•*>» ^> OS^ . Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 873-4503 ■^ \ iV \ :\ ^ signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at differen* reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included ' ' o^-^^^ <»vnosure are filmed beginning in the up|,c iv^'-t hand corner, left to righi and top to bottom, js ma.iy frames as required. The following diagramit illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un ioul clich6, il est film^ d f artir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, at de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n6cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. rata D lelure. 3 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 uT S . *" /^ ■' .^^'i^^ i ^' «- ^ ' RECIPROCAL COAL Would give the New England States Cheaper Fuel A REPLY TO WILLIAM WHITMAN, PROTECTIONIST. D. :;. Kev.v^elW. I I 1^ t 1 RECIPROCAL COAL With Canada WOULD GIVE THE New England States Cheaper Fuel. an answer to WILLIAM WHITMAN, PROTECTIONIST. BY D. J. KENNELLY, ' I ./ RECIPROCATIONIST. NEW YORK : Henky I. Cain, Pki'.teh, ;(5 Vesey Street. ls9i>. INTRODUCTORY. A oopy of My. Whitman's pamphlet, "Free Coal, Avould it give NewEnohiDd i\riinufacturcrs Cheaper Fuel?" was handed to me in Boston a few days ago, hut, althongli travelling on my business, and, therefore, in possession of little avaihihle data, yet so satis- fied was I of the erroneous conclusions of the writer, that I deter- mined to t)tfer a refutation with as little delay as jjossible. In regard to Mr. Whitman, I learn h(,' is a gentleman from Canada, long settle din Massachusetts, where he is highly esteemed — a manufactu]-er, and a fervid l)eliever in iirotection. Of myself I am a coal operator in the province of Nova Scotia and favor reciprocity with the United States. I talce this hurried opportunity of * ?ndering my thanks to Alfred Winsor, l':s(|. , Prcs-lent of the Boston Tow-Boat Company, of Boston, for the opi)ortiinity he afforded me, a week ago, of inspect- ing the "Automatic Coal Shovel" at work, discharging coal in Boston. New York City, February 11th, 181)2. S'^ EGIPROGAL (^OAk A few (lays ago, by the courtesy of the President of the Boston Tow Boat CoiMi)any, I was alfonled an insi)eetion of tlie Antoinatie Ooal-haii(llinany's tugs, that, noticiug the prevalence of the English flag flying from the \essels in the Harbor, I remarked to th(3 courteims otlicial who accom]>anied me "Is it not a pity that, how in the harbor of Boston, there is ?^carcely to be seen one American thig flying from an ovei-sea vessel — nearly all are English." "Ves," he replied, "but then we can do Ix'tter with our money than to put it into shijis." I said : " What about the steamers and barges in which you biing cord to l^oston from Newport News and other i»ortsr'' — "()h !" he replied, "those vessels pay us fairly well, although I acknowlv;i Scotia coals. To do this, I propose first, to establish certain facts from precise data which, fortunately, I am in a position to jModuce, and with these facts i>roved to the satisfac- tion of the reader, I show, uncpiestionably, that twelve out of tlie fifceen propositions set forth by jMr.Whitman on pages 29, oO and 31, are wholly wrong, that the thirteenth is partly right and i)artly wrong, and that wliile the remaining two are in the main correct, they are immaterial for the purpose of his contention. Mr. Whitman deals with data for the year 1890, but has introduced matter more favorable to him from business done in 1891. I shall give him all the benetit of his later data, and, therefore, accept the jear 1891, from which to obtain my proofs. 4 riJOOF OF COST OF DKLIVFIMNC; (H)AL IX ^rONTinOAL. Ill tlu; ycjir 1S|)J, tin; coriMHiitioii I rcpicsont, dclivenMl ;it ]\roiitic;il ami at a plan; near to it (Sorcl) .S."»,727 long tons of bitimiinoiis coal. The, coal was carried in three Kngiish .steamers, hired hy tin', gross registered ton, per month, lor the open season of tlu^ St. Lawrence taken at live months. It is immaterial tor the purpose (^I'niy i)roof, but it had better be stated that an additional (piantity of about 1S,000 tons was delivered in the St. Lawrence ports, in steamers i)aid by the trip, and that the costs per trip, were about the same to me as the costs of th(^ time steamers. The three hired steamers were the "Simiuel Tyzack" at 1)s per month "Fdinburgh" " .Ss (id " '^Alaud Ilartman" " 8s Gd " I had to furnish to the vessel bunker coals free of cost, during the period of their hire, and also to i»ay all charges incurred, (;xcept wages and i)rovisions of crew, and insurance on vessels' hulls. Tli(^ tot.'il cost to me, per ton, delivenMl from these three vessels at the end of the season (Octobei', 1891,) was 61.o3-^, made up as follows : Hire of steamers per tou of coal delivered Bunker coals at vselling price Trimming charges - - - - $2.10 2.04 2.04 IMlotago Stevedore Dumping in Montreal .Montreal port charges Wharfage and weighing Insuiance on Coal Sydney Harbor charges Mi')"-' .07°^ .20=^1 .041* .00'^ .0J)«2 .01*5 .01«« o '>24 1.33' Now^, being desirous that my readers should follow me clearly, I state that this $1.33-* covered every charge of every description paid by me to deliver one long ton of coal to the buyer iu ]Montreal. 5 The (|ii('sli(Hi of aiiioiiiit of «'oiiiiiiissioii i»;ii(l to ii«;('iits \n iiol iii;il«'ii;tl, for Mr. \\!;itiii:iii docs not dciil with it and, tlicrcforc, iicillirr do I. M\ NKXT I'OIN'I' IS TO KS'l'AIJMSll TIIK JJKLATIVK COST s. 'riiese thirteen trijts, oi' twehc and a half round tii])s h(nn Sydney to ^rontreal, were made in 170 days, or a little over thii'teen (lays |»er round trij). ''I'o e\i»lain the twelve and a half I'onnd tri])s: Each vessel came on pav when reparted readv lor loadiiii;- at Svdnev, and was declared olf pa\' on the delivery of her last cargo in Montreal. It will be assumed that my hired steamers can be as readily unloaded at lioston, as at 3lontieal, I stated on the oi)eniii,a,r in the same number of trips while run- 6 iiin.ii froiii Sydney to llostoii, it follows slic would niMkc liftccii iiiid ;i liiilflrips to IJostoii iit the s;uiie time lli;it slic iiuido twelve iiiid a. liiilf ((» MoiiticMl. I i)laee tiiis joirt of my ))roof ill tJK! [M.'sition least favoiable to myself, foi- it^ is iiiidouhled lliat the down (,'urreiit between Montreal and (^>nel>ee, tlu^ in- trieale naviiiation of that ])arl o! the St. Lawicnee, and tlio detention dne to aiieliorinu for tides, in\arial>ly one and fre- (luentiy all, eanse delays wliieli, in a ])eri(id of live mordlis, l»rolial>l\ resnit in ;in aildilional cost of, at least, tliice cents per ton a.uainst Sidney and the St. Lawienec, as eoni[)ai('(l with Sy(hM\v and r»oston. Disi'e<;ardin() ^'^ cents and .54 "'^ cents, .12*^ DiflV'rence of charges between Montreal and Boston as above, .21*^ rv <>Q 90 Totnl of differences of cost and clinrges, .33 Total charues on one lonu' ton of coal deliver- ed in Boston from Sydney, Cape Breton. .33 90 .09 34 AVHAT THEREL ORE IT AVILL COST TO DELIVER ONE LONG TON OF COAL IN BOSTON. During the year 1891 run of mines coal, or coal of the character supi)lied to mumifacturers, was sold at Sydney and from the oth(;r Cape Breton collieries f.o.b. $1.15 nett, the long ton of 2,249 pounds, 1)ut for competing points it was sold for $1.3i). I therefore adopt the competing price f.o.b. $1.35 ^ Deliveiy in Boston, as above. 99 ^* Duty ])aid L^nited States. r- 00 I (J • ■ Total for which one long ton can l)e delivered at Boston $3.99 ^* In othei' words coal could be delivered by me in Boston at $3.10 ])er long ton, duty i)aid. But may I not fairly claim that, by the adoption of the improved metliod of tiansporting my coal in steamers towing barges, instead of, as now, in hired steamers at per month, I can save, at least, 10 cents per ton and also elaim the additional saving of, at least, 10 cents per ton in handling 8 .33 90 by tli(' aiitomatir sliovol, and thus by tliis ivtlnctioii of20 conts ill my ('xpcnscs make my price to the consumer $2.1)0 instead of 83.10 ? 1 do not, however, press this view, Init rest on my proof tliat T can put a long ton of coal into Boston at $3.10 duty pai coal litenitnre. He aslvs: "'Free coal, would it give New Engliind manu- facturers cheaper fuel! " It seems to me if I succeed in dis- proving his second proposition, on pnge 20, I shall have suc- ceeded to the full, for really that covers the whole gnmnd in dis]»ute. His i»roi)osition is: "That Xew England now ]>ro- cures her coal sup])ly more cheaply than they could procure it from Xova Scotia with the duty removed." This is certainly a very bold proposition and, if true, a very alarming one for us who are coal oi)eratois in Xova Scotia. ]Mr. Whitmim says: "It seems to me, in view of the disadvantages by which nature burdens ^lassacimsctts as a manufacturing State, that 8iX('EHK prot( .'tionists might Ix' jusrilicd in demanding free coal, as a i)artial (►llx't to these disadvantages, if it could be (h'liionstrated that the removal of the duty would make an appre<'iable ditlerence in the cost of fuel eonsumed in maiiu- lacturing." Tli«' SMALL CAPITALS are mine. I confess it is difficult for me to understand how any sincere protectionist, and I believe ^Iv. Whitman is one and a ])roteeted manufacturer, could seek to take a stone out of the wall of protection, lest in doing so the whole siriicture should top]tle. It would be Just as dithcult forme to understand a free trader asking tor protection on any one article used by hi'ii in his business. lU' goes on to say: " The iiivestiiiation was not conducted to demonstrate any ])reconceiv( (1 theory on the subject; and the results are impartially presented. All statements made have been care- fuliv verilied, and it is l)elieved that none of them can be 9 sucfossfiilly cliiillenocd. 