SCIENCE. 



[Vol. XIII. No. 318 



engines for steam navigation and locomotive purposes. The 

 amount of coal used by ocean-going steamers during 1887 amount- 

 ed to nearly 7,000,000 tons, and that consumed by the much larger 

 number of steamers engaged in the coasting trade is estimated to 

 have equalled that amount. The coal consumed by the locomo- 

 tives on the railways in England in the same year is shown to have 

 exceeded 6,000,000 tons. 



Particular attention is drawn to the very rapid growth of the ex- 

 port of coal, which has increased from 4,333,333^ tons in 1854, to 

 over 27,000,000 in 1888. The author considers it is but the meas- 

 ure of increased commercial prosperity, and that to impose any tax 

 upon such exports would be like killing the goose that lays the 

 golden eggs. 



The author, in his concluding remarks, observes, that, if the 

 growth of the trade and prosperity of England is to continue as it 

 has done in the past, its coal-production, which is at once the cause 

 and effect of this growth, must necessarily keep pace with it ; and 

 it is pointed out that unless large economies, which can and ought 

 to be effected in its consumption, are realized, all the largest and 

 best sources of the coal-supply will be exhausted in the very short 

 periods mentioned in this paper. The hope is expressed, that, by 

 drawing attention to this most vital subject, further strenuous ef- 

 forts may be made to husband English coal resources in every 

 possible way, and to put a stop to the great waste in working the 

 mines, and in the consumption of coal generally. 



MINING INDUSTRIES IN SIAM. 



SlAM is rich in minerals. Gold, iron, tin, and copper are found 

 in many parts of the country ; but the want of roads, and conse- 

 quent difficulty of getting these metals to market, prevent their 

 being worked, except for the limited wants of the natives. 



The English consul at Bangkok, Mr. Child, says, in his last re- 

 port, an abstract of which appears in the Jour7ial of the Society of 

 Arts for Feb. 22, that the eastern part of Siam is very rich in iron, 

 antimony, and argentiferous copper and tin. It is from the 

 provinces of Petchaboon and Lom that the cutlasses, spears, and 

 knives are furnished to all the provinces of the north and east. 

 Silver is not found in Siam. 



As regards gold, this metal is found in many places, but the 

 mines at Bang Tapan on the west coast are said to contain the 

 purest gold in the country. They have been worked by the natives 

 by simply turning over the ground, the gold being found in the 

 shape of nuggets. When nuggets over a certain size were found, 

 the miners were obliged to hand them over to the' government, but 

 they were paid for the same according to a tariff fixed by the 

 authorities. 



A syndicate of foreigners has been formed, with a concession 

 from the king, for working these mines, and has now a number of 

 workmen employed, the prospects for rich developments being 

 good. 



The quartz-mines of Muang Krabin, although productive, were 

 declared unprofitable to the government. Experienced engineers 

 from Australia, mining machinery of recent invention, immense up- 

 right pumps and other hydraulic machinery, and a narrow-gauge 

 railroad with rolling stock for the conveyance of the product, had 

 been procured forthe working of the mine ; but, the organizer of the 

 great scheme having been decapitated for alleged treason, the whole 

 of the plant is lying idle. 



The royal metal of Siam is mostly manufactured into vases, tea- 

 pots, betel-boxes, and other articles, which it is the custom of the 

 kings of Siam to present to subjects upon their elevation to high 

 rank in the peerage of the kingdom. They are looked upon in a 

 sense as insignia of their exalted rank, the shape and style of the 

 set denoting the standing of the beneficiary. 



It is impossible to procure statistics concerning the output of the 

 mines. Iron of good quality is found in the eastern provinces, 

 but it is worked in a very crude and primitive manner. Found- 

 eries are unknown. A hole or pit having been dug close to the 

 mountain, the miner collects and piles up his ore, which he smelts 

 with charcoal. The molten metal is deposited in a cavity pre- 

 pared for its reception, and when cold the product is carried home. 



