454 Proceedings. 



This variety of gold, he said, was very rare, and within his knowledge 

 was the richest in bismuth of any yet announced. This gold loses 11-62 per 

 cent, in nitric acid : the loss is principally bismuth ; the remainder is silver, 

 wtih traces of copper. 



Approximate composition : — 



Gold 78-41 



Silver . . . . . . . . . . 5 - 62 



Bismuth | 14-81 



Copper I . . . . . . . . Traces. 



Loss .. .. .. .. .. .. 1-16 



100-00 



3. " On the General Association of Grains of Gold with 

 Native Copper," by William Skey. 



Abstract. 



The author had tested the copper ores or rocks of D'Urville Island, 

 Aniseed Valley, the Dun Mountain, and the Maharahara Ranges, Napier, and 

 uniformly found a few specks of gold in each of these specimens, wherever 

 native copper was present ; and he also found that these gold specks were 

 always the more numerous in the vicinity of the copper. The Aniseed rock 

 was eminently chloritic, and did not contain any quartz, or indeed any free 

 silica at all ; neither hematite nor iron pyrites, the usual concomitants of 

 gold ; and it is not a rock that one would expect to find this metal in. In 

 the heart of a solid nugget of almost pure copper were found several specks 

 of gold, which must have been in absolute juxtaposition with the copper; 

 yet he was unable to find that any gold had alloyed with the copper. The 

 copper was remarkably pure, and gave no indications of being alloyed with 

 either gold or silver. 



Upon these results the author bases the hypothesis that gold in separate 

 aggregations is a usual or constant associate of native copper ; and in the 

 particular instance of the native copper he examined (from the "Champion" 

 lode), that it was deposited by an electrotyping process, and subsequent to 

 the date at which the gold was formed in the rock. 



The gold obtained from the Aniseed and the " Champion" lode specimens 

 was exhibited at the meeting, and attention was directed to the fact that one 

 of the specks obtained from the Aniseed crushing had the colour of an 

 English sovereign, showing that it was likely to contain copper to the extent 

 of some 10 per cent., a very high proportion for native gold. 



4. " On the Formation of Bismuthic Iodides of the Alka- 

 loids," by W. Skey. 



Abstract. 



This is an interesting series of salts prepared from bismuthic chlorides, 

 by taking advantage of the fact which the author has discovered, that these 

 are soluble in iodide of potassium. 



The nicotina salt of this series is of a crimson colour, highly crystalline, 

 and fuses at 212° F. to blood-red globules. The reactions of bismuthic 

 iodide with nicotina suits is very striking, and, so far as is at present known, 

 distinguishes nicotina from the other alkaloids. The corresponding anti- 

 mony chlorides or oxides appear insoluble in alkaline iodides, hence an easy 

 process by which they can be identified and separated from bismuth. 



The bismuthic iodide of nicotina was exhibited. 



."». "On llt'imfis brunneus, Hutton," by W. M. Maskell, 

 I-'.. M.S. (Transactions, \>. L06.1 



7. "The Aryo- Semitic Maori," by E. Tregear, P.E.G.S. 

 (Transactions, p. 1U0.) 



