314 



Coal and Coal Minijig. 



period our modern coal trade may be said to have commenced. 

 At that time the mineral first received a distinct name of its 

 own and was called sea-coal in contradistinction to charcoal. 

 In the middle ages apparently the mineral was principally used 

 by smiths and lime-burners, and only to a limited extent for 

 household purposes ; coal smoke being- exceedingl}^ objection- 

 able. To such an extent was this the case that in 1307 a Royal 

 Commission was appointed to suppress the burning of coal 

 in London except by smiths. The difficulties experienced in 

 substituting coal for wood and charcoal ; the introduction of 

 railways and the invention of the steam engine ; the difficulties 

 of and dangers to the miners ; the introduction of gas lighting 

 and the general adoption of steam power are narrated in a 

 scholarly manner, in this way bringing down the history of 

 coal, etc., to 1835. In Mr. Galloway's second volume, just 

 issued, the narrative is continued from that date to the passing 

 of the Coal Mines Inspection i\ct in 1850. It is significant to 

 note that whilst the history of coal mining from prehistoric 

 times to 1835 occupied some 350 pages, the account of the 

 industry during the following fifteen years occupies over 400 

 pages. During the period covered by this volume there was 

 considerable activity in the coal and iron industries. Steam 

 navigation became an accomplished fact, and numerous new 

 collieries were opened out in the North of England and else- 

 where. The career of these is very fully gone into, and the 

 author pays particular attention to the causes and effects of 

 explosions and other accidents in the various coal mines. Under 

 this head the amount of material which has been gathered 

 together is simply astonishing, and speaks well for the 

 thoroughness of Mr. Galloway's work. To colliery owners and 

 the thousands of others interested in the coal industry, Mr. 

 Galloway's volumes are indispensable, whilst the geologist and 

 antiquary will find much in them of value. 



The other volume issued by the ' Colliery Guardian ' Company 

 is the first of three containing a dig'est of the evidence given 

 before the Royal Commission on Coal Supplies. In this the 

 publishers have unquestionably done a great service to all 

 interested in the question. The labour of searching through 

 the various details in the numerous blue books issued by the 

 Commission is a very serious one, whilst the quantity of matter 

 that has to be read, and the irritating way in which the 

 questions and answers are printed, undoubtedly prevents many 

 from deriving the utmost benefit from the reports. In the 



Xatu^ali^t, 



