73 
Ordinary Meeting, April 16, 1861. 
Dr. J. P. Joule, President, in the Chair. 
A letter having been read from Dr. Schunck, tendering 
his resignation of office as Secretary of the Society, it was 
unanimously resolved, “ That the Society desire to express 
their regret at the resignation by Dr. Schunck of the office of 
Secretary, and to offer to him their cordial thanks for the 
valuable and efficient services which he has rendered to the 
Society during the six years he has held the office.” 
Mr. E. W. Binney exhibited to the meeting two specimens 
of peat obtained by himself from the low mosses adjoining the 
sea near Southport. One was a dull brown substance, having 
an imperfect conchoidal fracture, and which burnt and smelt 
like Derbyshire bitumen. This he called blazing peat. 
The other was of a bright black colour, with a perfect con- 
conchoidal fracture, which looked like pitch and emitted 
scarcely any flame whilst burning. This he called non- 
blazing peat. He said that bitumens and coals were generally 
supposed to have been formed under an elevated temperature, 
something analogous to the production of tar and pitch by the 
distillation of wood in close vessels at a high temperature. 
Now, the specimens exhibited showed that vegetable matter 
could be converted in a peat bog into an inflammable bitumen 
in the one case, and, in the other, into a bright substance 
resembling anthracite coal, thus showing that high tempera- 
ture was not absolutely requisite for the production of either 
bitumens or coals from ligneous fibre. 
A Paper was read by the Rev. T. P. Kirkman, M. A.* 
F.R.S., entitled, “Theorems on Groups.” 
Proceedings— Lit. & Phil, Society— No, 13 ,— Session, 1860 - 61 , 
