October 9, 1919] 



NATURE 



1^5 



into touch with universities and other of the higher 

 educational establishments. Where a museum 

 does not exist already, as in certain towns and 

 in country districts, a live education authority 

 would set one up, so that the number will be 

 increased. Museums suffer from want of funds 

 because few are supported by more than a \d. rate, 

 some not even by that; they would receive grants 

 in aid directly from the Board of P-ducation. 



To this the museums reply that they recognise 

 the argumentative force of a pecuniary bribe ; but 

 if their work is worthy of this reward, why should 

 it not be given? For the rest, they dispute the 

 premisses. A museum is not fundamentally an 

 educational institution. It exists primarily for 

 the collection and preservation of the works of 

 nature or of man, and its highest aim is the 

 advancement of science or of art. The needs of 

 the researcher must never be sacrificed to those 

 of the elementary student or the public. Even 

 the smallest local museum has a duty in this 

 direction, and it is this spirit which keeps the 

 museum alive. Museums which themselves chart 

 the unknown seas of knowledge can best pilot the 

 learners. Organised education is the vehicle of 

 established knowledge, is necessarily limited in 

 scope, and must move on the rigid lines of a 

 syllabus ; but the museum must respond to new 

 influences, must extend knowledge, and assemble 

 material for future research. The existing museum 

 committees are not ideal, but neither are the 

 education committees. The curator knows his 

 men, has been moulding their ideas, and has 

 generally found a chairman with large views. He 

 does not wish to see either himself or his chair- 

 man controlled by a body the scope of which 

 embraces but a subsidiary part of his museum's 

 activities. If his means of support are to come 

 solely through educational channels, results will 

 be expected through those channels alone. The 

 others will gradually be blocked, the le\el of 

 aspiration and accomplishment will be lowered, 

 the living water will stagnate. Museum oflicials, 

 from experience or observation, distrust bureau- 

 cratic government; they want men whom they 

 can approach, not an anonymous Board. 



Compromise, however, may be possible. Co- 

 operation is desired, though not subordination. Let 

 the education authority advise upon the public 

 exhibition series, apd support financially the 

 educational work of the museum in proportion as 

 it approves. But hands off the unseen activities 

 of the museum ! Provincial museums may be 

 linked up with one another and with the national 

 museums above and the minor museums below, 

 but the linking should be through a body repre- 

 sentative of their own committees and curators. 

 If the source of money must be the Board of 

 Education, so be it ; but let it flow to these com- 

 mittees through a separate museum department of 

 the Board. Museums here, as in the United 

 States, have shown what good educational work 

 they can do on their own initiative. Recognise 

 that initiative, and they will respond with more 

 abundant and more fruitful efforts. 

 NO. 2606, VOL. 104] 



THE COALFIELDS OF SPITSBERGEN. 



COAL is not a new discovery in Spitsbergen. 

 It has been known for more than 300 years, 

 and about a century ago small cargoes were even 

 brought to Norway. But mining on a serious 

 scale did not begin until some fifteen years ago, 

 while its rapid extension is due to the high price 

 and comparative scarcity of coal during and 

 after the war. There are now at least four 

 mines in Spitsbergen exporting coal in large quan- 

 tities during the summer months, and several 

 others which will soon reach the export stage. 



Coal of at least three ages occurs — Carbonifer- 

 ous, Jurassic, and Tertiary. It is difficult to give 

 the total content, but it may safely be said that 

 Spitsbergen coalfields do not contain less than 

 5,000,000,000 tons. Bear Island, in addition, 

 has a content of some 8,000,000 tons. The occur- 

 rence of drowned fault valleys in the plateau of 

 almost horizontal strata has made the coalbeds 

 easily accessible in most places, and greatly facili- 

 tates loading by reducing land transport to a 

 minimum. Practically all the valuable coalbeds lie 

 around the two great inlets on the west coast — 

 , Icefjord and Lowe Sound —except a small outlier 

 of Tertiary coal in King's Bay, near the north- 

 west corner of Spitsbergen. The Tertiary coal 

 has attracted most attention, and for the present 

 at least provides most of the export coal. At 

 Longyear City, the prosperous Norwegian mine 

 in Advent Bay, several seams have been located 

 at 755 ft. above sea-level ; a 34-ft. seam is now- 

 being worked, and at 815 ft. a 44-ft. seam is being 

 opened ; another seam occurs at 640 ft. The same 

 coal is being worked in Lowe Sound and in Bra- 

 ganza Bay. In the latter place Swedes are ex- 

 porting large cargoes from their mine in the 

 3i-ft. seam at a height of 245 ft. It is also being 

 mined successfully by Russians in Green Harbour. 



The Tertiary coal has been proved to be a good 

 steam coal of high calorific value, and fairly free 

 from dirt. An average of the analysis of several 

 samples gives about 79 per cent, carbon, 2 to 

 6 per cent, water, less than 2 per cent, sulphur, 

 and about 4 per cent. ash. The calorific value 

 averages about 7800. The seams appear to main- 

 tain a fairly consistent thickness and uniformitv in 

 quality over wide areas. Other seams of Tertiary 

 coal also occur, notably a 7-ft. .seam of bituminous 

 coal in Advent Bay at a height of 1900 ft. This 

 seam, which is now being mined, shows a slight 

 tendency to pass to lignite, an unusual feature 

 in Spitsbergen Tertiary coal. 



The coal of Carboniferous age occurs in the 

 culm beds near the foot of the Carboniferous 

 system. The deposits are very extensive, but 

 have been investigated only recently, and so have 

 attracted less notice than the Tertiary seams. 

 Moreover, the outcrops of these coal seams are 

 generally obscured by enormous screes and slip 

 masses, so that their examination entails a good 

 deal of serious work, including boring operations; 

 but this is well repaid, as the seams are thick, 

 and extend over wide areas round the northern 



