7i2 C O A 
of the peace of the feveral counties, or three of them, are 
smpowered to fet the price of all coals to be fold by re¬ 
tail ; and, if any perl'o'n (hall refufe to fell for fuch prices, 
they may appoint officers to enter any wharfs or places 
where coals are kept, and caufe the coals to be fold at the 
prices appointed. The 12 An. c. 17. regulates the con¬ 
tents of the coal-buffiel, which is to hold one Winehefter 
bufliel, and one quart of water. By 9 Hen. V. c. 10. 30 
Car. II. c. 8. 6 and 7 Will. III. c. 10. 11 Geo. II. c. 15. 
15 Geo. III. c. 27. and 31 Geo. III. c. 36. commiffioners 
are ordained for the meafuring and marking of keels and 
boats, &c. for carrying coals ; and veffels carrying coals 
without being fo meafured and marked, (hall be forfeited. 
For the duties and drawbacks on coals and culm, fee 9 and 
so Will. III. c. 13. 9 An. c. 6. 22. 28. 8 Geo. I. c. 14. 14 
Geo.II. c.41. 22 Geo.II. c.37. 31G.ILc.15. 33Geo.II. 
c. 15. and 27 G. III. c. 32. For the duty on coals in London, 
fee 9 An. c. 22. and 5 Geo. I. c. 9. the duties payable under 
which, of three (hillings per chaldron, are made perpetual 
by 6 Geo. I. c. 4. and x Geo. II. - c. 8. See alfo 27 Geo. 
III. c. 13. as to the one-fhilling duty under 19 Car. II. 
c. 3. By 6 and 7 Will. III. c. 18. one mariner is allowed 
to each fifty ton of (hipping employed in the coal trade 
in time of war, protefted from being impreffed. By 9 An. 
c. 28. contrafts between coal-owners and mailers of (hips, 
Sec. for retraining the buying of coals, are void, and the 
parties liable to forfeit one hundred pounds; and felling 
coals for other forts than they are, (hall forfeit fifty 
pounds. Not above fifty laden colliers are to continue 
in the port of Newcallle, &c. And work-people in the 
mines there fbalhnot be employed who are hired by others, 
under the penalty of five pounds. By 3 Geo. II. c. 26. 
containing feveral regulations as to lightermen and coal- 
buyers, and explained by 11 Geo. II. c. 15. coal-lacks (hall 
be fealed and marked at Guildhall, on pain of twenty 
(hillings. Alfo fellers of coals are to keep a lawful bufliel, 
which bufliel, and other meafures, (hall be edged with 
iron, and fealed; and ufing others, or altering them, in¬ 
curs a forfeiture of fifty pounds. The penalties above 
five pounds recoverable by aftion of debt, and under that 
fum before jultices of peace. By 4 Geo. II. c. 30. owners or 
mailers of flnps (hall not enhance the price of coals in the 
river of Thames, by keeping of turn in delivering of coals 
there, under the penalty of one hundred pounds. 13 
Geo. II. c. 2i. inflifts penalty of treble damages on per- 
fons damaging or dellroying coal-works. See 6 Geo. III. 
c. 22. now in force, as to the loading coal-fliips, at New- 
caltle and Sunderland in turn, according to lilts to be 
made there. 
By 7 Geo. III. c. 23. (in force by 17 Geo. III. c. 13. 
till the x(t of June, 1798,) the land coal meters’ office for 
London, and between the Tower and Limehoufe-liole, is 
eflablifhed and regulated. And the duty of that officer, 
and the labouring coal-meters in meafuring coals is afeer- 
tained. And, by 26 Geo. III. c. 83. further regulations 
are made as to coal-meters facks, which, when fealed, are 
fo be four feet four inches long, and twenty-fix inches 
broad. Penalties are impofed on the labouring meters 
and drivers for mifoehaviour, and the mode of re-meafure- 
ment fettled, if required by the confumer. By 26 Geo. III. 
c. X 4 . a land coal-meter s office is appointed for the pa- 
riffies of Putney, Wandfvvorth, Batterfea, Lambeth, Ro- 
therhithe, and feveral parifhes in Southwark. And, by 
c. 108. of the laid feflion, a like office is appointed for the 
city and liberty of Weftminlter. The regulations of for¬ 
mer afts are adopted and modified by thele latter, accord¬ 
ing to their feveral diftrifts. 28 Geo. III. c. 53. was palled 
to indemnify the London coal-buyers againll certain pe¬ 
nalties which they had literally incurred under 9 An. c. 
