A DISCOURSE

Book in. If Small-coals be spread over the Char-coal , where you burn italone, ’twill bind it to longer Continuance ; and yet more, if the Small-coal be made of the Roots of Thorns , Briars and Brambles. Con-sult L. Bacon , Exp. 775.

2.z. The Gfiercus Marina, Wreck, or Sea-weed, which comes inour Oyster-barrels, laid under Newcaft le-co al to kindle it (as the Useis in some Places) will (as I am inform’d) make it out-last two greatFires of simple Coals, and maintain a glowing Incident Heat withoutwaste. This Sort of Fuel is much made use of in Malta and the IJlandsthereabout, especially to burn in their Ovens ; and the ‘Peasant who firstbrought it into Custom, I find highly commended by an Author , as agreat BenefaClor to his Country. The Manner of gathering it, is to cutit in Summer-time from the Rocks, whereon it grows abundantly, andbringing it in Boats or otherwise to Land, spread and dry it in theSun like Hay , turning and cocking it till it be sully cured. It makesan excellent Fire alone, and roasts to Admiration; and when all i*burnt, the AJhes are one of the best Manures for Land in the World,for the Time it continues in Virtue, which should be frequently sup-plied with fresh ; and as to the Fire mingled with other Combustibles ,it is evident that it adds much Life, Continuance and Aid to our still enSea-coal Fuel ; and if the Main Ocean should afford Fuel (as the Ber-nacles and Soland-Geefe are said to do in some Parts of Scotland, withthe very Sticks of their Nests) we in these Istes may thank ourselvesif we be not warm. These few Particulars I have but mention’d to ani-mate Improvements , and ingenious Attempts of detecting more cheap anduseful ‘Processes, sor Ways of Charing Coals, Peat, and the like fu-liginous Materials; as the accomplished Mr. Boyle has intimated to us inthe Fifth of those his precious Essays concerning the Usefulness ofNatural Philosophy , Part ii. Chap. vii, &c. to which I refer the Curi-ous. In the mean Time, were not He worthy a Statue of Gold, that( Salvo to our Newcaftle-Trade and Seminary of Mariners ) should inthis Penury , and of Fire-wood, about so monstrous a Devourer* as thisvast C/ry\poison’d with Smoak and Soot ) find out an Expedient, thatshould'within the Space-of five and twenty YearS, ndt only free it fromall this hellish arid pernicious Fog, by furnishing it with Fuel sufficientto feed and maintain all its Hearths and Fires with sweet and wholsemeBillet ? This, the ingenious Mr. Nourfe seems to demonstrate, and Ithink not'impossible, whilstmy Fumifngium ds long since vanished iffAura: There is nd -very great Store 1 of Wood about Madrid , wherethe Winters are sharp, and so very piercing, that there is spent no lessthan four Millions of ArrObas of Char-coal (every Arroba being threeQuarters of our Bushel) and pays'to the King a Real per Arroba be-fore it comes into the Town, or is sold : It is char'd of the Enzina, 01Cork-tree' ; besides which they use very little Fuel-wood, it being ex-ceeding hard, and consequently lasting and sweet. But to return toLaw.

da6. By the Preamble of the Statute of 7 Edw\ VI. one may p er "ce ive (the Measures compared) how plentiful Fuel was in the Time ofEdvo. IV, to what it was in the Reigns of his Successors : This siig-gested a Review of Sizesfi and a Reformation of Abuses ; in which ttwas Enaffed, that every Sack of Coals should contain four Bushels ievery Tale/hide to be four Foot long, besides the Cars ; and if namedof one, marked one, to contain i 6 Inches Circumference , within a Foot

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