294 ANNUAL OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. 



Sultan of Turkey, on the geology and general character of the Meer- 

 schaum of Asia Minor : 



This substance is one that has been long known to the arts, without 

 an accurate knowledge as to the manner in which it occurs in nature, 

 from the fact that almost all which came into commerce was derived 

 from a region in Asia Minor but little visited. The locality alluded to 

 is at Eski Shehr, the ancient Doujlacem, in western Asia Minor, about 

 a hundred miles from the Sea of Marmora and as many from the 

 Black Sea. The substance occurs in an extensive plain, which consists 

 of a calcareous breccia, extending to a considerable depth, and, doubt- 

 less, belonging to the tertiary formation. The meerschaum exists in 

 masses of different sizes, from that of a walnut to the size of a man's 

 body, embedded in this breccia. The origin of the meerschaum Dr. 

 Smith was inclined to attribute to the change produced upon carbon- 

 ate of magnesia, by waters containing silex. It was doubtless explored 

 at this very place by the ancient Greeks ; the use, however, that they 

 made of it is unknown to us. The companies who now explore are 

 Turks, and those who labor are paid proportionally to what is extracted ; 

 and, as the value of this substance increases greatly in proportion 

 to the size of the mass, the business is of a precarious nature, and, in 

 many instances, causes great loss to the miners. At other times they 

 procure pieces affording large marketable specimens, and their profits 

 then are proportionally good. The mining for this ..substance is parried 

 on with the same eagerness, and its yield is ks precarious, as that of 

 gold. The principal mines on the plain are Remick tick, 27 miles north 

 of Eski Shehr, and the shafts there are from ninety to one hundred and 

 twenty feet deep ; Karanch, 13 miles east of Eski Shehr this is an 

 old Greek mine, and has shafts from sixty to ninety feet ; Nc.mleckcrer, 

 15 miles west of Eski Shehr, and one near Kutayah. The two first 

 are worked at present. Karanch, recently recommenced, is yield- 

 ing well, and the third is abandoned on account of the rapidity with 

 which the water flows into it. In sinking a shaft in these places, 

 meerschaum is found from the surface down, but that near the surface 

 has not the requisite properties, being hard, chalky, and does not yield 

 reaflily to the pressure of the nail, as good meerschaum does. All 

 meerschaum that is obtained from the mines goes to Vienna for the 

 purpose of making pipes, cigar tubes, &c., that are cut out of the sub- 

 stance, and carved with ornamental figures, the stone being soft, and 

 yielding readily to the knife. Large specimens were exhibited, which 

 were more like cork than stone ; it floats on water, like the latter sub- 

 stance, hence its name, the foam of the sea, but absorbs water 

 rapidly and sinks. When dry, it is extremely white, and compressible 

 by the nail ; when saturated with water it is softer than wax, and is 

 readily crushed in the hand ; it absorbs twice its weight of water. 

 Chemically speaking, meerschaum is a hydrate d silicate of magnesia. 



CARBONATE OP MAGNESIA IN CALIFORNIA. 



THE editor of the Pacific News thus describes the existence of a 

 large deposit of carbonate of magnesia in the California territory. 

 " On Pitch (or Pitt) river, the principal affluent of the Sacramento, 



