378 



MINE. 



Mine* of degree, that it is estimated that, upon the collieries of 

 the two rivers Tyne and Wear, not less than 500,000 

 tons, or rather more than half a million of tons, are 

 thus destroyed every year. This is a lamentable waste 

 of our coal-mines, and the cause of deep regret, 

 not only to those concerned in the mines, but to every 

 one who views the evil in its proper light; particularly 

 when it is considered, that the mines at Newcastle have 

 now reached the depth of 200 fathoms, and that the 

 capital required for one colliery establishment amounts 

 from 50,000 to 100,000. The coal-fields of Great 

 Britain are, no doubt, of great extent, and the quantity 

 of coal remaining to be wrought almost beyond calcu- 

 lation ; but they have a limit, and are exhaustible. Al- 

 though the coal-fields are indeed of great extent, the 

 increased depth of the Newcastle pits, and the immense 

 capitals now required for colliery establishments, de- 

 monstrate in the clearest manner, that, as to that dis- 

 trict, its very wonderful magazine of the finest coal in 

 the world is quickly exhausting, and cannot now be 

 wrought but at greatly increased expences. The pro- 

 portion of coal thus wilfully destroyed by fire each 

 year, is estimated to be from a sixth to a seventh of 

 the whole annual output of coals in that district. 

 Conclusion. This destruction of coals is a direct, irretrievable na- 

 tional loss ; for it must be allowed, by any one who con- 

 templates the energies and physical powers of Great 

 Britain, compared with those of the other empires and 

 kingdoms of the world, that it is the abundance and 

 cheapness of its coals, with its innumerable steam-en- 

 gines, which constitute one prominent point of its ener- 

 gies and powers, and, as a manufacturing country, give 

 its comparatively limited population, an effective strength 

 far beyond any nation in the world. Without coals 

 there could be no steam-engines ; and the steam-en- 

 gines in Great Britain do the work of many millions 

 of people. If, in idea, we abstract the cheap coals 

 and steam-engines from our manufacturing establish- 



ments, our superiority as a manufacturing country Mine* 

 would cease ; and if we lose this superiority, it is but Coal - 

 too evident to any person of observation, that we would 

 sink instantly from the very high point of the political 

 scale to which we have attained amongst the nations of 

 the world. From this view, the high importance of 

 the coal-mines of Great Britain may be estimated both 

 in a civil and political point of view ; and, therefore, 

 whatever system tends to waste so valuable a commo- 

 dity is greatly to be regretted. Those who, by their 

 industry and attention, bring forward plans by which 

 any given area of coal produces the highest propor- 

 tion of marketable coals, do the community a very 

 great service, and they deserve well of their country. 

 It is by the moderate price of coals and the steam-en- 

 gines, that Great Britain, as a manufacturing coun- 

 try, can produce its manufactures at a more moderate 

 rate than any other nation, although the wages paid 

 for manual labour at the manufactories, are at least 

 three times more than what is paid for labour in other 

 parts of the world. In short, the prosperity of Great 

 Britain has, in a very great degree, been maintained by 

 the abundance and cheapness of its coals ; and its fu- 

 ture prosperity, to all human view, must depend upon 

 this point of economy. Whatever tends to enhance 

 the price of coals, tends to injure Great Britain in its 

 vital principles. The government has, at various times, 

 proposed, an excise upon coals at the pit mouth, a pro- 

 position which has always been vigorously and effec- 

 tually opposed. It must be very evident to any one 

 who considers the subject, that a more impolitic tax 

 could scarcely be devised, particularly when we com- 

 pare the situation of Great Britain, as a manufacturing 

 country, with the other nations of the world : The 

 effects of such a tax would be immediate ruin to the 

 whole manufacturing interest, and consequently to the 

 empire *. 

 Erratum in p. 317. col. 2. line 2. from bottom, for WuiVj read Ihsh, 



MINERAL WATERS. 



V ATERS are divided into different classes, according 

 to the source from which they are derived, as, Rain, 

 Snow, and Hail water, Spring and River water, Well 

 water, and the water of Lakes and Ponds. The first of 

 these is the purest, particularly if it be collected at a 

 distance from town, and seme time after a shower has 

 continued. It contains air and carbonic acid, carbonate 

 and muriate of lime; but the quantity of these is so 

 small, that rain and snow water may be used for many 

 of the purposes for which distilled water is employ. 

 etl. 



The other waters contain some of the soluble sub- 

 stances over which they pass. The quantity of foreign 

 matter in these is in general not great ; hence they are 

 sufficiently pure for domestic purposes. 



The water of some springs, however, often contains 

 a considerable quantity of foreign ingredients, which 

 impart to it particular properties. Waters of this kind 

 are called mineral waters. Besides these, there are 

 some waters called also mineral, which have very little 

 foreign matter, such as the waters of Matlock and Mal- 



vern. These, however, strictly speaking, are not mi- 

 neral waters. 



Mineral waters occur in different parts of the globe, 

 differing in the ingredients which they contain, accord- 

 ing to the channel over which they have flowed ; besides 

 this, they also differ in their temperature. Most of 

 them are of the same temperature with the surrounding 

 medium ; occasionally, however, they are warmer, and, 

 in some rare instances, they are at a boiling heat. 



Though the attention of man was early directed to 

 these waters, particularly from their medicinal effects, 

 it was not till about the end of the 17th century, that 

 any chemical investigation of them was undertaken. 



BOYLE, in 1663, seems to have been the first who 

 employed tests to detect the substances contained in mi- 

 neral waters. To these there were various additions 

 made by DUCLOS, by HIEUNE, and again by BOYLE in 

 1678. In 1707, GEOFFHOY pointed out the method of 

 procuring the solid ingredients by evaporation ; and in 

 1726, BOULDUC employed alcohol as the means of sepa- 

 rating the saline substances from their solution in the 



Tb Editor hat been indebted for tfce preceding valuable Article on COAL MIKES to Robert Bald, Esq. F.H S.E. &c. 