'riicy i-evcul a state of facts so wliollv (lilterciit from tliat (•oiiiiiionls (MitcrtaiiKMl as to snr- pnsi! the writer. Tliev show that i'lvv coal woiihl not result HI the saviiio- of a. siiiM;j(3 dollai' to Xew Eiioland, in the cost of the coal sIm' consiliums. Evk\ if .any CFri:AiM:xrN(^ of coal COULD FOf.LOW, IT WOULD I5K ACCOM I'ANIED HY^ A CORKES- UOXDfNC; UFDUCTIOX IX TIIK COST Ol' COAL CONSUMED ELSE- ^VMKFtE IN THE rNrTLD STATES, SO THAT THE RELATIVE T'osiTiox OF Xi;w England avould kkmaix i xcirAxoED." AVhen Ml. Whitman printed the ahove ovei- his name, I can imauiiie how Judicial must have been his res<'arch, — no ])ivconceived theory— results impaitially lu'esented— all state- meiils carefully veiilied, revealiii.u- a. state of facts as to surprise the writei-. Eive coal .vonhl not saxc a dollar to Xew En,ulaiid, even if it did ii would he of no ^ood, for other states would reap tlu^ same l.eiielit, and Xew En.uiand would not be a bit the better. But, Mr. Whitman, your luotectionist instincts had the best of you in the latter i)art of your conclusion, for, when it came to sharin.u- with the other states the benelit to be derived from free coal, you dropi>ed the judicial, and, as a pro- tectionist, in a converse way, said : "Xo, for if our State cannot have all the benelit for itself, let the free coal ,osition, oivon the actu.al business exiterience of men wh(> have handled and used the coals both of the riiitcd States and Xova Scotia, and upon the reports and data furnished by men lonu" familiar with pnjvuicial c(»al mines. I acknowlcdo'c my ind«;lU:edness to Mr. E. (Jilpin, Jr., the Inspector of the Xova Scotia, nnnes, for much valuable intbrmatiou rcuardiiio- them and their prcMlucts, and also to Mr. I>. .AIcDoiiald, Colh'ctor of the jjort of Pictou,' Xova Scotia. I am i-rciatly indebted also to Mr. E. II. ()diorne| who has handled all varieties of tbrei,i>n and domestic coal at the port of Boston for more than tiiirty years, and whoso 1(1 -no kiiowit'duv of tlie wholi' subject is not exrcodcd l>y tliat of any man in New Enuland. Of the books consulted, 1 have found tlio most valuable to be Walter K. Johnson's "Coal Trade of P>ritish America, ^ith Kesearches on the Characters and Practical \'alues of American and Forei.un Coal," published m ^'This iiKiuiry must necessarily be limited t<» the coal uiinesof Nova Scotia. They are the only coal deixisits so situated eonnnercially iAu\ ueouraphieally that tliey can ('ome into competition with the coal mines of the United Slates. The iiKpiiry may also be eontii 1 e\clusiv(dy to bituminous coals for industrial purjtoses only. There are no mines ot anthracite coal outside of the Tinted States; and for domestic pur]>«)ses bituminous coals have lon.u' been superseded by th(^ anthracite coals of l*einisylvania, which aiv much better a4ai)ted for liousehold use.'' Having carefully read, and read again, the pages of .AFr. Whitman's pamphlet, I am unable to discover the persons re- ferred to by him as men of ^' business exiH'rience " who have both handled and used the coals of Nova Scotia- In this sense he caiuiot refer to Mv. (lilpin, the very ellicient and estimable rnsju'Ctor ot the Nova Scotia mines, nor to ^Ir. I). JMcDonald, Collector of the Port of IMctou, Nova Scotia, lie must therelbre refer to .Air. Odiorne, ''wlios*' knowledge of the wlioh^ subiect is not exc(^eded bv anv man in New l^ngland.' Curiously enough, we have been treated to a gi'eat deal ot Mr. Odiorne, of late, in Canada, particularly at Ottawa, at tlu^ hands of those who are anxious that there shall be no recijuo- city in coal with the Ignited States. Now, I do not seek to de- tract from Mr. Odiorne in any way. I assume he is a gentleman of considerable exi)crience in his business as a dealer in coals, 1 calh'd upon him a few UKtriungs ago, and he did me the kindness of furnishing me with the cojty of Mr. Whitman's pamjihlet, to which 1 am now making reply. The ''<»py bears the stamp "II, Odiorne ^: Co., Comnussion :Merchants, Boston." I thaidert, and that no man knew www about coals than he — and as the atmos[»here 11 I of ]\rr. Odiorno's oflicc se(3nio(l to nie to be u'c'tting perceptibly wanner, well, I said "good nion.ing," and found my way to the street. lint wliydid Mr. Odiorne "warm up " when I ventured to express the belief that I eould put coal into Boston even with the duty on? Can it be that in Mr. Odiorne's person is summed up all the business experienee of the men who have handled and used the eoals both of the IJnited {States and Nova Scotia, to whom Mr. Whitman expresses hunselfassogreatly indebted, who has handled all varieties of foreign and domestic coal at the Tort of ]ioston for more than thirty years, and iinjilly, " Avhose knowledge of the whole subject is not exceeded by that of any man in Xew England?'' Or is there a possibility thiit Mr. Odiorne is so enanwed of th(; duty i)Iaced on coal by his own government, and equal!" so that the like condition opeiates against American coal mider the so cnlled "National Policy '' of Canada, that he con- sents to sink the business instinct of a dealer in coals, for the pleasure of i>osing ax ^Mr. AVhitman's man, whose knowledge of the whole subject of coals exceeds that of any other in Ne\v Enghind? Xo doubt 3Ir. Odioine has reason to be i)roud of tlie uni(iue position to Avhich 3rr. Whitman has advertised him. I cheerfully admit that .Air. Odiorne knows how to buy and sell coals, and it will l)e s;id to hui'l him from the pedestal to which he has been raised by 3Ir. Whitman; but hard facts Mill bring him assuredly to the ground. Assuming, then, that ^Ir. Odiorne is the "business experi- ence "of .Air. Whitman, for 1 do not lind any one else men- tioned in this connection throughout the whole pamiddet, I find myself in contlict with a gentleman "whose knowledge' of the wholes subject is not exceeded by tliat of any man in Xew England." 1 take, then, from page 10 his statement, as follows : " The pi-ice of Cmnberland coal in ism Mas 82.40 per ton ree on board at lialtimore, and 82.r>0 poard at 1 hihulelphia. These prices may be taken as standards, for while some coals have been delivered at less prices than these vet the best bituminous coals tbr manufacturing purposes cost' ^id down in Boston, about the same as the C.unherland coals', riieretore, the cost in 18!H) tor the Cumberland coal delivered 12 fit the wliaivi's in Boston was as follows: If sliipiK'd from lialtiiiiore, cost free on board, $2.M) Fivight, - . - - _ i.'j,-) Jnsuiance, _ _ - _ .02 Total cost at wliarvos in Boston, - 8'>.hia, - $2.r)() Frei,uht to Boston, . - . . 1.(10 Insnrance, . . . . .02 Total, - - . . 5<;i.r,2 8ca hiiuins can usually be obtained at less than the rates I have iiicntioned. The ]>resentrate this ISth of February, at the most inclement season of the year, from Philadelithia to Boston, is Sl.OO ])er ton. This I can vouch for, l)ecause it is an actual transaction made by me this day. '■ ISinco this paper was writtiii. reason, coiitracts have beoninadfi from rhiladelpliia at W cents, ami from Haltimoicat $l.(l(t. There have been rates on sinj,'le sliijimi'Uts as low as f.O cents irom I'hiladelpliia and CO (lents from Balti- more, dnrini^ the season of ISDIJ " In view of the foreuoiuu- it is fair to say that Ctunbcrland coal in iS'in was laid down by vessels at the\vhar\'es in Boston for s-'i..VJ per ton of 2'J4() pounds." I accept ^Fr. Whitman's foicuoinj;- tiuures of a transaction made on the 18th I'^ebruary, lSi)l, givino- th(^ total cost AL()N(i- .SIDE at wharves, 8'>.'">2, which sum, with dischargiuii' costs, '25 cents, added, totals 8'">.77 landed. 1 iiave shown that I can land coal at $3.10, and am therefore (IT cents cheai)er than Cumbeilnnd coal. It is triu? Mr. Whitman meets me here Mith an alleojition that Sydney coals an* 25 ])er cent, inferior to the Cumberland coals, see page 25 of his i)amphlet. I adnnt the inferiority of my Sydney Emery coals to those of Cumberland to the extent of 2.S cents per ton, as I shall clearly prove further on. How does he arrive at this startling an- nouncement of the 25 per cent, inferiority ? At his i)age 8, already quoted, he says: "1 liave not drawn my conclusion from books," and in truth I do not Hnd that he does except- ing in one case, and that is from W. II. rlohnsoifs investiga- tions into coal, made in the years 1842 and 1843, and not in 1843 and 1844, as stated by 3Ir. Whitman. He also states on page 25, that " 3Ir. Johnson is regarded as standard 13 nutlioiity on tliis subject;' That is liow :\ri. AVliitman seeks to make out tlu; oreat superiority of Cuniherland eoal over Syd- iwy eoal. Now, at tlie time .Air. Jolnison was makiui;- l)is re- searelies, tlie sales of eoal in tlie whole of Xova Scotia were, in lS4.'i, 10r),l(>l tons, and that Irom juobably two or tl jo Avorking seams only, wluueas, to-day, tlieic aie in that Pro- vince V.) working collieries^ operating from sev<'ral seams, and, it may he said, many of these collieries sellin^-, each more than the whoh' total of 1.S4M. ^Ir. W'hitiiian says atpaii'es LM and *J,~) : "Sofaras I can ascertain, the uidyexliaustive incpiiry made iiilo this subject was that made by Walter li .lohnson for the Tnited States (lovermnent in ls'4;> and IS-U. At that time the bituminous coal mines (»f the Tnited States had n^t been at ill! deyeloiKMl. and but lit lie was known leuarding the value (»t bitimiinoiis co:d tor manufaclurinu' i)uri)oses. ^'Mv .lohiison afterwards publisheda book in ISoO entitk'd, 'The coal trade of Urilish America, with Researches on the Characters and P.aclical Vahu's of American and foreiun coals." In this book it is staled that the number of pounds'of water at 'J12 de.iirces evaporat.'d In one imuuuI ot Xova Scotia coal is as follows : 8.41 ) S.4,S S •^^"•''••».