COAL absorbing importance of mineral or pit coal, the word coal alone has come to be used in this special signification (Ger. steinkohlen, Fr. charbon de terre). 309 called block-coal; and locally it is very valuable, because it can be employed in smelting without being first coked. It is not very easily kindled, but when lighted makes a clear lasting fire. 3. Cherry or soft coal, which breaks easily into small irregular cubes, has a beautiful shining lustre, is readily kindled, and gives out a cheerful flame and heat. It is common in Staffordshire. Brown coal or Lignite (q.v.), though for the most part inferior to true coal, is nevertheless an important fuel in some countries in default of a better kind. There are, however, large deposits of lignites in some regions, as in North America, which coke well, and which are excellent substitutes for true coal. Coal is one of the most important of all rocks; it consists chiefly of carbon, and is universally regarded as of vegetable origin. Its geological relations are noticed in the article CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. It occurs in layers or beds, and is always of a black or blackish-brown colour. Some of the varieties have a very considerable degree of vitreous or resinous lustre, while others are destitute of lustre; some have a shell-like fracture, and others have a highly cross-jointed structure, and are readily broken into cubical or rhomboidal frag ments. The precise characters of coal as a rock species are not easily defined, and both in Britain and other countries important cases have occupied courts of law, in which this difficulty was strongly felt, as in the great Scottish lawsuit concerning the Torbanehill Mineral or Boghead Coal (q.v.). Coal, indeed, is rather a commercial than a scientific term, but in a general way we may define it as a fossil fuel of black colour and stony consistency, which, when heated in close vessels, is converted into coke with the escape of volatile liquids and gases. The variety known as blind coal or anthracite no doubt gives off scarcely any volatile matter, but this is because it has undergone a natural distillation through the action of subterranean heat or of the proximity of intrusive igneous rock. We may therefore divide coal into two primary divisions -namely: (1) Anthracite, which does not, and (2) Bituminous coal, which does, flame when kindled. Anthracite (q.v.) sometimes contains as much as 94, and if we exclude the ash, 98 per cent. of carbon, and as this element decreases in amount it graduates Several theories as to the mode of the origin of into a bituminous coal. The term anthracite is, coal have been put forth from time to time. The however, still applied to some coals which do not one now generally believed in is that the rank and contain more than 80 per cent. of carbon. Various luxuriant vegetation which prevailed during the synonyms, such as stone coal, glance coal, culm, carboniferous age grew and decayed upon land but and Welsh coal, are also used to designate this slightly raised above the sea; that by slow subsubstance, which is used chiefly for smelting pur. sidence this thick layer of vegetable matter sunk poses and for generating steam. In the United below the water, and became gradually covered States it is also very largely used for domestic with sand, mud, and other mineral sediment; that purposes-heating and cooking. It is difficult to then, by some slight upheaval or gradual silting up kindle, but gives out a high heat in burning. Bitu- of the sea bottom, a land surface was once more minous coal includes an almost endless number formed, and covered with a dense mass of plants, of varieties, one of the best marked being cannel which in course of time decayed, sank, and became or parrot coal. Cannel coal is probably so called overlaid with silt and sand as before. At length, from burning with a bright flame like a candle, thick masses of stratified matter would accumulate, and the name parrot coal is given to it in Scot-producing great pressure, and this, acting along with land from the crackling or chattering noise it makes when burned. That of different localities varies much in appearance, but it is most commonly dull and earthy, or with only a slight lustre; some examples are, however, bright and shining. In texture it is nearly always compact, and certain beds of it admit of being polished in slabs of considerable size, which approach black marble in appearance. Of this material vases, inkstands, boxes, &c. are made. Cannel coal contains a large percentage of ash, but the best cannels are in some places much used for open-grate fires in houses. Cannel is for the most part consumed in making gas, of which it yields from 8000 to 15,000 cubic feet per ton. When distilled at a low red-heat it yields paraffin oil. The other varieties of bituminous coal are so numerous that, as an Admi. ralty report states, there are as many as seventy denominations of it imported into London alone. Still, among these there are three leading kinds -1. Caking coal, which cakes or fuses into one mass in the fire. It breaks into small uneven fragments, and is found largely at Newcastle and some other localities. 2. Splint or hard coal, occurring, plentifully in Scotland, which is hard, and breaks into cuboidal blocks. This is often The use of coal does not seem to have been known to the ancients; nor is it well known at what time it began to be used for fuel. Some say that it was used by the ancient Britons; and at all events it was to some extent an article of household consumption during the Anglo-Saxon period as early as 852 A.D. There seems to be reason for thinking that Britain was the first European country in which coal was used to any considerable extent. A coal-pit at Preston, Haddington, was granted to the monks of Newbattle between 1210 and 1219. Henry III. is said to have granted a license to dig coal in 1234. About the end of the 13th century it began to be employed in London, but at first only in the arts and manufactures; and the innovation was complained of as injurious to human health. In 1306 the parliament petitioned the king to prohibit the use of coal, and a proclamation was accordingly issued against it; but owing to the high price of wood, its use soon became general in London. It was for a long time known there as sea-coal, because imported by sea. chemical changes, would gradually mineralise the As will be seen from the following table, wood, Carbon Wood. 60.0 65-7 82-6 6.2 6-5 5.3 5.6 .43-8 100.0 33.5 29.0 11.8 100-0 100-0 100-0 In each of these bodies there is usually a small percentage of nitrogen, which in the above table has not been separated. In passing from wood or peat to coal, the proportion of oxygen and hydrogen decreases, these substances being given off in the form of marsh-gas and carbonic acid in the process of decay. On the continent of Europe, productive coal-fields occur in Belgium, France, Prussia, Spain, Silesia, and in Russia-the only important Russian coalfield being that of Donetz, on the north shore of the Sea of Azov. Coal is also found in India, China (where several extensive coal-fields occur, in which coal has been worked from a very early period), Japan, and the Malayan Archipelago, in Australia and New Zealand, and in Africa. There is evidence of promising coal-deposits in several South American countries, but, owing to the great supply of wood in their forests, there is little temptation to work them. Considerable importance already attaches, however, to the mines of Chili (q.v.). In Canada there are small, though valuable, coalfields; but in the United States enormous fields of fossil fuel are found. The entire area of these is about 200,000 sq. m., being 83 times greater than the area of the coal-fields of Great Britain. But although the coal-measures of the States are of vast extent, and contain many valuable coal-seams -a few of them 40 and even 50 feet thick at certain places-it has been doubted whether the amount of workable coal in them has not been exaggerated. In proportion to the extent of the seams, the quantity of coal annually raised in the States is small, and amounted to 160,000,000 short tons of 2000 lb. each in 1892. The distribution of the coal-fields of Britain and North America is discussed at CARBONIFEROUS SYSTEM. Coal-supply of Britain.-The probable duration of the British coal-supply is a question which until recent years rarely excited any public anxiety. Early in the 19th century attention had been called to the subject by Sir John Sinclair, Mr Robert Bald, and Dr Buckland, but the existing store of coal was generally believed to be practically inexhaustible-its exhaustion at all events seemed to be relegated to so remote a date as to relieve the nation from all anxiety on the matter. In recent years, however, Professor Hull, from a more accurate survey of British coalfields than was possible before the map of the Geological Survey had been published, came to the conclusion in 1860, that at the then rate of production we had enough coal to last for 1000 years. But as the rate of consumption was yearly increasing, it was obvious that our coal-supply might not last nearly so long. In 100 years, as Professor Jevons showed, if the same rate of increase continued, the annual consumption would be415,000,000 tons, and our coal-fields by that time would be nearly exhausted. A Royal Commission was appointed in 1866 to consider the whole question, and came to the conclusion in 1871 that at the then rate of consumption there was enough coal to last for 1273 years, but with a constantly increasing consumption this term would necessarily be reduced. The amount of coal at all depths down to 4000 feet was estimated at the date of the Royal Commissioners' Report to be 90,207 million tons, while including the coals at greater depths, the total was 146,480 millions of tons. Although, therefore, we know approximately the extent of available coal, we cannot tell how long that coal will last, for we cannot say whether the present rate of consumption will be maintained, increased, or diminished in the future. It seems most probable, however, that the rate of increase of coal used per head of the population will follow a diminishing ratio, and that it will be 300 or 400 years before the coal-supplies of these islands begin to fail. Coal-trade. The production and sale of coal, like every other important branch of industry, was long At a very fettered with legislative regulations. early period, the corporation of the city of London undertook the duty of either weighing or measur ing the coal brought into the port, and by a series of statutes commencing with 7 Edward VI. chap. 7, the mayor and aldermen of London, and the justices of the counties, were empowered to fix the price of coal to be sold by retail; and in case of refusal by the parties to sell at the prices fixed, to enter their wharves, or other places of deposit, and to cause it to be sold at the prices which they had set. In addition to the general supervision which they thus possessed, and the sums which they were empowered to exact for their trouble, the corporations of London and other towns have exacted, and still continue to exact, dues on coal for local purposes. These were first imposed in London in 1667, after the great fire, in order to enable the corporation to repair the ravages which it had_committed; and they have been since continued as a fund for civic improvements, though, as M'Culloch has remarked, no improvement could be equal to a reduction in the price of coal. In the reign of William III. a general tax, payable to government, was laid on all sea-borne coal-a tax which was in the highest degree unjust to places which were dependent for their supply on the coasting trade, and oppressive to the whole country, inasmuch as it amounted to more than 50 per cent. on the price paid to the owner at the pit's mouth. The tax varied in amount, not only at different periods, reaching its highest point of 9s. 4d. per chaldron during the great war, but also in different parts of the country, being higher in London and the south of England, and lower in Ireland and Wales, whilst Scotland for a considerable period was altogether exempt. The tax itself, with all its inequalities, was abolished in 1830; and the tax on coal, long collected for local purposes in London, was abolished in 1889. The repeal, in 1845, of the duty on coal exported to foreign countries was a measure of much more doubtful policy. The annual quantity of coal exported from Great Britain during the years from 1890 to 1898 was from 25,000,000 to 38,000,000 tons.-For the regulation and inspection of mines, explosions, &c., see MINING; where also mention is made of the varying arrangements as to the proprietorship of mines. The condition of colliers and salters in Britain is discussed at SLAVERY. For coal-tar products, see COALTAR, DYEING. See also the articles FUEL, GAS AND GASES, PETROLEUM. Coal-whipping is the name given to a mode of unloading coal from vessels at anchor to barges, which convey them to the wharves. When the number of these men at work on the Thames was about 2000, public-house keepers got into the habit of acting as middlemen; the trade fell into such a state, that the men were virtually slaves to the publicans. They asked for the interference of the legislature. An act was passed in 1843, and a Coal-whippers' Board was formed, which contracted for the whipping of ships of coal, and employed the men; and other acts were passed in 1846 and 1851. But in 1856 the coal-owners agreed with the Board of Trade to maintain a Whipping Office, to give the men a refuge from the publicans, but without interfering with the liberty of coal-shippers. The necessity for coal-whippers has been much lessened by the use of hydraulic or steam machinery in discharging. See Green and Miall, Coal: History and Uses (1878); Galloway, History of Coal-mining in Great Britain (1882); Hull, Coal-fields of Great Britain (1880); Pameley. The Colliery Manager's Handbook (1891); Meldola, Coal and what we get from it (1891); H. W. Hughes, A Text-book of Coal-mining (1892); D. M. D. Stuart, Coal Dust an Explosive Agent (1894). COALBROOKDALE Coalbrookdale is a district in Shropshire, extending 8 miles along the river Severn; its coalfield supplies coal and iron as well as limestone, and manufactures iron. The village of Coalbrookdale, which gives it name, is 11 miles SE. of Shrewsbury. seas. Coal-fish (Gadus carbonarius), a species of cod, with black upper parts, common in northern It occurs from 80° N. lat. to the Mediterranean, and is common off North American and British coasts. In Scotland it is often called Saith. It often measures 2 to 3 feet in length, and may be considerably larger; occurs in great shoals; is exceedingly voracious. Though decidedly coarse, its flesh is much eaten in northern parts. the rocks, and are variously known as podleys, young ones are often caught by boys fishing off sillocks, cuddies, and coalseys. See COD. The Coaling Stations. The question of coaling stations has of late engaged a large share of public attention in Britain. The necessity for maintaining a sufficient number of fortified outposts on the great lines of British trade has been recognised by successive governments, and the work of defence has, after a regrettable delay, at length been vigorously taken in hand. The inquiry by a Royal Commission resulted in the publication in 1881-82 of an exhaustive report, from which the present article has been compiled. The Commissioners estimated the value of British ships and the freights which they carried annually at £900,000,000, British property to the value of £144,000,000 being at all times afloat, the greater part on distant voyages. Broadly, the foreign trade of the United Kingdom may be divided into two great divisions-the trade with the Americas, and that with the Mediterranean, the East, and Australia, by the Suez Canal and the Cape. It is chiefly with the latter that we are here concerned. On the great trade-route by the Suez Canal to India and to Australia, steamships have entirely superseded sailing ships. It is along this route that the possession of a continuous chain of coaling stations gives Britain an advantage which it is imperatively necessary to maintain. The Cape route, again, is essential to the retention by Great Britain of her possessions in India, Ceylon, Mauritius, Singapore, China, and Australia. It is by this route that reinforcements of troops and necessary supplies could, in the contingency of war, be despatched to the East with the least exposure to capture. 1970, from Bombay 1637, and from Ceylon 2130. Aden is not only an important coaling station in peace-time for ships using the Suez Canal, but, in the event of war with any of the Mediterranean powers, it would be the only place in possession of Britain from which a fleet could prevent foreign ships of war, that had passed through the canal into the Red Sea, from gaining access to the Indian Ocean. The Royal Commission urge strongly that Aden should be made secure against the attack of a small naval squadron. station. It is the greatest port of India, and one Bombay is much more than a mere coaling of the busiest entrepôts of commerce in the world. The harbour, defended by batteries and by two East India station, to be sufficiently secured against armoured vessels, was declared by Sir Frederick Richards, when naval commander-in-chief on the any probable attack. Kurrachee is a post of immense importance as the base for the military defence of the north-west frontier of India. As compared with Bombay, Kurrachee is nearer to England by two days' steaming. By skilful engineering, the entrance to the port, the anchorage, and the wharfage have been adapted to the requirements of steamships of large tonnage. The defences, both by batteries and torpedoes, are well advanced. The distance from Ceylon to the Cape of Good Hope is 4400 miles, from Mauritius 2100, from Aden 2130, from Bombay 960, from Singapore 1510, and from King George's Sound 3400. If measures are taken to prevent an enemy's ships from coaling in the adjacent seas, Ceylon will be comparatively safe from heavy attacks. The possibility of attack by a hostile cruiser must, however, be admitted. The Commissioners carefully weighed the relative advantages of Galle, Colombo, and Trincomalee. Galle, for many years the port of call for mailsteamers, has gradually been abandoned in favour of Colombo. The latter port has a commodious harbour, already sufficiently advanced to afford well-sheltered anchorage during the south-west monsoon. For local reasons, no less than for imperial considerations, the Royal Commission held it necessary that Colombo should be adequately protected, both by floating defences and by batteries on shore. Trincomalee is the safest and most com. modious harbour in the Indian Ocean, and very capable of defence. But it is out of the course of trade, and has no facilities for the repair of ships; so the Commissioners did not recommend a large expenditure on fortifications at Trincomalee. It must be accepted as a leading principle that Singapore is the next important position in the the defence of harbours should be secured by forts possession of Great Britain. The annual value of and not by ships. The Royal Navy is not main- the imports and exports of the Straits Settlements tained for the purpose of affording direct local (of which it is by far the most important) is about protection to seaports and harbours, but for the £100,000,000. At Singapore the quantity of coal purpose of blockading the ports of an enemy, of supplied to passing steamers varies from 15,000 destroying his trade, attacking his possessions, to 20,000 tons a month. Extensive wharves, three dealing with his ships at sea, and preventing angraving-docks, and all the appliances for repairing attack in force upon any special place. It is by ships have been provided by private enterprise. the efficient performance of these duties that The colonial government has carried out a scheme of British commerce and colonies will be best protected. defence, planned by officers of the Royal Engineers. The great fortresses of Gibraltar and Malta are The torpedo defences are complete. maintained wholly from resources provided by the imperial exchequer. Improvements in their defences have been going forward ever since they came into the possession of Britain; and it may be assumed that Gibraltar and Malta are well pre-nually, of over 7,000,000 tons, and manned by 500,000 pared to resist attack. For the manning of the works strong garrisons of 6000 men are permanently maintained. Pursuing our way through the Suez Canal, which, in consequence of recent political changes, has practically passed under British control, we find at Aden another commanding position. The distance from Suez is 1300 miles, from Mauritius Hong-kong is the chief centre of British trade with China, and the only dependency from which that trade can be defended. The entries of shipping in 1890-95 included about 30,000 vessels and junks an hands. Graving-docks exist in the hands of commercial companies, capable of receiving ironclads of the largest class which will be seen in the China Sea. The defence of the harbour is now being made good at the cost of the local and imperial governments. A small ironclad is stationed at Hong-kong for the defence of the harbour. To the Cape of Good Hope, the distance from England is 6000 miles. The intermediate coaling stations now used are Lisbon, Gibraltar, Madeira, St Vincent, and Sierra Leone. Lisbon, Madeira, and St Vincent being in foreign territory, Sierra Leone is the first British coaling station. The harbour is capacious and secure, and the works for its defence are nearly completed. Ascension, distant from Sierra Leone 1000 miles, from St Helena 680 miles, and from the Cape of Good Hope 2380 miles, has a roadstead, or landing. place, on its west or leeward side; there is no harbour. Ascension has been used as a depôt for stores and the supply of coals. By a wise decision of the Admiralty (1887) the stores were to be removed from Ascension, which was henceforth to be used only as a sanatorium for the benefit of ships whose crews have suffered from fever. St Helena, in the opinion of the Royal Commission, has many advantages over Ascension. It is larger, has a cooler temperature, more vegetation, and a better roadstead. Within a recent period £30,000 has been expended on fortifications; and it has been decided to further strengthen the defences, and to supply a modern armament. COAL-TAR annually to £21,000,000. The defence of this important trade rests on Jamaica and St Lucia The defences of Jamaica have been modernised and greatly improved in recent years. St Lucia has been selected by the Admiralty as a coaling station for the fleet in the Windward Islands. It is not necessary to refer in detail to the land defences of the great ports of Australia. The combined expenditure of the several governments may literally be reckoned by millions. The manning of the works and the general defence of the colonies by land is guaranteed by an army of more than 30,000 volunteers, of splendid physique, well equipped, and provided with a small staff of officers from the imperial service. A considerable flotilla for harbour defence has been created at Melbourne. Adelaide has a powerful coast-defence vessel. Brisbane has two efficient gunboats. Naval brigades have been organised both in Victoria and New South Wales. New Zealand is secured by its geographical position from an attack in force. The defence of a few principal ports has been taken in hand, under the able advice of Sir William Jervois. A considerable body of volunteers, both for the sea and the land service, has been enrolled. By an arrangement concluded by the administration of Lord Salisbury, a joint agreement was in 1887 entered into, with the approval of the legisla tures in the Australias and at home. Under its provisions, by a colonial contribution from the several governments, a special squadron of highly efficient cruisers has been built for the defence of trade in Australian waters and on the coasts of New Zealand. The Royal Commission showed that the value of British trade either with the Cape of Good Hope, or passing round it, amounted to £91,352,000 annually, the whole, with the exception of about £4,000,000, being carried on directly with the United Kingdom. Enormous, however, as is the value of this trade, it by no means represents that which, in the event of war with one or more of the great naval powers, might pass round the Cape. The annual value of British trade with India, Ceylon, China, and the East, conveyed through the Suez Canal, falls little short of the trade by the Cape route. If the long sea-route became alone Coalition, in Politics, is applied to the union available, the annual value of the traffic by the of two parties, or, as generally happens, portions of Cape would amount to £150,000,000, exclusive of parties who agree to sink their differences, and that of the shipping employed. The Cape penin-office in 1757, coalesced with the Whig aristocracy act in common. Pitt the elder, when he took sula, about 32 miles in length, is a rugged mountainous district, connected with the continent by a low isthmus, 13 miles in length (see map of CAPE COLONY). Simon's Bay affords a secure anchorage, and naval establishments have been formed on its shores. The anchorage in Table Bay, the ment. Mauritius lies nearly midway between the Cape and India, 4440 miles apart. The colony has a trade of the annual value of £6,000,000. Port Louis is a safe and commodious harbour. The Royal Commission recommended additions to and improvements of existing defences. Mombasa (q.v.) was made a naval coaling-station in 1890. Having dealt with British trade with the East, we turn to the West. The trade of the United Kingdom with the United States and Canada exceeded, at the date of the Commissioners' report, £119,000,000 in annual value. The largest proportion is food and raw material supplied to the United Kingdom. War with the United States cannot be contemplated by practical British politicians. In the event of war with any other power, merchant-steamers would require protection only near the coast at either end of their voyage, trusting to their own speed for the intermediate portion. British trade with the West Indies amounts The represented by the Duke of Newcastle. ministry always spoken of, however, as the Great leader of the reformers, took office along with Coalition was formed in 1782, when Fox, the Lord North, the leader of the opposite party. When Lord Derby's ministry resigned in 1853, there was a short coalition between the Whig party under Lord John Russell, and the more Aberdeen. The arrangement made between Conmoderate of the Conservative party under Lord servatives and Liberal Unionists in 1886 can scarcely be called a coalition, inasmuch as the main responsibility of government rests on the former, while the latter give them a general support. The term is also used of alliances between separate states. Coal-tar, or GAS-TAR, is a thick, black, opaque liquid, which comes over and condenses in the pipes when coal or petroleum is distilled. Now usually obtained in the manufacture of gas, tar was about 1782 extracted from coal by the ninth Earl of Dundonald under a patent, expressly for the purpose of being used for protecting ships from rotting. Coaltar is slightly heavier than water, and has a strong, disagreeable odour. The amount of tar so obtained of course varies with the nature of the coal employed, but it is also dependent on the average temperature of distillation. With a low temperature, a large quantity of tar is produced, along with a small yield of a highly illuminating gas. At first this tar was regarded as a waste product, or, at most, as a source of pitch; but it soon became apparent that as a source of Benzene (q.v.), and through it of the aniline dyes (see ANILINE), it was a commodity of great commercial value. When coal-tar is distilled, a large number of volatile substances pass over as the temperature COALVILLE rises higher and higher. At first various gases, ammonia and naphtha, are obtained to the extent of about th part of the original tar, and then distillation ceases, although the temperature gradually rises. After a period of about an hour, more oils, like the former, lighter than water, are obtained, and so on the distillation proceeds, with successive intervals, yielding what are known as Creosote oils, and finally Anthracene oils, the residue in the still being pitch. At first, when anthracene was of little importance, distillation was not pushed so far, and the anthracene oils were allowed to remain in the pitch; but since the discovery of the process for After this enumeration of the chief coal-tar products, it will be possible to realise the great importance of this substance. The naphtha, besides being used as a solvent for india-rubber and guttapercha, is burned to produce a fine variety of carbon for printing-ink. The benzol, including in this term many nearly allied substances, not only yields many brilliant dyes, but is used for cleaning gloves, silks, &c., and other articles which would be injured by washing. The creosote in its crude form is largely used for preserving wood, enabling it to be exposed in damp situations without rotting, while, when burned, its smoke yields lampblack. The naphthaline, besides being a source of many dyes, is employed in the Albo-carbon light to give to ordinary coal-gas very high illuminating power. Finally, the residual pitch is in constant requisition for making roofing felt and asphalt pavement. Besides these primary products of coal-tar, there are of course numerous compounds derived more or less remotely from it. Such are the aniline dyes, the quinine substitutes, antipyrin, antifebrin, &c., and the sweetening substance, Saccharin (q.v.), which may be used to replace