Hence it appears that as regards the highest rates of increase, Pennsylvania far outstrips all her contemporaries of the old world within the common period of twenty years. It is to be regretted that no means exist for ascertaining the advance, made in her production, by Great Britain, during the same interval. The increase, whatever it may be, is well known to be considerable, and it certainly must bear some analogous proportion to the enlargement of the manufacturing departments. The home consumption of coals in South Wales alone is not less than 5,000,000 tons per annum. In our next table we shall pursue this subject of accelerated production yet more in detail.

Onward movement of the Coal Trade.-The purport of the following comprehensive statement is to show the advance, per cent., in the production, the importation, the exportation, and the consumption, of mineral fuel in the principal countries of Europe and America. We have computed it, where practicable, during three periods; that is to say, during the ten, the fifteen, and the twenty-five years prior to 1846-the first period being from 1835 to 1845, and the second from 1830 to 1845, and the third from 1820 to 1845 inclusive. The production of Great Britain cannot be exactly known and compared; we therefore merely exhibit the increase in relation to shipments, exports, consumption in London, &c.

Proportionate increase, per centum, of the Production, Importation, Exportation, and Consumption of Mineral Combustibles, in contemporaneous periods.

It is scarcely necessary to remark, that these proportions bear no relation to the amount of production, &c., in any of the countries named; but, as already announced, they simply represent the comparative periodical progress made, per centum, in each of those coun

This is the increased exportation to France only. That to Holland is greater.

tries. We have in the foregoing tables, made our computations on the four epochs of ten, fifteen, twenty, and twenty-five years; because, by such subdivision, we are enabled to illustrate more faithfully the contemporaneous increase than if the comparison had been limited to a single term.

We have now placed before the reader, in the most concentrated form of which the matter is suspectible, the means of judging, with perfect accuracy, of the wonderful increase in the mining and commercial disposition of mineral fuel that has taken place in our own times. We here observe, for instance, that in the fifteen years prior to 1846, Belgium increased 95 tons on every 100, in 1830; that Prussia added 112 to every 100; that France added 125 to every 100; and Austria's rate of increase was not less than 410 on each 100. The ratio of Great Britain cannot be pointed out, except that she increased her foreign exportation five fold in the same space of time. But the most remarkable advance on record is in the case of Pennsylvania, where, on every 100 tons of coal produced in 1830, the absolute increase is represented by 1057 tons in 1845.

SUMMARY OF STATISTICS OF MINERAL FUEL.

The following pages contain a resumé of what we have elsewhere exhibited in detail; viz. of the entire range of our present knowledge, regarding the production, importation, exportation, and consumption. of fossil fuel, within all the principal coal producing and coal consuming countries in the world; together with their periodical rates of increase down to the present time; derived from every official return accessible to us.

GREAT BRITAIN-Increased General Production.-Owing to the absence of official records, applying to the general production of the collieries throughout the United Kingdom, we are constrained to leave this as a matter of inference, from the results which we have to adduce. We know, however, that its rate of increase has been rapid, especially in all the manufacturing districts; probably even much more so than that of exportation.*

Increased Shipments for Home and Foreign Consumption, from the Ports of Production.-From 4,365,000 tons in 1819, to 11,254,750 tons in 1845; being at the rate of 158 per cent. in twenty-six years. This quantity is supposed to be about one third of the entire production of the United Kingdom. The declared value advanced from £145,943 in 1828, to £970,462 in 1845; or 569 per cent. in seventeen years.

Increased Exportation of Coal.-To the colonies and British possessions, from 71,000 tons in 1819, to 375,302 tons in 1845; or 428 per cent. in 26 years; to France, from 39,180 tons in 1825, to 1853. From a late English paper we learn the following:Capital invested in the British coal trade, £10,000,000.

Annual production, 37,000,000 tons.

Value at pit's mouth, £10,000,000. London alone consumes 3,600,000 tons.

=

647,967 tons in 1845, = 1561 per cent. in 20 years; do. from 24,800 tons in 1820, to 647,967 tons in 1845, 2512 per cent. in 25 years; to Russia, 1450 per cent. in 25 years; do. 375 per cent. in 15 years; Denmark, 1800 per cent. in 15 years; Prussia, 1214 per cent. in 15 years; United States, 287 per cent. in 15 years; do. British and Colonial, 184 per cent. in 15 years; East Indies and Ceylon, 2025 per cent. in 15 years; British West Indies, 126 per cent. in 15 years; Germany, 417 per cent. in 14 years; Italy, 323 per cent. in 9 years. Increased number of British vessels laden with coal for foreign ports, in the six years from 1840 to 1846 inclusive, 142 per cent.

Increased Shipments from the Collieries of the North of England -viz. from the ports of Newcastle, Sunderland, and Stockton-onTees, for foreign and home consumption collectively.-From 820,620 tons in 1710, to 6,123,282 tons in 1842, 646 per cent. in 132 years; from 2,985,560 tons in 1810, to 6,123,282 tons in 1842 = 151 per cent. in 32 years; from 3,160,956 tons in 1832, to 6,123,282 tons in 1842, 93 per cent. in 10 years. For home consumption, 50 per. cent. in 18 years, ending 1842.

