BY W. F. PETTERD, C.M.Z.S. 39 



the first, or even enclosed as endomorphs. A peculiar 

 fibrous cassiterite of a deep brown colour, which is appar- 

 ently pseudomorphous after tourmaline, occurs on the 

 Boulder mineral section, North-East Dundas. It is 

 closely intermixed with arsenopyrite. It occurred in a 

 prospecting shaft." (L. K. Ward.) 



This island is one of the most important tin-producing 

 countries of the worlds and a peculiar interest is attached 

 to its discovery, as it was apparently one of the first 

 minerals found in Australasia of w^hich w^e have any 

 record. Professor Liversidge states (" Minerals of New 

 South Wales," p. 77): — "The probable presence of tin 

 in Australia was mentioned as early as January, 1799. 

 Collins, in his account of the English colony of New South 

 Wales, states that Mr. Bass, the surgeon of H.M.S. 

 ' Reliance,' found on the beach of Preservation Island 

 (on the north coast of Tasmania, near the south coast of 

 Barren Island) a very considerable quantity of the black 

 metallic particles which appear in the granite as black 

 shining specks, and are in all probability grains of tin." 

 The next record which the writer has met with occurs in 

 the proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania for the 

 year 1854, pp. 425-431, in which reference is made to 

 samples in the museum of a Mr. Thomas Winsmore Wil- 

 son, of Barnsley, Yorkshire, England. In this paper the 

 following remarks occur: — "No. 25, tinstone — as regards 

 this tinstone I need not remind you of its value. If you 

 could open a mine as rich in tin as this specimen you 

 would be very fortunate in the mining department." This 

 sample was obtained '" on elevated land below the Tier, 

 St. Paul's Plains." The wonderfully rich deposit of tin 

 at Mt. Bischoff was discovered by Mr. James Smith in 

 1871, and soon after that year many other payable finds 

 occurred, principally in the north-eastern portion of the 

 island. 



66. Cerargyrite (Chloride of Silver). 



The well-known silver chloride has been obtained in 

 limited quantity at the Dundas, Zeehan, Heazlewood, and 

 Scamander silver-fields. As found here it occurs as 

 minute irregular blebs and patches, rarely crystallised, in 

 ferro-manganese gossan, siliceous lode material, and litho- 

 margic clay. It is commonly associated with other 

 oxidised metallic minerals. At the Warrentinna gold- 

 field it occasionally occurs in the cavities of auriferous 

 quartz in the upper working of the mines. 



