96 Mr. F. Forster's Observations on the South Welsh Coal Basin. 



Many entire seams of Free-burning Coal work so small as be to inappli- 

 cable to any purpose except lime-burning ; they are then (in common 

 with the small produced in working the harder seams, and with the small 

 of Stone Coal) called Culm. The Clyngwernon and Trosserch seams are 

 of this kind (see the section). A considerable proportion of the seams 

 of Free-burningCoal burn to a red-ash, an appearance which is considered 

 as indicating the presence of Sulphur ; thus rendering the Coal unfit 

 for the manufacture of Iron ; in the majority of cases this is probably 

 correct, the redness in the ashes being caused by a mixture of oxide of 

 Iron, which metal, previous to combustion, would probably exist in the 

 Coal, in the shape of sulphuret of Iron ; many of the Culm seams above 

 alluded to possess this property. 



It is scarcely necessary to add that for the production of gas, and for 

 smith's purposes, both Stone Coal and Free-burning Coal are entirely in- 

 applicable. 



3d. 5«72OTmoM5Coa/, technically called "Binding Coal," or "Run Coal." 

 — Under this head is included all varieties, the small or dust of which is 

 capable of adhering so as to form Coke in ovens. The Welsh bitumi- 

 nous Coals are generally very soft and friable, though some varieties 

 affect the splinty structure (as the Coal from the south-east part of the 

 Basin, shipped at Newport, in Monmouthshire), and cut extremely 

 large. It is of inferior lustre ; colour, dull brownish black ; in the less 

 bituminous varieties, cleavage striated like the free-burning Coals ; spe- 

 cific gravity varying from 1-285 to 1-315. Of the varieties I have ex- 

 amined the range of constituent parts is as follows : — 



Most bituminous. Least bituminous. 



Carbon, or Coke, 69 79 per Cent. 



Volatile Matter, 28 18 — 



Incombustible earthy Residuum, affording in combus- 

 tion, heavy ashes, of a reddish-yellow colour, gene- 

 rally about, 3 3 — 



100 100 



Though very inferior in quantity of bitumen, and consequently in 



