* CO 
be me:;fared by commiftioners, to be appointed by the 
king, and to be marked of what portage they be, under 
the pain of forfeiting all the faid keels (or lighters) which 
{hall be found not marked.” This duty, though it might 
appear trivial to us, was certainly a heavy tax at the time 
it was laid, when we-H:onfider the relative price of coals. 
Even in 1536, according to Stowe’s Survey of London, 
coals at Newcastle were fold at only two {hillings and lix- 
pence per chaldron, which, brought to London, might 
produce about four or five {hillings. There is, indeed, 
about this period, frequent mention of a load of coals at 
twelve {hillings; but this, bithop Fieetwood, in his Chro- 
vicum Preciofum, allures us, is to be underltood of char¬ 
coal, and not of pit-coal. In 1590, it is Hated, by Strype, 
and other authors, “ that, by reafon of a combination at 
Newcaftle-upon-Tyne, coals were railed in London to the 
exceflive price of nine {hillings per chaldron ; whereas the 
ulual price, for feveral preceding years, was but four 
{hillings. Neverthelefs, in 1615, the Newcaftle coal-trade 
was fo confiderable as to employ four hundred fail of 
(hips, two hundred for the port of London, and two hun¬ 
dred for the reft of England ; the French {hips came all’o 
in fleets of fifty together, from the ports of Picardy, Nor¬ 
mandy, Bretagne, Rochelle, Bourdeaux, &c. and the {flips 
of Bremen, Embden, Holland, and Zealand, to purchale 
Newcaftle coal from the pit’s mouth.” 
In the early ftages of the coal-trade, the mailers of 
veffels ufed to frequent a place in Lower Thames-ltreet, 
called Room Land, adjoining to Billingfgate, where they 
met very early in the morning, and difpofed of their coals 
by retail. But in proportion as their trade increaled, this 
retail mode became very inconvenient; and therefore, as 
the perfons who kept coal-barges and lighters were au- 
thorifed to purchafe by commillion wholelale for the ufe 
of their employers, the captains rather chofe to difpofe 
of their cargoes at once, to thefe lightermen, than retail 
them in fmall quantities; at the fame time allowing a 
difcount for prompt payment. By this means they were 
enabled to fix one certain price for the whole cargo, and 
get their {hips cleared in a fliiorter fpace of time. To efta- 
blilh this regulation generally, an intermediate perfon was 
required, who was then called a coal crimp, but now 
more properly a broker, or fadtor, to whom the {hip’s 
loading was regularly configned, and who in coniequence 
was to fell the cargo, give iecurity, and pay the duties at 
the cuftom-houfe, colled! the account of fales from the 
buyers, and fettle with the owners. A fimilar method is 
adopted in the north, by the owners of the collieries, who 
appoint a perfon called a fitter, to vend their coal to the 
fihip-owners, and who takes the rifque both of fliip and 
cargo, unlefs they are freighted on account of an indiffe¬ 
rent perfon, which is fometimes the cafe. This is now 
the invariable method purfued in the regulation and ma¬ 
nagement of the coal-trade. 
The feams or beds of coal in the counties of Northum¬ 
berland and Durham lie horizontally in general, with a 
gentle dip, and rife ; and very free from dykes or trou¬ 
bles, but often fubjedl to fire and water. This coal is 
mixed with a bituminous matter, and impregnated in ge¬ 
neral with particles of fulphur; the former caufing a 
ftrong adhefion, and the latter giving additional heat and 
fpirit to the natural good quality of the coal. Hence it is 
excellent for every kind of manufadlure, as well as for 
all.culinary and domeftic purpofes. In faff,, no coal has 
yet been dilcovered, that will work metals to perfection 
equal with the Englifti; for which reafon all kinds of 
edged tools, and implements of war, are purchafed from 
Great Britain by all nations, or elfe her coal to manu¬ 
facture them. It is this good quality of the coal that gives 
thefe Britifti goods the preference in all foreign markets. 
The coal in Scotland lies in a very different manner to 
that in England, the intervening ftrata being in a ftate of 
great confufion ; hence their coal is worked in all direc¬ 
tions, from the horizontal to nearly the perpendicular j 
Voto IV. No, 23a. 
