282 
Chemical Analyses. 
[Sept. 
Travancore. The composition of all of these agrees in the quantity of volatile matter 
^iven off, consisting in great measure of aqueous vapour. I hey all shew the 
woody fibre, particularly after charring, when their resemblance to wood charcoal 
is complete : specific gravity variable according to the texture, which is sometime* 
massive, with high lustre resembling jet, and at others fibrous : colour brown or 
black : lustre resinous or dull ; fracture even : no vegetable impressions yet 
discovered : occurs in insulated masses, or in very thin seams in the sandy grit on 
the flank of the Dera Dim valley. To ascertain the nature of the volatile matter 
expelled, I heated 10 grains of the pounded lignite in a bent tube over mercury : 
at first much water came over, then a yellow bituminous liquid, and at the me 
time abundance of gas was extricated, of which 4 cubic inches were collected, wl,» 
the experiment was arrested by the fusion of the glass tube. The gas prom, » 
contain 30 per cent, of carbonic acid ; the remainder, mixed with mjp, 
exploded with a faint blue flame, shewing that little or no olefiant gas 
by this coal. It is not found in sufficient abundance to be worked wlft uub»»«, , • 
4 Glance Coal. Under this head I have inserted two specimens ot Chinese , 
brought round by the Forbes steamer from Canton. In appearance they W ' 
exceedingly, though nearly alike in composition; No. 1 be'"? o Perfec ^ 
lustre, iron grey colour, brittle, low specific gravity, fracture rectang . 
facets. No. 2 is slaty, dull and earthy, streak brown black ; »P«* * . [ 
higher than that of slate coal ; leaves considerable ash : they both . q ^ 
temperature for their combustion, give no flame whatever, an. ai ^wt 
found to be totally unlit for the boiler furnaces of the steamer 
seems, however, admirably adapted to take the place ot coke in close ^ ^ 
deed, it agrees closely in composition with the coke made from Englist 
“"he coal from New South Wales is not included in 
since it belongs so entirely to another part ot the globe. Indeed t so close ) ^ 
ties in external character, as well as in composition the English - w 
at first imagined some mistake had been made in taking the samp , 
purposely to verify them in the store-yard of the Hon'ble Immpanj - * C 
where a quantity of this coal is lying for sale It ,s reputed to have 
as a fuel than the English coal, and to he unfit for making coke ; bu k * 
dieted by the result of its analysis. It gives out rather more volatile 
the residua, ash is equally small, and of the character, stie brown colour 
English coal asli : the slate-coals generally leave a white ash. fourlh 
The following table comprises the results of the severa ana vses. 
column, containing the water expelled, is kept distinct hom t ie ^ v0 i a tile 
low it under the head of composition, as it is usual to induce < 
products together. Should the water be looked upon as hygrome i ’ ft h* 
tage of carbon and ashes must he increased to obtain the true c omi ^ 
coal : thus the Baghelpur slate coal after deducting 10 per cent, o t wa 
Volatile matter, 22 X 1 ^ = 24.4 
Carbon, 40.5 X ditto = 45.0 
Ashes, 27.5 X ditto — 30.6 
100.0 
most ' 
* i fit flXC 
From the last column in the table, it will he seen how total y un 
the Indian coals for the purpose of making coke. The Burdwan c 0 f erf® 
ception of one specimen, would contain nearly a quaitei ot 1 s 
