s;s 
C O A 
carriage, and 10,9. for every two-wlieeled car- 
riage, built bv him for sale. 
COACHMAN opening and partly de- 
stroying a parcel left in his coach, is guilty of 
felony. 
COAK is used for exciting intense heats, for 
chemical purposes, or for smelting iron ore, 
and for operations in which common coal 
would be detrimental, as the drying malt. 
C oak is fossil coal previously charred by an 
operation similar to that by which charcoal is 
made. 
COAL, or pit-coal, in mineralogy. The 
substances belonging to this genus are com- 
posed chiefly ot carbon and bitumen. There 
are six species, (1.) Jet : this substance is 
found in I ranee, Spain, Germany, Britain, 
and other countries. It is found in detached 
kidney -form masses, of various sizes, from an 
inch to seven or eight feet in length. The 
colour is full black : internal, glossy, opaque : 
not so brittle as asphaltum : texture striated ; 
fracture conchoidal. Specilic gravity 1.259. 
I , has no smell except when heated, and then 
it resembles asphaltum in its odour. It melts 
in a strong heat, burns with a greenish flame, 
and leaves an earthy residuum. Becomes 
electric by friction; and when distilled it 
yields a peculiar acid. 
(2.) Cannel coat is found in Lancashire, and 
in different parts of Scotland. r l he colour is 
black, opaque : structure sometimes slaty : 
texture compact : fracture conchoidal : brit- 
tle. Specific gravity 1.232 to 1.426. Does 
not stain the lingers. 
Kindles easily, and burns with a bright 
white flame like a candle, which lasts but a 
short time. It does not cake. SeeAMPELiTEs. 
A specimen of Lancashire cannel coal, an- 
nalysed by Mr. Kirwan, contained 
75.20 charcoal 
21.63 maltha 
3.10 alumina and silica 
99-93 
A specimen of the slaty kind from Ayr- 
shire, called splent coal, was composed of 
47.62 charcoal 
32.52 maltha 
20.00 earths 
100.14 
Cannel coal is susceptible of polish, and, 
like jet, is often wrought into trinkets. 
3. Common coal. This very useful combusti- 
ble is never found in the primitive mountains, 
but only in the secondary mountains, or in 
plains formed of the same materials with 
them. It is always in strata, and generally 
alternates with clay, sandstone, or lime- 
stone. 
The colour is black, more or less perfect. 
Lustre usually greasy or metallic. Opaque. 
Structure generally slaty. Texture oiten fo- 
liated. Fracture various. Specific gravity 
1.25 to 1.37. Usually stains the lingers. 
Takes fire more slowly, and burns longer, 
than the last species. Cakes more or Jess 
during combustion. 
Of this species there are many varieties, 
distinguished in Britain by the names of ca- 
king coal, rock coal, &c. These are too well 
known to require any description. 
Mr. Kirwan analysed a variety of different 
kinds of coal. The result of the experiments 
may be seen by the following table : 
C O A 
charcoal. 
maltha and asph. 
earths. 
g 
fO N O 
o 
-f ro W 
o 
— 1 xn 
o 
►4 
CS( 
o 
ro 
o 
05 
if) — H CO 
o 
C 
CO CO CO 
o 
£ 
CO 
C- CN 
o 
CO i>* 
o 
d 
o. 
— to — 
o 
CO CO 
o 
C PiN 
o 
o 
'A G 
r? o 
o 
^ > 
(4.) Spurious coal is generally found 
amidst strata of genuine coal. It is also called 
parrot coal in Scotland. 
The colour is greyish black. Structure 
usually slaty. Texture earthy. Specific gra- 
vity 1.5 to 1.6. Generally explodes, and 
bursts when heated. 
Composed of charcoal, maltha, and as- 
phalt, and above .20 of stony matter. 
(5.) Anthracite. This substance, as Dolo- 
mieu informs us, is found exclusively in tlie 
primitive mountains. It is common! v amor- 
phous, sometimes crystallized in short hexa- 
gonal prisms. Colour black, or brownish 
black. Structure slaty. Fragments rhom- 
boidal. Specific gravity 1.300. Often stains 
the fingers. 
Burns precisely like the last species, and 
leaves .40 of white ashes. According to Do- 
lomieu, it is composed of about 
64.0 charcoal 
32.5 silica 
3.5 iron 
100.0 
(6.) Kilkenny coal. This mineral has been 
found in Hungary, Italy, France, Ireland, 
and Wales. It occurs in” stratified masses, or 
in lumps nested in clay. The colour is black. 
