338 E. T. Newton— On " Tasmanite" and "White Coal." 



in the earliest account of this substance which I have yet seen 

 (Eeport of the Eoyal Society of Van Dieman's Land, 1852, p. 96) : 

 "There is on the right bank of the river [Mersey,] .... 

 a series of beds of a brown schist, 1 of a nature highly combustible ; 

 its surface is usually finely punctated — it is semi-soft, sectile, fissile, 

 flexible, and slightly elastic, and when held to a candle burns with 

 a strong yellowish- white flame." "When the substance thus described 

 is examined with a pocket lens it is seen to be very largely composed 

 of minute discs of a brownish colour, giving to the schist a granular 

 aspect ; this is probably the appearance alluded to in the above 

 extract as " finely punctated." 



The chemical analyses of Tasmanite made by Prof. Penny (Pro- 

 ceedings of the Eoyal Society of Van Dieman's Land, vol. iii. 1855, 

 p. 108) and by Prof. Church (Philosophical Magazine, vol. xviii. 

 1864, p. 465) show that the discs are composed of a kind of resinous 

 material, and that they are imbedded in a matrix of siliceous sand 

 and clay. 



It is perhaps worthy of remark that Prof. Penny puts the resinous 

 matter at 26 24 per cent., and pyrites at 2-16 per cent. ; while Prof. 

 Church says the resinous matter forms 30 to 40 per cent, of the schist, 

 and makes no mention of pyrites ; he states however that the resinous 

 matter contains a very large proportion of sulphur in chemical 

 combination. 



It appears from the observations of these two authors that the 

 so-called resinous portion of Tasmanite is not really resinous, for it 

 is insoluble in alcohol, ether, bisulphide of carbon, benzole, tur- 

 pentine, and paraffin oil. Now the so-called bituminous portions of 

 coal differ from resins in very much the same particulars ; and when 

 we find also that Tasmanite "affords a notable quantity of gas, 

 which is similar in quality and powers to that obtained from 

 cannel coal," although less in quantity, we niust, I think, consider 

 Tasmanite and Coal to be allied substances. 



The large proportion of sulphur, which Prof. Church has shown to 

 be in chemical combination in Tasmanite, is paralleled in the case of 

 certain coals mentioned by Dr. Percy (Fuel, 1875), as being remark- 

 able for the same peculiarity. 



By the kindness of Mr. W. J. Ward, I am enabled to give the follow- 

 ing particulars regarding the composition of Australian " White Coal " : 



Combustible Materials .. 29-58 



Ash 68-47 



"Water- 1-95 



100-00 



After treating this White Coal, in a finely divided condition, with 

 hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids, and separating a small propor- 

 tion of whitish sand by decanting, there was about 43-61 per cent, of 

 residue, chit-fly composed of the discs, but evidently still containing a 

 email proportion of sand or clay, which had not been dissolved by 

 the acids. 



1 Allied to Dysodile. 



