The following is the amount of coal arrived, as near as we can ascertain, in the chief towns of Ohio:

Other towns consume enough to make in all twenty millions of bushels. The town population of Ohio will, in half a dozen years, amount to half a million, and this will require fifteen millions for household consumption: while the foundries, factories, and shops of all descriptions will require twenty-five millions, independent of furnaces and forges. This brings us to the third topic, viz:

3. The Development of Ohio Coal Mines.-We see that independent of the coal consumed at the mines by furnaces, forges, and other works, forty mil lions of bushels will be required in the towns, and will require transportation one half by railway, which will make eight hundred thousand tons, in addition to what the railways now have. But this amount will be increased annually at a rapid rate; for, when a State has arrived at a point in which its lands are mostly occupied, the arts and manufactures grow immensely, and that is the position of Ohio now.-Rutland Record.

MINERALS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY.

The eastern portion of Kentucky has been known to be rich in mineral productions, and portions of it have become important for the use that has been and is to be made of them.

It has not generally been known, however, that the western portion possessed much, if any, valuable mineral land. This region has lately been traversed by Dr. Owen, the State geologist, and is found to contain much that is valuable and important, hidden among its rocks.

The Doctor says that throughout the whole southwestern coal field of Kentucky, from the sources of the Tradewater in Hopkins County to Green River in Muhlenburg County, the whole region is full of geological interest. There is hardly a section of a stream or ravine but what discloses materials that must at some period be a source of wealth to the owners of the soil.

In the section laid bare from the lowest ground in Richland Creek to the summit of Wright's Ridge in Hopkins County, which may be comprised in a vertical cut 300 to 350 feet high, with its base about 200 feet above highwater in the Ohio, there are six workable beds of coal. The average thickness of these beds is nearly five feet, and their united thickness about 30 feet. Three of these beds lie within a vertical space of 30 feet toward the base of the section, as shown on the Hunting branch of Clear Creek, near the dividing ridge between the Tradewater and Pond River.

Around the uplift of the strata prevalent in the vicinity of Wright's Ridge, the whole of these six beds are accessible above the drainage of the country. It is also probable that the detailed survey may discover intermediate beds of coal now hidden by debris. These beds feather out towards the south, the lowest one having its southern limit in the northern portion of Christian County and the southern confines of Muhlenburg County.

These coal measures, dipping toward the north and north-west, toward the great Illinois coal field, underlie the whole of Henderson and McLean Counties, modified probably in thickness, relative proximity and quality.

In reference to the quality of the foregoing coals, the chemical analysis of six varieties, obtained where there was the best opportunity of receiving fair samples, will show their value.

The comparison between some of these specimens and the Liverpool, is not unfavorable to the coal of Kentucky. The unusually small quantity of ashes found in No. 6 of Kentucky coal, renders it peculiarly suitable for manufacturing purposes.

The black-band iron ore mentioned as overlying No. 3, is found in the southern part of Muhlenburg County, in some places of a thickness of nineteen inches to two feet, occurring sometimes in compact, tabular ponderous layers, almost as black as coal; sometimes of a shaly structure or in immense segregrated masses, composed of alternate layers of black and reddish-gray. In Hopkins County it varies from three inches to one foot, and usually presents the form of solid, heavy, dark-colored slabs, like flag-stones. This appears to be accompanied by one if not two beds of limestone not immediately overlying it, but in such a position that there is good reason to believe that one of these beds will be found within convenient distance.

The other varieties of ore which occur in these counties are of much greater thickness. The argillaceous shales which almost immediately overlie the black-band are often rich in argillaceous iron ore, and the ordinary varieties of carbonate of the protoxide of iron; similar ore occurs also in a higher geological position. The clay iron-stone occurs mostly as kidney-shaped segregations disseminated through the shales, which scale up and exhibit the concentric laminae of which they are formed.

On Batist Creek an ore bank of this kind occurs from two and a half to three feet thick, which supplies much of the ore used at the Buckner Iron Works. In the same county the light-colored shales overlying the black-band are from four to five feet thick, one half of which may be considered good iron ore; also on a high ridge one and a half miles south-east of this furnace on the waters of Lick Creek, a soft calcareous and fossilifferous ironstone occurs, which is ten feet thick or more; this ore has also been partially worked

for the use of the same furnace. The ferruginous shales over coal No. 5, are often fifteen to twenty feet thick or more, but the quality and quantity of the disseminated iron ore is variable, and generally in greater force in Muhlenburg than in Hopkins County. There are often observed considerable bodies of hydrated brown oxide of iron associated with the sandstones overlying the higher beds of coal; this ore, however, is prone to be too silicious to be profitably worked; though in the absence of better ores, this species of iron ore might be worthy the attention of the iron-masters.