Opaque. Texture foliated. Specific gravity 
1.4 to 1.526. Often stains the fingers. In- 
soluble in acids. Deflagrates with nitre. 
Does not burn till wholly ignited, and then 
consumes slowly without emitting flame or 
smoke. It consists almost entirely of char- 
coal. 
Coal, small, a sort of charcoal prepared 
from the spray and brushwood stripped off 
from the branches of coppice-wood, some- 
times bound in bavins for that purpose, and 
sometimes charred without binding, and then 
it is called coming it together. 
The wood they dispose on a level floor, 
and setting a portion of it on fire, they throw 
on more and more, as fast as it kindles, whence 
arises a sudden blaze, till all is burnt ttiat 
was near the place. As soon as all the wood 
is thrown on, they cast water on the heap 
from a large scoop, and thus keep plying the 
C O A 
heap of glowing coals, which stops the fury 
of the fire ; while with a rake they spread it 
open, and turn it with shovels till no more lire 
appears. Then they shovel them up into great 
heaps, and when thoroughly cold, put them 
up in sacks, to be used by divers artificers to 
temper and anneal their several works. 
Small-coal was formerly much used in kind- 
ling fires, but there is now no demand for it 
for this purpose. 
Coal-laws. Sea-coal brought into the 
Thames shall be sold by the chaldron, con- 
taining 36 bushels heaped up, according to 
the bushel sealed for that purpose at Guild- 
hall. 
Coals within the bills shall be carried in. 
luien sacks, sealed by the proper officer, 
which shall be at least lour feet four inches in 
length, and twenty-six inches in breadth; 
and sellers ot coals by the chaldron, or less 
quantify, shall put three bushels of coals into 
each sack. 3 and 32 Geo. 11. c. 26. and 27. 
Ail sellers of coals are to keep a lawful 
bushel, which bushel and other measures 
shall be edged with iron and sealed ; and 
using others, or altering them, incurs a for- 
feiture of 50/. 
Aii)’ purchaser dissatisfied with the mea- 
sure ot any coals, may, on delivery to him 
ot the meter’s ticket, have the same remea- 
sured, by sending notice thereof to the sell- 
er, and to the land coal-meter’s office for 
the district in which the coals w ere sold ; on 
which a meter (not being the same under 
whose inspection the coals were originally 
measured) must, within tw'o hours, attend to 
remeasure the coals, and shall remeasure the 
same sack by sack, in tiie presence of the 
seller and purchaser (if they attend), and 
also in the presence of a meter from the two 
other districts (whose attendance within Lon- 
don and Westminster is enforced by a pe- 
nalty of 5/. but not in Surry) ; for this at- 
tendance the purchaser is to pay each coal- 
meter attending 6 d. per chaldron. If the 
coals prove deficient measure, the seller shall 
forfeit 5/. lor every bushel deficient, and also 
forfeit the coals to the poor. r i he meter 
under whose inspection the coals were mea- 
sured at the wharf, shall also forfeit 5/. per 
bushel deficient, to be recovered (if not in 
five days) of the principal coal-meter ; and 
coal-porters 2,9. 6d. per bushel. The carman 
is to be paid 2.9. 6d. for his horses, &c. for 
each hour, whilst the coals are remeasuring. 
Any coal-factor receiving, or coal-owner 
giving, any gratuity for buying or selling any 
particular sort of coals, and selling one kind 
of coals for and as a sort w hich they really 
are not, shall forfeit 500/. 3 Geo. 11. c. 2(1 
Owners or masters of ships shall not en- 
hance the price of coals in the river 1 hames, 
by keeping turn in delivering coals there, 
under -the penalty of 100/. 4 Geo. II. c. 30. 
Contracts between coal-owners, &c. and mer- 
chants of ships for restraining the buying of 
coals are void, and the parties shall forfeit 
100/. 9 Ann. c. 28. 
\V ilfully and maliciously setting on fire any 
mine, pit, or delph of coal, or caimel-coal, is 
felony without benefit of clergy. 10 Geo. II. 
c. 32. 
Setting fire to, demolishing, or otherwise 
damaging, any engine or any other thing be- 
longing to coal-mines, is telony and- trans- 
portation for. seven years. 9 Geo. III. c. 29. 
COAMINGS, in ship-building, are those. 
