1 6 [January, 1902.] 
IMPERIAL INSTITUTE JOURNAL. 
Vol. VIII. No. 85. 
regarded this question, but was certain that it would be impossible to Jin cl an annexationist 
in Canada amongst the leading men of any party or sect ; indeed, so unpopular and 
repugnant was the idea, with the general public, that it would be impossible to elect a 
candidate, even for the humblest office, who was known to favour it. Annexation, continued 
Mr. Bengough, would never have the consent of Canadians unless practically every man in 
tire country underwent a radical change, and the people became dissatisfied with the 
Canadian institutions and form of government, which, he said, they, at present, much 
preferred to those of the United States. 
The Canadians had the utmost goodwill towards their neighbours. Intermarriages were 
frequent. A million Canadians resided in the States, and many Americans in Canada, and 
naturally a good deal of commercial intercourse existed between the two peoples. There was 
also a decided tendency for the Canadians to import smart slang phrases from America, and 
in their general manners and customs they conformed much more to American ways, than to 
English, yet these conformities and resemblances were, he maintained, only skin deep, and 
that essentially the Canadians were British, more British, if possible, certainly more 
exuberantly so, than the inhabitants of Great Britain itself. He was of opinion that the 
North American Continent would continue to he occupied by two friendly Powers, and 
drew a detailed and attractive picture of the mission the Canadians had in helping on the 
restoration to perfect friendship between the States and Great Britain. 
He had also much that was eulogistic to say about Saxon unity. Canadian Unity and 
Australian Federation had both been attained, and Imperial Unity was now' aimed at. 
Reference was also made to the many advantages to be derived from a re-arrangement of the 
fiscal relations beLween the different sections of Greater Britain in the direction of what wds 
known as free-trade within the Empire ; and a hope w r as expressed that Great Britain would 
assist in the building-up of Canada by sending men and money to that country, and by 
showing an increased preference for Canadian products. Mr. Bengough also dwelt upon the 
recent popularity of Canada in Great Britain. 
To more forcibly bring home many of the points of his lecture he recited some of his 
ow r n poems, notably one entitled Able -to feed the Motherland, His cartoons, many of 
which he drew during the evening, were greafly appreciated by the large audience present. 
Sir Rivers Wilson, in proposing the customary vote of thanks, said that he hoped 
the information which had been so well and agreeably given would go beyond the present 
audience, and would tend to diminish many of the misconceptions which still existed in this 
country with regard to Canada. He considered it a matter of regret and surprise that 
Englishmen did not flock out to that most beautiful, attractive, and productive country 
which Mr. Bengough had just described. 
“THE BROWN COAL-BEDS OF VICTORIA, THEIR CHARACTERS, 
EXTENT, AND COMMERCIAL VALUE.” 
( By James Stirling, Esq.,) 
Professor E. Hull, late Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland, presided on the 
iSth November at a lecture delivered at the Institute by Mr. James Stirling, Government 
Geologist and Mining Representative of Victoria, on the “ Brown Coal-beds of Victoria, their 
Character, Extent and Commercial Value.” In a lecture which Mr. Stirling gave at the 
Institute about a year ago (see Journal of January, 1901) on the “Coal Resources of 
Victoria,” he gave some account of these brown-coal deposits. Since then, however, lie 
has visited Germany, and other parts of the Continent of Europe, to study the latest methods 
there adopted of utilizing this class of fuel, and the most interesting portions of his lecture 
were those in which he described the information he had obtained on his journey. Professor 
1 lull, in his introductory remarks, said he happened to be unacquainted with these brown- 
coal deposits of Victoria, and, therefore, looked forward with a considerable amount of 
interest to what the lecturer would have to say on the subject. 
The question of utilizing the large deposits of tertiary fuel known to exist in the Latrobe 
Valley, Gippsland, at Newport near Melbourne, Lai Lai near Ballarat, Dean’s Marsh near 
Geelong, and at other places in Victoria, to commercial advantage in the interests of the 
State was, said Mr. Stirling, of considerable importance at the present time, when each 
portion of the Australian Commonwealth was, so to speak, taking stock of its natural 
resources. He estimated that the State contained about 600 square miles of proved 
tertiary coal-beds, more than half of which occurred in the Latrobe Valley, which, as the 
main line of railway from Melbourne to Gippsland passed right through the district, was in 
direct railway communication with all the large industrial centres. 
Detailed topographical and geological descriptions of the Latrobe valley were given. As 
a result of boring shafts, etc., at various localities, extending from Darnum on the west to 
Toongabbie on the east — a distance of nearly fifty miles — seams of brown-coal from 30 to 
265 feet in thickness had been proved. At one place near Morewell a diamond-drill bore 
had- been carried to a depth of 1,000 feet passing through several beds of the coal, three of 
which were 265 feet 6 inches, 227 feet 10 inches, and 166 feet 1 inch thick, respectively. 
