THE HEADMAN LOOKS OUT FOR “NO. 1 .” 
SGI 
liiin to keep a sharp look-out. Altogetlier, she was a 
most singular specimen of naval architecture, — almost as 
singular as the “old John” herself. 
At length we found ourselves safely on shore, with the 
headman in a fine flow of spirits, and the bottle half 
empty. He had attacked it at almost every stroke of the 
oars, refusing to give his companions even a single taste ; 
he was evidently a very selfish old fellow, and one who 
knew how to keep those under him at a distance. So 
much for the headman and his village. And now I will 
say a few words about this coal, relate an adventure 
which several of us met with quite xinexpectedly, and 
then leave Kamtschatka for the eastern coast of Siberia, 
the western boundary of the Okotsk Sea. 
The importance of this combustible to the world at 
large has been so fully demonstrated xvithin the last few 
j'cars, that its discovery in unknown localities must ever 
be a source of interest to nine people out of ten. I shall 
stop in my narrative for a moment, therefore, to mention 
a few facts in regard to this which we discovered along 
the wilds of Kamtschatka. Most of that which came 
under our inspection was what is understood b}’- “ surface- 
coal but the last that we took on board came from a 
very fair depth, and looked as bright, and hard, and glit- 
tering, as the best anthracite. It was semi-bituminous, 
of several degrees of excellence, and burned with a bright 
blue flame, emitting little or no smell of sulphur, giving 
very little smoke for bituminous coal, and leaving few 
cinders and ashes. Much of it, upon being broken open, 
was found to contain a bright substance resembling 
amber, pieces of which, as large as a large buckshot, 
