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character, the removal . of the woody fibre and absorbing 
humous bodies would set them free, and the fusibility or 
otherwise of the substances at ordinary temperatures would 
depend on the plants. The oil formed by distilling the 
resinous bodies obtained from the peat was of a light yellow. 
Its true character has not been fully determined, but the 
analysis gave — carbon 88’86 p.c., hydrogen 12*70. 
The author inclined to believe that there is a great 
variety of oils and solid hydrocarbonaceous bodies, if not 
true hydrocarbons, in the plants, which so far as he knew ' 
had not been examined. The resins of the peat had been 
carefully examined by Mulder. 
The author had not found any of the coaly peat spoken of 
by some authors. It might readily be supposed that when the 
woody fibre was removed various compounds insoluble in 
water would remain and account for fossil resins, ozokerit, &c, 
A similar action might produce coal although the plants 
forming peat and coal were different and most probably the 
climate, and the idea of Prof. Morris (see Prof. Huxley 
and Prof Dawkins on coal) that the bituminous part of 
coal was composed of spores and sporangia primitively sup- 
plied with resinous or oleaginous matter would so far agree 
with the above reasoning, although in forming peat we 
cannot confine ourselves to the spores, so far as the author 
knew at least, when wood is present having resin dispersed 
in it. Perhaps the same may be said of coal. 
The author spoke of the great value of peat as a water 
reservoir in a country demanding so much water, which did 
not always require to be bright, and of the possibility in 
many positions of clearing it as it was leaving the mosses. 
Water reservoirs could thus be grown at a cheap rate in 
many spots, instead of being banked in or dug at a great 
expense, although growing might require perhaps more 
time. A reservoir formed of peat 10 feet thick would hold 
as much as a water reservoir of the usual kind 8 feet deep, 
or say 7J, and still be easily walked over. 