=

For Foreign Consumption only. From 157,014 tons in 1820, to 1,784,988 tons in 1845, 1036 per cent. in 25 years. In 1773, there were only 13 collieries in the Newcastle district, which number increased, in 1828, to 59, with an annual productive power of 8,123,922 tons. In 1844, this productive power was estimated at 13,000,000 tons, and the number of collieries had increased to 124, and of pits, to 192; besides 6 other collieries in other parts of the same field, and 300,000 tons which were superseded by the inland coal. The shipments of coal to foreign parts, from this district, has increased from 50,805 tons in 1810, to 1,784,988 tons in 1845; being at the rate of 3168 per cent. in 35 years.

Increased Importation of Coal into the Port of London by Sea and Land.-From 1,667,301 tons in 1822, to 3,461,199 tons in 1845, =108 per cent. in 23 years; from 300,000 tons in 1699, to 3,461,199 in 1845, 1057 per cent. in 146 years; from 2,079,275 tons in 1830, to 3,461,199 tons in 1845, = 66 per cent. in 15 years.

Increased Foreign Shipments of Coal from Hull.-7,463 tons in 1833, to 42,789 tons in 1845, = 477 per cent. in 12 years. From Liverpool, 50,561 tons in 1833, to 123,456 tons in 1845, cent. in 12 years.

= 146

per

SCOTLAND-Has a greatly increased production of coal, but for the same reason as in the case of England, we possess no precise returns of the aggregate. This enlarged production is, in great measure, applied to the purposes of home consumption, especially to

From Official Reports.

the various departments of iron making, which has advanced with surprising rapidity since the discovery of the Black Band ore.

Exportation to Foreign Parts increased from 31,940 tons in 1828, to 229,513 tons in 1845; equivalent to 617 per cent. in seventeen years. But the recent excess of production is mainly reserved for home use.

SOUTH WALES.-We have no returns in relation to the advanced production. Judging from the increased number and power of the Welsh iron works, the home consumption of coal must be greatly augmented. It has been asserted, in 1844, that one third of the iron consumed in the known world, is produced in the mineral basin of South Wales, and upwards of five million tons of coal are annually consumed in its manufacture, and for other purposes, within the coal field.

Foreign Exports.-The exports of South Wales, in 1833, amounted to 24,981 tons. In 1845, four only of the principal ports exported 237,577 tons. The entire increase, probably, does not fall short of 1000 per cent. in twelve years.

Shipments to London-Increased from 34,000 tons in 1828, to 81,725 tons in 1843, or 172 per cent. in 15 years.

=

Increased General Shipments for Home and Foreign Consumption.-From 904,896 tons in 1828, to 1,700,000 tons in 1841, 88 per cent. in thirteen years.

The shipments, therefore, do not keep pace with the home consumption required for the iron works, &c.

FRANCE. Increased Indigenous Production of Coal, Anthracite, and Lignite, in 29 years. From 869,410 tons in 1815, to 3,639,446 tons in 1843, the ratio is 203 per cent.

Table of the relative Increased Production of Mineral Combustibles in France; representing the production in 1787 as 1.00.

Increased value of Indigenous Production in France, in 28 and 31

Increased ratio of value in 28 years = 397 per cent.; in 31 years, 489 per cent.

Increased Importation of Mineral Fuel into France, since 1820.

And an increase on the total importation, since 1802, of 1756 per cent. in 43 years.

Ratio of Increased Consumption of Mineral Combustibles in France-Distinguishing the indigenous fuel from the indigenous and imported combined, in the periods of thirty and fifty-eight years, prior to 1846.

BELGIUM.-Increased number of Coal-pits in operation or in construction.-From 314 pits or points of extraction, in 1830, to 660, in 1840.

Number of Miners increased from 29,253 in 1830, to 38,490 in

1844.

Production. Within about thirty years there have been one or two periods of ebb and flow. Thus, from 1802 with 2,635,000 tons, to 1832, it was reduced to 2,249,000 tons, or 17 per cent. decrease in thirty years; and from 2,249,000 tons in 1832, increased to 4,960,077 in 1845, or 120 per cent. gain in thirteen years.

The increased value in the same interval being from 16,957,500 francs in 1832, to 55,400,000 francs in 1840, or 226 per cent. in eight years.

Increased annual produc- (Liege,

Namur,

1830 to 1845, 537,100 tons.

66

66

66

1,757,346" 111,873 "

tion in the Belgian pro- Hainault, vinces, Total increase from 2,553,000 tons in 1830, to 4,960,000 tons in 1845, or 94 per cent. in fifteen years.

Increased Importation from Great Britain.-From 770 tons in 1831, to 36,440 in 1841, and about 20,000 tons in 1847. The import trade, being of subordinate importance, was reduced to only