On the Anthracites of Europe and America. 77 
discovered near Fishkill, on the banks of the Hudson, asso- 
ciated with gray wacke slate, which I found, upon examina- 
tion, as I suspected, to be a perfect anthracite, similar to that 
of Rhode-Island ; but the indications at Fi are not suf- 
eo encouraging to. prosecute = dise 
have visited eopiety f the English and Irish 
coal patted IT have never seen any coal, in either country, 
except that from Kilkenny, which could be called a pure an- 
thracite, or had any resemblance, either in external character 
or chemical properties, to the Rhode-Island and Pennsylva- 
nia coal; and I am certain, if the English possessed any of 
so pure a quality, they could not have been so long ignorant 
of its use in the arts, in many of which it has great advan- 
tages over bituminous coal. In describing the different spe- 
cies of coal, they constantly refer to culm, as particularly ap- 
plicable to the burning of lime and bricks, as well as the 
manufacture of salt; but English culm has no resemblance 
whatever to the antheaelies of this country; it is a small © 
? 
coal, never found massive, and difficult to ignite, and burns 
with very little flame; in short, it is a very impure species of 
coal, and scarcely ever applied to any other useful p e 
e American coal, with little flame, and without smell or 
smoke. The culm gives out a very disagreeable smell, and 
much smoke ; in consequence of which, it is never used for 
the drying of ‘malt: The brewers and malsters in England are 
well acquainted with this, and therefore import the Kilkenny 
coal from Ireland for their purposes, which I am confident they 
would not do if they poanessed coal in England oe: the same 
quality.* 
When the anthracite of PhotbcUslendia 4 in a state of strong 
ignition, a very remarkable circumstance may be observed, 
which is strongly characteristic of it, and which distinguishes 
* Having, since the above was written, seen a ai number of Brande’s 
Journal, which contains extracts from his Lectures on Geo! eology, I find the 
following account of eat coal districts: in ‘England, so ate ree 
rat 
with: ——s matter ; it is very reat of og ation. Besides this, there 
oe uch a 
oal and sp t coal.” —See Brande’s Jour- 
No. 39, 
nl y this © description, as Dead eng by Mr. Brande, | little Leones to 
that of iS anthrac or to its propertie 
