74 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



recently been issued a Blue- Book, bearing in the most 

 important manner on the subject of England's coal- 

 supply. For five years fifteen eminent Commissioners 

 have been engaged in examining the available evidence 

 respecting the stores of coal contained in the various 

 coal-fields of Great Britain. Their inquiries were com- 

 menced soon after the time when the fears of the country 

 on this subject were first seriously awakened ; and were 

 directed specially to ascertain how far those fears were 

 justified by the real circumstances of the case. It will 

 be well to compare the various opinions which were 

 expressed before the inquiries were commenced, with 

 the results which have now been obtained. 



In the first place it should be noticed that the 

 subject had attracted the attention of men of science 

 many years ago. Some forty years 1 have passed since 



1 So far back as 1789, John Williams, in his Natural History of 

 tlie Mineral Kingdom, discussed the question of the ' Limited Quan- 

 tity of Coal in Great Britain.' The following extracts are taken 

 from an excellent paper on the exhaustion of our coal in the Popular 

 Scieiice Review for July 1866, by Mr. Lemoran, Colliery Viewer. ' I 

 have no'.doubt,' says Williams, ' that the generality of the inhabitants 

 of Great Britain believe that our coal mines are inexhaustible ; and 

 the general conduct of the nation, so far as relates to this subject,, 

 seems to imply that this is held as an established fact. If it was 

 not a generally received opinion, would the rage for exporting coals 

 be allowed to go on without limitation or remorse ? But it is full 

 time that the public were undeceived in a matter which so nearly 

 concerns the welfare of this flourishing island. . . . When our coal 

 mines are exhausted, the prosperity and glory of this flourishing and 

 fortunate island are at an end. Our cities and great towns must 

 then become ruinous heaps for want of fuel, and our mines and 

 manufactories must fail from the same cause, and then, consequently, 

 our commerce must vanish. In short, the commerce, wealth, im- 

 portance, glory, and happiness of Great Britain will decay and 



