382 1 Proceedings. 
There are immense accumulations of saw-dust adjoining every saw-mill in 
New Zealand, and if these heaps could be converted into good fuel, for steam. 
or other purposes, by a mixture with peat or with coal-dust, a great gain 
would be achieved. 
** Extract from ‘Country Gentleman's Magazine,’ of November, 1872. 
“Тһе Duke of Sutherland is utilizing surface peat by making it into a composite 
fuel, and if this succeeds a great public gain will accrue to Scotland. The project had 
its rise thus. Mr. Forrester had a lot of sawdust lying in his way about the mill, when 
the idea occurred to him that if it could be cemented together with peat it might be 
converted into good fuel for his engine. He, therefore, prepared a plan of a machine to 
do the mixing, and submitted it to the Duke, who at once approved of it and suggested 
some improvements. They were adopted, the machine was set to work under steam 
power, and in а short time cakes of composite fuel were produced. It occurred to the 
Duke that if small coal or slack were used, as well as saw-dust, or without the saw- 
dust, a still better article might be obtained. This was tried, and with promising 
results. It is difficult to describe this process ; but some idea may be formed of it when 
we state that the machine is erected on а large open space near the mass. 16 has a shaft 
nine feet long. From the centre to the end, on which there is no journal, there are 
fourteen knives, with other knives set at right angles, which are turned at the rate of 
two revolutions a minute. The peat is thrown in, and, with the coal and saw-dust, 
soon comes out again in a mixed state, of sufficient consistency to be wheeled away to 
the drying ground, where it is put into a mould frame, prepared for the drying field, and 
racked. In the course of a week the cakes are ready for use, if the weather be fine, 
and then it is found that sixty of the sawdust peats are equal to one cwt. of best 
Sunderland coal, and cost 25 per cent. less money ; while thirty of the coal composites 
are set down as of this strength and value. If the cakes can be dried by artificial 
means, and there seems no good reason why they should not be thus dried, there will 
soon be abundance of peat fuel in Scotland,” &c., &c. 
5. “Further Report on the Chemistry of Phormium tenax,” by Arthur 
Herbert Church, M.A. Oxon., Professor of Chemistry in the Royal 
Agricultural College at Cirencester, England.—A pril, 1873. Communicated 
by the Hon. the Colonial Secretary. (Transactions, p. 260.) 
Samples of Tobacco, in the leaf and prepared state, grown in Auckland, 
were exhibited by His Honour Mr. Gillies, who gave some explanation as to 
its growth and mode of preparation. 
Еосвтн MzzriNG. 22nd September, 1873. 
Captain F. W. Hutton, F.G.S., Vice-President, in the chair. 
New member. —E. W. Lowe. 
1. “Notes on Delphinus forsteri” by James Hector, M.D., F.R.S. 
(Transactions, p. 85.) 
The Chairman pointed out the value of this paper, and said that this 