^.«>S. This shows that the CumlM'rland coals of 3Iary- laiid had a value 18 1-4 i)er coitum greater than that of the Pictcu coals, and LT) per centum greater than that of the Svd- ney coals. ''Mr. Johnson in summing u]) hisrejiort makes the follow- mg statement: ' It will not fail to be nmiarked that the justlv celebrated foreign bitumiucuis coals of Newcastle, Livcrjux)! Scotland, Pictou. and Sydney, which constitute the present reliance of the great lines of Atlantic steamers, are fidlv e(iualled or rather surpass(-d iii strength bv the analooons coals ol eastern Virginia ; that they are decidedlv surpassed bv all thelree-burnmg coals of :Maryland and rennsvlvania, and that an eipially decided advantage in stiNuu-uvneratinu- power is en- joyeil by th(^ anthracite (»ver the toreioi, coals trieil, whether we considerthem in equal weights or ecpial l)ulks.' /'Mr. Johnson is regarded as standard authoritv on this subject.' 14 \<»\v, as a fact, and ^Ii'.Wiiitmaii is silent upon the point, ]Mr. Johnson confessed 42 years a^^o tlie insntl'eieney of his own tests niad(^ eiifht years before the pnbHeation of his book. 1 happen to be laniiUar with ]Mr. Jolnison's writings. Hut, if vcrilieation is necessary, I refer to the able and exhanstiv(3 jtaper eontribnt<'d by j\Ir. William Kent, M. K., to llu? *' J'ji,i;i::e(iing and ^Mining Journal,'' whieh ai)peared in its four nund»ers of ()et(»ber, ls<)l, tli(»rou,i>lily iiiNcsli mating the labors of 3Ir. Johnson, and, where he eonid, mentioning his api)i'eeiation of them, but, none the less, i)oiiitiiig out faet(>rs of errors which Mr. Johnson himself, with manly lionesty, had admitted, fiom the manner of his investigation, must inevital)ly be found. "This, then, is the standard authoiity with which ]\rr, Whit- man seeks to stigmatize the coals of Nova Scotia of to-day which, tifty years ago. were lying buried unheeded and un- kuowii. Yet, 3Ir. NMiitmau states, "• The results are im|»ai- tially presented.'* I ha\e slunvn tliat 31r. Wiiitman's -• standard authority " consists of an obsoh'te volume, the writer of which admitted at the time of its i)ublication that his results were ojx'ii to (pies- tion, and whi«'b icsults later researches fully xcrilied as erro- ]u.M)Us. In otlier W(»rds 3li-. Whitman ap]»lics y\i: Johnson's remarks made about hfly years ago in icgard to one giade (»f coal, to products then uidvuowu and since adnntted to be of very sui»crior (pudity. But as I have to proNc my case, I am compelled, veiv ic- luetautly, to ent< i' the lists against IMctou coal. I may say it is no longer a ((uestioii, with users of coal, as to the sui)erioritv of Sydney coals over Pictou. This (piestion has been solved in favoi' of Sydney, IJut if there be any eomtbrt to us iis having that fact ]»rovcd, we shall not long enjoy the victor\- for it is beyond dou])t the IMctou tield will cease to be pro- ductive within a century, whereas the coal known to us, in Cape Uretou, ^vill last for many centuries. The Pictou coals have been i^rized for their hardness, just as nuich as the Sydney coals were ])i'ejudiced by their softn(»ss. But a time came when it was discovered that "hai'dness" was not everything in coal, and, also, that "softness " did not mean 15 inferiority wlicn Jissociated witli ridi cjirboii. This was cxeiii- plilied by v.w tlircc years ago, in tlie foliowinj;' way: I called upon OIK! of our customers, a large niainifacturer in ]\ron- treal, wlio, during tlie past year, had been using Pictou coal and also ours. Tlie engineer, having been sent for, came into the odice, and having been told that I was there about coal, he exclaimed, " Oh, we don't want any more of that coal, for W(i have no room left for tlie ashes." Jlis mistake was ex- plained,and, 1 believe, we received the whole order for the year. Nevertheless, rietouciKd is not ({uite so bad as engineers have represented it. Jn order to answer the onslaught made by ^NFr. Whitnian on Cape liretou coals, 1 am bound to ollei- the ibllowing in de- fence of them: ]My com])any, in the earlier years (►fits ex- istence, obtained certilicates, of which the following are a few. It has ceased to jirocure them (►f late years from the fact that the coals ar(^ now well known and established. Extract from report of Engineer, 11. M. S. " Spartan," Veiy good lor generating steam (iuickl3', 3 per cent, of ash, (J i»er cent, of clinker, and large quantities of light brown and black smoke. Tin: Amazon Stk.vm XAVKiATiox Company, Limited, 10.") Gresham House, Old Broad Street, London^ E. C, 1st December, 1887. W. KiDSOX, Esq., Secretaiy Cape Breton Co., 8 Union Court, E. C. Dear Sir: — In re]»ly to >our favor ot yesterday, I beg to subjoin a copy of rei)ort on the cargo of coal per " Herbert J. Olive " consigned to our ag(Mit at Para for trial on account of thiscom[»any. 1 am, dear sir, Yours faithfullv, (Signed.) EitAXCis INIoketox, xVsst. Secretary. Dear Sir: — In answer to your official note, dated 13th Oct. ulto., ordering to have a trial of the coals lately arrived per lugger " Herbert J. Olive," 1 beg to inform you that such trial has taken place on board the steamers '• jNEorajo" and "Javary," and, after a comparison with the others existing in 16 IS oxein- I cjilloil in crou- ton (M>ul iiiKi into out coal, coal, for Avas cx- lic! year, icis liavo riiitip.an g in (Ic- [' its C'x- e a few. net that an," eent, of t brown nited, 1887. J. [ beg to rbert J. 3ount of itary. ed 13th arrived at such jo" and ting in our drpot, It shows ;iii eeououiy of (5 per cent., as per lOugl- neer's.Iouriial, nud tlie advautages of kee[»ing the fn«'S cleau and pnxhu'ing f(!W aslies, very inip»>rtant for the economy of the grates. ITaviiig notliiug furtlier to iidbrui you on tliis subject, I remain, Yours fait hi ully, (Signed.) AUGCSTO OUELINE, Superinten(h'nt Engineer. Cai>t. A. .r. I*KiiA Leal, JNlarine Superintendent. Extract from a. r<'port made to tli(> English A(hniralty l)y the Chiet Engineer of Her MaJL'Sty's Steamship ''JVll('ro[>hon:'' ;}lst October, 1874. L*ei»<'i't of the (Miief Engineer of IE. >[. S. " Bellerophon." "liellerophon" rei'CMVcd .'JOD tons Sydney coal (Capo Breton) from (rixdan) IJeserve Mine, belonging to the (-apo Breton Company, Limited. Tliis coal was found to generate steam ([ulckly and maintainiMl it well. When steanung easy, with a large; amount of grat(! surface, the coal being lired on the front bars, the caked coal being pushed back, before again firing, the smoke was found to be moderate, averaging from to 4 in dens(mess by Aihniralty tabic. From comparison of the diagrams taken when using the Sydney coal, and also wIkmi using a mixture ot 2-3 Welsh and 1-3 North Country received from Halifax dockyard, the engines working at a similar s[)(H'd, and under similar circumstances of wind and sea, th(^ poimds of coal per horse-power were 3.73^ and for Welsh and Xorth Country, 3.70. The Sydney coal was also tried mixed in equal proportions with Aberdare ]\[erthyr, received at (Quebec; the smoke from the nnxture was found to be considerable when nrging the fires, but not nearly so much as when using the Sydney coal alone; and when the fires were not being forced, the smoke was not more than No. 3 Admiralty table; under similar cir- cumstances of speeds of engines, wind and sea, the pounds per hoi'se-power were tor the Sydnijy coal 4.2, and for the mixture of Sydney and Welsh, 4.3. 17 T Tlic per cciitiigo oI'msIi ninl ('linker from the Sydney coals aloiHi was l().1>, and I'lom llic iiiixtm<* ofSydiicy and Welsh l.'J. Tli(! Sydney coal isalu'tter steaminii; eoal than ] had l>eeii led to expect, and when steannnL!; easy so that a lai<:;e atnoiint ol liie .uiate can l»e nsed, and cafelnl liiinu and attention ]>aid to the smoke hniiiin,^ slides in the liiinace doois, as well as the slides at the back ol' the I'miiaces, the dense hlack smok(? which often issties IVom the linniels when iisini;- this and other Colo- nial coals can be so much reduced as io be between and 4, Admiralty table, and when mixed with Welsh coal, iMKlilliculty shoidd be experienced in redncinL!; the smoke to a less nmomit. '' The steaminsi- (pialities (tl Welsh and Sydney eoal mixed ■will be Ibiind as good as Welsh and North Country ndxed in e(nial proiKutions." (Signed.) F. C. Alton, Chief Engineer II. 31. S. " Bcdleroidion." ;Montjikal, Sei)t. 25, 1S74. The (piality of the coal is lik» d for steam and house jmr- poses, and we would tak(; it in i>refercnce to any other Cape Breton Coal if i>roi)erly screened. (Signed.) Loud, 3[agoi{ & 3Iunx. 3IoNTi{KAL, Dec. 22, 1S74. If you ship the Emery (\)al a fair size, we believe a large quantity of it can be sold in this market, as it is undoubtedly a good steam coal. (Signed.) Lord, Magor & Munn. Prom J. Swinburne, Chief p]ngiiieer, S. S. "Pouyer Qiuutier." London, .January 7th, 1880. " The coal supidied by you at Loui.sburg 1 am glad to say has given great satisfaction. AVe foiuid it very cjuick to raise steam, while the clinkers from it are of no consecpience and easily removed from the bars. The collection of dirt and soot in the combustion chand)ers was not nearly so great as that from the Welsh coal we had ])reviously been using, inas- much as we neveroncehad to sweep tubes on the passage from St. Pierre to London, whereas before, this had frecpiently to be done. 1 thiidc it equally as good as English coal." 18 J li lini the or II the Ere Incy coiils tVcIsIi 13. h'.id hccii ailKMMlt itioii ]»Mi(l ('II Jis tlio )k<' wliicli lici- Colo- 1 and 4, (lilliciiltv > Ji loss •al mixed iiiixi'd ill [>li()ii." , 1S74. 