of travel and emigration. The so-called
lignitic formations were first noticed in Lewis
and Clarke's expedition to the Rocky
mountains while ascending the Missouri river in
1804. The coal was observed by them at
various points from above the Mandan village
in ascending the river for a distance of 990 m.,
and along the Yellowstone river in descending
it from about lat. 45° to its mouth, lat.
48° 20′. More recent expeditions in the same
country, especially the surveys of Profs. Meek
and Hayden, have recorded the same wide
extent of area of the N. W. lignitic field and
the richness of its coal products. Dr. Hayden
in 1857 published a map with sections of
the country bordering the Missouri river,
accompanied by explanations and documents of
the highest scientific interest. This work
embodies the results of three years' explorations
by the author in the northwest. It marks
the outlines of the northern lignitic basin on
both sides of the Missouri from below Fort
Clark to the Muscleshell river, the northern
limit marked by British America and the
southern by the head waters of Cherry creek
and the Black Hills, narrowing between the
Black Hills and the Big Horn mountains, and
descending further south to the North fork
of the Nebraska river. The author estimates
the area of this basin at 400 m. in length
and 150 m. in width, or about 60,000 sq. m.,
which estimate however he rightly considers
too low. The most important localities
on the Pacific coast where lignitic coal has
been produced are Mount Diablo near San
Francisco, Coos bay in southern Oregon, Seattle
on Puget sound, Bellingham bay in
Washington territory, and Vancouver island. It is
also found in Alaska and elsewhere, and there
is anthracite on Queen Charlotte's
island.—Measured by the amount of their annual production,
the most important coal fields out of the
United States are those of Great Britain, which
produce about one half of all the coal mined in
the world. The whole quantity of coal
produced in the kingdom since it was first used in
the country is estimated at 4,672,090,988 tons,
of which the production of the year 1873 was
127,016,747 tons; 86 per cent. of the production
of that year was from England, and the
anthracite was less than 1,000,000 tons. The
quantity of available unmined coal has been
ascertained by a royal commission. The
resources of coal in the kingdom, amounting to
90,207,000,000 tons in 1871 according to this
report, are generally thought to be exaggerated
by including the small seams down to one foot
in thickness and those below 3,000 ft. in depth,
which is probably as deep as coal can be mined,
instead of 4,000 ft., as given in the report. The
South Wales coal basin has the largest area
and much the largest quantity of unmined coal,
about 36 per cent. of the whole, but the largest
production is from Durham and Northumberland,
or the Newcastle coal field. The quantity
of coal in Scotland is comparatively small, and
in Ireland unimportant. Great Britain exports
about 13,000,000 tons annually, and has for
many years supplied the world with vast
quantities of manufactured articles made with the
aid of her coal. The following tabular statements
contain much important, useful, and
accurate information. The coal produced in 1873
was used and disposed of as follows:
DISPOSITION OF COAL.
Tons.
In the manufacture of iron
35,119,709
In steam power in manufactories
27,550,000
Domestic or household consumption
20,054,000
Exported to foreign countries
12,712,222
Used in mines and collieries
9,500,000
In the manufacture of gas
6,560,000
In steam navigation
3,650,000
In glassworks, potteries, and brick and lime kilns
