284 Chronicles of Science. [April, 



spectors did not profess to go into the mines, they merely held an 

 inquiry when an accident had occurred. Accordingly they might 

 with more truth be called e Accident Inquirers! " "We fear a good 

 and sufficient reply cannot be given on this point to Lord Elcho. 

 Mr. Bruce, anticipating, as he could well do, from the discussions of 

 last year, on the same subject, attempted to answer this, but all that 

 he said, cannot be regarded as other than ingenious special pleading. 



Mr. Lancaster referred to many of the causes leading to our 

 present imperfect system of working for coal. To these we can 

 only direct attention. His concluding remarks are of too much 

 value not to be quoted : — " While many of the managers of mines 

 were men of first-class education, and also of great practical ex- 

 perience, it was necessary that the younger men should receive a 

 technical as well as a practical training. He hoped that as to 

 some of these questions, the Home Secretary would adopt a much 

 bolder course than that which he had yet taken, and would not 

 hesitate to carry out the full recommendations which had been 

 made." 



Lord Kinnaird's Bill provides for the establishment of General 

 Rules and Special Rules for Metalliferous Mines as nearly similar 

 as possible to those proposed for collieries. It is evident from this 

 that the different conditions of the two systems of mining cannot be 

 correctly understood by his Lordship. The Bill provides for the 

 effective ventilation of the metal mines, the depositing of plans 

 with the Secretary of State (there never has been any objection to 

 furnishing plans, as the large collection already in the hands of the 

 Government in the Mining Record Office proves), and for such 

 arrangements as are thought to be conducive to the health of the 

 miners. 



"Our Future Coal Supply" has claimed the attention of the 

 South Staffordshire and East "Worcestershire Institute of Mining 

 Engineers, Mr. Richard Latham and Mr. George Spruce contri- 

 buting two papers containing much important matter relative to the 

 future workings of the thick coal of Staffordshire, and the probable 

 extension of the Staffordshire field towards the coal-field of Shrop- 

 shire. 



Mr. "Walter Ness, of Pelsall, also read a paper " On part of the 

 Coal-field of Fife, N.B.," in which he proved, probably beyond much 

 doubt, a large extension of this coal-field beyond the present work- 

 ings. From this he adventures farther from the shore, and says : — 

 " If we take the total area of the Forth, where we have reason to 

 believe those Coal-measures exist in their entirety, we have about 

 180 square miles in their entirety . . . and we get 12,672,000,000 

 tons. Taking the other parts of the nation (sea-bed ?) in like manner 

 available, opposite Northumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire, and 

 under the German Ocean, also opposite Ayrshire, Cumberland, Lan- 



