Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-05-24


yirons Of Pekin for stating that the process still In YER
imperfect state Macnery tighten labor there unknown
They have not even an idea Of the pumps Indispensable
draw on the water II local circumstances allow, they GU
drainage galleries not, they abandon The work wheneve
the nundaon has gained far upon them The mattoc
and shovel the pick and the hammer the mining nsru
mensthe only Ones in fact which the Chinese EMPLOY n
working the coal The water Of the mine smpted by th
slow process of filling small casks which brought I'M 10 III.
surface by manual labor Vertical shafts not used II
working horizontal coal seams the tmbering Is expensye am
the materials about two copecs per poudS per ton
English wood being sold by weight in China.
The COAL when mined, put into baskets and drawn upon
sledges which raised to the surace by manual strength
Each basket contains three pouds Of COAL and one mar
raise about eight baskets in day. This equivalent
l032 Russian pounds, IL cwt English per day. The
miners wages the Of 80 copecs basket which
equal 70 $40 copecs "copper" cuenc 46 cents United
States currency per day being rs cents u s. per on
Prices at Pekin.
Athe smouh this coal sold for 60 copecs pei pou equal
"a SO per Of 20 then conveyed the backs
mules through the mountains, and thence cames Pc
kin, where the price oubles, francs, 20 cents
United States, per poud which, if our calculation he correct
equivalent ST. go United States f2 ss Cd per ton
Of q 240 pounds English We perceive therefore, that the
best of fuel is expensive Pek and hence the necessity
resorng to the artificial compounds and substitutes which
we briefly alluded.
THERE'S however, kind Of coal sold in that city at much
lower price, particularly when Is mixed with one-haf OF
coal dust This COAL in $780, sold for rouble per poud
which is at the OF 81 rs 81 l2s 3D. per ton Il i
Of indifferent quality, however, giving out but little heat and
is quickly consumed r
The compound fuel consisting dust and clay, is still
prepared after the mode described by Missionaries last
fury, but its use is chiefly confined TO tho aEont
Coal Gas Lighting ia China.
Whether what extent the Chinese artfcaly produce
Illuminating gas from bitumnous COAL uncertain. But
II is fact that spontaneous jets Of gas derived from boring
into coal BEDS have for centuries been burning and turned
that and other economical purposes II the Chinese not
manufacturers they are nevertheless gas consumers and
poyers large SCALE and have evidently been ages be-
fore the knowledge Of its application acquired BY Euro
peans Bedsof coal frequently pierced by the boers for
salt wae and the nhammabe gas forced up Jets twenty
thirty feet in height From these fountains the vapo has
been conveyed the sltwoks in pipes and there used for
the boiling and evaporation of the SALT other tubes convey the
gas intended for lighting the and the larger apartments
and kitchens AS there is still gas than required the
is conducted beyond the limits Of the sawoks and
there forms separate chimneys columns Of flame.
One cannot but be struck with the singular counterpart
this employment of natural gas which may be daily witness
ed in the Valley Of the Kanawha, in Virginia The geoog
cal origin, the of supply the application an the pro-
Of manufacturing salt and of the appropriation Of the
surplus for the purposes of illumination remarkably alike
at such distant points China and the United States Those
who have read within the present month"; the
the recent extraordinary additional supply of gas and the
vices is made perform the Kanawha saworks
impressed with the coincidence of all the circumstances with
those which briefly stated in the previous paragraph
relation to China In fact the parallel is complete
To the Goals and combustbe minerals Of China cannot
further advert here But what irressby presses
upon the mind to the incalcuabe utility of the Road
system and coal mining Improvements such empire If
ever there concentrated the circumstances
especially and unequivocay favorable that system and
mpenousy calling for improvements of the character suggest
ed seems to be presented in the of the city Of Pen
Here, with its population of 500 900 souls is
situated only ut days journey-computed thirty mes-
from an immense region Of coal, comprising several varieties
Yet its inhabitants purchase the best qualities of this
coal brought from the mountains the babks of mules and
cae under Sl so per tom and the very worst for less than
81 rs per ton.
Without making unnecessary invious comparisons
might not unreasonaby be suggested that Pekn railroad in
connection with the coal mines would be far profitable
enterprise IN its results than the transportation of American
Goals to China.
will only add circumstance, which had nearly escaped
me. Borneo g the largest island in the world which IL
only twenty degrees due south of Canton has lately
epute for the great quantity of coal which contains
only accessible to ships along the coast but extensively
ring in the mountains of the interior Much information has
also been acquired from the natives and the facts which
already elected regarded of considerable Importance
in respect to the facilitating the navigation IN the Chi
GEsT
Philadelphia will Of course have her share in the enlarged
commercial intercourse with China Would it, them be ask
ing much Of those who personally interested this
proving trade TO communicate any additional facts which
either unknown have been omitted by the author these
scanty notes Respectfully,
RICHARD c. TAYLOR.
PHILADELpHIA, ArRIL %, Is45.
NorE.-The prices and admeasuremens which quoted
the foregoing article reduced the United and
English currences and from the Russian furnish
ed by the Engineer kovanko, who like Manner
them into the Russian from the Chinese standards In
quence of this triple conversion Of standards additional
has been taken TO avoid in these calculations.