Making due allowance for the fact, based upon geological considerations, that the deposits 
occurred as lenticular masses, thinning towards the end of the basins, old marshes, lakelets, 
etc. in which they were accumulated, and estimating that they covered an area of fully 
340 square miles, there could not he less than 31,144,380,960 tons of brown-coal in the 
district, available at depths from surface to 1,000 feet levels. The cost of production of this 
material into briquettes, which should command a ready sale in Melbourne from 18s, to 20s. 
a ton, was from 7s. to Ss. a ton. A diagram of the Morewell bore was thrown on the 
screen, and Mr. Stirling dwelt at length upon the geological formation of the beds. There 
was, he said, evidence of extensive faulting of the strata since the older tertiary deposits and 
volcanic flows had been deposited, thus lowering the central part of the Latrobe Valley 
over the area now covered by the pliocene and later beds. 
Approximate analyses of the samples at Mirboo Collieries, and of this Morewell bore, 
had shown clearly a general increase of the percentage of fixed carbon — heat-giving qualities 
— with the depth ; in the former from 27 per cent, to 41 per cent, and in the latter from 
26 per cent, to 48 percent. Details of the results of several other bores, put down in the 
Latrobe and other districts, were given. The beds at Newport near Melbourne were 70 feet 
thick, and it had been suggested that they might possibly be utilized for the production of 
electrical energy in order to supply heat, light, and motive power to the metropolis. Deposits 
at Lai Lai, near the great mining centre of Ballarat, could, it had been suggested, be used 
for producing gas for smelting purposes, in a similar way to that now being carried out in 
Styria, and the deposits at Dean’s Marsh near Geelong might also be turned to account for 
manu fac luring purposes. 
Referring to his recent visit to Germany and Austria, Mr. Stirling said that he was of 
opinion that the present development of numerous industries over large areas in those 
countries had been principally due to the methods employed for the economic production and 
utilization of this class of fuel. Its output was greatly increasing in both countries, even in 
direct competition with the older and more highly bituminous black coal. In N.W. 
Bohemia, tertiary-coal was used exclusively for locomotive purposes. 
The main scat of the Rhenish brown-coal was on the uplands of the hills near Cologne, 
known as the Ville, in which there were about 18 brown-coal quarries and briquette factories, 
capable of producing nearly one and a-half million tons per annum. lie had only had time 
to visit one of these works, in which 650 men were employed, winning about 4,000 tons jx:r 
24 hours. The cost of manufacture of a ton of briquettes from this material (including 7 Acl. 
for mining) was between 5s. and 6s. A description was given of the method of manufacture, 
and the machinery used. The briquettes for household purposes were 7 inches by 2J inches 
by id inches, and smaller ones were made for industrial purposes. The output at these 
works during the time of his visit was 700 tons per day, which sold at Cologne at 15s. a ton. 
Special locomotives for burning brown-coal briquettes were constructed in Germany. 
At some works near Halle, where the brown-coal was more friable and somewhat 
earthy in parts, two classes of briquettes were made : wet-pressed ones from the inferior and 
more earthy coal, which were dried in suitable sheds, and the more valuable dry-pressed 
ones, for manufactures and domestic fuel. 
For the proper utilization of brown-coal, it was most essential that it should be carefully 
examined before being dealt with. Some kinds were suitable for the manufacture of 
briquettes, and others for the distillation of oil. Special attention was being paid to this 
fact at these works near Halle, where the distillation works, retorts, etc., were situated close 
to the briquette factory, so that the coal suited for mineral oil fabrication — which was 
selected after analyses of samples — was conveyed directly to the distillation retorts, where it 
was converted into tar, then into various oils, and finally into paraffin. The residue formed 
a commercially valuable coke, which was now being burned in suitable ovens all over 
Germany, for heating purposes. To emphasize the importance of subjecting brown-coal to 
scientific examination before treatment, Mr. Stirling quoted the results of some experiments 
with samples of Morewell coal, some of which had yielded as much as 30 gallons per ton, and 
others as little as 7 gallons. The coal containing the smaller amount of oil was, of course, the 
better suited for manufacture into briquettes. 
In Austria the brown-coal industry was carried on on a large scale. In 1S99 246 
enterprises had been at work, employing 50,790 men, and producing 21,750,000 tons of coal, 
valued at nearly £4,000,000. Nearly half of this coal was exported, chiefly to Hungary, 
Prussia, Brandenburg, Wittenburg, Saxony, and Switzerland. The brown-coal industry of 
Hungary was also largely on the increase. 
