l888.] NEW YORK MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY. 177 



On motion it was Resolved: — 



That the thanks of this Society be tendered to the New York 

 Mineralogical Club for this invitation to participate in its excur- 

 sions. 



MONAZITE SAND. 



Mr. George F. Kunz, in connection with his exhibits, explained 

 ihe recently increased demand for monazite, on account of its 

 use for the lately invented incandescent gas burner. This 

 increased consumption has led to a search by the collectors and 

 dealers in minerals in England, Germany, France, Russia, Nor- 

 way and Brazil, and more especially in the United States; and 

 so thorough has been the search, that the prices of minerals, 

 which were considered rare a short time ago, are now quoted at 

 one-tenth to one-hundredth of former figures. Monazite has 

 been found at the following localities: Villeneuve, Ottawa 

 County, Canada (a crystal of fourteen pounds and a half); 

 Alexander County, N. C, at Milholland's Mill; Amelia County, 

 Va. (in twenty pound lump); Norwich, Conn.; Ural Mountains; 

 Mount Sorel (var. turnerite), Tavetch (var. turnerite), and 

 Binnenthal, Switzerland ; River Sanarka, Southern Ural ; 

 Arendal, Norway. At these localities the occurrence is of 

 mineralogical interest only. At the North Carolina, Georgia, 

 and Brazilian localities it can be obtained in quantity for com- 

 mercial use. In the North Carolina gold gravels of Ruther- 

 ford, Polk, Burke, McDowell, and Mecklenburg Counties, 

 monazite is found in considerable quantities in small brown or 

 greenish or yellowish brown monoclinic crystals associated 

 with chromite, garnet, zircon, anatase, corundum, menaccanite, 

 xenotime, fergusonite, epidote, columbite, samarskite, and other 

 minerals. With these associations have been found several of 

 the North Carolina diamonds; and at the Glade Mine, Georgia, 

 diamonds have been found with the monazite, which exists in 

 some abundance also. These localities will furnish tons of 

 monazite within the next twelve months. The Brazilian 

 monazite is found at Caravalhas, Bahia, where its existence was 

 made known about eight years ago by Dr. Orville A. Derby, 

 geologist of Brazil. It occurs in large quantities as a beach- 

 sand, almost free from other minerals, as if concentrated. As 

 it occurs on the coast, it can easily be shipped to any point 

 where it is wanted, and a number of tons have been sent to the 



