Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 387 



bacli were genuine, there must be at least two kinds of naphtha ; one 

 a product of destructive distillation, the other the oil of turpentine 

 of the pine forests of which our coal-beds are formed, separated by a 

 gentle heat, either before or after their conversion into coal. It is 

 obvious that our common coal-beds have never yet been exposed to a 

 heat sufficient for destructive distillation, since they are destroyed by 

 a moderate heat, and we may therefore expect the petroleum of 

 these coalbeds to be of the kind described by Reichenbach ; while the 

 Rangoon and Persian petroleums, being products of destructive dis- 

 tillation, must have their origin, if in coal-beds at all, in such as have 

 been exposed to a high temperature, and must, consequently, be very 

 different from the ordinary coal-beds. In confirmation of this view 

 it may be stated, that Dr Christison could find no paraffine either in 

 the petroleum of St Catherine's, or in that of Trinidad or Rochdale. 

 The author finally directed attention to the application of the pa- 

 raffine as a material for giving light, as, when pure, it burns with a 

 clear bright flame, like that of wax, and might doubtless be obtained 

 at a cheap rate in the East. 



January 5. 1835. — Sir T. M. Brisbane, President, in the 

 Chair. The following communication was read : — 



On Water as a constituent of Salts. By Tho. Graham, Esq. 



19th January. — Dr Hope, V. P. in the Chair. The fol- 

 lowing communications were read : — 



1. On the Refraction and Polarization of Heat. By Pro- 



fessor Forbes. 



2. Supplementary Notice on the Chemical Analysis of the 



Animal Remains of Burdiehouse. By Arthur Con- 

 nell, Esq. 



Since the Author's former communication to the Society, he has 

 analyzed a portion of a bony fin-ray from the limestone belonging to 

 a fossil fish which has been designated by M. Agassiz, Gyracanthus 

 formosus. 



The constituents were found to be, 



Phosphate of Lime with a little Fluoride of Calcium, . 53.87 



Carbonate of Lime, 33.8fi 



Siliceous matter, 10.22 



Potash and Soda, partly as Chlorides, . . . .71 



Bituminous matter, .54 



Phosphate of Magnesia, .... trace 

 Animal matter, trace 



99.20 

 Ho has also analyzed a portion of the fossil scales embedded in the 

 limestone. These scales belong to a fossil genus of fish, to which the 

 name of Megalichthys has been given by M. Agassiz, and which is 