This vast amount of mineral wealth distributed through this portion of Kentucky, may be said to be almost dormant; even the coal banks which have been in some instances partially opened, afford as yet but a very paltry revenue to the owners.

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION OF BITUMINOUS COAL.

I have, through the kindness of M. C. Younglove, Esq., been permitted to witness an instance of the spontaneous combustion of bituminous coal which has interested me much, and which, from its bearing on the interests of all who deal in coal or use it in considerable quantities, may be worth reporting.

Messrs. Younglove and Hoyt have used for years in the furnaces of their extensive steam paper-mill in this city, our bituminous coal. Of late years they have found it most economical to employ the "slack or small coal, which differs in nothing but in the size of the lumps from ordinary marketable coal. Of this coal they have usually obtained their winter's supply during the summer months, taking it directly from the boats and piling it on their dock-plank resting directly on the earth-in heaps of from 25,000 to 35,000 bushels. These heaps are exposed to the weather without protection, and have been so deposited and used for a succession of years without accident, and without apparent deterioration. This year their coal has been received as usual, and forms a heap of an oblong form-at its base some 40 feet long by 20 wide, and from 8 to 10 feet high-containing some 25,000 bushels or more. A few days since the proprietors of the establishment received intimation from their engineer that "their coal heap was on fire, as it was hot all over, and steam was rising from it." On examination they found it even so. The heap was sensibly hot on all sides, and a plank lying on the top so hot as to be painful to the hand applied to it, and on digging to the bottom they found a portion of the coal fully ignited, and which blazed up brightly on the admission of air. They immediately turned a copious stream of water on the top of the heap to extinguish the fire. I examined the coal heap the next day with Mr. Younglove. We found the fire partially extinguished by the water, but apparently through all the interior, a stratum of coal from 1 to 2 feet thick, lying next the planking, was perfectly coked, and some of it still ignited. The planking was completely charred.

The coal used by Messrs. Younglove and Hoyt is the "Chippeway," one of the best and purest varieties to be found in our market. The fire was in this case unquestionably due to spontaneous combustion, as the exterior of the heap on all sides was composed of coal which had suffered no change, but was found as fresh and bright as when mined; only the interior and most inaccessible portion of the pile was ignited: The combustion was without doubt excited by the decomposition of the bi-sulphuret of iron-that is, the change of the sulphuret into the sulphate (copperas) by the absorption of oxygen.

This instance of spontaneous combustion in our bituminous coal, will suggest to those in the coal trade, and to consumers, the propriety of at least keeping in mind the fact that coal may spontaneously ignite, and that large heaps of small coal should not be permitted to be for months undisturbed, nor be placed in combustible receptacles, or in such relations to combustible matter that spontaneous combustion, if it should happen to occur, would be productive of disastrous consequences. It must be confessed, however, that the

danger is not great, that the peculiar circumstances necessary to spontaneous combustion will co-exist in any considerable number of cases-according to the law of chances, the probability is exceedingly small that such will be the case and yet the bare possibility of the thing should put us on our guard, and lead us to protect ourselves against it.-Cleveland Herald.

THE CATAWISSA RAILROAD.

One of the pleasantest festivities of the season took place on the occasion of the inauguration of the Catawissa Railroad. This work is 63 miles in length, commencing at its junction with the Little Schuylkill Railroad, 84 miles north of Tamaqua, and extending by way of Catawissa to the town of Milton, on the west branch of the Susquehanna River, in Northumberland Connty. At Milton it connects with the Sunbury and Erie Railroad, which forms a link to Williamsport. At Williamsport a link is formed with the Williamsport and Elmira Railway, extending from the first to the last named place, where it meets the New York and Erie Railway. This puts the road in connection with Lake Erie, at Dunkirk, and the great west by means of the Lake Shore road, and with Buffalo by means of the Buffalo and New York City road. The Little Schuylkill Railroad, which is 28 miles in length, extends from its junction with the Catawissa road to Port Clinton, where it connects with the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, 78 miles of which are used to put the route in connection with Philadelphia. From these facts it will be seen that the Catawissa Railroad is part of a series of railway connections between Philadelphia and the great Lakes.

From the speech of Mr. Price, the Treasurer of the Company, made on the occasion, we take the following extract relative to the facilities furnished to coal companies:

There are yet twelve miles of our road to make from this place to Sunbury, a considerable proportion of which is already graded. This portion may be easily finished by early spring of next year, except the bridges at Northumberland, and for a temporary purpose, a small steamboat may be run across the river to convey the cars from one side to the other, until the bridges can be completed. There will then be an outlet for the immense deposits of anthracite coal at Shamokin and its vicinity, for which there is now scarcely an access to market. I have seen a statement to-day, prepared by a gentleinan thoroughly conversant with this region, in which it is stated that the various Coal Companies having their works located there, are preparing to take out 1,500,000 tons of coal per annum, as soon as they are assured of an outlet.

