STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 343 



CHEYSOTILE. 



In serpentine, near San Francisco, and at 'New Almaden, Santa Clara 

 County. 



CINNABAR— (/S'«/p/iMrc« of Mercuri/.) 



This is the characteristic mineral of the Coast Mountains, from Clear 

 Lake on the north to San Luis Obispo on the south. It appears to be 

 connected chiefly with the secondaiy rocks, though at San Luis Obispo 

 Prof. B. Silliman collected a group of fossils which appear to be miocene 

 tertiary. (See a notice by Mr. Gabb, Proe. Cal. Acad. Nat. Sci.) The 

 principal locality is the well known mine of New Almaden, in Santa 

 Clara Countj/, and the adjacent mines of the Bnriqueta and the Guada- 

 lupe. The ore occurs massive, in large bunches and " strings," and is 

 associated with calc spar, bitumen, and pyrites. The total production 

 of quicksilver, chiefly from the New Almaden, up to January, eighteen 

 hundred and sixty-live, was three hundred and seventy-one thousand 

 eight hundred and eighty-three flasks, valued at about fifteen millions of 

 dollars in gold. At the "North Almaden," on the east side of the San 

 Jose Valley, and nearly opposite the New Almaden, considerable quan- 

 tities of cinnabar have been taken out of prospecting pits at this place, 

 at several different points. A heavy feri'uginous outcrop shows the gen- 

 eral course of the metalliferous belt. The rock is hard and flinty, and 

 is frequently beautifully streaked with brilliant red cinnabar, the whole 

 sufficiently compact to give fine specimens for polishing by the lapidar}'-. 

 It occurs abundantly, and in very handsome cabinet specimens, at the 

 New Idria Mines, in J/oTiifem/ County, at which work has recently been 

 resumed. There are many localities in Napa, County, and in the vicinity 

 of Clear Lake, and the Geysers. In small crystals in hornstone, at 

 Buckhorn Ranch, north of Berreyesa Valley. 



In Maripom County, near Coulterville, in finely colored crystals in 

 quartz in a gold vein. Nevada County, about four miles from Grass Val- 

 ley, washed out of sluice boxes, and entirely different from the New 

 Almaden ore in appearance. Arizona, about eighteen miles from the 

 Colorado River ; at Olive City, at the "Alma" claim, and the "Eugenie," 

 located by Mr. Ehrenberg ; associated with silver. Reported to exist in 

 Idaho, on the Owyhee River. 



CORUNDUM. 



Los Augdcs County, in the drift of the San Francisquito Pass, in small 

 crystals. — (Baron Richthofen.) 



COPPER, NATIVE. 



This species is common in small quantities in the surface ores of the 

 principal copper mines of the State, but is not found below the j-yerma- 

 nent water level. No veins of this metal like those of Lake Superior are 

 known upon the Pacific coast, but the abundance of large drifted masses 

 of solid copper in one or more streams upon the northwest coast, (Russ. 

 Poss.,) leave little doubt that such veins do exist in that high lati- 

 tude. Calaveras County — At the Union Mine, some very fine masses of 

 dendritic or moss copper have been taken out, (Cab. of J. B. Mcader.) 

 The Keystone Mine, adjoining the Union, also produced some good speci- 



