[Picture: Light Moor Colliery]

In accordance with which excellent rules, each of the 105 re-awards of
coal seams applied for during the years 1838-41 were so ably set out by
Messrs. Sopwith, Buddle, and Probyn, as effectually to check the numerous
disputes which formerly arose, and ere long so to develop the coal-works
of the Forest of Dean as to render them worthy to be compared with some
of the finest collieries in the kingdom. As an instance of their present
excellence, Messrs. Crawshay's colliery at Light Moor may be mentioned,
for its great extent, completeness, powerful machinery, and size of its
pits. These last, four in number, are 291 feet deep, one of which,
measuring 9 feet 6 inches by 14 feet, contains pumps raising 88 gallons
of water per minute.

The number of coal-works in the Forest at the close of 1856 was 221,
yielding in that year to the public use upwards of 460,432 tons; the ten
largest collieries each producing as follows:--

Tons.
Park End Colliery 86,973
Light Moor ,, 86,508
Crump Meadow 41,507
Bix Slade 26,792
The Nelson 24,539
Hopewell in Whimberry 18,858
Valletts Level 17,918
Bilson 17,395
Arthur and Edward 12,857
New Strip and at it 11,502
-------
344,849

Probably a twentieth part of the above total should he added to the
amount charged, in consideration of the quantity consumed by the colliery
engines, thus making the gross annual produce a third of a million of
tons.

CHAPTER XVI.

_The Geology of the Forest, and its Minerals_--Their character in
general--Description of the beds of conglomerate, mountain limestone,
iron veins, millstone grit, and lower coal measures--"The Coleford High
Delf"--Elevation of the Forest range of hills--The middle coal veins--The
upper veins--Mr. Mushet's analysis of the Forest coal--Their fossils--The
stone-quarries of the district.

The geological conditions of the Forest of Dean merit careful
observation, not only as regards the mineral wealth comprised wi