4-18 History of the early ivorking of Coals in Sutherland. 



John the 5th Earl of Sutherland, the son of the above Countess, 

 rc-opened these Pits. 



In the early parts of the last century the Earls of Sutherland 

 prosecuted the Inver-Brora Coal-works; and tradition points out 

 one of the Pits of this ])eriod, in Shean Park^ in which 15 Men 

 lost their lives at the same time, by the falling in of the roof of 

 the Pit. 



About the year 17G1, the working of the Inver-Brora Coal 

 was again resumed, by Mr. John IViitiavis, the since well-known 

 author of " The Mineral Kingdom," under a lease from the late 

 Karl of Sutherland, and at the same time, Messrs. Uobertson and 

 Mackenzie of Portsoy, erected new Salt-works there, under a 

 lease from the Earl, and Mr. Williams contracted to supply them 

 with Coals, at a stipulated price per ton. The Coal-seam then 

 in work, was three feet eight inches thick, in two beds of a good 

 quality of Coal, but having between them, an eight-inch black 

 pyritic dirt bed ; it appears, however, from the information of 

 JViajor Hugh Houston, of Clyne House, v.ho when young, assisted 

 Mr. Williams, and has preserved many papers and documents to 

 Avhich he kindly allowed me access, that Mr. W's practical 

 knowledge of collicrying was then very scanty, (although in 2(> 

 years afterwards he acquired so much knowledge and reputation 

 in this art,) so much so, as not to discover the mischief, of 

 cutting down this pyritic dirt among the Coals, which also the 

 sraallness of his Coal-rooms and mode of working, rendered ex- 

 ceedingly broken and small: nor did he discover (as will appear 

 from his Min. King. 2d Edit. vol. ii. p. 32) that this dirt among 

 the broken Coals, occasioned the spontaneous firing, of a large 

 heap of these small mixed Coals on the Pit hill * at Inver- Brora, 

 or the firing of a Cargo of them at Sea, in a vessel which was 

 conveying them to Portsoy. 



These defects of management, occasioned Mr. Williams's sale 

 of coals to fall off, except to the Salt Company (whose pans and 

 grate-bars were rapidly wasted by the use of these foul Coals), and 

 his affairs to become embarrassed, and being also threatened by 



the 



* It seems to have been diis circinr'Stance, of near 50 years standing. 

 V hicl) has been revived, mixed up and cnnfoiinded with other recent event- 

 at Biura Coal Pit, linlt'a mile distant from tliis spot, and on a quite dif- 

 ferent seam of Coal, by the w riter of the paragraph in page 3 J4: "bo cn-s 

 also, iit siipposin<^ it, to ie peculiar to the Brora Coal, or rather to its ftccom- 

 panying dirt bed, to fire spontaneously. Since Mr. Williams mentions an- 

 other instance at Ayr in Scotland; aiul at Ileanor, Ripley, DenhN-.lal!, 

 Donisthorpe, and other Collieries in Dcrl)yshire,a thin dirt bed, swells arr! 

 heats on access ot the air, and actuary hres the loose vva->te Coals, if rnixril 

 with thetn, asl have nentioncd in my Report on that county, vol. i. p. 34t> ; 

 wherein I have also mentioned the probability, that tli« serious evil so well 

 known in the vicinity of Dudley in Staffordbiiirc, cf the waste ?inall Coal.- 