Recent experiments made in Germany with the Morewell coal had shown it to he 
superior to the average of that found on the Continent of Europe, while some samples, 
tested for tarry matter and oil, had proved superior to the average Scotch shales. It was 
said to be capable of manufacture into the following products : — 
Briquettes, wet and dry pressed, 
Various oils and paraffin, 
Coke and pitch, 
Colouring matters, 
Gas, 
Antiseptic soap, 
. Sheep-dip ointment, 
Disinfectants, etc. 
If the German methods of the utilization of this coal were adopted in Victoria the 
establishment of various industries all round the centres where the coal-beds occurred would, 
Mr. Stirling contended, be only a question of time, and the adoption of an energetic policy 
of promoting such production by the Government must, he considered, result in great 
commercial enterprise and industrial extension. 
Professor Hull, in proposing a vote of thanks for a very interesting lecture, said that 
coal— mostly bituminous black coal — was now being extensively found in several of our 
colonies, and that Victoria was fortunate in possessing such large deposits of fine mineral 
fuel which, although only brown-coal, would seem to be of considerable importance to the 
State. He thought that Mr. Stirling was quite right in advising his Government to sludy, 
and adopt, the German methods of utilizing this class of fuel. Professor Hull also made 
eulogistic reference to Dr. Selwyn, who had been his first teacher in Geology, and also, as 
the first Government Geologist of Victoria, one of Mr. Stirling’s predecessors. 
“WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 
“ITS PAST, PRESENT, AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE.” 
(By the Hon. H. B. Lefroy.,) 
The Hon. II. B, Lefroy, Agent-General for Western Australia, on Monday, 
25th November last, delivered a lecture at the Institute on Western Australia, Sir Gerard 
Smith, formerly Governor-General of the State, presided, and, in his introductory remarks, 
referred to the services Mr. Lefroy had rendered to the country as Minister for Mines during 
his term of office in the colony. 
Western Australia, with a population of 200,000, was, said Mr. Lefroy, greater in 
extent than France, Spain, Portugal, the German Empire, and Austria-Hungary, with 
their 160,000,000 of people ; and countries with which perhaps many of his hearers were more 
familiar than with this distant portion of their own Empire. 
A short and interesting account of the early history of the country was given, which had 
practically began in 1829, when the British flag had been hoisted by Capt. Fremantle 
at the port now bearing his name. The progress of the country had, at first — until the 
discovery of gold — been but slow. A description of the Capital, Perth, of the harbour- 
works at the mouth of the Swan River, and of some of the institutions, specially those 
relating to its methods of government, was given. 
The great industry of Western Australia at the present time was gold-mining, though 
side by side with it was prospering the cultivation of the soil, upon which, more than gold, 
depended Lhc ultimate and permanent prosperity of the country. 
Anyone who knew the goldfields of Western Australia hy actual travel over the country, 
by observations made on the spot, and by wandering through drives and cross-cuts, and 
struggling up slopes, and not by operations on the Stock Exchange, must be struck by the 
marvellous developments which had taken place during the last eight years, the enormous 
area over which the auriferous deposits extended, and the wonderful possibilities the future 
held in store. The gold-hearing district reached from Kimberley, in the north, to Phillips 
River, in the south, a distance of over 1,000 miles in length with a width of more than 300. 
In spite of all that had been said to the contrary, he contended that the progress of gold- 
mining in Western Australia was without parallel in the history of gold-mining elsewhere. 
Compared with the progress of the Rand, during the first six years of its active development, 
Western Australia had shown a far better record ; the total being three million ounces for 
the Rand, and four million for Western Australia. Again, Western Australia had been 
gradually and surely increasing her output, until, during the first ten months of the present 
year, (1901) she had produced 1,530,741 ounces, or nearly as much as the output for Llie 
whole of any previous year. 
The first payable gold-bearing region in the country had been discovered in 1S84 at 
Kimberley. Pioneers had then soon scattered afield and opened up new districts over 
hundreds of miles of territory, notably at Pilbarra, Nullagine, and Marble Bar, and in 1887 
similar discoveries had been made in the neighbourhood of Southern Cross, Still, in 1892, 
shortly after Lhc establishment of responsible Government, the value of the gold output had 
totalled only to ,£226,283, That, however, was the year of the rich discoveries at Coolgardie, 
where the outcrop of the reef had been found thickly studded with gold, and chunks of solid 
bullion were exposed “ to the naked eye of those sturdy wanderers whose privations and 
exertions were so well rewarded.” 
This had created a rush to the shores of Western Australia from all parts of the world, 
and the beginning of her national prosperity, population, and wealth, really dated from that 
period. This influx also had been directly responsible for the opening up of what was 
known as the great auriferous belt of Western Australia. The difficulties with which the 
gold-miners of these early days had to contend would be readily understood, when one 
remembered that this district was situated some 400 miles from the sea-board, in a most 
inhospitable region, with but little animal life or water except such us was salter than the sea. 
