412 Notices of Books. [July, 



On Coal at Home and Abroad, with Relation to Consumption, 



Demand, and Supply. By J. R. Leifchild, M.A. 

 This is a re-publication of three articles contributed to the 

 " Edinburgh Review," with an Appendix supplying information 

 on the subject up to the latest date. The chief merit of this 

 work is, that the large amount of statistical and general informa- 

 tion which it affords on its subject is thus brought forward to the 

 time of publication. The first essay, on " Consumption and 

 Cost of Coal," is from the last April number of the " Edinburgh 

 Review." Some of Mr. Leifchild's conclusions are discussed in 

 our article on " The Limits of our Coal Supply." The next 

 paper, " On the Coal- Fields of North America and Great Britain," 

 contains a large amount of valuable statistical and geological 

 information ; and the same praise is due to the third essay, on 

 " Fatal Accidents in Coal-Mines," and to the Appendix. Many 

 of the facts here stated are but little known to general, or even 

 to scientific, readers that have not lived in black-country districts. 

 For example, during ten years, the deaths from fire-damp explo- 

 sions — commonly regarded as the most fatal of the dangers of 

 coal-mining — were only about one-fifth of the total fatal acci- 

 dents. Those from the falls of the roof and coal — of which we 

 commonly hear so little — reached to about two-fifths. Shaft acci- 

 dents less than one-fifth, and miscellaneous causes and above- 

 ground rather more than one-fifth. We cannot venture upon 

 any further reference to the closely-packed yet readably-connected 

 facts of this small volume, which we strongly recommend to the 

 perusal of all who are interested in the subject. 



