ON THE EXHAUSTION OF OUR COAL. 299 
mile, and they tell us that it will take 10,000 years to exhaust 
the coal in South Wales. 
Surely this is a sad reflection upon our way of looking at a 
very vital question. It is quite unworthy of the science of 
the country, and still more is it unworthy of that exactness 
which distinguishes our commercial transactions. 
4. The rate of exhaustion is satisfactorily determined, and 
we have every year returns given in the “ Mineral Statistics,” 
issued from the Mining Eecord Office, upon which we believe 
reliance may be placed. From these returns and some other 
sources I have compiled the following tables : — - 
Coal Eaised in the United Kingdom in each Year since 1854. 
England. 
Wales. 
Scotland. 
Ireland. 
Total. 
1854 
1855 
1856 
1857 
1858 
1859 
1860 
1861 
1862 
1863 
1864 
1865 
47,421,651 
47,305,189 
49,043,215 
48,883,800 
47,443,861 
52,297,115 
61,071,460 
63,870,123 
62,025,383 
68,419,884 
71,327,813 
72,500,255 
9,643,000 
9,677,270 
9,965,600 
8,178,804 
8,517,789 
9,262,350 
8,005,313 
8,561,021 
8,409,455 
8,645,081 
8,935,060 
9,560,260 
7.448.000 
7.325.000 
7.500.000 
8,211,473 
8,926,249 
10.300.000 
10.900.500 
11.081.000 
11.076.000 
11.100.500 
12.400.000 
12.450.500 
148.750 
145,620 
136,635 
120,630 
120.750 
120,300 
119,425 
123,070 
127.500 
127,050 
125,000 
120.500 
64,661,401 
64,453,079 
66,645,450 
65,394,707 
65,008,649 
71,979,765 
80,042,698 
83,635,214 
81,638,338 
88.292.515 
92,787,873 
94.631.515 
Exports of Coal for the same period, Quantity Eetained for Home 
Consumption, and Eelation of that Quantity to the Population. 
Exports. 
Retained for Home 
Consumption. 
| Population of 
| Great Britain. 
! 
1854 
4,309,255 
60,352,146 
1855 i 
4,976,902 
59,477,177 
21,792,872 
1856 
5,879,779 
60,765,671 
22,080,449 
1857 
6,737,718 
58,656,989 
22,369,463 
1858 
6,529,483 
58,479,166 
22,616,839 
1859 
7,006,949 
64,971,816 
22,810,069 
1860 
7,412,575 
72,630,123 
22,946,988 
1861 
7,934,832 
75,700,382 
23,181,790 
1862 
8,330,673 
73,307,665 
23,416,264 
1863 
8,275,212 
80,017,303 
23,655,482 
1864 
8,800,420 
83,987,453 
23,891,009 
1865 
9,170,477 
85,461,038 
24,127,003 
It will be seen that our production of coal received a sudden 
vol. v. — no. xx. 
Y 
