Intelligejice and Miscellaneous Articles. 541 



The angles given above must be considered as rough approxima- 

 tions only. In a little time perhaps I may be able to obtain more 

 accurate values of them. — From the Proceedings of the Chemical 

 Society, vol. iii. p. 391. 



NATIVE CARBONATE OF NICKEL. 



This new mineral was exhibited last year at the Philosophical 

 Society's exhibition in Glasgow, and was examined at the time, at 

 the request of Dr. R. D. Thomson, by his pupil Mr. John Brown, 

 in the College Laboratory. It occurs in the form of thin green cry- 

 stalline layers, on the surface of chrome iron ore from America. It 

 dissolves with effervescence in dilute hydrochloric acid. The solu- 

 tion is precipitated black by sulphohydret of ammonia ; is precipi- 

 tated and dissolved in excess by caustic ammonia, yielding a cha- 

 racteristic coloured solution. Caustic soda precipitates the solution 

 green, without resolution. It is accompanied, apparently in union, 

 by carbonates of lime and magnesia — isomorphous bodies. The fact 

 of its occurring on the surface of chrome iron, and having been mis- 

 taken for sesquioxide of chrome, renders it probable that oxide of 

 nickel may exist in that mineral occasionally. — R. D. T. 



AN EXAMINATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE " NADELERZ," OR 

 NEEDLE ORE OF BISMUTH. BY. E. J. CHAPMAN, ESQ. 



The "needle ore" occurs in thin prismatic crystals, generally forming 

 more or less radiated groups imbedded in quartz, at Ekatherinen- 

 burg in Siberia, the only known locality in which it has been hitherto 

 found. The crystals are too imperfect to admit of measurement ; 

 but they appear to belong to the Trimetric or Prismatic system, and 

 to have for the primary form a right rectangular prism, or perhaps 

 more correctly a right rhombic one, in which the angle MM closely 

 approaches a right angle. 



The colour of this mineral is dark steel-gray on the fractured sur- 

 face, but externally the true colour is usually masked by a yellow 

 tarnish. The powder or "streak" is black; the degree of hardness 

 2*0 to 2*5, or between that of rock-salt and calc-spar ; and the spe- 

 cific gravity about 6*1. 



Before the blowpipe it fuses instantly and may be almost entirely 

 volatilized, forming a yellow incrustation of the mingled oxides of 

 lead and bismulii on the support. The presence of bismuth and 

 copper may be ascertained by fusion with " microcosmic salt" and 

 a little tin on charcoal in the reducing flame, when the lead, which 

 is clear whilst hot, becomes on cooling of a grayish-black colour 

 with red patches. With carbonate of soda on charcoal in the same 

 flame, it forms an alkaline sulphuret. The lead is best detected by 

 boiling a fragment in nitric acid, filtering, dissolving the residue 

 (sulphate of lead) in caustic potash, diluting the solution, and re- 

 precipitating by sulphuric acid. 



This ore was first described by Karsten and analysed by John; 

 and although a considerable period has elapsed since the date of this 

 analysis, yet, probably from the rarity of the mineral, its composition 



