Year: 1861

mits, to inculcate the doctrines of Christi
] anirY There are many who will listen to
the exhortation of 'butty collier whom
nothing would persuade to attend the min
istration of duly ordained clergyman.


In travelling about the neighborhood OF
the pits, frequently have opportunities of
talking to the colliers about their work, OF
other topics, and have found occasionally,
under a swarthy cloak of flannel and dirt,


degree of intelligence that much surpris-
ed me. On a cold, rainy day, have some
times entered one of their cabins by the
pits, sure of finding shelter and good fire.
If you have never been in one OF these pla-
ces: you may enter with me this evening,
and see and hear what is going on. A ca
/ pacious fire place, Oh which is barrow ful
or two of coal would be lost, occupies near
| ly the whole of one side. There is a neat
cast iron CRATE, but some long bars, of old
! pit rails, are stretched across wider cavity
in the wall, forming an ample receptacle
! for The FIRE. Rods OF iron, or sometimes
strong rope-lmes, are stretched across the
cabin in front of the fire place, for the men
TO dry their wet clothes upon, when they
have been working in places troubled with
water. Various interstices are seen round
/ the upholstered walls, handy for putting
| dinner basins and cans in, or for slowing
| away other odds and ends /; and in one OF
the corners furthest from the fire, rude
cupboard is generally found, where pow-
4 of Ia F,1ao nd non
for blasting rocks, candles and other stores,
can be put under lock and key. Round
the walls are fixed some short butts of trees
across which are placed rough slabs for the
men TO sit upon, by whom large botle of
ale is often discussed, when for some ex-
ira work they have had what they call
fetching from the nearest public-house.-
Without running into any excess, there is
sor, OF untrammeled enjoyment about these
free -and easy sittings in the cabin that
many of the pitmen have a strong relish
for. The fetching does not always consist
only of beer solids, such as bread and
cheese, and ham are often added and
many royal banquet has passed off with
less sterling enjoyment than is realized BY
these jolly coliers around their huge fire,
after some heavy task is done.


Sitting thus. some of Them with eyes half
closed, drawing at short black pipe. they
recount 10 each other scenes of danger they
have passed through, difficulties they have
encountered, extraordinary seams of coal
| they have helped 10 get, aud other wonder
full experiences. The first that speaks to-
night is an old man upwards of sixty, short
and stiff, of The true collier build His legs
are bowed little, but firm under him yet ;
and you can see that the bridge of his Ro-
line stretches across it, showing where a
lump of coal or other black substance has
fallen upon il. (You will frequently see
Golfers with many of these blue seams
upon their face, and other uncovered parts
of their body, for wherever coal cuts deep
inio the flesh, it brands a man forever.]


'Il was better than forty years ago. he
began, in 'Bonny's time, when ! was lad


drawing dans, and dong work such as
you youngsters know nothing about now-a-





remember, and The wheat was so bad that
the bread made of it would hardly hold to-
gelher, il was so wet and soft and my old
woman often scooped the middle of the
loaf out with a spoon, aud put il in cans for
the children to eat with treacle, like pud
ding have seen surely tempered chaps
throw a lump of their bread against the
wall, where it would stick like moriat-
Potatoes went up TO a great price, and were
hardly ever seen in our pit; and often there
has been scrambing fight 10 get taste, if
the young men saw few in somebody's
dinner-basin. Well, there was a lot OF US
driving a head through some faulty ground
with bad roof, and was drawing out in
dams what little coal they met with while
pushing through. had TO go about forty
| yards through the uneven way they were
| making, back, into another road, where a
second lad met me with an empty dan-bas
ket TO go back with. AT middle.day, this
lad brought our dinners, and he took them
to the end of the head, but we had barely
sat down TO eat them, when we heard a
loud rumbling noise near at hand. Now
we are in for it, said one OF the men; the
head we have been driving has fallen in,
and we are shut up


Creeping wariIy along, they found it even
as he said, for about half the length of the
way, the roof had fallen in, completely
blocking up the passage. The hardest
collier looked pale, which, with the dirt, |
remember, gave some of Them strange,
leaden look, as though they were numbed
with cold and fright We did not feel any
more appetite for the dinner now, so it was
carefully laid by, for, as one of them said,
we shall want it bad enough by and by
The men did not spend much time in use-