THE EXHIBITION OP 1862. 195 
One mineral substance remains to be noticed in detail, and 
then we have done. 
In this court is a most instructive series of samples illus- 
trating the production,, by distillation, of “ Albertine oil ” from 
Albert coal. We shall endeavour to convey by description 
some idea of the appearance of this useful substance in its 
various stages of manufacture. 
First, then, we have the “ Albert coal/’ a bright, light coal, 
somewhat resembling our “ cannelA From this, a thick black 
fluid is extracted, which resembles crude petroleum, a greenish- 
black oil; this we will call No. 1. The next process. No. 2, 
leaves the oil solid, like clotted moist sugar ; from this is 
produced No. 3, which presents a totally different appearance : 
it is a jelly-like mass, of a gold colour, and full of fine needle- 
shaped crystals. No. 4 is a thin liquid, resembling colza oil, 
but flowing more like a spirit. No. 5 may be compared to 
Irish whisky, being a thin straw-coloured spirit; whilst the 
last process, No. 6, brings us to the refined spirit, not unlike 
camphine in appearance. 
Thus we have glanced cursorily at our most important 
colonies — have visited, in turn, New Zealand, the various parts 
of the continent of Australia ; Ceylon and India, with their 
rich tropical productions ; Natal, and the Cape of Good 
Hope; our West Indian settlements; and, lastly, the important 
districts of Canada. 
Our review has necessarily been brief and imperfect, for we 
have had so large a mass of materials to consider — have 
observed such numerous indications of increasing wealth and 
prosperity — that, as we entered one court after the other, we 
were more and more perplexed to decide what appeared the 
most likely to interest our readers. 
Let us repeat most emphatically, that, with one or two 
exceptions, the display is highly creditable to the exhibitors : 
not only evincing a spirit of enterprise, of which, as English- 
men, we should not boast over much, but an increasing intelli- 
gence and a progressive knowledge in science and scientific 
applications, calculated to astonish those who bestow upon 
them the consideration which they so richly deserve. 
Long may our colonies continue to flourish ! Long may they 
remember that this is the mother-country ; but ... (in 
this wish it is questionable whether we shall command, such 
unanimous approval as in the two preceding) may they soon 
be sufficiently strong to govern themselves, so as to constitute 
the independent centres of civilization all over the habitable 
globe. 
