COAL. Jo 



abundant quanilU'. Further west. In Ohio and 

 Pennsylvania, it lias been discovered, and I am 

 confident that It exists in the vicinity of this canal. 

 The reasons which induce this opinion are vari- 

 ous and conclusive, and 1 shall now enamcrale 

 some of them. 



Coal is composed of charcoal, or carbon, bitu- 

 men, some portion of eartli, and generally a small 

 quantity of metalic matter. When it exists w ith- 

 out bitumen, it is termed anthracite or glance coal. 

 All the western coal contains bitumen, and erent - 

 rally speaking, the coal found east of the moun- 

 tains is without it. 



Coal is found in hilly situations, under strata of 

 grit, which is a compound of sand and clay, or 

 under schistus which is an indurated clay, splitting 

 into la\'ers and forming either slate, or a substance 

 called shivers, according to its fracture. Coal 

 frequently alternates witli strata of grit, stone and 

 schistus. Its roof is generally composed of shale ; 

 and although in the island of Great Britain it is 

 not intermingled with lime stone, which generally 

 forms the outlines of coal fields, yet on the conti- 

 nent they are often found in company. 



Discarding the th€orles which have been stated 

 respecting the origin of coal, whether of mineral 

 or vegetable derivation, it is suiucient merely to 

 state facts in order to sustain the opinion which I 

 have advanced on this subject. 



