464 RECORD OF SCIENCE FOR 1887 AND 1888. 



tous of zircons were obtained from tho. Greeu River mines, Henderson 

 County, Korth Carolina; the mining was carried on. under contract 

 with W. E. Hidden. The same mineralogist has described' the rare 

 yttrium phosphate, xenotime, from a number of new localities in North 

 Carolina, and also from New York (Manhattan Island). 



Some of the most important mineral discoveries of the past two years 

 are contained in the following descriptions of new species. 



NEW MINERALS. 



Amarantite. — See Hohmauuite. " 



Arseniopleite. — A new manganese arseniate, belonging to a group of 

 minerals to which a considerable number of new species have been added 

 recently. It occurs in cleavable masses or nodules, often forming small 

 veins, with rhodonite and hausmanuite, in a crystalline limestone at the 

 Sjo mine, Gryhyttan, Sweden, its color is reddish brown. It has been 

 investigated optically by Bertrand and found to be uniaxial with nega- 

 tive double refraction, and probably is to be referred to the rhombo- 

 hedral system. An analysis yielded the following : 



As.Os Sb-..05 MuO re202 PbO CaO MgO H2O CI. 



44.98 trace '28.25 3.C8 4.48 8.11 3.10 4.54 trace = 97.14. 



Deducting impurities and correcting it according to the state of oxi- 

 dation of the manganese it becomes Mn,, O:, 7.80, MnO 21.25. (Described 

 by L. J. Igelstrom in Bull Soc. Min., 1888, vol. xi, 39.) 



Auerlite. — A new thorium mineral of peculiar interest because it seems 

 to occupy an intermediate position between the silicates and phos- 

 phates. It was discovered by W. E. Hidden, in Henderson County, 

 North Carolina, occurring in disintegrated granitic rocks associated with 

 zircon and imi)lanted upon it in parallel position. It is found in pris- 

 matic tetragonal crystals like zircon in form and angle. It has a i)ale 

 yellow to orange or deep red color. The hardness is 2.5 to 3, and the 

 specific gravity 4.42 to 4.77, the orange-red crystals having the higher 

 density. The luster is wax like and it is brittle and easily crund)led. 

 An analysis by J. B. Mackintosh gave the following results: 



Si02 P./)5 ThOu FrtOs CaO MgO AI2O3 etc. H20,C0a 



7.64 7.46 70.13 1.38 0.49 0.29 1.10 11.21=99.70 



The water and carbon dioxide are present in about the ratio of 10: 1. 

 Assuming the homogeneity of the material, wliich its appearance seemed 

 to justify, the mineral is a hydrous silicate and phosphate of thorium. 

 It will be remembered that the cerium phosphate, monazite, uniformly 

 contains more or less thorium silicate about which there has been some 

 difference of opinion as to whether it is an impurity or not; this new 

 mineral throws light upon the question. It is named after Dr. Carl 

 Auer von Welsbach. (Described by Hidden and Mackintosh in Amer. 

 Journ. Sci., 1888, xxxvi, 461.) 



' Amcr. Jouru. Sci., 1888, vol. xxxvi,380. 



