GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF COAL.
the present chapter we propose giving a brief account of the known or developed coal-fields of the world, reserving a detailed or general description of the more interesting and prominent coal regions for their appropriate place in the following chapters. In this we shall merely glance again at the extent of our coal-fields in comparison with those of other countries. We shall pass rapidly over the celebrated mining districts of Great Britain for the present, and dwell longer, perhaps, in the unex plored wilds of Australia and the coal-fields of China than in the valley of Wyoming or on the famous banks of the Tyne and the Tees. To the latter, however, we shall return again; but a brief notice of the former will be all we intend to give.
We may here notice a circumstance which may be perplexing to the general reader, and particularly to those who are familiar with the existing popular works on coal formations. No two works or authors agree on the general area of our prominent coal-fields or the coal area of our great coal producing countries.
Taylor makes the coal area of Great Britain 11,859 square miles. Prof. Hitchcock gives it as 12,000. A popular little English work, " Our Coal and our Coal-Pits," gives the area on one page as 11,859, and on another at 7995 square miles; while Prof. Rogers states the area of the British coal-fields to be only 5400 square miles. We note this discrepancy to prepare the reader for such changes of figures and area as may appear in this work, since constant developments are being made which increase or decrease the estimates as careful surveys may determine.
In this country we find that new developments are constantly adding to our prospective coal area, while in England the contrary seems to be the result. In 1845 our coal area was stated to be 133,000 square miles. It is now known to be over 200,000 square miles.