8 



Microscopic examination does not enable me to come to a 

 definite conclusion as to the nature of this earth. So far as 

 I can make out, the ground-mass consists of a very minute 

 aggregation of doubly refracting crystallites of no very 

 definite but rather fibrous shape, and specks of ferrite. Here 

 and there (and these patches have rather definite outlines 

 and an approach to crystal form) the colouring mineral is 

 opacite. Frequent cracks appear to traverse the slide, 

 occupied by a clearer mineral similar to that disseminated 

 through the slide. There is a small crystal resembling a 

 hydrous bronzite. I cannot recall ever having seen a slide 

 exactly of this character, but I have several that throw some 

 light upon it, and I have a very strong suspicion that the 

 fragments have been a basalt-glass or an olivine-glass, more 

 probably the latter, converted by hydration into a kind of 

 serpentine. As a rule the peridotites appear to be deep- 

 seated rocks, but it is quite possible that there may be 

 occasional exceptions. I do not see anything specially 

 characteristic of a breccia of volcanic origin, but there is 

 nothing incompatible with this." 



An analysis of the earth gave the following numbers : — 



Si02 46-16 



AlA 1000 



Fe 6-71 



MnO 0-34 



Ca ... 3-84 



MgO 16-63 



T • •,• _.,../ 9-75 at 120° 



Loss on Ignition lo 43 j^.^g ^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ 



It was noticed that a peculiar smell, somewhat like that 

 of camphor, was evolved on treating the soft blue diamond- 

 earth with hot water, and an attempt was made to isolate 

 the aromatic body. A quantity of the earth was powdered 

 and digested with ether. On filtering and allowing the 

 ether to evaporate, a small quantity of a crystalline, strongly 



