< '.\RHo.\ AND TIIK HYDROCARBONS 385 



possesses many very rich coalfields, amongst which the Don district is 

 most worthy of remark. * 



During the imperfect combustion of volatile substances containing 

 carbon and hydrogen, the hydrogen and part of the carbon first burn, 

 and the remainder of the carbon forms soot. If oil of turpentine, 



tribute 230 millions Russia about 3^ millions, the United States of America come next 

 to England with an output of 75 million tons, then Germany 60 millions ; France 

 produces but little (20 millions), and takes about 5 million tons from England. Besides 

 household purposes, coal is chiefly used as fuel for steam-engines. As every horse-power 

 ( = 75 kilogrammetrea per second) of a steam-engine expends on the average more than 

 2."i kilograms in 24 hours, or in a year (counting stoppages) not less than 5 tons per 

 horse-power, and there are not less than 40 million horse-power at work in the world, 

 the consumption of coal for motive-power is at least equal to half the whole production. 

 For this reason coal serves as a standard for industrial development. About 15 p.c. of 

 ((nil is used for the manufacture of cast iron, wrought iron, steel, and articles made of 

 them. 



8 The principal workable coal beds of Eussia are : The Don basin (115 million poods 

 per annum, 62 poods = l ton), the Polish basin (Dombrovo and others 110 million poods 

 per annum), the Toula and Riazan beds of the Moscow basin (up to 25 million poods), 

 the Ural basin (10 million poods), the Caucasian (Kliboul, near Kutais), the Khirjhis 

 steppes, the smithy coal basin (Gov. of Tomsk), the Sahaline, &c. The Polish and Mos- 

 cow basins do not give any coking coals. The presence of every variety of coal (from the 

 dry coal near Lisichanena on the Donetz to the anthracites of the entire south-east basin), 

 the great abundance of excellent metallurgical coal (coking, see Note 6) in the western 

 part of the basin, its vast extent (as much as 25,000 sq. versts), the proximity of the 

 scams to the surface (the shafts are now from 20 to 100 fathoms deep, and in England 

 and Belgium as deep as 500 fathoms), the fertility of the soil (black earth), the proximity 

 of the sea (about 100 versts from the Sea of Azoff) and of the rivers Donetz, Don, and 

 Dnieper, the most abundant seams of excellent iron ore (Korsan Mogila, Krivoy rog, 

 Soulin, &c., &c.), copper ore, mercury ore (near Nikitooka, in the Bakhmouth district of 

 the Ekaterinoslav Gov.), and other ores, the richest probably in the whole world, the 

 beds of rock-salt (near the stations of the Stoupka and Brianzovka), the excellent clay of 

 all kinds (china, fire-clay), gypsum, slate, sandstone, and other wealth of the Don coal 

 Ixisin, give complete assurance of the fact that with the growth of industrial activity in 

 Russia this bountiful land of the Cossacks and New Russia will become the centre of the 

 most extensive productive enterprise, not only for the requirements of Russia alone, but 

 of the whole world, because in no other place can be found such a concentration of 

 favourable conditions. The growth of enterprise and knowledge, together with the 

 extinction of the forests, which compels Russia to foster the production of coal, will help 

 to bring about this desired result. The forest wealth of North Russia and the naphtha 

 treasures of Caucasus can only contribute to its advancement, and have not the power 

 to check that influence which the Don coal basin should have on the industrial state of 

 Russia. England with a whole fleet of merchant vessels exports annually about 25 

 million tons of coal, the price of which is higher than on the Donetz (where a 

 pood of worked coal costs less than 5 copecks on the average), where anthracites and 

 semi-anthracites (like Cardiff or steam coal, which burns without smoke) and 

 coking and metallurgical coals are able both in quantity and quality to satisfy the most 

 fastidious requirements of the industry already existing and rapidly increasing every- 

 where. In 1850 the world's consumption and production of coal was only 5000 million 

 poods, and now the quantity has risen to 25000 million poods. The coal mines of 

 England and Belgium are approaching to a state of exhaustion, whilst in those of the 

 Don basin, only at a depth of 100 fathoms 1200000 million poods of coal lies waiting, 

 to be worked. 



