Romans  in  Britain. — That  the  Eomans  were
acquainted  with  the  use  of  coal  during  their
occupation  of  Britain  is  highly  probable,  both
from  what  we  know  of  the  character  of  the  race
and  from  ^circumstantial  evidence.  They  had
stations  in  many  places  close  to  the  out-crop  of
valuable  coal-seams,  and  cinders  have  been  found
amongst  the  ruins  of  Eoman  towns  and  villas.
I  may  here  mention  a  case  which  has  always
appeared  to  me  as  probably  referable  to  this
period.  Wigan  in  Lancashire  was  a  Eoman
station.  Not  far  to  the  north  of  that  town,  a
bed  of  coal — one  of  the  most  valuable  in  Lanca-
shire, and  known  as  the  "Arley  Mine," — out-
crops along  the  banks  of  the  river  Douglas.
Not  long  since,  while  driving  a  tunnel  to  divert
the  course  of  the  river,  this  coal-seam  of  6-feet
in  thickness  was  found  to  have  been  mined  in  a
manner  hitherto  altogether  unknown.  It  was
found  to  have  been  excavated  into  a  series  of


FBAG1CENT8  IH  THB  HISTOBY  OF  COAL-lONINa.     17

polygonal  chambers,  with  vertioaJ  walls  opening
into  each  other  by  short  passages,  and  on  the
whole  presenting  on  a  ground  plan  something  of
the  appearance  of  a  honeycomb.  The  chambers
were  stated  to  be  regular  both  in  si^e  and  form
over  an  area  of  at  least  100  yards  in  one  direction,
and  were  altogether  different  from  anything  within
the  experience  of  the  miners  of  the  district.