'Use 1)111'- ler Cape lUNN. 1874. '■ a, large btedly p. UNN. U'l'tier." 80. glaarticular.''' Fi-om d, Ci-awtord, Ciru-i" Engineer S. S. ".Minia." Halifax, 1st May, ISSl. Tiiis is to certify that, the Anglo-American Telegraph Company's cable repairing ship ""Minia" has been coaled three times iVoin the mines of the Sydney and iiOuisl>urg Coal Alining (!i)mpany, Limited, and 1 have found it to be the best steaming coal I have used this side of the Atlantic, It is <'lean, very free from clinker, and easy on furnace bars. 1 may state [ have run thirty-six hours without eleaning tires.'' I would add that the "Allan" line of steamers have taken from us all tln^ coal obtained l)y them in Nova Scotia during the past four years. I close this i)art of my refutation by the following report, dated tlu; LM)th January, isirj, from ]\[r. Gilpin, Inspector of JNIines, Nova Scotia, for transmission to my Comi>any in London, but which, fortunately tor the purposes of this answer, had not left mv possession. Halifax, N. S., .Ian. LM>, i8J)2. D. J. Kennelly, JOscj. ♦Svdnev ^: Louisburg Coal and IJaihvav Co., Ld. Dear Sir: — I beg to submit the following rei)ort on analysis of samples of coal from the Emery and Reserve Colliery ot the Sydney & Louisburg Coal and liaihvay Com- pany of Cai)e lireton. Reserve seam. Coal fairly comi)act with a bright, pitchy lustre, and having some bands of an unknown lustrous Jet black. The de})osition planes are fairly covered with mineral charcoal. The coal breaks into elongated pieces having a rhomboidal shape. There are a few films of calc s})ar, and a little \isible pyrites. Th(; general appearance of the coal is very much in its favor. 19 Its t'(Hiii)(tsiiiun is as lollows: — 3Iois(m(', A'olat. Coiiibiist. ^ratter, - I''i\((l Carbon, - Asli, 'low ('okiii,u'. Fast Cokiiin'. ..'i."* ..T) nL>..sr> ;r>.iM; (;i.!«) ."iS.SS 4.SI 4.S1 KM MM) 1(MM)0 i.ir. l.I.-i l.L'-S l.'JS .s..-)! 8.00 Iiijiiiious Sii]|»liiir, Spccilic (Jravily, Tlicorctical Kvaixuativc, } lN)\\('r, j Asli iMiIvcrulciit and brown in color. Comparing tliis an- alysis with one of file i-oal Ironi the same soain made by nic some years ago, it may be icmarked tliat tlio coal at present AV(»rked is improved in (luulity, tliere being ii decrease in the moisture, and a (lecrease of nearly one i>er cent, in the ash. The amount of lixed carbon also is greater, being Ol.OJ), against r)!M.'{. This increases the evai>orative power as calculated Irom L'egnault's formula (and here for comparison with tlie British Admiralty Naval steam coal trials) from ** .Oit is.ss 4.81 l.J.j l.'JS 8.09 ; tliis aii- t present R ill tiic the ash. , against ted from 3 British )l lbs. of biiriiod amount : an ex- proeess Hie coal igniting le more ght and s held a ' pyrites V small d. The irve. 'I'lic comI g;i\e oii, - - - <>(».. 'iS Ash, - - - l.is Fast Coldng. .75 ;;().! r. (U.ll •i.it> 1(MM)(> KMMH) Injurious Sulphur, - - l.'iO \.'M) Sjleeiliedravily, - - - l.'Jt> l.'-ii> Theoretical Kviiporalive I'owe?-, t>.l*J 8.8S Ash |»ul\erulent and brown in color. I notice on some siteeimens a wash ol' clay, and i)resum(; but Ibr this the percentage of ash would h;ive been slightly lower. The percentiige ot volatile combustible matter and ash being less in this coal than in the; Keserve coal. The Jixed carbon is larger in jiropoition, giving a fuel th(M)retic;illy ciip- able of evai)oratiug 9.12 lbs. of water by one i)ound of coal. The coal ai>proaches in composition the bituminous giiid(M)f the well-known Welsh steam coids, and slu/ald have excellent, results in furnace Ixdlcrs. It should also be a good lumsc^ coal judging from the manner in which a small sample burned in a grate. The sami)le forwarded did not appear to have much slack; this (pialit\ should make it an economica! coal for stor- ing and for transportation. I remain yours truly, E. GILPIN. 1 have no doubt that had the other (iolliery proprie- tors of ('ai»e IJrcton been aware of Mr. Whitman's untbuiided denunciation of the Sydney coals (which in elfect are from the different seams now being worked on the Island of Cai)e Breton) they could and would as successfully have rebutted the charge against X\w.m as myself. Having given Mr. (Jilpin's analysis of two of the Sydney seams, of each of which my Oompany owns about Kl S(iuare miles, in addition to other good workable seams, I r<'turn to th(i mis- statement made by 3Ir. Whitman on page li'), where he alleges that the Cumberland coals had a value of 25 per centum great- er than that of the Sydney coals, and instead of taking his 21 false fnotor of 7.11!), I u.sc llic tnic oiio of <>.12, tlio evapoiative l)ow('i' of tlic Sydney "Emory" eoals, as given by Mr. Gilpin. Taking tliat of Ciinil)eilan(l coals as 0.1)8, these two factors es- tablish the superiority of Cniiiberland coal over Sydney "Emery "to tiie amount of 28 cents per long ton delivered. And Avlien, therefoie, Cumberland is selling delivered as low as So.TT, they being the best figures given by IMr.AVliit- man, see liis loot note to page 1(>, tlie relative value to the buyer of Sydney "Emeiy " is 83.40, but as tlio piice at which it is delivered liere is So.lO he (tlie buyei) saves 30 cents per ton on the transaction. Consecpiently the operator in Sydney, instead of putting the coal at 81.35 f. o. b., can do so at $1.74 + freight + charges -r duty = $3.40, the ecpiivalent for Cumberland at $3.77. I think I have succeeded in making this clear to the understanding of the most earnest piotectionist^ and may I venture to hope even to the understanding of Mr. Odiorne. I would 1k» glad to pass over :Sh: Whitman's reductio ad absurdum matter on page 20, but fear to do so lest it might l)e said that, being unanswerable, 1 had to leave it without reply. He says : "In 1800 the coal imiKnts into the United States from Xova Scotia and Xew Bhunhwjck amounted only to 3(>.317 tons, and this was composed chietly of culm arul screenings, which constitute about one sixth of the totaloutput of the inines, and ni)on which the duty is only oO cents per ton, a duty amount- ing to but little more than the cost of discharging the vessel at Boston. Only a part of this (luautity came to New England." As a fact, the coal imports into the United States from Nova Scotia in 1800 amounted to 50,854 tons, a portion of this being round coal which went to New York. New Brunswick does not exi)ort coal. Again he says at page 20 : "Of the Nova Scotia coals which are available the best are mined at Pictou, and of these the coals from the Acadia nunes are preferable. Cost free on board at Pictou, - - $2.50 ner ton. Ereight to Boston, - - . . l.5o' Insurance, - - . _ ](,rj M\ Cost at wharves at Boston without dtty, $4.05 •)') [ipoiative r. Gili»in. ictors OS- Sydney lelivoied. EKED as Ir.AVhit- 110 to tlio at whicli ?oiits per f putting ■ fro i gilt 'riaiul at ir to tlie I may I )i'no. iiotio ad night 1)0 without nn Xova 17 tons, >, which iios, and unount- 'ossol at gland." OS from ) of this Linswick he best Acadiii 1101' ton. ''This coal has a coniiuorcial value of about .">(» to 7.") eents per ton loss than that of Cuniborland ooal, which as 1 have al- ready shown, was delivered at tiio wliarvos in JJoston from riiiladclphia, at an average cost of $^.52 ])er ton in ISIM). At the present time. Fob. J 8. IS!H, tiie best Cunib( "land ooal can be laid down at wharves in Boston at the same price; namely, $3.52 per ton. "The next best grade of Pictou coal is procured from the Albion or old Pictou mines. It costs free on board at I'ictou, Freight to Boston, _ - - Insurance, - - - - 82.25 per ton. 1.50 .05 rp Total cost at wharves in lioston without di;tv, $:>.80 "The conuncrcial value of this coal in Boston is 75 cents per ton less than tliat ot Cuniborland coal, and yet the Cum- berland coal can bo landed at 27 cents per ton eheapor." iloro .Mr. Whitman dis[)lays his absurdity. The (luestion of the supposed superiority of the IMctou coals has already been dealt with. The Acadia coal is, without (piostion, tlu' best of the Pictou. field, and, com})arativoly, but little of it remains un\Vork('d. The local market takes a largo quantity of the Pictou coaN. The total sales for 18!)1 were 4oO,5(M) tons, of which 277.75.') tons wore absorbed locally. 3Ir. Whitman ({uotos the local prices for Acadia and Albion coals, and would have his reaVlers believe that those $2.50 and $2.25 are the going f. o. b. prices for say ^[ontreal or places elsewhere outside of the Ijcal market. He tlion pro- ceeds to show how those coals, adnuttedly inferior to the Cum- berland, could not bo placed in Boston, wftitout uuty, oxcepr at a i»rioe in excess of the better Cumberland coal. Mr* Whitman might as fahly take the prices of my bmda'r coals and use them as my cargo f. o. 1). |)rices. This is scarcely honest reasoning. The results ai'o (xot) imi)artially presente[r. Whitman on page 27, again and for the last time, (piotes 3[i'. Odiorno as follows : "Mi-. F. 11. Odiorno has furnished mo with the cost of de- livoi'ing scr«'onod coal from th(; Acadia, nunc tree on board at Pictou, from 1878 to 1884 inclusive. These costs an; as follows without fractions: 23 ]S7S LS79 ]880 1S81 1882 188;] 1884 $2.