The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-30 00:00:00

PETROLEUM.

The subjoined statements on the subject of
the oil misnamed petroleum have be►n forwarded
to us for publication. This recently introduced
illuminating fluid is being presented in enormous
quantities for use, and if the statements relative to
its comparative cheapness be correct, there is little
doubt that its consumption will be on a correspond-
ing scale. There appears to be no reason to doubt
that as this oil is furnished from the vast laboratory
of nature, it can be made to undersell all other
kinds of oil for lighting purposes ; and there is
every reason to imagine that further discoveries
will result from the chemical analyses provoked by
present discussions concerning its nature and pro-
perties :
EXPORT or PETROLIUM Ott FROM A ItZIOCA.
the Ist of January to the Bth of September, 1862,
from New York, 3,772,414 gallons ; from other ports,
2.117,522 gallons ; total, 5,810,930 gallons, or 150,000 barrels
in eight months. - . .

ILLUVISATED POW= Or PETROLECM.—It has been
vary rightly remarked that the difference of price per
gallon is not always difference of cheapness between two
burning fluids for illuminating purposes. A mixture of
alcohol and turpentine may be bought fur ha/Us-mown, and
yet it is more expensive, when the quantity of light given is
taken into account, than sperm oil eating three shillings
and seveopsnoe. The low price of refined petroleum having
of late caused its extensive use, the experimente a Profaner
Booth and Br. Garrett, of Philadelphia, as to its illuminat-
ing powers arevery interesting. They were mainly made to
test the relative illuminating power of mineral oil in respect
to that of common coal-gas. Four kinds of oil were tr ed.
but there was very little difference between them. It was
found that 2109 pllous of mineral oil gave a light equal to
1,000 cubie feet of gas, wLile it required no less than 11169
gallons of burning fluid (alcohol and turpentine) te produce
an equal amouut of light. Various experiments were also
made to determine what form of ffamegave the most intense
light with the least quantity of oil, sad it was fouled that a
clean straight-cut wick pee the beet result& With a clean
straight-eat wick, 2•576 Italian of oil gave a light equal to
1,000 cubic feet of gas, while with an embed dame 2-846
were required. Losses of from 4to 20 per cent. were ob-
served with different trimmed wicks. Other experiments
showed that to produce a light equal to 1,000 aside feet of
gas took 35'58 lbs. of paraffin, 4116 of spermaceti, and 47'18
of adamantine candles. The relative costs of the lights
were—ps, Ba. 9d. ; petroleum, 4a. sld. ; spermaosti candles,
4f. 3s. 4d. ; paraffin candles, 21. fa. Bd. ; adamantine can-
dles, 21. lls. 5 d. Judgiag from these experiments, there-
fore, petroleum is the cheapest known seam of artificial
light.

EASTER Dues.—On Friday a gentleman living in
Leeds, but who formerly resided in the parish of Erste],
received a visit from the officers of the law, acting on behalf
of the Vicar of Birstal, to distrain for Is. 6d. Hater does,
sod fie. Gd. costa. To raise this sum they carried off six
chain worth 81. The Vicar of Birstal has not 001161We:1
his parishioners by the manner in which he has enforced his
tights. If be would look around him, be might and brother
clergymen who do not alienate the affections of their people
by a foolish exaction of legal right; and are thereby enabled
to perform their duties with comfort to themselves, sad in
harmony with all men.—Skejleld
ROYAL FREE tioarrrAL, URAT'S-121N-ROAD.—The
number of pat ante relO_lfed at this hompitri during the week
*adios Sept. 27 was.3,Wo, of which 914 were new mom.