It is well known that there is a large and increasing demand for this coal throughout Western New York, and the other States bordering on the great Lakes. If this estimate seems too high, suppose we reduce it by one third, and that only 1,000,000 can be furnished by these companies for the first year or two, and that only half of this amount will be sent northward over our road for a market; and I believe every one who has examined the subject will say that this is an under estimate. I am informed, by the highly intelligent President of the Reading Railroad, that their charges for the conveyance of coal, is two dollars per ton for the whole length of their road, or, over two cents per ton per mile; and that the actual cost to the company is six mills per ton per mile. He thinks that eight mills per ton per mile would be a fair allowance for the actual expense of transportation of coal on that part of the Sunbury and Erie road from Sunbury to Williamsport, a distance of 40 miles, and on which there is no gradient exceeding ten feet per mile. But suppose, for the sake of abundant margin, we say that the actual expenses will be one cent per ton per mile. A charge then of two cents per mile, or 80 cents for the whole 40 miles, will yield on a tonnage of half a million a year, a gross revenue of $400,000, and a net income of $200,000. This of itself, from this

single item of trade, affords a clear profit of ten per cent. upon a capital of $2,000,000; a sum which will fully cover the cost of this part of the road. I appeal to every intelligent gentleman present, familiar with the present state of the coal trade and its future prospects, if these calculations are not far within, rather than beyond, what will be almost certainly realized from the very opening of this portion of the road, with a prospect of future increase that it would now appear visionary to indulge in a calculation of. If this single item will thus almost beyond the possibility of doubt, produce a net revenue of ten per cent., it is not unreasonable to calculate that the miscellaneous and passengers business will yield as much more.

It is not this part of the road only that will prove highly profitable as an investment of capital. Every successive link that shall be completed, will open up new regions of country and new sources of revenue and profit. The line now about to be opened to Williamsport, meets there a present manufacture of lumber of many millions of feet per annum, often very seriously disadvantaged for want of a ready mode of transport to market. The next link-to Lock Haven-passes through one of the most beautiful and productive valleys of our Commonwealth, and at that town is another point where the manufacture of lumber is carried on to a very great extent, with every prospect of an immense future increase. From this point the road penetrates for a hundred miles what is now to a great extent a wilderness, but which abounds in the greatest profuseness in those productions of nature which afford the most profitable employment for railroads.

Almost the whole of this region is underlaid with beds of bituminous coal of a very superior quality. It abounds in inexhaustible supplies of iron, requiring but the hand of industry and a means of transportation to make it tributary to the wants of man, and add incalculably to the wealth and population of this neglected portion of our Commonwealth. The surface of this same region is covered with the finest forests of pine and other timber now existing in our State. Indeed, they will afford almost the only extensive supply of lumber that now remains to us; the demand for which is so great and constantly increasing in price in our eastern cities.

IRON ORE IN VIRGINIA.

Speaking of iron, a Virginia paper says there is ore enough in Montgomery County, in this State, to build a railroad with a double track of heavy Trail, 210 tons to the mile, from Washington City to San Francisco. It is found at different points within from one to five miles of the Virginia and Tennessee railroad. The ore is of the best quality, rich enough to yield from 50 to 75 per cent. of pure iron. This ore can be mined or gotten out at a cost of from 12 cents to 50 cents per ton, it being situated on gentle slopes in immense ledges, from which it can be blasted in large masses. The writer goes on:

"There is stone coal of the very purest and best quality for iron manufacturing purposes, enough within from five to ten miles of the Virginia and Tennessee railroad, (and to which a branch railroad will be built in 1855) to supply the demands of the whole world for years. In short, an inexhaustible amount, which is so situated that it can be mined at a cost of from 50 to 75 cents per ton. There is on New River, Little River and Roanoke and their branches, in the county of Montgomery, convertible water power to at least 10,000 horse power. The country, though fertile and productive, has still a very large proportion of heavily timbered forest, from which might be obtained immense quantities of charcoal and fuel. The foregoing facts are strictly true; and yet, strange as it is, there never has been a ton of iron made in the present limits of the county of Montgomery.

THE COAL MINES OF NOVA SCOTIA.

We are indebted to the kindness of a gentleman for the following extract from a private letter bearing on the subject of the Nova Scotia coal mines: