2. The collieries of Ballycastle occupy an extent of less than one English mile along the coast. They have been long wrought, and were once in a more flourishing state than they are now: they formerly used to send from ten to fifteen thousand tons of coal to the market yearly, whereas the ground bailiff with whom I conversed several times, assured me that the quantity now exported did not amount to more than fifteen hundred or two thousand tons.
Owing to prejudice, I believe, rather than to greater expence, the country people prefer burning turf rather than coals, and even the inhabitants of the Isle of Rathlin, who have but a very spare quantity of that combustible, come to the Main to carry it over instead of coals, though ultimately it must be more expensive and surely more troublesome.
The Ballycastle coals are therefore sent to Dublin, chiefly on board the numerous trading vessels bound to that port from Londonderry, which thus instead of going thither in ballast, take a freight of coal on their passage. The Irish coals in Dublin receive a bounty equal to the duty laid upon the English coals.
There are but four coal works now wrought out of twelve which were formerly opened near Ballycastle: Gob colliery is the most extensive and advantageous.
As the beds of coal crop out a few feet above the level of the sea, there is no occasion for sinking shafts, but some of the horizontal galleries are of great extent; that of Gob colliery into which I went, is not less than eight hundred and twenty yards: they have a considerable quantity of water, and, which is worse, they suffer so much from foul air that the colliers cannot stay more than eight hours out of twenty-four in the mine. The beds dip to the south-east about one foot in nine.
I should apprehend that this partial and broken formation is mostly exhausted.
