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thistles and brambles. "Ill weeds grow apace;" and their luxuriance will not intitle the careless gardener to the approbation of good judges.

ART. V. A General View of the Agriculture of the County of Northamberland, with Observations on the Means of its Improvement. Drawn up for the Consideration of the Board of Agriculture. By J. Bailey and G. Culley. 8vo. pp. 209. 8s. Boards. Robinsons. 1800.

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ORTHUMBERLAND may be considered as a mineral rather than an agricultural county; and if antideluvian longevity were now prevalent, we should anticipate most uncomfortable sensations of cold in some future winter, on perusing the information conveyed to us in this work, respecting the exhaustible state of the coals: for we are here told that, in two or three centuries, they will be so far wrought out, that the metropolis can be no longer supplied from this quarter. As, however, we do not expect to be classed with Methuselah, we shall keep a good fire, and leave our children's children to find elsewhere a substitute for Newcastle coal. To attend, then, to the particulars in the Survey before us; it appears that the County of Northumberland, together with those detached parts of the county of Durham called Norhamshire, Islandshire*, and Bedlingtonshire †, includes in its greatest length from north to south 64 miles, in breadth 48, and contains 1980 square miles, or 1,267,200 acres t; of which there are stated to be 450,coo mountainous and unfit for tillage, leaving 817,200 that may be cultivated by the plough. It is divided into six wards its climate, in regard to temperature, is extremely variable; and its surface exhibits both strong and light soil.

Among the mineral productions, coal occupies the first place; and, as this is an interesting subject to a great portion of the kingdom, we shall lay before our readers a part of the curious detail respecting this substance. We pass over the cal

Norhamshire and Islandshire are situated at the northern extremity of the county of Northumberland, and comprehend a triangular space, the two sides of which are formed by the river Tweed and German Ocean, and the base the northern boundary of Glendale and Bambro' Wards; it contains about 72 square miles of well-inclosed cultivated country.'

+Bedlingtonshire is situated at the south-east corner of Castle Ward, bounded on the east by the German Ocean, and on the north and south by the rivers Wansbeck and Blyth, and contains about 30 square miles.'

We are not informed what is the population of this county.

culation

culation of the cost and charge on a ship load of coals containing 20 keels *, or 160 Newcastle chaldrons, delivered in the port of London; and extract only what relates to the actual state of the collieries, and their period of exhaustion.

It has been asserted, that "the coals in this county are inexhaustible.” Mr. Williams, in his Natural History of the Mineral Kingdom, is of a different opinion, and thinks it a matter of such importance as to deserve the serious attention of the Legislature. Towards elucidating this point, it may be of some use to estimate what number of acres are wrought yearly in this county to supply the requisite quantity of coals: in order to accomplish this object, the thickness and number of workable seams of coal must be first ascertained; for which purpose we have been favoured with sections exhibiting the thickness and depth of the various strata, in some of the deepest pits in the county; which will not only be useful for the present purpose, but we hope will be acceptable to many of our readers, who are curious in researches of subterraneous geography.

At St. Anthon's colliery (three miles east of Newcastle) the dif; ferent seams of coal are as follow:

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In the above pit or shaft, which is nearly the deepest in the kingdom, there are no less than 16 seams of coal. But many of these,

* To many persons, the information here annexed by way of note will be acceptable. A keel of coals is 21 tons 4 cwt. and contains 8 Newcastle chaldrons, so that each chaldron is 53 cwt.-A London cbaldron (mark the difference!) contains 36 heaped Winchester bushels, and weighs on an average 28 cwt. (according to the quality of the coals) which weights being nearly in the ratio of 8 to 15, it is always reckoned that 8 Newcastle chaldrons make 15 London chaldrons.' How came it to pass that the same word at Newcastle and London should donote such different quantities?

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from their thinness, are not workable. The 9th, called the high main
coal, and the 16th, the low main coal, are the two principal seams for
affording quantities of coal, being together 12 feet thick, and are
those most generally wrought. But the 10th, 13th, and 14th, are all
workable seams, and will afford considerable quantities of coal; the
aggregate of the three making nearly 9 feet thick; so that the total
thickness of the workable seems in this colliery amount to 22 feet.
In Montague Main colliery (three miles west of Newcastle) the
different seams of coal are as follow:

Seams.

I. Coal

Thickness of
each seam.
F. in.
O

Depth to each

scam.

Yds. Ft. In.

2. Ditto

3. Ditto

4. Benwell Main

5

5. Coal

6. Ditto

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11. Low Main Coal 2 11
12. Lower Main Coal 2 10

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13. Coal

14. Ditto

15. Ditto

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In this shaft there are 15 seams of coal, of which only four are workable, viz. the 4th, 7th, 11th, and 12th, making together 4 yds. I ft. 7 ins. of workable coal. If the medium be taken betwixt this and St. Anthon's, it will be nearly 6 yards thick of workable coal, from which may be formed

• A calculation of the quantity of coal in an acre of ground, supposing the aggregate thickness of the various seams amount to 6 yards.

