Having difcovered the breadth of the ftratum, either by digging, when it is near the furface, or by boring when it is covered by a great load of other ftrata; our next concern is to determine whether it be of fufficient importance to be worked. If it is not more than 15 inches in breadth, even although pretty near the furface, it is not worth working, but if it be 2 feet or 2 feet and a half wide, and of good quality, it can be worked in noft lituauons with advantage.

The quality of the coal is afcertain

ed from the following circumftances.

1. Its general appearance, whether it be more or lefs mixed with ftoney matter; or if there be laminæ of bituminous fhale, or fandftone, dividing it into itratulæ ; or if it contains much pyrites, or fulphuret of iron.

2. To these may be added the lift of chemical analysis, by which we afcertain the proportion of carbon, bi tumin, and athes.

From Famefon's Mineralogy of the
Scottish Ifles.

FEW fubjects are more interesting, or more entertaining than defcriptions of the uncommon productions of nature. To gentlemen living in the country, they must be peculiarly fo. A mind led into a train of thinking upon the curious parts of the natural world, muft enjoy more folid fatisfac. tion, than can be afforded by the noify buttle of company and public amufements. Such fubjects are always within their reach, and open an extenfive field for the most rational contemplatron; they, moreover, raife the mind to grand and elevated conceptions of the great Creator of all things.

On visiting, lately, the curiofities of London, I paffed fome hours with much pleasure and fatisfaction in the Liverian Museum. I faw there a great collection of fofils and organized bodies, which had been dug from the bowels of the earth, arranged according to their appearances, as they partook of the nature of fhells, wood, fithes, teeth, &c; and over this cu rious and interefting cabinet, the words Reli&s of the antient world, are written in large characters. This I conceived to

be both a popular, and interefting plan of arrangement; as it naturally arrefts the attention of ftrangers; and, though not fcientific, pleafes the mineralogift by having fo great a collection of ex traneous fofils brought under his eye at once; few having it in their power to spend much time, when on a visit to London, in fuch places of curiofity and amufement.

From the curfory examination I gave this cabinet, I could perceive very few fpecimens in the collection of Scottish origin, and as this fubject is but beginning to be attended to, I thail, in terms of the invitation you hold out, become your correfpondent, and fend you an account of fome of the most remarkable of the relicts of the antient world, that have been found in Scot land. As my defcriptions will for the molt part be short, I hope you will be at the expence of engraving the outlines of fuch as I shall point

out as proper to be done. The drawings fhall for the most part beh made from fpecimens in my own pok feffion.

It is generally known that marine

fhells,

fhells, and the relicts of the ocean, have in many inftances been found on the tops of the highest mountains, and at the greatest diftances from what is now the channel of the deep; petrifyed fol wood of various kinds is alto difcovered in places where none of that fpecies now grow. No account that I am acquainted with gives any fatisfactory folution of thefe remarkable appearances but the Mofaic. No ah's flood and nothing elle will folve the phenomena, But independent of the general queftion, many, though of Jeffer magnitude, yet of greater ufefulrefs arife, these can only be folved by carefully attending to facts. It may be obferved in general, that extraneous fols, whether originally belonging to the land or the fea, are found in great eft abundance in ftratifyed matter, fuch as coal, lime, argillaceous fhiftus, and fanaftone; and it is admitted, that thefe owe their arrange ment to water. Vegetable fubftances are chiefly, found to coal, or its concomitant ftrata, many lying imbed éed in the frata, and fill retaining diftin&t traces of the concentric lamire which originally compofed the lignoeus part of the wood; this affords a ftrong prefumption, if not a proof, that vegetable, fubftances were principally concerned in the formation of that useful mineral.

With regard to the origin of calca reous firata, viz. limestone, marble, chalk and marle, the general opinion fems to be, that they all have their erigin from shells and marine animals. All the facts and obfervations hitherto made concerning them, fays M. Foureroy, force the conclufion upon us. It is hardly poffible to meet with a piece of calcareous flone, but a perfon accustomed to examine fuch fpecimens, will trace the formation of fhells, and the relicts of marine productions. This may feem ftrange, as we know that

Vol. LXIII.

marble and limeftone form extensive flrata, and chalk forms hills; but we are ignorant of the prodigious quanti ties of fhelis, zoophites, and corals, that are produced in the ocean. We know that in warm climates, zoophites and corals multiply to an amazing de gree, fo as in a fhort fpace of time, to form banks and reefs on the fides of iflands, that prove dangerous to fhips ping.

Shells by putrefaction lofe the animal gluten, and with it their colours, the polifh of their interior furface, and more efpecially their confiftency; they become friable and earthy, and thus pafs into the ftate of fofils.

Sandtone or freeftone, as it is fametimes called, appears to be compofed chiefly of the particles of rocks, which have been broken off and washed down from the mountains by the rain and action of the weather. They, appear evidently from their structure and arrangement to have been, at fome period, in a floating fate; hence we find them alfo conftituting ftrata or beds and layers.

From this short account of the for mation of coal, limeftone and fand ftone, it will not feem very remark. able, that they should occafionally contain organised matters imbedded in them, or adhering to them.

Other ftoney bodies, it will be feen, alfo occafionally contain organized matter, for the prefence of which it is not fo eafy to account, as flint, trap, and bafalt, or what is, vulgarly called whinftone.

