10 Coal Mines in the vicinity of Richmond, Va. 



was of excellent quality, and particularly well adapted to the 

 use of grates and other purposes requiring gas and flame. The 

 exceedingly faulty character of the field at both of these points 

 led no doubt to the abandonment of these workings. 



These are the only workings that had been attempted on the 

 south side of this great coal basin, until two years since, when 

 coal was accidentally discovered upon the lands of James H. Cox, 

 next south of Hill's old pits and three fourths of a mile distant. 

 This coal was first discovered on the side of a hill, where it had 

 been uncovered by the washings of heavy rains ; for the coal 

 here along the whole Hne of outcrop reaches within a few feet of 

 the surface, being only covered by a coating of soil, sand, and 

 gravel. Since its discovery, an average of about twenty hands 

 have been engaged in exploring and mining it, and from the ex- 

 plorations already made, the beUef is entertained that no part of 

 the basin presents a more regular, uninterrupted, and undisturbed 

 formation than this. The thickness of the seam varies from seven 

 to fifteen feet. The coal is of superior quality, and peculiarly 

 suited to grate purposes, steam engines, the blast furnace, gas 

 works, &c. The accompanying certificate* from Dr. Andrews, 

 shows its richness in volatile matter, and the small quantity of 

 ashes it contains. At present, the operations at these mines can- 

 not be increased to any extent, in consequence of their distance 

 from market, and the want of proper facilities for transportation. 

 The present mode of transportation is to carry it in carts to the 

 river, and thence by boats to Petersburg, at the cost in all of 



* To Charles Berg, Eisq. — Sir: The specimen of bituminous coal from the 

 Clover Hill coal mine, which you left with me for analysis, belongs to the variety 

 called slate coal. It has a specific gravity of 1.26 ; principal fracture slaty ; cross 

 fracture uneven, brittle, slightly soils the fingers, and is composed of two alternate 

 varieties, one velvet black with a brilliant lust^-e on the foliated fracture, the other 

 dark grayish black, lustre glimmering. It ignites very freely, and burns with a 

 lively yellow flame ; cakes, but swells very little in coking. 

 One hundred parts contain — 



Carbon, 55. 



Volatile matter, 38.5 



Alumine, ^ 



Silex, > from the ashes, 6.5 



Oxide of iron, } 

 It contains also a small portion of sulphur combined with the iron as a sulphuret. 

 The caking quality which it has, will make it a useful fuel for the forge, or for 

 those purposes which require a hollow fire. For the manufacture of gas, I con- 

 sider it superior to the caking coal of Newcastle, England, or the splint coal of 



