436 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [DeC. 



naphtha, pyroxylic spirit, and the sulphate of ammonia, products 

 neglected by Dr. Paul, were preserved. While some of the 

 advantages of the results obtained at Lewes are to be ascribed to 

 the method pursued, the superior quality of the peat is, according 

 to Dr. Paul, a more important element. The light refined oil 

 from the Lewes peat was sold in 1862 in Glasgow, under the 

 name of lignole ; and, according to the report of Dr. Anderson, it 

 compared favorably with the burning oils from coal, shale, and 

 petroleum ; being pale in color, and with much less unpleasant 

 odor than the coal oils. The statements of Armand that peat may 

 be made to yield as much as fifteen, or even eighteen per cent of 

 tar, do not appear to be confirmed by other investigators. Accord- 

 ing to Yohl, who in 1858 published an elaborate investigation into 

 the distillation of lignite, peat, and bituminous schists, the various 

 peats, when distilled in retorts, yield from six to nine per cent, of 

 tar ; and in the case of a light peat, 5-37 per cent. In rectifying 

 the tar, the distillation may be carried to dryness when it is 

 wished to obtain the greatest amount of liquid products, as in Dr. 

 Paul's operations. By arresting the process at the proper point, 

 a large proportion of the material remains in the retort, as a kind 

 of pitch; which may be used, like asphalt or solid bitumen, for 

 covering roofs and similar purposes. In this way, according to 

 Vohl, one hundred parts of tar yield forty-two parts of pitch. In 

 order to purify the distilled oil for burning in lamps, it is first 

 treated with a solution of soda, and afterwards with concentrated 

 sulphuric acid, as in the refining of petroleum. The alkaline solu- 

 tion dissolves a considerable amount of creosote and of carbolic 

 acid ; which may be afterwards separated by means of an acid, and 

 have a commercial value. The paraffine separates in a crystalline 

 form from the heavier and less volatile oils, when these are exposed 

 to cold. With the present demand for oils and paraffine, it is 

 more profitable to distil the tar to dryness, than to manufacture a 

 portion of it into pitch. The value of a ton of crude tar, capable 

 of yielding one hundred gallons of oil and paraffine, may, according 

 to Dr. Paul, be estimated at £5 sterling ; and he concludes that 

 peat approaching in richness to that of the Highlands of Scotland 

 may be distilled with great profit. It remains to be seen whether 

 some of the extensive peat-bogs of Canada may not produce a 

 material equally available. The importance of these deposits as a 

 source of fuel to the country should not, however, be lost sight of; 

 and it is to be hoped that before long successful attempts may be 



