Iron . 
115 
north east branch of Susquehanna. It is found in almost 
the whole of the country watered by those two rivers and 
their tributary streams : Wilkesbarre is in the centre 
of a large district of this coal, which extends southward 
across the Berwick turnpike road, and subtends the whole 
clay state formation between Sunbury and Reading. It 
is found near the river five miles below Sunbury ; it is 
found a mile from the turnpike road near the 21 mile stone 
from Sunbury to Reading, and it is found on the heads 
of Schuylkill. It is the same with the culm of Wales, and 
the smokeless coal of Kilkenny. I think there are coal 
strata, of one kind or other, throughout one third part of 
the whole state of Pennsylvania, The coal district of Po~ 
towmack I am not acquainted with ; what I have men- 
tioned, I have in a great measure personally traced. Con- 
sidering the infinite importance of this substance as a fuel, 
I think I may venture to say, that nature has formed the 
greatest part of Pennsylvania for a manufacturing coun- 
try. 
Of the Blast Furnace . 'This furnace resembles exter* 
nally a truncated quadrilateral pyramid of considerable 
height in proportion to its thickness : it is built of the 
strongest masonry, with contrivances by means of flues 
to obviate the danger of its cracking by the expansion that 
takes place when it is heated. The interior of the fur- 
nace consists of the five following parts, reckoning from 
the bottom upwards. 
First the hearth , composed of a single block of quarts 
grit about two feet square : upon this is erected what in 
France and Germany is called the crucible , which is a four- 
sided cavity six feet six inches high, slightly enlarging 
upwards so as to be tw T o feet six inches square at the top : 
the part above, called the boshes is in the shape of a funnel 
or inverted cone, eight feet in perpendicular height, and 
twelve feet in diameter at the top ; this terminates in the 
