82 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



can be distinctly traced. Most of these crystals are colorless 

 and completely transparent; a few of them are brown. The 

 mineral xanthophyllite above referred to is a micaceous sub- 

 stance occurring with magnetic iron in talcose slates. 3 C, 

 June 26,621. 



GEOLOGY OF SOUTH AFRICAN DIAMOND-FIELDS. 



Professor Morris, in a communication to the Geological So- 

 ciety of London upon the geology of South Africa, referred 

 to the fact that the diamonds of South Africa came from cer- 

 tain stratified beds containing, besides reptilian remains (such 

 as the Dicynodoii), numerous plants and much fossil wood. 

 He then suggested a query as to whether the diamonds them- 

 selves may not be of vegetable origin, and similar in charac- 

 ter to the small crystal quartz found in the stems of bamboo. 

 13 A, December, 1870, 10. 



GEOLOGY OF MISSOURI. 



The first annual report of the State Geologist of Missouri, 

 under the new organization, has just been made to the Legis- 

 lature by Professor A. D. Hagar, chief of the survey. This 

 gentleman is well known to the scientific men of the country 

 in connection with his work upon the survey of Vermont, of 

 which a very valuable report was issued by him. 



In his preliminary examination of the mineral resources of 

 Missouri he was gratified to find the amount of lead greater 

 than was supposed. In reference to the much vexed question 

 whether Missouri contains tin", he remarks that although an 

 assay of the ore furnished a button of tin at the bottom, yet 

 he is not entirely satisfied that this was not the result of some 

 attempt to deceive him, as he could find no evidence in the 

 rock itself of its being tin-bearing. He evidently considers 

 the case as not proved, and awaits the result of farther care- 

 ful experiments on the subject. Paper. 



ARTIFICIAL VOLCANOES. 



Mi\ Yon Hochstetter has made some interesting experi- 

 ments illustrating the phenomena of volcanoes. For this 

 purpose he melted sulphur in water under a -steam pressure 

 of two to three atmospheres, during which a certain amount 

 of water was taken up by the sulphur. A large quantity of 





