L I G 
tvnttee of the houfe of commons on the Gas-Light and Coke 
Company’s Bill, in May 1809, itappeared, That from coal is 
produced coke, oil, tar, pitch, afphaltum, ammoniacal li¬ 
quor, and efiential oil, befides inflammable air for light and 
heat. That a certain quantity of coal may bemadetoincreafe 
to nearly double its bulk in coke. That one chaldron of 
coal will certainly produce one chaldron three quarters of 
coke; and that the coke is-of a fuperior quality to that 
procured in the market; as it produces no fmoke, makes 
no dirt, and has no unpleafant fmell. That iooibs. of 
coal yield from four to five pounds of tar; the tar yields 
a quantity of volatile oil,.and of afphaitum equal in value 
tp that brought from the Dead Sea. 
From a chaldron of coal was obtained 6olbs. of pitch, 
and 3olbs. of eflential oil. The afphaltum produced 
beautiful fpecimensof japan-work,and,difiblve_d in turpen¬ 
tine, made excellent varnifh. This fubftance is now pro¬ 
cured, at a great expenfe, from the Dead Sea, where only 
it is found native. The 6olbs. of pitch (above Hated) 
will produce 3olbs. of afphaltum and islbs. of eflential 
oil. The quantity of ammoniacal liquor obtained from 
the fame chaldron of coals is eighteen gallons. All thefe 
products are procured in the procefs of making the gas. 
The ammoniacal liquor may be ufed in dying as a fub- 
flitute for colouring matters, decoction of woods, madder, 
and other expenflve articles; it has been tried on cotton 
and lilk, gives a beautiful colour, and will not walh out. 
From the ammoniacal liquor is likevvil'e produced carbonat 
of ammonia, vulgarly called “Fuelling falts;” fal am¬ 
moniac, ufed by braziers and tinmen; and cauftic ammo¬ 
nia, or Ample ammonia, ufed in dying flik and in the ma¬ 
nufacture of alum and argil. Sulphur is obtained alfo, 
but not fo as to be profitable. Fourteen cwt. of ammo¬ 
niacal liquor yields about f cwt. of carbonat of ammonia ; 
j. e. aSlbs. yield ilb. The fame liquor yields 1 cwt. of 
fal ammoniac. The eflential oil may be uled in painting 
as a fubftitute for oil of turpentine; and for varnifhing. 
From experiments made by Mr. Accum, an eminent 
praClical chemift, it appears, that three bufliels of coals 
will afford as much light as 1470 candies at 12. to the 
pound. The colour of the light is a vivid white, very 
brilliant, much like the Argand lamp ; the burners are 
formed in three points like a cock’s fpur. Each of thefe 
flames is equal to the intenfity of eighteen parilh-lamps. 
This light is proved to be far more wholefoine than 
other light, as it emits no carbon, (or fmoke,) which all 
other lights do very copioufly, as may be proved by hold¬ 
ing a piece of white paper in this pure gas-light, and the 
paper will not be difcoioured, but the contrary will take 
place with any other light, as the paper will be very much 
blackened. Where rooms are lighted with any degree of 
fplendour, the obnoxious evaporation is generally the 
fonrce of much evil; as Lavoifier aflerts that every pound 
of oil and tallow emits upwards of 14 oz. of carbon, and 
wax very little lefs. 
As it is only an air that caufes this light, it is impoffi- 
ble that it can emit any fparks; nor can any thing be 
fpilt; fo that the light may be led downwards, and in any 
fhape and direction that fancy can fugged. It may be 
ufed for fire-works ; and even fountains of fire and water 
together may be contrived with this gas, by having two 
tubes infide of each other, one conveying the water and 
the other conveying the gas. This is one of the curious 
experiments performed by Mr. Winfor, jun. during his 
lectures. It may alfo be applied to light-houfes, to burn 
without any covering,as wind and water will never affeCt 
a quantity of this united together in a confiderable body 
of light. This is alfo evidently proved by Mr. Winfor at 
his lectures, wherein he produces alight which ftands the 
telt of a common pair of bellows, and afterwards of water 
poured upon it from a garden watering-pot. 