There a fire is prepared, which is kept alive by a bellows made of 

 two trunks of hollow trees buried in the ground, and having two 

 long sticks as handles. A child works the bellows, while husband 

 and wife or son hammer the iron into shape. 



The knife, cutlass, spear, or agricultural implement produced by 

 this combined labor finds a ready sale throughout the north of 

 Siam, and, although the workmanship is poor, it suits the require- 

 ments of that section. The locality of the mines preclude ship- 

 ments to Bangkok, as it would have to be conveyed to the river on 

 elephants, — a method of conveyance too expensive for the com- 

 modity. 



Tin is found in profusion in the Malayan peninsula, and is 

 worked by Chinamen. It is generally exported direct to Singapore 

 from the locality in which it is mined. Tin is also found in eastern 

 Siam to a limited extent, but none of it finds its way to the capital. 



Copper is found in certain localities, especially in the eastern 

 provinces, — Champasak, Petchaboon, and Lom. In the former 

 province, on the Makong River, there is a place where the natives 

 procure the finest metal, of which they make a coin that passes 

 current in that locality. It is about two inches in length, a quarter 

 of an inch in breadth, and shaped like a canoe. The province ad- 

 joining that has an iron coin of the same shape, but larger in size. 

 Virgin copper is held in great esteem by many for certain qualities 

 it is supposed to possess when employed as an agent in trans- 

 muting metals. Without it as a basis, the native alchemists claim 

 that gold cannot be obtained. 



Coal is found on the coast and in the interior, but cannot be 

 utilized. Limestone is brought to Bangkok from the interior. The 

 lime is mixed with turmeric, and is used to a large extent by the 

 Siamese in combination with the betel-nut and seri (pepper-leaf). 



Precious stones come principally from the province of Chan- 

 tibun ; rubies, sapphires, topaz, asterias, and other stones being 

 found in that district. The diamond is unknown as a native stone. 

 The sapphire mines to the south of Chantibun, to which thousands 

 of Burmese flocked a few years ago, have been exhausted. 



BOOK-REVIEWS. 



Popular Lectures and Addresses. By SiR William Thomson. 

 In 3 vols. Vol. I. Constitution of Matter. London and New 

 York, Macmillan. 12". $2. 



The author of this work possesses in an eminent degree the 

 ability of putting into untechnical language those essentials of 

 knowledge which are most interesting and attractive, and at the 

 same time most useful, to the general reader. Among the con- 

 tents of this volume may be mentioned " Capillary Attraction," 

 which was originally delivered as a lecture before the Royal Insti- 

 tution in 1886; to which are added three appendixes treating of 

 certain curious motions observable on the surfaces of wines and 

 other alcoholic liquors, gravity and cohesion, and the equilibrium of 

 vapor at a curved surface of liqhid. 



Shortly after the delivery of this lecture, it was suggested to Mr. 

 Thomson that it might be advisable to make it more conveniently 

 accessible to the general public than it could be in the " Transac- 

 tions of the Royal Institution ; " and it was accordingly arranged 

 to bring out, as one of the Nature Series, a small volume contain- 

 ing the lecture mentioned, together with several other papers per- 

 tinent to the subject. While the volume was in course of prepa- 

 ration, it was decided to increase the size of it, adding several 

 other lectures and addresses to the contents, and make it the first 

 of a series of three volumes, constituting a reprint, in a revised 

 form, of all Sir William's popular lectures and addresses. The 

 result is the volume before us, the first volume of the series. 



Besides the lecture already spoken of, a chapter each is devoted 

 to the following subjects : " Electrical Units of Measurement,'' 

 " The Sorting Demon of Maxwell," "Elasticity viewed as possibly 

 a Mode of Motion," " The Size of Atoms," " Steps towards a Ki- 

 netic Theory of Matter," " The Six Gateways of Knowledge," " The 

 Wave Theory of Light," " The Age of the Sun's Heat," and 

 " Electrical Measurement." These were originally delivered as 

 lectures and addresses before the Royal Institution, the Institution 

 of Civil Engineers, the British Association, and the Franklin In- 