(9 1.52 1.48 1.48 i.ni 1.44" Ian AVljjit tlie ol>jcct wns of giving tliosc costs from 1878 to 1884 inclusive, T nm unable to understand. \Vliy leave oft" at 1884? and why aitpareutly seek to stultity tlie statement at page 20, " costs free on board at IMctou 82.50 ?" Is ]Mr. Wliit- man atteini»tiiig to sliow tliat in those years tliese were the costs f o. b. outside of the local market ? 1 have now finished with this i)art of my answer to]Mr. AVhitman. So far I liavo eucouiitered only two authoiilies who are put forward to 8U])porthis statements, namely, ]\rr. F. 11. Odiorne, and a book by j\[r. Johnson containing uncertain data on coals worked out 50 years ago. I need not say more about 3Ir. ()di(>rne or the book. 1 cannot trace that the tliird gentleman, Mr. D.3[cBon- ald, did more than is stated at page 11) as follows: " D. iNrcDonald, Es()., Collectoi' of the port of Pictou, :N'ova Scotia, wiites me tliat IMctou Ilarlmr is closed from earlv in I)ecember till the latter part of April, say lour and a half to rive months in the year." Now, of the tburth, Uv. E. Gilpin, Jr. I sliall be able more conveniently to classily this gentleman's statement imder the nextstageofmy answer, which has reference to what I may term expeet testimony, as given by Mi-. T. B. lirown, ^Ir. J. H. iJartlett, Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Gisboi'ne. Writing of the extent and capacity of the Nova Scotia coal mines, ]\rr. Whitman says at i)age 20: "The coals of Cape Breton are much inferior to those of i letou. Ml 1. B Brown, the eminent Canadian authority, at a imM'ting of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers in 1888 said ot these coals: ' ' Th The coal that came from (^a])e Breton was yery friable, nd tlM.se who saw it leave tlu> collieries in large, round, hand- <)in(> pieces aveiaging tlie size of one's head, would be sur- Jinw .n'tr" 'f ^"'ivo iKTc as suiall as it might be seen at any time on the wharves." a SOI 2i 2.(9 1 ..VJ 1 .48 I.4S i.ra 1.44" 1878 to ^e oft" at iiKMit at r. Wliit- vcre the ftiiislied ■ I liave vard to II book ked out 3 or the klcBou- 1, Kova 'ally ill half to le more ler the : I in.'U' 31]. J. Scotia lose of ritv, at 1888, liable, h;iii(l- (^ siir- [it any Mr. Keuiiedy at the same meeting used the follovving hiiigiiMgc : "3rr. Kennedy eonldeoni.borate what 3li. Brown had said in regard to tlie friability of the eoal. It was not altogetlier a question of handling. The eoal would arrive lu'ie in large lumps, l»ut about a week (tr two after landing on the wharf, the himps would tall to ]»iee<'sof their own aeeor, 8'>.8() l)er ton at the wharf in Boston. It is not necessaiy to consider the chea}»er and inferior of the Cape Ihvton ci)als. It ^Yould be ditheiilt to hur, and are esi)eeially liable to si)ontane(ms combustion." The "eminent Canadian authority, 3Ir. T. B. lirown," it is my mistbrtune not to know. 1 had not even lieard of him before, and had he been conversant with coal, it seems to me I ought not to be feo wholly ignorant about a person so gifted. Even emidoying his testimoiiy,it remains to see to what extent 'Ml. AVhitman is aided i)y it. Again JNIr. Kennedy, of whose identity I am also wholly ignorant, says: '' The coal would arrive in large lumi)s which would fall to ])icces of their own accord." This gentleman's perceptive faculties are evidently of a high order, lie seemed to liave watched the lumps of coal fall to pieces of their own accord. l'>ut what did it matter, it would scarcely pay to handle sueh coal carefully, (he ought to have said "delicately") because it would fall to pieces anyway. What perverse coal! Mr. Whitman continues at page 20 : "It is tlM'ivfore important to iiMpiire into the i>ossibility of theprice of Xova Scotia coal lu'ing rediici'd to American con- sumers, liist l)y diminished cost of i>i<>l(; those engaged in it to launch out in the iniin'ovenients that sueli a tijuh* demanded." 3[r. J.II. Baitlett made the following statement at tlie same meeting: "The trade between Xovji Scotia and tlic Province of Quebec is growing, but even witli the (bity of 00 cents \wv ton on impoited coal, tlieic^ is a very small margin in the ^Montreal market b(;tween the prices of American bituminous coal and that trom Xova Scotia." The '•Ennnent xVuthority " appears to have spcdvcn with some compunction and, be it remarked, all this is but pui'c sur- mise on th(' part of these gentlemen, for the}' do not i>roduce a single proof to sui)i)ort their statements. 'Sir. Whitman alfoids us no information as to the nature or object of the meeting at which they were said to have been pn'sent; he docs not even give the name of the paper read and discussed. His readers arc left to gather that it was a meeting of the (-anadian society of civil engineers. Now, had theses gentlemen been nnning engineers or men conversant with coal in one or more branches of that industry their statemeids would naturally connnand a certain amount of attention and possibly respect. But, for the purpose of decry- ing the coal of >sova Sc(ttia, this })ossible hole and (!orner conversation of theirs is imported into a pamphlet, printed with, an evident pur[)ose, and these gentlemen, whoeverthey may be are made, perhai)s, the unwilling tools for working out the si>e- cilic object of the writer. Did ^[r. Whitnuin make them aware that their irresponsible utterances were to be used for the [jurpose of discrediting one of the chief natural products of their own country ? or, as is most probable, are they to-(hiy ignorai»t of the i>eculiar position they occupy in his paniidilet? It is trusted for their own sakes that they are not aware of the position in which they are thus placiMl. Mr. Gisborne at the same meeting, is (pioted as having stated : "The colonial coal fields were eagerly fought for, and unstintedly provided with powerful machinery and transport facilities. Within a brief period, however, the British coal fields were ]>roved to have two or three centuries of nuneral supply in reserve, and the bright outlook for Nova Scotia lUUl cami ton pen of TImi audi to 20 'M niiiK's WMs rclcuntcd to the tutiire. V;\\)v Breton rojil be- came Ji (lin,u" oil the iiiMiket, even at less than 81. 4() Hel- ton at the mines. His eompany eollai>s<'(l after tiie ex- jienditiuc of over .$2,()(M»,()(M), havinu made no i)rolit our of which they eonld pay inteicst n]>on tlieir hoiuh-d delit. The itropeity ])assed out (»f the hands of the sliare-hoUh-rs, and thus lie had ahandoned mining ventures and returneil to his first love, eleetiieal science.''' Of ]\rr. (Jisborne's identity I cannot, as in the other eases, claim to be ignoiant. Indee«l I have known him but too well. And before proceeding further I desire to say that the lime must shortly come when ^Ir. (Jisborne's services as an electri- cal engineer, as an e\i>lorcr in Newfoundland, and for his work in the inception of the fnst Atlantic submarine cable, shall re- ceive their due meed of rewarra('tical domain of coal in llie Is- land of Ca])e liret(>n. The statement that the couipany <'ol- lapsed after the expenditure of ov«'r $'J,0()0,()()() is slight- ly erroneous. The collajtse was for S.'>, 1 -•"">, ^^<><> — b> which has to b<.' added, after Mr. (Jisborne's collajtse as I'ailway con- tractor for th(^ company, a further sum of .87.">,.S.">(). I Joined that ill-fated coTiipaiiy early in ls74 as its mana- ging director, and shortly afler was deputed to Sydney to rei)ort on the iH'o[)erty. 1 saw sutticient nial-administiation on the i)art of Mr. Gisborne to compel his resignation. lie was at the timii chief manager and engineer of the coiupany, and also contractor for the building of the compan\'s railroad to Louisburg. 1 give one amusing instance of the work of the electrical scientist turned into the Alining ]Manag(M'. Having caus«i to know that Mv. Gisborne had been [)Uinping one of our three collieries (the S<^liooner Pond) for eleven months with varying success, but never to get the workings clear of water, I de- termined to inspect the pit, and accom[)anied by ]Mr. Gis- borne and a. few of the leading employeesj w«Mit to the' deep until our progress was stojrped by the water. Reply ing to (pieries of mine, Mr. ^Jisborne stated that afterall the i)umping for eh'ven months they IkuI been unable to discover the place 27 n mmi^ of inflow. I asked ii lie liiid ''TAStki)" his way along the wjiter course? He did not ai)i)ear to apinviuMid, so I went to work, lie and the others foliowini--, I tastin,ii the water .is I went, About halt' wiiy up I found the water ehan<,'e, Jind I ask(Ml the men to search round for the intlow. We had not gone very far Mhen the water was diseovei'ed tlcnving through a break in the surface, over which, above ground, ;i strciini was flowing, and into this stream the water for eleven months had been juimped from the pit oidy to circus back again into the workings. 