28. and 3 Geo. II. c. 26. and alfo for the purpole of put¬ 
ting an end to the fociety at the Coal-exchange, formed to 
regulate (i e. to monopolize) the trade; lubjefting all 
perfons, above five in number, entering into covenant or 
partnerlhips, to punifliment by indictment or information 
211 the court of King’s-bench. 
C O A 
To COAL, <v. a. To burn wood to charcoal.—Charcoal 
of roots, coaled into great pieces, lads longer than ordi¬ 
nary charcoal. Bacon. —To delineate with a coal.—Mar- 
vaiiing, he coaled out rhimes upon the wall, near to the 
picture. Camden. 
COAL-BLACK, adj. Black in the higheft degree 3 of 
the colour of a coal: 
As burning JEtna, from his boiling flew, 
Doth belch out flames, and rocks in pieces broke. 
And ragged ribs of mountains molten new, 
Enwrapt in coal-black clouds and filthy fmoke. F. Queen. 
COAL-BOX, / A box to carry coals to the fire.—• 
Leave a pail of dirty water, a coal-box, a bottle, a broom, 
and fuch other unfightly things. Swift. 
COAL-FISH. See Gadus carbonarius. 
COAL-MINE, f. A mine in which coals are dug; a 
coal-pit.—Springs injure land, that flow from coal-mines. 
Mortimer. 
COAL-PIT,/ A pit made in the earth, generally to a 
great depth, for digging coals.—A leaf of the polypody 
kind, found in the linking of a coal-pit. Woodward. 
COAL-STONE,/. A fort of cannel coal.— Coal-fione 
flames eafily, and burns freely; but holds and endures 
the fire much longer than coal. Woodward. 
COAL-TAR,/ A fubftance obtained from pit-coal by 
diftillation ; the fuccefsful application of which, as a pre- 
fervative to fnip’s bottoms, iron-work, (beds, barns, and 
out-buildings, affords abundant proof of its utility. It 
was the invention of the earl of Dundonald, to whom a 
fourteen years patent was granted, in April 1781, for the 
exclufive manufacture of it. But, becoming a confider- 
able article of commerce, the term of the patent was ex¬ 
tended by ad: of parliament, to twenty years, from June 
1, 1785 ; fo that the exclufive manufacture will remain in 
the earl of Dundonald until June 1, 1805. The method 
of preparing coal-tar, as dated in the words of the patent, 
is as follows : “I Archibald earl of Dundonald do hereby 
declare, that I have invented for the extracting of tar, 
pitch, effential oils, volatile alkali, mineral acids, and 
falts, and the making of cinders from pit-coal, confifts in 
admitting the external air to have a paffage or paffages 
through the veffels or buildings in which the coal, from 
which any of the above fubftances are to be diftilled, is 
put, whether by itfelf or along with lime-ftone, flints, 
iron-ore, bricks, or any other fubftance, by which means 
the faid coals, after being kindled, are enabled by their 
own heat, and without the afliltance of any other fire, to 
throw off in diftillation, or vapour, the tar, oil, alkalies, 
acids, and falts, they contain, into receivers or condenfing 
veffels, communicating with the veffels or buildings con¬ 
taining the coals, and, at the fame time, of roafting, cal¬ 
cining, or burning, any fubftances that may be mixed 
with them ; it appears to me neceffary, left others en¬ 
croach on my patent, to deferibe, as above, the principle 
upon which I aft, in as few words as poffible, and in fuch 
a manner as will admit of no ambiguity : therefore, ac¬ 
cording to what is above fet forth and declared, perfons 
who (hall extraft tar, &c. from pit-coals in veffels or build-- 
ings, (it matters not their fhape or fize,) whereby the coals 
are made to burn, or ignite, without flaming, by a regu¬ 
lated admiffion of the external air through different aper¬ 
tures in the buildings, fo as by their own heat to throw 
off the tar, oils, &c. that they may contain ; perfons who 
do fo, without my permillion, are deemed to encroach 
upon my patent; as the only method ufed or known, un¬ 
til my new difeovery, was a diftillation of coal in dole 
veffels, where the admiffion of the external air was pre¬ 
vented; and where other fuel or coals were required, be- 
fides the coals contained in the clofe veflel, to produce 
the heat neceffary to pervade the fame, and to caufe the 
coals contained therein to throw off the tar, oils, &c. that 
they contained. I do not think it any ways of moment to 
fubjoin any drawings of the buildings, or kilns, that may 
be ufed according to my new invention for the making 