An acre of ground contains

which, multiplied by the thickness,

gives

From which deduct for waste, and the part

or pillars necessary to be left in working

there remains

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And as three cubic yards of coal, when wrought, afford a Newcastle

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gives 6453 Newcastle chaldrons per acre.

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The coals exported yearly from the rivers Tyne and Wear, Hartley and Blythe, amount to about 825000 chaldrons, which, with the home consumption of the two counties of Northumberland and Durham, will make the quantity of coals raised yearly about 1000000 chaldrons.

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And the chaldrons raised yearly 1000000] gives 155 acres nearly per year, cleared of coal 6 yds.

divided by the chaldrons per acre 6453 thick.

And by estimating the breadth occupied by the caking coals to be on an average 8 miles broad, and 25 miles long, in the two counties, we shall find there will be about 200 square miles, or 128000 acres, of coal proper for exportation.

Then the whole area divided by the yearly consumption,

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128000

155

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gives 825 years, the time before this space will be wrought

out.

But there are some reasons to think that a thickness of seam, equal to 6 yards, will not be obtained over an extent of 200 square miles; probably not more on an average than 4 yards; in which case, the coal will be exhausted in 550 years: and if the aggregate thickness of the seams to be obtained should prove only 3 yards, then little more than 400 years will be the term of continuance; but it is probable that, before the half of that time be clapsed, the price to the consumer will be considerably increased, from the increased expence of obtaining them, and the increased length of carriage from the pits to the river. This last, we presume, may be reduced in some situations, by adopting canals instead of waggon-ways, which, we have often wondered, have never yet been attempted.

From the above investigation, it appears that Mr. Williams's apprehensions are not so chimerical as have been represented; how far it may be right for the legislature to interfere, we leave to the consideration of those more conversant in political speculations.

Of the coal found all through Bambro' ward, Islandshire, and those parts of Glendale ward cast of the river Till, the seams are very thin, mostly from 1 to 3 feet thick, and of a very inferior quality, yielding a great quantity of ashes, and neither caking in the fire nor burning to a cinder: they are used only for home-consumption, and for burning lime; for the latter purpose they are well adapted, by their property of neither caking nor burning to a cinder; and it luckily happens, that through all this district, the coal and lime are generally found together; a circumstance which greatly facilitates and lessens the expence of burning lime.'

Next to the collieries, this county is famous for its salmon fisheries; of which the following brief notice is taken :

The Tyne and Tweed have been long celebrated for their salmon fisheries in the latter a rent of 800l. a year is paid for a fishing of 200 yards.in length, near the mouth of the river; and the same rent is paid for other two fishings above the bridge, not more than 250 yards in length each. The fish taken here are, the salmon, bulltrout, whitling, and large common trout, and nearly the whole of them sent to London; in the conveyance of which, a great improve. REV. DEC. 1800.

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ment has taken place of fate years, by packing them in pounded ice; by this means they are presented nearly as fresh at the London market, as when taken out of the river. For the purpose of carrying them, and keeping up a constant and regular supply, vessels called smacks sail three times a week, and being purposely constructed for swift sailing, frequently make their run in 48 hours. These vessels are from 70 to 120 tons burden; on an average 12 men are employed in each vessel, and make about 14 voyages in a year; and not less than 75 boats, and 300 fishermen, are employed in taking the fish in the

river Tweed.'

Estates vary from 20l. to 40,000l. yearly rental; and the annual value of the landed property (which is mostly freehold,) is set at 605,000l. The farms are let at from 50l. to 4000l. per annum; and the agricultural profession appears to be in the highest esteem:

The character of a farmer is here so respectable, that gentlemen who possess landed property from 500l. to 150cl. a year, think it no debasement to follow the profession; and so high a name have many of the farmers obtained, for their superior knowlege in rural affairs, that they are seldom without pupils from various and distant parts of the kingdom, with whom they have very handsome premiums Amongst the present pupils may be reckoned the son of an Earl, and the son of a Baronet ;-who, from their abilities, attention, and anxious readiness to learn and work at every operation, we hope will do credit to the profession, and render the most essential services to their respective districts.'

As this Report is drawn up according to the plan laid down by the Board of Agriculture, it contains information under the usual heads of Implements-Inclosures-Arable Land-GrassImprovements-Rural Economy-Political Economy,-and Miscelloneous Observations: but we cannot follow the Reporters through details of practice which would be interesting only to the agricultural reader, and which they have given with all possible conciseness.

A map and plates (representing implements, cattle, and different breeds of sheep) embellish this volume: but the explanation of provincial terms is a more material circumstarce, to which the gentlemen employed in exploring other districts have not sufficiently attended. We are obliged to Messrs. Bailey and Culley for their care in this respect; and we shall dismiss thera from our court with general commendation. We are by no means of opinion, however, that the scheme recommended at the conclusion of their work, of large Public Farms, in every county, would be so conducive to, the advancement of agricultural knowlege and to the public benefit as they imagine. Such Public Farms would soon be come mere jobs or play-things. The

Generally 100l. per annum.'

improvement

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