402 CARBONIZING TURF 
completed, they close the top and bottom. Their 
method, though superior to the Irish, and well 
adapted to their object, is neither as complete, nor 
does it give so pure an article as I wished ; be- 
sides, I found its application almost impossible on 
a large scale. 
Amongst the different plans and instructions I 
consulted to assist my experiments, I gave the 
preference to a large round perpendicular fur- 
nace, in which, according to Dumas, (Chemistry 
applied to the Arts) Mr. La Chabeaussiere distils 
wood. 
After having studied what modifications were 
necessary to render Mr. La Chabeaussiere’s fur- 
nace useful for peat’s carbonization, without saving 
either gas or liquids, I constructed the following 
kiln :—On a solid soil, I made an excavation 
from ten to twelve feet wide at the top, nine feet 
deep, and nine in diameter at the bottom, which I 
covered with a dry brick floor, that had a con- 
vexity of six inches. I lined this hole round with 
a dry brick wall, in the way of a common pump 
pit. Atfour equal distances at the bottom of the 
round wall, I opened an air hole of about four 
inches square, and continued it in the form of a 
