E. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. 191 



E. MINERALOGY AND GEOLOGY. 



DISCOVERY OF TIX IX AUSTRALIA. 



One of the most important discoveries in Economic Geol- 

 ogy made during the past year is that of tin in Australia. 

 Tin has been met with heretofore in Australia, but the recent 

 discoveries indicate far richer deposits than any before known 

 there. The district in w^hich the metal was found is alons: 

 the valley of the Maclntyre River, on the high plateau of the 

 Australian Alps. The ore occurs, as usual, in granite, and 

 so disseminated as to form a kind of stockwork. The over- 

 lying surface deposits contain large quantities of oxide of tin, 

 and it is probable that a very large amount of ore will be 

 obtained from the diggings or washings. In a series of trials 

 recently made, twenty pounds of detritus Avere found to yield 

 from three ounces to two pounds of ore. The tin-bearing belt 

 is known to have more than 150 miles of linear extent, so that 

 tliese new mines may in time become quite as productive as 

 those of Banca or Cornwall. 



LOCALITY OF THE MATERIAL OF CHINESE PORCELAIN. 



The locality of the material employed in China for nearly 

 three thousand years in the manufacture of porcelain has 

 been found by Richthofen to occur east of Lake Poyan, in 

 the direction of Hongtchow. It is a stone of the hardness of 

 feldspar, of green color and jaspery appearance, stratified 

 between clay-slate. It is converted into a fine powder by 

 pounding, the finer portions being repeatedly separated and 

 moulded into small bricks. The Chinese recoi^nize two sorts 

 of the crushed material, almost identical in appearance. The 

 region abounds in most luxuriant vegetation, including aza- 

 leas, rhododendrons, etc. 8 C\ January/ 23, 1873, 30. 



SUPPLY OF NITRE IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



According to the Abbe Moigno, there is, in a single district 

 of South America of about 483 square miles, a quantity of 

 soda equal to 63,000,000 tons, an amount sufiicient, at the 

 present rate of consumption, for 1393 years; and still larger 



