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tern or lamp and the atmosphere, there isno danger in trimming or feeding them;but they should be lighted in a part of themine where there is no fire-damp, and by aperson charged with the care of the lights;and by these inventions, used with suchsimple precautions, there is every reason tobelieve a number of lives will be saved, andmuch misery prevented. Where candlesare employed in the open air in the mines,life is extinguished by the explosion; withthe safe lantern or safe lamp the light isonly put out, and no other inconveniencewill occur.

It does not appear, by what I have learntfrom the miners, that breathing an atmo-sphere containing a certain mixture of fire-damp near or even at the explosive point,is attended with any bad consequence. Iascertained that a bird lived in a mixture ofequal parts of fire-damp and air; but hesoon began to show symptoms of suffering.I found a slight head-ache produced bybreathing for a few minutes an explosivemixture of fire-damp and air: and if merelythe health of the miners be considered, the