sugar in many cases. For further references, see ANILINE, ALIZARIN, BENZENE, CREOSOTE, and NAPHTHALENE; also Lunge's Coal-tar and Ammonia (1887). Coalville, a village of Leicestershire, 16 miles NW. of Leicester by rail. Pop. 1904. Coänza, a river of West Africa, in the Portuguese colony of Angola, flows generally NW., and enters the Atlantic about 30 miles S. of St. Paul de Loando, by a mouth over a mile broad. It is navigable for light vessels as far as the Cambambe cataracts, over 120 miles, and is regularly traversed as far as Dindo, a few miles below, by the trading vessels of a steamship company established by the Portuguese, who have many settlements on the banks. gun-barges, to take part in the defence of certain important harbours, is also to be noticed. As a general defence against an attack in force, strong batteries in connection with mine-fields offer, perhaps, the best security. Against depredations by isolated ships or cruisers, well-placed guns on the disappearing system, with some fast torpedoboats, would probably be most efficacious. question of the best system of defence, under the great changes which have taken place in the material of warfare, must probably remain undecided until more experience has been gained. The tended to prevent smuggling merely, but now conCoastguard, an organisation formerly instituted so as to serve as a defensive force also. The old coastguardsmen were in the employment of the Customs department; they were posted along the shore at spots commanding extensive views of the beach, and were expected to be always on the lookout for smugglers. In 1856 the coastguard was transferred to the Admiralty, and under this arrangement the Admiralty may, from time to time, issue orders for the augmentation of the coastguard, not to exceed 10,000 men in all. Lands not exceeding three acres each may be bought by the Admiralty for coastguard stations. divided into eleven districts. Each district is under The coasts of the United Kingdom have been a navy captain, who has an ironclad guardship at and defence-gunboats are attached as tenders to some port in the district. All the revenue cruisers the ships, and are manned therefrom. The able seamen, borne on the ships' books, and employed on shore in coastguard service, are in three classes chief boatmen, commissioned boatmen, and boat men. They receive high-sea pay, besides 1s. 4d. medical attendance free. In war-time, all of these per day in lieu of provisions, and house-rent and men may be called upon to serve as regular sailors on board ship; but their families are allowed to live rent-free during this time. The coastguard are taught naval gunnery, gunboat exercise, and the serving of land-batteries. The guardships are also employed as training ships for the navy. The whole and the charge for their maintenance and that of of the coastguard now comprises some 4200 men ; their ships is about £460,000. parallel to the Pacific Coast in California (q.v.). Coast Range, a range of mountains nearly Coast Survey of United States. See CHART. Coatbridge, a thriving manufacturing town in Lanarkshire, 9 miles E. of Glasgow by rail, and 32 W. by S. of Edinburgh. The centre of a great mineral district, it is surrounded by numerous blast-furnaces, and produces malleable iron, boilers, tubes, tin-plate, firebricks and tiles, and railway wagons. Coatbridge has grown very rapidly in size and prosperity-a growth largely due to the development of the Gartsherrie IronMay 1830. Pop. (1831) 741; (1851) 8564; (1871) works of Messrs Baird (q.v.), first put in blast, 4th bridge was made a municipal burgh. See A. Mil15,802; (1881) 18,425; (1891) 29,996. In 1885 Coatler's Rise and Progress of Coatbridge (Glas. 1864). Coast Defence. The character of the defence provided for the coasts of a state must depend on the nature of the coast and of the attack to be anticipated. In Germany a solution of the problem has been sought mainly by means of submarine mines, associated with a strong flotilla of torpedo-boats, Co'ati, or COATI-MUNDI (Nasua), a genus of and, in certain spots, with powerful batteries. the raccoon family (Procyonidae), in the bear-like Italy intrusts the defence of her coasts chiefly to section of Carnivora. There are two species found her very powerful fleet of ironclads, which can move in Mexico, Central America, and South America. from place to place as required. In France and Eng-They live on trees, feeding somewhat omnivorously, land all these methods are employed: mine-fields, which to be effective must be protected by artillery; torpedo-boat flotillas; batteries; and a strong fleet of heavy ships, some of which have been specially designed for this purpose, though their usefulness has been much questioned. In Italy the unusual feature of 120-ton guns mounted in and grubbing with an upturned flexible snout. Coatzacoalco, a river of the isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, rises in the Sierra Madre, and falls into the Gulf of Mexico, 130 miles S. E. of |