652 Report on specimens of Coal. [OCT* 



This is a curious substance — a saline earth resembling wacken in 

 appearance, strongly impregnated with bitumen, or mineral oil ; of a 

 strong smell, saline taste, and deliquescent from the salt it contains 

 — whence probably its name of < khur fkshara salt). It has a spe- 

 cific gravity 1.851 — and burns with a good flame. 

 Composition (in the dry way) — 



Volatile matter, 27.3 



Carbon, 16.9 



Earthy matter, partly calcareous, and salt, 55.8 



100.0 



(I have not yet analyzed this as to its saline contents.) 

 Specimen 7. — " Coal from Nour, 10 miles north of the ancient city 

 of Ghazni. The specific gravity is higher than that of all the 

 foregoing." — B. 



This is a bituminous limestone, smelling of naphtha wlien rubbed or 

 freshly broken — leaves a mark on paper, and burns with a poor flame, 

 when well heated. Specific gravity 2.056. Analysed in the ordinaray 

 manner it gives off-— 



Volatile matter, 12.9 



Carbon, 32.2 



Earthy matter chiefly cal- 

 careous, 54.9 



100.0 

 As, in driving off the volatile matter, or incinerating the carbona- 

 ceous, it is evident that some, if not all, of the carbonic acid would be 

 disengaged from the lime, I repeated the trial, but with results nearly 

 the same. The earthy residue 54.9 digested in weak nitric acid, left 

 but 1.5 undissolved : the 53.4 — (or in the second experiment 50.5) of 

 lime, would require 41.0 or 39.0 of carbonic acid for its neutralization, 

 or more than the carbon and bitumen together ! We can only suppose 

 therefore, that the presence of the bitumen had prevented the absorp- 

 tion of carbonic acid, or supplied its place — a fact it will be worth 

 while to ascertain, when I can get another, and a larger specimen. 



Specimen 8. — " From Nujrow to the north of Kabul. This is a 

 combustible, but not coal, though it may be found to indicate it." — B. 



This substance resembles No. 6 in some respects, but it is softer, 

 has a more disagreeable smell, and does not appear to contain salt ; it is 

 adhesive, yields to the nail, of dull earthy brown color, specific 

 gravity 2 031 ; it burns with a clear flame not very bright. 