A L. 709 
fo that perpetual dykes, hitches, and troubles, intercept 
the coal, and make it frequently as difficult as it is ex- 
penfive, to regain the learn. The bed Scotch coal is in 
general a ftrong fplint, without muchvbitumen, and worked 
in large pieces, that are fold by weight; the round made 
in the working, called chews:, are iold by meaiure; and 
the fmall, or panwood, is chiefly ufed for fait-pans, which 
gives to the latter its name in Scotland, but which, in. 
England, is called cultn. The fine fplint is a clean-burn¬ 
ing coal, but in a large fire it confumes faft, from its dry- 
nefs, and laying open, as well from its fize, which, with 
the draft of the chimney, admits the air to operate ftrong- 
ly between the pieces, and adds to its fpeedier confump- 
tion. This coal has long been preferred in London for 
chamber fires, owing to its making little dull, and therea 
by not injuring the room or furniture. It is alfo made 
ule of in Holland by the better fort, except in their 
kitchens; but thefe economical and wary people make it 
come as cheap as our common Newcaftle coal, by altering 
the form of the grate, and only laying on one piece at a 
time. The fplint coal does not anlwer fo well for any 
other ufe than the above, from wanting the bituminous 
matter fo ftrongly impregnated in the Englifti coal; and 
for this reafon coal is imported from England into the 
harbours of Aberdeen, &c. for fmiths’ ule. But the Scotch 
coal, when coaked, anfwers well for founderies, in which 
great quantities are confumed in Scotland. 
The coal of the bell quality France produces, is like a 
mixture of Scotch and Welfh, burning quick, without 
any great heat, and foon confumes. Some of it is fent 
down the Scheldt into Holland, and fells on an average 
at fifteen {hillings per Newcaftle chaldron under the Eng¬ 
lifti, and in times of fcarcity more than double that dif¬ 
ference ; yet it does not leffen the demand for Britilh 
coal in Holland, which mull be had for their manufadlo- 
ries. France, with her Netherlands, receives from Eng¬ 
land annually upwards of twenty thoufand Newcaftle 
chaldrons, for the ufe of fmiths, and their diftilleries. 
The coal tranlported down the Rhine from Germany in¬ 
to Holland, is like the middling Scotch, and lells on the 
fame terms with the French, without any advance in 
price. The annual confumption of coal carried into the 
port of London, is found on an average to be {'even hun¬ 
dred and fixty thoufand London chaldrons ; and it is 
computed that one million of chaldrons is received into 
the whole of the coafting ports together. 
Mr. Beaumont, in his Treatile on the Goal Trade, 
ftrongly recommends the Engiifh coal owners to have 
their coal dug or curved down in the Scotch manner, in 
much larger pieces, fo as to refemble the fplint coal. For 
this purpo'le it is neceffary to bring down the coal in the 
gentleft manner, and to make as little culm as poffihie 5 
this can only be done by attending to the efiential point 
of curving the coal with the greateft nicety in all parts, 
except at the top, fo far as the curve, or nick, can pofii- 
bly be made 5 which can be done by the Englilh collier 
with greater dexterity than in any other country. But 
the Englilh coal has hitherto been curved down on one 
fide only, and at the bottom ; but for want of proceeding 
further with the curve, it remains to be broken down in 
great part, which confiderably tends to reduce the fize 
of the coal, and makes more fmall and culm. This may 
be remedied by curving down both fides and bottom in- 
ftead of one fide and bottom, as at prefent; the only 
preffure by the wedge to be made at the top, which will 
readily give way when loofened at three parts, and con- 
fequently the coal will come doWn much more entire than 
by the prefent mode of working, and as large as it does 
in Scotland. The entire coal would by this means be in 
greater quantity, produce a better price, and the {mailer 
coal and culm, which is the leatt advantageous, be much 
reduced. The dull from the fire by the Englifti coals 
arifes from a quantity of culm in general being mixed 
with it; whereas the weighable coal from Scotland has 
& § nos 