1 at once closed up the; mine, which I would have donc^ in any case, for I found that in addition to the expense of pumping, there was being paid a heavy tax for way leave through the ad- joining "Ontario" colliery, which gave us a dead loss on uiining. The coal was excellent. rnfortunately 1 could not dejirive ]Mr. Gisbornc of his contract to build the road to Louisburg, the failure in ac- complishment of which work by him practically led to the col- lapse of th(! company, eventually reconstructed into the ex- isting Sydney & Louisburg Coal and Kailway Co., Ltd. After some litigation carried to a successful issue against 3[r. Gis- bornc, he returned as he says, to his first love, lie is not cor- rect in stating that this jtroperty passed out of the hands of the stockholders, for a few of us yet remain. I may add while on the subject that the company managed by Mr. (irisborne (the ('ape liretcMi Co.) was formed by the amalgamation of three Knglish coal com])anies, and, I may say, more or less ex- travagantly managed from England, but with Mr. Gisbornc came the climax ; for his capacity for spending money reckless- ly, because ignorant of coal mining, was great. Xo sound in- dustrial concern, however well backed, can long stand the strain of continued incompetent management. Messrs. lirown and Keimedy are careful to point out what they consider a serious defect in Nova Scotia, coal, namely, its softness and friability. " The coal would arrive in large lumps and fall to pieces." Tlu^se gentlemen were evid(intly ignorant of the fact that the friability and falling to i)i(»ces of which they complain is due to the absence of foreign matter, which forms the cementing element in bituminous coals, and where present is found ABLXDANTr.Y iu the ash pit of the furnace as ashes. 28 T^ col snl T^ u The fri.'ibility is diic to the imrity oi'llie carbon ooiiiposino' the coil], and tlie absence ol' Ibiciiin liiatter is exliibitrd by llie snuill (lunntity of ashes. But let lis examine tliis (nicslion inaelically. I do so in the manner in \\]\'w]i I liavc jtut \t b> nianiiliictui'ers usinit which, ibr your purposes, are more economical than llie dearer round coal?" The mjinnfacturers usual rei>]y is; "Why, w(i like lunii>y coal !'' "Well, yes," I rei)ly, " Linn]>y coal looks well in a domestic! grate, but why pay for this luxury under your steam l)oiler ?" I then proceed to put in my econonue education as follows : Watch a larjie lump of coal when thrown into your liu- nace, and what do you see lia])pen ? Vou will see it triturated by the fire upon which it has been thrown. That trituiation, or breakin,u" of the coal, usually is etfected by a certain amount of energy in lieat units exerted, and theretbre, lost to your boilers for obtaining steam. The measure of that loss can be understood by the muscular energy emi)loyed by the foicman to break the sanu^ lump of coal before lu^ proceeds to fecil it wiien made small, to the furnaces. "Why then," T say. "do you buy the expensive round coal which your Ibremau has to break, or lose etfectiv(? lieat by comi)elling y(uu' furnace to do it for bin), while you can obtain aniore effective if not so large a coal at a lower ])rice ? The result is, my orders are for more " run ottlu^ mine" coals, and less of the screened. Messrs. Brown, Bartlett, Kennedy, and, 1 believe, ]Mr. CJis- borne, are Civil Engineers. Do they not know that various kinds of econonue ai)pliances are being made for breaking coal to feed it small to furnaces ? I sincerely concur with ]\rr. Brown's remai'k on the in- appropriateness of discussing the i)rolits of a business (coal) with which he or liis friends are not shown to have hiul any special means of obtaining facts. I have now to see how far Mr. AVhitmans statements are borne out by Mv. Gilpin's connnunications to him. 1 give the following from page IS : 29 "Tli(! production of 1 lie Nova Scotiii cojil iiiincs in 1889 was ],7.")(;,'J7!) tons. Ot'tliis Ihcre was sold l,r)5r),107 tons. Tli« ditrciciK'c was consumed oi" sold at the mines. E. Gilpin, Jr., Escj., Ins])ector of Xovji Scotiii mines, wiit<'s me that in 18J)o there was an increase in the output over 18SI) of about 2r)(),()0() tons, niakin.i;- the total amount of coal raised in 181M) about 2,('(MMM)() tons. About one sixth of tli(^ entire coal juoducit is what we call culm of coiU ; that is, the sci'ceninus that cannot geneially be worked to a(lvanta«;e exce])t by admixture with other coal. Mv. Gilpin also writes me that in ]S(► jicr centum over that of 181M), and that in the followin,ii year, 18<>'J, the output could be raised to double he present amount ; and the pits at i)resent open, if worked to nu'cfc tlu! full demand, could at the end of two years be pre- l»ared for an anmial out[)Ut of between three and four millions of tons." In the same letter ]Mr. Gilpin writes me as follows: "Our coal lields can be develope 1801 Increase. Sydney &Louisbuig Coal & Kail way Co. 139,777 154,050 Gowrie, 124,041 Caledonia, 145,000 G. M Ass'n, 100,500 Internat'n'l, i;i;;,000 L. G. Bay, 108,500 Victoria, 77,.'>07 Bridgeport, 28,700 Gardener, 152,233 145,00t> 144,000 13u,00() 115,000 94,000 30,000 22,000 mc. u dec. a inc. a iC u 14,870 27,502 10,000 3,000 7,500 17,000 1,300 22,000 31 ir)4,r>r)(; \:u\:vMi dee. 18,100 (Jl MIWOULANI) Co. Spiiiig Hill ^Eiiu's, .'177, ."JT'J 4or»,(;!)S inc. 2S,I2({ .loggiiis '' r»;{,40!) ()(),()()() " (ijoDi PrcTOU Co. Diiiimiiond, Aciuliii, i Albion, > Viile, S h. DiMnioinl ;;i>,(H)(> ;J2,00t) est. .Miiifs .Mine, 1,000 ;{,000 inc. 2,000 Salks by Counties. Cape liivtoii, 1S!)0 017,0(10 iM2,(»07 2;{7,(;(r) " ii " 1S!H Increase; Cuinherhiiul, ISIM) " 1S!H. Increase LSDl rietoii, ISJIl) 1891 (( 082,O(M> (m,00() tons 4;}8,r)IM) 4(M,(;i>;j 27,01)1 4;5o,r)()o 400,0()() 5,005 Decrease '1)1 - - 21,,50() Grand Total Xova Scotia Colliekies. 181)0 1,7 iviisoiis |H<'\i(iiisI.\ staled, they (•(.lltilill so liillcll sulpliiii', ami air csiKM-ially li.iUlc to s|>oiitaii<'(»iis coiiibiistioii." Tlic stitiiiia lie tliii> rast> on tlicCapc llivtoii coals not f';lii|>|M'(l ill Sydiicy llarUor, soiiir oj' wliidi, as a mat tcr ol" coii- vciiiciiro. ate shipped oiitsi.lc of Sydney, and are of the same scainsas those (»l"eollieries sliiiipinu' in Sy(hiey llMfhor, is one (►fthc iiiosf HTossly niiiii>l eril i.jsnis eoiilaiiied in Ids pamph- let, lie s\vee|»il|niy delioliiiees the e< la U of \ aliiahh' Working coljiciies, and has not tiic eoiiininii deeeiies to ad(h('s> a sinnh^ iiict in support of liis dieiuiii. This is not ai'.iiiimeiit, it i> ont- ra,ui' and of a LiTosseharacler. liiil here is t he aiiswei'. So far back as ISIIO, the Director o| Naval Coiistriictioii at Ihest re- l)oitcd to the i'^reiich Minister (.f Marine : ••Thatlhe steam ]M>\ver (»f the Sydney coalis little ird'erior to that of Cardiri', M'liilc with resp<'ct to the aiiioiiiil of sulphiw 1 liiid thai, alter dediictinu' the harmless siilphiii- in the Milphate of lime of the iisii, there remains hut l.L'l |>er cent, or less than tlic avera^'e ill .')7 Welsh and 'JS Lancashire coals, which is J.l'Jin hoth cases, and Strom Scotland which is 1. 4."). So that this coal Avill coinpare lavorahl> in this respect with those from abroad, some of which are liiulil) esteemed lor steam purposes," it Nvill he notedthaf the anaUsis -iiNcn 1)\ Mr. ( lilifm at mv iiau'cs 20 and 21 are l.lo and l.;;(i ]»erceiit. Dr. Harrison I'emaiks in l;i\(>i of oiir Si(hic\" coals: " it is now clearly deiiioii>i rated, in practice, that the siil- l»lnir of this (IJescr\('). and most other ( 'ape iJreton coals dis- j)l)pears haiiiilessly in the >ulpliate of lime of theasli. and hence the ji'ood character t!ii> ('ompaii\\s coal ohtains for its clean Miul economic action for >ti'am as well as y ^[r. Wliitiiiwii. Of (lie tell Wdikiiiu coHicrics of (';i|m' Uirtoii, tliM( of tin; " ( Jciicriil Miiiiiiii' Associjilioii," <*oiiiiii(nil,v Uintwii ;is tlx^ '• i )U\ Sydiic) Mines," :iimI to a ('citaiii «'\t«'iil, the " Low Point IJairasois," coiiiMioiily known as the " N'icloiia " colliery, woik l»elow the sea. While of the leniaininii eiiiht eollieiies, one, the l»ri(lu('|Mtil. is workin.u' with "(h'eps" aho\e sea level, and ('oiise(|iienl l> is nnwatered Ity ,ura\itutioii, while anot her colliery to llie *' I ise " (»t' the IJrIdiJiepoit is cai)ai>le. to a lar^e extent, ol hiinu nnwatered in the same way. The reniaiinn^ collieries are wdikinii in land measures, and are heinn' l»iim|»ed in the nsnal way. and wiihoiit dillicnlty, lor the watei' in this district is not in yrcat V(»Iunie. At pa.ue L'.s .Ml. Whitman, says: ''The >t;,teiiieiits already made in icuard to the locaticm (d the mines are sidlicient to show that it will l»e imjiossihle to secure any material reduction in the cost of Ireinht. In other Words, any reasons that can he ad\anced lor pro^ncsticatinu' cheauer Ireiuhts het ween No\a Scotia and Boston will apply with cipial loive to I'rciuhts lietween JMdladelphia and J»oston. ''An indisputahle evidence, it s/eiiis tome, that no material reduction in the cost ol' unidiiii' Nova Scotia, coals is jjossihle, is that in the yeai' IS'.K), the United States exi)orted to the West Indies, including Cuba and Porto KMco, ;5()S,S2;i tons of bituminous coal, while the exjxtrts to th(! West Indies in ISSl) from Nova Scotia were but l\,i)s:} tons. The West Indian markets are as open to Nova Scotia as they are to the United vStates; and if it were possible foi' Xova Scotia to compete witli tlie Tinted States upon ('(lual terms in the West Indies, there certainly would be no such dis}M'oportion between their rela- ti\(' exports of bituminous coal as now exists. The exports of Ititumiiious coal IVomthe I'liited States to the West Indies were in IS'.M) more than three-lifths laru'c'r than the exports of !Nova Scotia to the I'liited States at their maximum period in 18(55. It would certainly b(^ as easy for Xova Scotia to secure the West India trade aiiainst the riiited States as it would be lo secure Xew England trade under the same conditions." This is grim reasoning. The United States coal poits of Xortolk and Newport News are 1,210 miles, und Baltimore 1,4(K) miles nearer to the markets of the West Indies than are h s k 34 llic ports (.r l'ict(. II ;iii(l S\«|ii(V. Thr liiitcd SiMics sliipprrs liavc tlic I'liillici' ;i> ;i vessel Willi ;i ictiiriicd t'li i^lii scciiicd to ;i poii ,A' the I'liiti'd States, nil nd\;ilit;im' thiil V( rv seldom aeerile> to tllesliipiMTol VOi\\ tVoiii No\:i Sc(»ti;i, ;iiid \e|,\vitll tliese liuMs Indole hiin, Mr. \\ irniiKiii has the haidilioiMi to place reasoiiiiiu' ol'lliis kind heroic Ids readers. Ii now remains Idr me to refer to Mi. Wiiit man's summary set out on his pag<'s :i\), IW) and .'il, wliieli I j;i\e heiv in lull. "Fiws'i', 'I'liat N<'w Mnulaiid is now .