The tar that is procured during the procefs of combuf- 
tion is fuperior to common tar. It preferves timber, young 
trees, &c. and would be of great benefit in dock-yards,-as 
it may be paid or put on cold 3 it foaks and penetrates 
H T. 688 
through the fubftance it is applied to; and it does not 
rife or boil over, as common tar does; and is therefore 
lefs dangerous. 
The ammoniacal liquor, befides the ufes mentioned above, 
poflefl'es other valuable properties. When applied to 
wounds of animals, it aCts powerfully, and proves of great 
benefit. It is a good manure when diluted with water; 
if diluted even with ten times its weight of water, the re- 
fult of the crops has been much greater than before. A 
very great advantage a rife's from foaking the feeds in this 
liquor, as the product is much ftronger and greater. 
The coke is an admirable family-fuel, and may alfo be 
ufed for manufaffuring purpofes. Of this coke there are 
two kinds, the one more carbonized than the other, there¬ 
fore more fit for the forge, iron-foundery, glafs-houfe, 
and every purpofe for which a great heat is required; the 
other is a fuperior family-coke, which emits hardly any 
fmoke, foot, or obnoxious vapour. 
In fhort, it is proved, by the minutes of evidence before 
referred to, and by Mr. Winfor’s calculations, that one 
chaldron of coal may be made to produce, in twenty-four 
hours, above 18I. fterlingclear profit; on which calculation 
the gas-light has been compared with oil and tallow; but, 
if fubftituted for wax, it would yield as much additional 
profit as the difference of price between wax and tallow'. 
We regret that we are not able to lay before our readers 
the procefs by which Mr. Winfor obtains fuch valuable 
products, nor the plans of his machinery; but neither of 
thefe has Mr. Winfor communicated. We fhall, how¬ 
ever, devote a plate to the explanation of fuch apparatufes 
(lefs Ample and fcientific perhaps) as we have been able 
to procure; this being the molt probable means of then- 
being farther improved, and their advantages more fully 
eflrabiifhed. 
The apparatus which Mr. Clegg has deferibed, in his 
communication to the Society of Arts, (Aug. 1808.*) is 
defigned for producing gas to light manufactories on a 
large feale. 
In the annexed engraving, A, fig. r, fhows the call-iron 
retort, into which are put the coals intended to be de- 
compofed by means of a fire underneath it, the heat of 
which furrounds every part of it, excepting the mouth 01- 
part by which the coals are introduced. The lid or iron 
plate B, w hich covers the mouth of the retort, is ground 
on air-tight, and fattened by means of a ferew in the cen¬ 
tre; C is a fnield or faddle of call iron, to preferve the re¬ 
tort from being injured -by the intenfity of the fire un¬ 
derneath it, and to caufe it to be heated more uniformly. 
DDD reprefents the caff-iron pipe which conveys all the 
volatile products of the coal to the refrigeratory of call- 
iron E, in which the tar, &c. extracted from the coal, is 
depolited, and from whence they can be pumped out by 
means of the copper pipe F. G is the pipe which conveys 
the gas to the top of the cylindrical veffel, or receiver, H 5 
this receiver is air-tight at the top, and confequentiy the 
gas dilplaces the water in the veffel H to a level with the 
linall holes, where the gas is fuffered to efcape, and rife, 
through the water of the well I, into the large gazometer, 
K. The ufe of the veffel H is pointed out as follows, 
viz. If the pipe G reached all through the water, without 
palling into the veffel H, the gas would not be rendered 
pure or waffled ; and, if part of the pipe did not rife above 
the water, the water would have free communication with 
the tar, befides expofing the retort A to a very great prel- 
fure, fo as to endanger its burfting when red-hot. This 
veffel or receiver R, in a large apparatus, is about eighteen 
inches diameter, and two feet long; the quantity of gas, 
therefore, which it contains, is fufficient to fill the pipes 
and retort when cool, and prevents the pipe G from a Cl¬ 
ing as a fiphon, and expofes the gas to the water without 
endangering the retort. 
When the operation begins, the upper part of the cy¬ 
lindrical gazometer (or more properly gas-holder) K, 
made of wrought-iron plates, is funk down nearly to a 
level with the top of the circular well I, and is confe- 
, quently 
