674 Transactions of the Societij. 



cases gold, severally play in solfataric phenomena so common in> 

 our state ? remains unanswered. 



At a meeting of the California Academy of Sciences, held 

 April 1st, 1872, Mr. F. E. Durand read a paper entitled "Descrip- 

 tion of a New Mineral from the New Almaden Mine." 



" This mineral, of a very bright, pure yellow colour, is found 

 impregnating a crystalline, silicious dolomite ; it can be very 

 easily separated from the dolomite by sublimation. On warming 

 in a glass tube a small amount of the substance, it volatilises 

 when dark red, and gives a strong yellow sublimate which appears 

 amorphous, but which, when placed under the Microscope, shows 

 some very fine needle-like crystals. 



" If heated very quickly, it carbonises and gives a residue of 

 carbon, and produces an empyreumatic odour ; strong acids have 

 no action on it. 



" When tested for sulphur or arsenic, it does not appear to 

 contain any trace of those substances, nor any metal. This- 

 mineral seems to be a kind of volatile hydrocarbon, probably 

 belonging to the class of ' idrialine.' 



" When treated by the ordinary solvents of carburetted com- 

 pounds — oil of turpentine, alcohol, or ether — it appears to be 

 entirely insoluble. On some specimens of cinnabar from the 

 Keddington mine the same substance is found in small scales ; in 

 fact, all the characters show that this mineral is a new substance, 

 and for it I have adopted the name of Aragotite." * 



The publication of Mr. Durand's paper caused a considerable 

 demand for specimens, for which there was no supply. The small 

 specimen he examined was all found in the New Almaden mine. 

 Mr. J. B. Eandol, the superintendent, made every effort to find 

 more, and instructed his miners to search for it, which they did 

 without success. But the name found a permanent place in 

 scientific text-books and catalogues of mineral dealers ; it was 

 accepted as a true mineral species when there were no specimens — 

 except, perhaps, the one presented to the Academy by Mr. Durand 

 with his paper. 



In 1893 Mr. E. A. Hardy sent me some fine specimens of a 

 yellow hydrocarbon mineral which I have no doubt is Aragotite. 



This mineral occurs in the Aetna quicksilver mine, Napa 

 County, California. The following are extracts from Mr. Hardy's 

 letter dated July 13, 1893 :— 



"It is found in small quantity on or near the contact of the 

 sandstone with argillite ; the first found was about 400 feet below 

 the surface— what I send you at this time was taken out at seven 

 feet. It has always occurred with cinnabar until within a few 

 days, when a small pocket was met with on the above mentioned 



* Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, iv., 1868-1872, p- 218. 



