his operations from the surface, are exactly defined, and 

 beyond which limits he must ^rst obtain leave of the Land- 

 owner, before he can sink Pits, make Roads, &c. 



Under such circunastances, I have known an instance of the 

 Overseers going on, to work from a pair of Pits in the deep, great 

 distances up the slope, under the ancient works in upper Coals, 

 the Pits of which were yet open in the Lessees' Park ; and although 

 whole gangs or sh/Jts of Men were repeatedly and instantly killed 

 by Fire-damp' explosions, the Gentleman or his Land Agents, 

 were never once applied to by the Overseers, or their employer 

 the Lessee, who lived at a distance, for permission to open an 

 Air-pit to the higher part of the low Coal, which might have 

 been done, by only deepening one of the numerous pits alieadv 

 open in the Park, with little or no interruption thereto, and 

 which would readily have been granted, and even offered, if it 

 had occurred, or been stated to the Owner, that such a measure 

 was any-way essential, particularly ybr iawn^ the lives of his 

 parishioners and tenants. 



If in any instances Gentlemen have refused permissions that 

 may have been asked by their Coal Lessees, to enter restricted 

 grou))ds, I cannot believe, from anything I have seen or heard, 

 that such refusals have been attributable to any thing else, than 

 the want of a sufficiently clear statement, and representation of 

 the case, showing the importance of the indulgence asked, /or 

 the security of the workmen, and that the interest of the parties, 

 in cheaper working their Coals or more readily disposing of them, 

 were not the chief if not the only motives for the application, to 

 enlarge the powers of the Lease. 



It does not always sufficiently occur to Coal-Lessees and Over- 

 seers, that the ocaipation of the surface of the Land, in a pro- 

 fitable as well as a pleasurable point of view, is not less import- 

 ant to others, than their own pursuit to themselves, and that 

 while it is for their own interest, to avoid every unnecessary 

 damage, or the continuance of such beyond the necessity that 

 gave rise to it, it is also well worth their while to study, and even 

 at some cost, to circumscribe their trespasses, both in extent and 

 duration, as much as is practicable, in order that the Occupiers 



and 