-npplied with eoal from mines in the Tnited States, which have forced all other coni- ]>etitors IVoiii her markets, and can hold tlu; lield willioiil the aid of a diit,\ . "SKcoNh, That NTew I'Jiuland now pfociires licrc(»al supply more cheaply than she coiild procure it Iroiii Nova Scotia witli the duty leiiioNcd. •''I'llti;i». That the condition of things desci ihed in the alto v(3 two propositions is due to the uoiiderfiil development oftlio (^oal product in the Ignited States, in consequence of which liu; eoal prodiicf ot the United States preponderates over that of Nova Scotia in the pro|H)rti(»ii ol 70 to I. As ;t result ol this the juices of coal in New JMiulaiid are now cstalilished and will eontimie to he established by competiiiu' American mines inde- pendently of the eost of foreiiiii eoal. '^ roiuril, That the reiiio\al of the diit\ upon foreiun coal would not cause a New lOiiuiaiid demand foi' No\a Scotia coal, because she could still jtrocuiv hei- supply from mines in the United States at a less cost than from Nova Seotia. "FiKTii, That the iMiODicTivi: cAi'AciTV oi' Nova Scotia COAL -MINlls IS MMITKK, ( 'udci' t lie iiiost fav(uable circuiii- staiKN's, their annual output al t lie end (d' two years could not l)e more than doubled. Anv possible increase in oiitpul, with steadily iiicreasinu' domestic coiisiiiii|»tioii, cannot be larges eiioiiuii to affect the piice olCoal in the riiitcd Stales. "Sixth, Tli;it the prociirinu' ot any material proportion of Xew lunula lid's ct>al supply from Nova Scotia- with the duty removed iiiNolves a laruv reduction in the present |»rice of Nova Seotia eoal, AND srcii i;i;t»r(iiov is sot I'ossii'.i.i:. "Sevkntii, That even if it were possible for Xova Scotia mines to maivc the reductioiiits liave the ad- vantaii'c of lail comiietition in the coals of the Ignited States, Avliich is conslaiitly becoininn closer, AND WHICH does not E\ist ON Xo\ A S(()t:a coals, " I'iLKVENTii, That in the relati\-e value of th(^ coals for nianufacturiiig purposes, the advantage is so greatl_\' in fa\'or ot our coals that Nova Scotia coals could not compete with theui, even if the latter could he. landed at IJoston at a less price than American coals. '' Twkli'TII, That the cost of coal in Xew I'aiglaml, even if it could be reduced, by reason of free coal, w.>ul(l be accompa- nied by a corresiH)ndinu leductioii in the price of coal in othci' localities, so that the relative dilferciice in the cost of manu- facturing, 1)y reason of the cost of coal, between New I'^ngiand aixl other sections of the country would remain the same as now, '"'I'liiitTLEN'i'H. That the eflect of reciprocity in coal, t<'sted by ten yeai^' eNpeiieiic<'. was simply to add the amount of the duty to I he cost ol'No\a Scotia coal, both in Xew England and jn tile Donuiiioii. " ForiiTi'.KNTiL That the control ol the West India market by the I'liited States coals, where they compete on e(|ual terms with No\a Scotia coals, epitoudzes the whole ([Uestion- The conditions which would exist in New l-higland with free coal, j)iactically exist in the \\'est Indies now; and under these con- ditions (tur coals have driven the Nova Scotia coals out of that market. The same conditions ivxistcd in the United Slates duiing the se\en y(>ars in which all coals used in our ocean and coastwise steam navigation wi're i»ractically free, and there was httle or no use of Xova Scotia coals for that })nrpose. " FiKTLLNTii, Finally, the X^)va Scotia miners do not want reciprocity in coal, as is shown by the results of the recent 3*i ('('(•tioiis in the iii.niiiinr pioviiKM's, The (":m;i(li;ms ivcouiiize tli<; IjK't, wliicli this iiivcsiinati(,n l,;,s cstahlislicl at every IHMiit that the N(.va Scotia (-(.als eaiiiiot eoinpete with those (if tlie I lilted Slates on e,nial t.'ims, either iiere or in (\iiia(la, niKl that reeipioeity in eoal woiild work meat injnrv to the ^()v;i Seotia mines, by depiiN iiiu- i|„.,„ ,,f a sidliei'ent' niaiket tor their siipitoit." lf;ivin,u- proved at i.au'e S tlia(. even with the exist iii-iduty <»n.) cents per t'.ii a.uaiiist in.', I can, in coin|>(t it ion with United Stales ("nnd.erland t'oal, and othei' siijuMior coals of that class, put my Sydney coals at a profit into IJoston. I af- firm that Ml. Wliitniaifs hist, second, tliird, fourth, sixth, seveidh, and eleventh ))ropositions are dis]»roved. I"'iirther. his lifth proposition is disjuoved hy ^hai he himself elicits Irom ::\Ir. (Jilpin. Se." ^Ii'. Whitniaifs pa-r is, quoted at my pa-c .'{('.where Mr. (iil].in says, 'M )iir c,»al lidds <':iii he developed to meet any demand that can he madr upon them." Ill regard folds ninth propo>ition, I have sIk.wii at ]iaue '), that the iiisiiraiice ii])(m coal from Sydney uoiii.u' np the St. ivawrcnce is liiit .01 '"• cents pel ton, a.sa,uain>t L' cents admilied hy .Mr. Whitman, See i)a,ue l;;. This i> a very clear reliita- tioii. Ill regard lot .' eighth jiropositioii, I have alreadv shown that under the system of carr\inu <'oal in my hired steamers. as indicated on paue S my fifiuhta^v is lower than that shown by 31r. Whitman. lint 1 admit that tlu" ad\anla-r of r<'turn car.uoes is at present with the ( nited States, altlimmh witli recii»iociiy there would |»robably be a chaii-c in our fa\or. As lor the tenth proi»()silion, 1 would i»oint out thai the 8i)iiii,uiiill collieries of Xo\a Sc(.tia, on the lidercoloiiial llail- Avay, which railwa.\ is in comiection with the svsteiiiof the Tnited Stales, are onl.\ L' 10 miles b\ rail from the boimdi.rv of the ^^'W lvi,«iland Stales, and by all rail to l>o.>t(.ii Mn) miles. While, b,\ combined rail and sea \ia raisboio, No\a Scotia, the rail haula.uv is only '27 niiies and sea carriai^c lis miles, beinu- in all a total from SpiiunhiH to I>ost(tu oi 17,'i miles. C'limbeiiaiid coal, \ ia IMedinont, J5alt iiiiore and ( )liio railroad, is hauled IMMI miles to Jialtimore, and that phn-e bciiiu' by scii 0 miles. The. Kananha eoals, as regards Boston, are in no better position. How then does jNIi'. Whitman attempt to support this eontention ? I am unable to say. The twelfth and thirteenth propositions I do noteballenge beeause I entirely fail to see tlieir relevaney. As to the statements contained in 3Ir. AYhitman's fitteenth proposition, 1 emphatieally deny them in toto. Having, I believe, sueeessfully refuted ^h: Whitman's ar- guments against Xova Seotia coals, and having proved the benelit to be derived by their use in the Xew England States, 1 would state that the eoal of Xova Seotia is held by the Crown. Coal leases for a period of 20 years renewable are made by the Provineiid Govenunent, and there is paid by the lessee a royalty often cents jter long ton of screened coal, or 7.^ cents on unscreened coal sold to consumers. Coal used for colliery puri)oses is free. The various collieries are subject to periodi- cal insju'ction Ity Inspectors of Klines, who are ollicers ap- pointed by the (Joverninent, and who are careful to see that the regulations in force governing underground workings are duly carried out with the dual object of econonucal mining and preservation of life. An annual report is issued by the Department ot'ACines, in which, in addition to other useful in- formation, is given full particulars of the general work of the collieries, and statistics of useful information conne(!ted with the coal industry of tln^ Province. 1 now propose to sketch very briefly the existing condition of the X(tva Scotiau coal trade within the limits of its present market, viz : the 3Iaritime Provinces Xt)va Scotia, Xew Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, the St. Lawrence ports, •^8 : \ 1 also XewloiunllaiHl, and, to a very small oxtLMit, the Wost JiKlios. I_ lave alre.-uly at pa-c 5 sliown the costs on tlio ton of coal c'x sliij),,, Montreal, luring LS!)1 to be $l.;u. This was screened coal sold Generally at $:j.20 p.u- Ion- ton, rnn of the mine iit 8.5.00, and screenings, or slack,at $2.-10 per ton ex ship. It may he taken, tliereiore, that tliecoal would he s]ii|,...d in Sydney at sl.sd f. o. l, , minus agcLts' chaiges, the run of the nnne being relatively twenty cents less. This Mould be lor the St. Lawrence trade. To the tra.le generailv the ])rices of (^ape Breton coals at the various collieries, durii'ig the same year, were for screened coal f. o. b., $1.