But as I have already dwelt longer than I intended on this introduction to my account of the extraneous fossils of Scotland; I fhall not tire you with any more general remarks, but begin my next communication with the land. productions that have been found in a fofil ftate.

To be continued.

The average is L. 6,104,211. Moft of the custom-house values of goods exported are greatly below their parfeat value, but not fo much fo in this article as in fome others; an addition however of twenty-five per cent. may be made to the above fum on this account without exceeding the truth; the value of woollen goods exported will then appear to be L. 7,630,263. The value retained for home confump tion may be nearly equal to the value exported, although in quantity the former may greatly exceed the latter, a very confiderable proportion of which confifts of superfine and fecond cloths; whereas the confumption of fine wool lens in Great Britain has much diminifhed of late years, from the general ufe of Manchester manufactures of cotton in cloathing, particularly for waistcoats and breeches. The whole value of the manufacture thus appears to be about L. 15,260,000, and as a medium between this fum, and the amoant before stated, it may be taken at L.15,500,000. Deducting from

this amount at the rates of 10 per cent, on the coft of the goods, for the profits of the manufacturer, including the interest of his capital, there remains 14,000,909l. confifting of the coft of the material, and the wages of labour; the value of all the wool employed we have feen is about 5,250,000l. and, including the cost of fome other neceffary articles, the materials cannot be valued at lefs than this fum; the remainder, therefore, or 8,840,909l. is the amount of workmanfhip, or the wages of all the perfons employed in the manufacture. It is fcarcely poffible to affume with precifion an average rate of wages, with refpect to any manufacture, as they vary in different parts of the country, and the proportion of the different claffes of perfons employed is in no inftance known with certainty. In the west, where the woollen manufactory is at prefent in a very depreffed ftate, few workmen get above 14s. per week, and many much lefs, from not being fully employed; in Yorkshire, good workmen earn from 16s. to 18s. per week, children 3s, older children and women from 5s. to 6s. and old men from gs. to 12s. If, in taking all claffes together, 85, per week is not thought too high, it will appear that the whole number of perfons em. ployed does not exceed 425,043.

AT the prefent period, when fo many of our countrymen are on their way to Egypt, the following account of the waters of that country, given by a refpectable traveller, will, we apprebend, be confidered as not out of place.

There are a few wells in Egypt, but their waters are not drank, being unpleasant and unwholefome; the water of the Nile is what they univerfally make ufe of in this country, which is looked upon as extraordinarily whole-.

fome, and at the fame time extremely delicious.

The author of the notes on Le Bruyn mentions this laft circumftance, and takes notice of the Egyptians being wont to excite thirft artificially, that they might drink more of it; nor is there any reafon to doubt of the fact, fince Maillet, who refided a long time in Eygpt as conful to the French nation, affirmed the fame thing; the only point in which they differ being, that Maillet fays, they do this by falt, the oE 2

ther

ther by fpices. The account of Maillet, as it is given us by the publifher of his remarks, is indeed fo very curious, that we shall fet it down here at length...

The water of Egypt, fays Mail let, is fo delicious, that one would not wish the heat should be lefs, nor to be delivered from the fenfation of thirft, The Turks find it fo exqui. fitely charming, that they excite themfelves to drink of it by eating falt. It is a common faying among them, that if Mahommed had drank of it, he would have begged of God not to have died, that he might always have done it. They add, that whoever has once prank of it, he ought to drink of it a fecond time. This is what the people of the country told me, when they faw me return after ten years ablence, When the Egyptians undertake the pilgrimage of Mecca, or go out of their country on any other account, they speak of nothing but the pleasure they fhall find at their return in drink. ing the Nile-water. There is nothing to be compared to this fatisfaction; it furpaffes, in their efteem, that of feeing their relations again and their families. Agreeably to this, all thofe that have tafted of this water, allow that they never met with the like in any other place. In truth,,when one drinks of it the first time, it seems to be fome water prepared by art. It has fomething in it inexpreffibly agreeable and pleafing to the tafte; and we ought to give it perhaps the fame rank among waters, which Champagne has among wines. I mult confefs, however, it has, to my tafte, too

much sweetness. But its most valuable quality is, that it is infinitely fa lutary. Drink it in what quantities you will, it never in the leaft incom modes you. This is so true, that it is no uncommon thing to see some pérfons, drink three buckets of it in a day, without finding the leaft inconvenience,

When I give fuch encomiums to the water of Egypt, it is right to obs ferve, that I fpeak only of that of the Nae, which indeed is the only water there which is drinkable. Well water is deteftable and unwholefome: fountains are fo rare, that they are a kind of prodigy in that country; and as for rain-water, it would be in vain to ac tempt preferving that, fince fearee any falls in Egypt."

The embellishments of a French man may be here; but the fact, however, in general, is indubitable.

"A perfon that never before heard of this delicacy of the water of the Nile, and of the large quantities that, on that account, are drank of it, will, I am very fure, find an energy in those words of Mofes to Pharoah, (Exod. vii, 18.) The Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river,” which he never obferved before. They will loathe to drink of that water which they used to prefer to all the waters of the univerfe; loathe to drink that which they had been wont eagerly to long for, and will rather chufe to drink of well-water, which is in their country fo deteftable. And as none of our commentators, that I know of, have obferved this energy, my reader, I hope, will not be difpleafed that I have remarked it here."

IN