Gas from the Ulica Slate. 479 



the distinct furrows on the sides indicate the outer edges of the 

 lamellae ; the other less distinct furrows the edges of the rudimen- 

 tary lamellae." 



Length from 1 to 2 inches, diameter | of an inch. 



Specific name, Latin, rectum^ straight. 



Fig. 18. Stronibodes simjylex. Professor Hall thus describes 

 this species. " Turbinate, curved near the base; disk expanded ; 

 thin on the edge, sometimes sub-reflexed ; laminae simple, much 

 contorted in the centre, and irregularly bifurcating toward the 

 margin (about 40 in number) ; surface marked by longitudinal 

 striae." "The simple prominent laminae, and shallow cup, at once 

 distinguish this species. It resembles the S. plicatum which 

 occurs in the corniferous limestone." 



The French authors appear to think this fossil to be a cyatho- 

 phyllum^ but do not give any decided opinion. 



Gas for illumination from the JJtica slate. Professor Hind's 

 Lecture before the Mechanics'' Institute of Toronto^ extracted from 

 the Toronto Times, 28th January, 1857. 



" Last Friday evening,Professor Hind,of Trinity College,deliver- 

 ed his second lecture at the St. Lawrence Hall, before the mem- 

 bers of the Toronto Mechanic's Institute. 



" The lecture was a continuation of a former one, delivered the 

 Friday previous. In describing the manufacture of illuminating 

 gas, the lecturer illustrated the subject by a novel mode of prepar- 

 ing that useful and important means of obtaining artificial light, 

 which we shall endeavour to describe. 



" The lecturer exhibited before the audience the process of manu- 

 facturing coal gas for illuminating purposes, but the material he 

 employed for generating the gas was a substance altogether diffe- 

 rent from coal, being nothing more than the bituminous shale, 

 which is found in abundance at the base of the Blue mountains, 

 near CoUinaj-wood. This shale extends from lake Ontario at 



Oshawa, to Collingwoiul on Georgian Bay. It is particularly 

 rich in bitumen, and produces upon distillation, a very brilliant 

 illuminatino; o-as, toofether with tar and oils and other substances 

 usually produced in making gas from ordinary coal. The appa- 

 ratus employed by the lecturer, consisted of a small table furnace, 

 in which was placed an iron retort, containing about half a pound 

 of the shale broken up into small fragments. To the pipe leading 

 from the retort, a small glass globe was attached, for receiving 

 the tar and oil ; from this receiver a glass tube led into a vessel 

 containing lime water, through which the gas issuing from the 



