WHAT WE OWE TO OUE COAL-FIELDS. 



BRITAIN'S SUPREMACY IN MECHANICAL AND MANUFACTURING IN- 

 DUSTRY DEPENDENT ON HER COAL-FIELDS PHASES OF MODERN 

 AS COMPARED WITH THOSE OF ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS DIF- 

 FERENCES ARISING CHIEFLY FROM THE USE OF COAL AND 

 IRON SPECIAL PRODUCTS OF OUR COAL-FIELDSCOAL AND ITS 

 VARIETIES IRON AND THE AGE OF IRON LIMESTONES AND 

 MARBLES SANDSTONES AND THEIR RELATIONS TO ARCHITEC- 

 TURE FIRE-CLAY AND FIRE-CLAY FABRICS SHALES, AND THE 

 EXTRACTION OF ALUM, COPPERAS, PARAFFIN, AND PARAFFIN OILS 

 ORES OF LEAD, ZINC, AND SILVER RELATIONS OF MECHANICAL 

 AND MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY TO COAL AND IRON RELATIONS OF 

 INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE TO CIVILISATION AND REFINEMENT. 



EVERY man of thought must be more or less impressed 

 with the conviction that much of Britain's supremacy in 

 mechanical and manufacturing industry has arisen from her 

 rich and readily-accessible coal-fields. A high degree of 

 civilisation, as the histories of ancient nationalities demon- 

 strate, may be attained without the possession of coal- 

 fields ; but the peculiar phases of civilisation, in all that 

 relates to mechanical appliances, manufactures, locomotion, 

 and intercommunication, are the direct results of coal and 

 iron. The fine arts, literature, philosophy, social refine- 

 ment, and political institutions have existed, and may yet 

 exist, where coal-fields are unknown ; but that machine- 

 power^ if we may so express it, which coal and iron put 

 into the hands of man to subdue the forces of nature, and 

 thereby promote the wider advancement of his race, intel- 



