284 On the Ventilation of Coal-Mines. {Aprir, 
rooted prejudices here, of more than 50 years undisturbed growth, 
in favour of the existing system of ventilation, which the influence 
of no individual, be his genius what it may, can ever remove. 
These prejudices can only be obviated by the collected force of 
public opinion. The public has at last been clearly convinced that 
the present system of ventilation is miserably defective. Whenever 
it shall be as fully satisfied respecting the efficacy of any particular 
remedy, that remedy must, and will, be applied. ‘Fhere can be no 
question, then, that those persons who think proper to conceal their 
discoveries on this important subject, expose themselves to the most 
mortifying disappointments, by rejecting, or by neglecting to secure, 
assistance, which, when given, never fails to effect its purpose. 
These observations may be illustrated by the circumstances 
already. alluded to. We find that two or three plans of ventilation 
have been formed, and kept seeret; that éwo have: been rejected ; 
and that one has received that cold, doubtful sort of approbation, 
which is equal to,~if not worse than, contempt. Let us hope that 
this example will induce every person who has turned his thoughts - 
to the subject of ventilation to come forward, and lay before the 
public, without hesitation or reserve, every thing which he may 
conceive likely to prevent the recurrence of those tremendous acci- 
dents, the frequency of which more than sufficiently proves that 
scarcely any mew system of ventilation can be more destructive of 
human life than the old. 
Under these impressions, I propose, if you can spare so much ’ 
room in your Journal, to lay before your readers the outlines of a 
plan of ventilation, the arrangement of which has for a considerable 
time back occupied my leisure time, until it was interrupted, as I 
have already stated, by the hope of seeing a remedy immediately 
applied: I say arrangement, for I am not sure that I shall have 
much claim to invention,—certainly none at all to discovery. 
‘My plan is constructed upon two fundamental principles, or well- 
ascertained facts. The first of these, viz. the dip or declination from 
the horizontal line of all the strata of which the crust of the globe 
is composed, is mentioned by every author who has written on 
mineralogy. It is, indeed, ‘the leading fact of the science, upon 
which numerous practical operations depend ; though there are none 
of more importance than the additional one, which it is hoped may 
be founded upon its application, as a principle, to ventilation. 
In a ‘small work, published here in 1809, by Mr. Westgarth 
Forster, entitled, A Freatise on a Section of the Strata commencing 
near Newcastle-upon-Tyne, &c. the author begins by describing 
the stratification of coal: and as this description contains almost all 
that is necessary to be known, so far as relates to the present pur- 
pose, it will be proper to extract and connect such parts of it as 
may assist in giving your readers a clear idea of the facts. . 
At p. 9, he begins by explaining “ the term sérata in natural 
history” to signify “ the several beds or layers of stone, or various 
substances, whereof ‘the solid parts of the earth are composed. 
