566 PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [June 25, 



deposit is bounded by tbe low Silurian bills of Williamson's Creek, 

 and the Mount-Doran ranges. Tbe Melbourne, Geelong, and Bal- 

 larat Railway crosses tbe western edge of tbe Lal-Lal flat ; and 

 near tbis a shaft was sunk by tbe " Lal-Lal Lignite Company," 

 which appears to have struck the bed about its thickest point, viz. 

 115 feet, as later mining operations have proved that it thins out all 

 round this point. The supposition would therefore be that the posi- 

 tion of the shaft represents nearly the centre of the bed of lignite. 

 The following is a generabzed section from above downwards : — 



1. Alternations of sand, clay, and gravel, about 73 feet. 



2. Fine fire-clay, about 3 feet. 



3. Lignite, about 1 15 feet. 



At several other points round the main sinking tbe bed of lignite 

 was struck at a less depth ; but, so far as I observed, no outcrop was 

 to be seen. 



The lignite consists of an irregular mixture of brown or brownish- 

 black earthy bituminous coal, i. e. a mixture of both brown coal and 

 lignite, composed of branches, roots, and other remains of coniferous 

 trees. Throughout the whole mass a few shattered thin seams of 

 jet and a few clay beds are met with, accompanied by two kinds of 

 resin. One of the latter, " semitransparent, of a honey-yellow or 

 reddish-brown colour, and very brittle, resembles Middletonite : the 

 other is greyish-white, opaque, earthy, and somewhat flexible and 

 elastic when fresh from the mine, but becomes hard and brittle 

 afterwards ; it most nearly resembles Retinite from the Bovey Coal. 

 Both these resins burn easily, and, emitting with much smoke fine 

 fragrant odours, leave shining carbonaceous residues " (Selwyn ifc 

 Ulrich, Phys. Geog. & Geol. Vict. pp. 80 & 81). 



Several analyses of Lal-Lal Hgnite were made at various times in 

 the laboratory of the Geological Survey by the late Mr. Charles 

 Wood and by my former colleague, Mr. Cosmo Newbery, of which the 

 following are a sample : — 



I. II. III. 



Fixed carbon 29-3 26-7 39-0 



Volatile matter 20'7 23-3 20-4 



Hygroscopic water 48-7 48-7 40-0 



Ash 1-3 13 0-6 



100-0 100-0 100-0 



The above analyses show, from the small percentage of ash, that 

 this lignite might be used with advantage for steam-purposes, 

 although the amount of carbon falls short of the general quantity of 

 that element found in most lignites, more especially those of Ger- 

 many, many of which contain as much as from 50 to 70 per cent. ; one, 

 that from Ellbogen in Bohemia, is recorded by Regnault as contain- 

 ing 73 per cent, of carbon. Unfortunately tbe Lal-Lal Hgnite has 

 hitherto been found to burn away too quickly for commercial pur- 

 poses ; this is to be regretted, since the deposit lies within easy reach 

 of the most important of the Victorian gold-fields, Ballarat. 



