THE CHEMICAL, ELEMENTS RAMSAY. 193 



increased by 3 J million tons a year. The available quantity of coal 

 in the proved coal fields is very nearly 100,000 million tons; it is 

 easy to calculate that if the rate of working increases as it is doing our 

 coal will be completely exhausted in 175 years. But, it will be replied, 

 the rate of increase will slow down. Why? It has shown no sign 

 whatever of slackening during the last 40 years. Later, of course, 

 it must slow down, when coal grows dearer owing to approaching 

 exhaustion. It may also be said that 175 years is a long time; why, 

 I myself have seen a man whose father fought in 1745 on the Pretend- 

 er's side, nearly 170 years ago! In the life of a nation 175 years is a 

 span. 



This consumption is still proceeding at an accelerated rate. Be- 

 tween 1905 and 1907 the amount of coal raised in the United Kingdom 

 increased from 236 to 268 million tons, equal to 6 tons per head of the 

 population, against 3£ tons in Belgium, 2\ tons in Germany, and 1 

 ton in France. Our commercial supremacy and our power of com- 

 peting with other European nations are obviously governed, so far as 

 we can see, by the relative price of coal; and when our prices rise, 

 owing to the approaching exhaustion of our supplies, we may look 

 forward to the near approach of famine and misery. 



Having been struck some years ago with the optimism of my non- 

 scientific friends as regards our future, I suggested that a committee of 

 the British Science Guild should be formed to investigate our available 

 sources of energy. This guild is an organization founded by Sir 

 Norman Lockyer, after his tenure of the presidency of this association, 

 for the purpose of endeavoring to impress on our people and their 

 Government the necessity of viewing problems affecting the race and 

 the State from the standpoint of science ; and the definition of science 

 in this, as in other connections, is simply the acquisition of knowledge, 

 and orderly reasoning on experience already gamed and on experi- 

 ments capable of being carried out, so as to forecast and control the 

 course of events; and, if possible, to apply this knowledge to the 

 benefit of the human race. 



The Science Guild has enlisted the services of a number of men, 

 each eminent in his own department, and each has now reported on 

 the particular source of energy of which he has special knowledge. 



Besides considering the uses of coal and its products, and how they 

 may be more economically employed, in which branches the Hon. Sir 

 Charles Parsons, Mr. Dugald Clerk, Sir Boverton Kedwood, Dr. 

 Beilby, Dr. Hele-Shaw, Prof. Vivian Lewes, and others have furnished 

 reports, the following sources of energy have been brought under 

 review: The possibility of utilizing the tides; the internal heat of the 

 earth; the winds; solar heat; waterpower; the extension of forests, 

 and the use of wood and peat as fuels; and lastly, the possibility of 

 38734°— sm 1911 13 