(10 or 81.70 net per long- ton, and lor lun of mine coal twenty cents less. "^ Tlie Generai Mining Association'scoal has ever eommand- ed a higher j.rice in th.' local market, and would obtain, in some mstances,ashigh as 82.15 net fin- screened eoal. But, as I liJive ahvady pointed out at ].age N, where eoals were 'for delivery at competing points, say Ibrmarkets supplied bv the Joggiiis and Springhill colli..ri(.s, the prices would be l.,wer than those 1 have given above. Having said so much in legard to piices as they are, 1 would state brietly the chiel causes whi,-h have conspired against the progress of the Nova Scotian collieries and have led tlieoj>erators to sell at such low rates. IMimarily they are the tacts of our not having access to the Clnited States market, which leaA es a very limited zom^ o])en to Xova Scotia and the resultant lierce competition among the many collieries for its su[>ply. Oui- coals also aiv unjustly de"ried in Xew Euglaud as infe- riorand lialtle lo combust spontaneously. The lalter is a \crv seiious accusation (o make against them, and if i»roof be wanted to the contiary, I jtoiul t(. the large .lumps of run of mine and scre coals of Xova Scotia. I^,.t „,e now sav a word i»n si)ontaneous combustion. It isreiUv lirst an intlammati.Mi set up in coal where dumped, by Ihr mesciice of forei-n matter, which maybe pyrites and slate on tlH' one hand, and on the other may 1h> even sawdust or ,l,in. of wood. It is known that while the coals from two dis- tinct M'ams mav W safe eaeh by itself and free trom liability to ,,„„l.nst spontaneouslv, yet, when mix< .1 toovther, they will i„ ,11 probabihtv lirst heat and then combust. It may b.Maken ,. ., fact that <-oals, however ch.in in themseUvs separate- when mixed, b.' ill dau-er of spontaneous combus- ly, w tioii. '1\> ivturn Owinu-to climatic conditions, by being shut out ,.,,,,„ ,,„. p,i„,i,,;,i n.arket, the pr..vince of (,>uebcc, for six to .even mouths in each year, we are eompclled, in order t.» rush ,»ur eoMl to Aronteal in the slu.rt open season, to dump, i.e. 'bank ,„„, ,,,.,, at the pit mouth, during some or all of the wmter ,„„,tb< theiv to remain till the opening of navigation, when it i. a..ain handled at a eost loss of eight t.. ten cents per ton. lint the loss do.'s lu.t .vase here, tor the coal in its rehaiid- li,,.- an.l, als.» from exposure, slacks considcuably, ami when seiveiu'd for shipiuei.t there is a further loss of about httecn cents per ton. 1 1 i +i. N„NV with reeiprocitv ill eoals, Imw changed would be the eonditions. Vor with the market of New England open to us, we ^vouhl ship direct from the pit through Louisburg, an all-the- vcai-round open port on the Atlantic, twenty miles Iroiii the ;.oirH>ries and alreadv conne.'tea by rail, so that by this means the vicious system ot '' banking " coal and its conseiiuent losses ^vould become a dead and buried thing of the past. 40 I t. ^ ct tlicreaiL' tliosc among us who cry that reciprocity in coal means " uluio kuin,'' and the inevitable loss of Our 3rontreal market. \V<-11, I do ii,,t deny that theie would he disturbing conditions at the start, and that oui' Amer- ican friends would make a ru>li, something in the nature of "Jumping our claims." But I, for one, would not fear the ultimate result of the attack, even in .Alontreal, for, with all that we liear of the invasion of Tuited .States coal .1 question if tliere lias been during the year J8!H one long ton of it sold deliyeied in tliat city at under S4.;J0. If there be, 1 ask to be informed. In proof of this 1 instance a transaction made public in a letter i)ublished in the Halifax Herald (Xova Scotia) wiitten by 3ir. Leckie, formerly well kn(nvn in coal circles, stating that a company in New York, in which he was interested succeeded in contracting in the year 1891 for ;>(>,0()0 tons of coal at §2.!)0 i)er ton, the lowest rate at which they had ever succeeding in getting it, and as Montreal is more than 20(> nnles further than New Vork from the nearest of the American mines, it is clear that no large (piantity of American unscreened coal could leach that place under $4.00 per ton. As I have shown, w(; delivered screened coals there last year (1891) at §3.20 per ton, aiul if to this be added sixty cents duty on the ton of 2,000 pounds paid by the Americars, it brings our co:d to 8-3.87 against their $4.;>0. If I am right, what have we to fear in the shape of " blue ruin," avIkmi we meet our American friends in the recip- rocal market of 3[ontreal ? Granted, we shall not have all that market to oursehes as now, but we shall have what will be infinit(>ly more to our advantage, the open markets of the New England States, with a steady monthly shipment, and coal baidving a thing of the i)ast. If in this paper J have shown that 1 can i)lace coal in New England now at a small measure of profit, how much better will be my position when released from the payment of seventy-five cents per ton of coal in the reciprocal hereafter ! But there is another side to this question, of greater inq)or- tance than any already touched upon, concerning the Nova Scotia coal indust y. At j)resent we are twenty-one distinct collieiies i)usl:ing for a Canadian market, viz : in Cape Breton 41 eleven, I'ietou six, and in CmiibcilaiHl lour; with an area over all oi' about L>S() s(iuare miles, l.y an average of rbout 20 feet of working e(»al. Troni the great number of eomi)aratively minor collieries thus striving against one another in the same field, it can be readily seen wliat an immense advantage could be derived by their eond)ination. .Now we have distinct establishments of an expensive character maintained by each colli<'ry. Then we w(.uld have skilful c(unbined managenuMit governing the whole group, with but practically one coal for the wholes market. I have calculated that by such a system, aided in great part by modern coal cutting machinery, there W(mld be at least asaviligof 18 cents per ton, in putting coaUnto ships, while the additional saving by an economical system of transporting in st<'amers and barges, and the handling of coals at ports of delivery, would be certainly 14 cents per ton additional, and if to this be further added 5 cents saved ou agencies there will be a total asving of 37 cents per ton. Takiu'j; therefore as a basis for computation the sales of 1801, viz: l,8r)(;,00() tons, if I am right there would bean added revenue at l(!ast of 8(>8(),72() to that already earned by all these cohieries. This sum would at iirst appear large, but when we reflect upon the necessarily extravagant system iu operation, due to the circumstances pointed out, it will bo found that the estimate is rather under than over stated. Look at the expenses of managing 21 distinct collieries; the competition iu the freight market for ships, which this year has ranged for the same work from eleven shillings to eight shill- ings and six pence; the various competing commissions for business ; the undercutting of prices to obtain sales— and iu this latter couuectica I may mention that I myself within the last few davs, in the case of a large railway had, to drop 15 cents per ton ou a heavy order which I would have secured had I not been undercut to that extent by a Nova Scotia col- liery ; and, finally, consider the innucnse disadvantages of dis- connected operations in the various pits. To understanding 42 iiKMi siicli ail iiiTiiv of tMcts cMiuiot, r tliiiik, ho otlicrwisc lliaii coiiviiiciii^ oniic ciioiiiioiis (M'oiioiny to he clU'ctcd l»y a coiii- biiK'd anaii.iiciiiciit, without in any way ,u;iviii,i;' caiisc t'oi' dis- siitist'aclioii to tlic coiismiicis. There is (Uie laet I oii^ht not iea\(' unstated lor it has an iniportant iteaiin^ njion our ('apo Breton Coal huhistiN'. In- cluding Newl'oundlaiid in the North, to Cape Horn, the South- ern exticniity of Noitii and South America, the ina^nilicent harbour of Louishiu'ii', Cajte l>rcton, on llie Atlantic Ocean, ()C'cui»i('s the uni([Ue position of liaviiiu' only II nnles distant:. from it, one of tlie liiiest heds of steam and domestic coal known to the woiid. It is a sale and commodious harhour open all the year round. This fact has been doubted bv sonu' l)ers()ns, but, for tlicir iidbrmation and proof, the writer states Avitli no room for contiadictiou that duriiii;' the whole winter of ISSl-S'J, the sever(?st winter for many years past, and no win- ter more severe has since been e\i)erienced, the Syduev and Jiouisbur.n' Coal and Ilailway Comi)anys' conti'ucts for deli\-ci\- were fullilled i)uiictually and with dispatch during- each mouth into sailing vessel and st<'amer to the satisfaction ofour^en- oral customers and of the ca[)tains of steamers callint;' for Uuidvcr Coals. Tlu^ harbour is close to the sea, easily eiiteicd, well sheltered, (U'C}*, and owin.u' to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, free from i(;e all the year round — Lo;;isbur,u' harltour above all others was selected by the FrcMich and by them veiv strongly fortilied at the eostctf (1^ millions of dollai's. Ilistorv relates how it fell in 174.1 bcfoi'c the brave men of Massachu- setts, how it was again returned to Frimce, and how, tinally, in 17r>,S, liaAing been once; more captured this famous fortress was levelled to the ground. This grand harbour is situated almost on a lineof a great circle traveised by steamers on their wav from Southern United States Torts to Europe. Lonisburg, un- doubtedly is destined to be the stepping olF place f(»r the short sea passage of 80 hours to Europe. Before closing it remains for me to express my respectful admiration lor the statesmen who, convinced by a sense of the advantages of reciiirocity, have been, and are working for en- larged and more mutually benelicial trade relations with other 43 countries, iiiid I sincerely trust tliiit the same nieusui-e of success wliicli lias attended tlie ettorts of tlie American <;overn incut in this direction, may before lonn lea