THE Q U A RT I3 1iLY J 0 U It i”d A L OF THE CHEhIICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. Nov. 20 1848. TVilliarn ,411en Millcr M.D. in the Chair. The following presents were laid on the table :-‘c AHEssay on the com-paratit e value of clifferent liincls of Coal for the purposes of illumination,” by A. Fj-fe N.D. presented by the autlior and Taylor’s Calendar of the Neetings of Scientific Bodies for 1848-49 also from the author. Messrs. Alexander Bain and Williani John Hay were duly elected members of the Society. The following letter and coniniuiiicatioiis were rend On trnces of Copper and Lead in the ashes of Cod hy J. ARTHUR EsQ., PHILLIPS i92 a Letter to Mr. TXnrington.-The writer having read with much interest a paper by Mr. Yaux in the Transactions of the Society in which was a list of coals containing traces of copper and lead recorded ivas induced to repeat the experiments on the ashes of some of the coals which had passed through his hands in counexion with ‘‘the Admiralty Coals Inyestigation ;” in no instance however was he able to detect the presence of the slightejt trace of either of those metals.Mr. Phillips’ experiments were made 011 the ashes of the following conls from Kewcastle viz. Carr’s Hartiey Xemastle aartley and North Percy I-Iartley ; these were followed by the examination of some specimens from Liver-pool viz The Laffak Rushy Park. The Johnson’s and Worthington’s Sir John and The Blackbrook Rushy Park. vo:,. TI. -NO. v. B RlR. RITJSPRATT OX THE TVignn Coals.The Balcaries Lindsay. Scotch Coals. The Eglington The Wellwood The Fordel Splint and Wallsend Elgin. FVeZsh ConIs. The Pontypool The Bedwas The Porthmawr The Ebbw Vale and Linoi Coals. An anthracite from Slievardagh in Ireland and a specimen of coal from Conception Bay Chili were also tried with the same results. It would therefore appear that although traces of copper and lead may occasionally occur in coal their presence is estremely rare in the districts above mentioned. In these experiments care was taken to employ water perfectly free from metallic salts as on examining the ordinary distilled water of the labora- tory some of it was found to darken slightly on passing a current of sulphuretted hydrogen through it ; no water was therefore employed which had not been prerionsly tested and ascertained to be free from traces of the metals.