BY W. F. PETTERD, 13 
Mr. T. S. Cleminshaw, Engineer of the Launceston Gas 
Company, states, ‘‘ In re sample of Cannel Coal supplied, I have 
tested it for quantity and quality of gas, with the following 
results :— 
Quantity (average of 4 tests) ...... 11°200 cubic feet per ton. 
Quality (average of 3 tests) ...... 50°40 candles corrected for 
barometer and thermometer.” 
The true Cannel—a corruption of the word “candle” —isa variety 
of bituminous coal. It is compact in structure, with little or no 
lustre, breaking with a conchoidal fracture, and somewhat smooth 
surface; colour dull black. It affords a large quantity of burning 
and lubricating oils with other products, and is of considerable 
economic importance. A variety is known as Torbanite (Boghead 
Cannel), which is of a brown colour without lustre, and gives a 
yellowish streak. It may be stated that “ Parrot Coal” is a 
Scotch term for Cannel. 
The arrangement of the various Hydrocarbons of the Cannel 
character appears to be extremely unsatisfactory, and the utility of 
an arbitrary specific classification is very doubtful, more especially 
as the majority appear to fairly agree both as regards physical 
and chemical character. For commercial purposes local appellations 
are convenient, and the variety discovered in this colony will 
doubtless, in due course, receive one by which it will be known 
from analogous substances. JI would suggest that it be termed 
‘Pelion Coal” or “ Pelionite.” 
As an illustration of the difficulty of the scientific arrangement 
of this class of mineral on a satisfactory basis, the following remarks 
by Professor A. Liversidge (“The Minerals of New South 
Wales,” page 145) may be interesting. Referring to the New 
South Wales Torbanite (Wollongongite) or Kerosene Shale, this 
learned gentleman states that ‘This so-called ‘ Kerosene Shale’ 
does not differ very widely from Cannel Coal and Torbanite. 
Like Cannel Coal, it usually appears to occur with ordinary coal 
in the form of lenticular deposits. Like Cannel Coal also, when 
of good quality, it burns readily without melting, and emits a 
luminous smoky flame, * s ‘ * Unless it be decided 
to give the mineral a new name, it would be better to call 
it Torbanite, or Cannel Coal, rather than Kerosene Shale, 
since the oil which it yields is probably not Kerosene, and the 
substance itself is not strictly a shale, and, moreover, it is not very 
widely separated, either in physical properties or in chemical 
composition, from either Torbanite or the Cannel Coals.” 
For comparison the following analysis of Hydrocarbons from 
several well-known localities will be of interest. They are taken 
from Professor Liversidge’s valuable work on the Minerals of 
New South Wales :—. 
