ON BROWN COAL. 205 



Brown Coal. — Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor 

 Ormb Masson (Chairman), Mr. P. G. W. Bayly (Secre- 

 tary), and Mr. D. Avery, on the Utilisation of Brown Coal 

 Bye-Products. 



Owing to pressure of work arising out of war conditions, no further 

 work has been done in connection with experiments in the utihsation 

 of brown coal. 



The work will, however, be set in hand at an early date, as the 

 importance of the investigation is emphasised by the necessity for 

 developing our raw products. 



The deposits of brown coal in Victoria (Australia) are enormous, 

 covering several hundi'eds of square miles and varying in thickness 

 up io 800 feet. 



The analysis of the coal may be taken as 



Per cent. 



H2O 63.00 



V.H.C 24-50 



F.C 2] -50 



Ash 100 



100-00 

 Nitrogen . . . . . . . 0-30 



The recovered distillation products are: — 



(1) Ammonium sulphate . . . 30 lb. per ton. 



(2) Tar 68-5 lb. per ton. 



(3) Gas, 360 B.T.U 9,140 cubic feet. 



(4) Carbonaceous residue . . . 5fi0 lbs. 



The experiments in hand deal with the best form of retort or 

 generator, and the examination of the tar for various oils and paraffins. 

 The question of briquetting will also be reviewed. 



The Old Red Sandstone Rocks of Kiltorcan, Ireland. — Interim 

 Report of the Committee, consisting of Professor Grenville 

 A. J. Cole (Chairman), Professor T. Johnson (Secretary), 

 Dr. J. W. Evans, Dr. E. Kidston, and Dr. A. Smith 

 Woodward, appointed for the Exploration thereof. 



Following the publication of the Interim Eeport made in 1915, 

 approved sets of duplicate specimens of Archceopteris and Bothro- 

 dendroii in various stages have been sent, at the receiver's expense, 

 to educational institutions in Canada, the United States, South Africa, 

 and New Zealand. No applications have as yet been made by museums 

 or universities in the United Kingdom. 



The most interesting addition to our knowledge of the Kiltorcan 

 flora during the year has been the discovery of seeds and pollen-grains, 



