1890.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 95 



parties near Tampa, but had not been able to ascertain their 

 precise locality or mode of occurrence. Subsequently he had 

 commissioned one or two assistants to make particular search 

 for them, recognizing their probable value; but the endeavor had 

 been unsuccessful. The other class of phosphate-beds, uncon- 

 solidated and widely extended, and just beneath the surface, is 

 entirely new and possesses equal if not greater interest. 



Mr. M. F. Knudson, President of the Peace Eiver Phos- 

 phate Co., at Dr. Ledoux's suggestion, gave some further ac- 

 count of the occurrence of these deposits, and the manner in 

 which their development and working are conducted. 



The second topic of the evening was that of 



REMARKABLE COLORED MAKBLES FROM NEW LOCALITIES. 



Mr. Bashford Deane exhibited a very beautiful series of 

 polished slabs of ligbt-colored marbles from Numidia, placed 

 at his disposal for the evening by the owner, Mr. Fritsche. 

 The peculiar interest attaching to these marbles is that they may 

 in part solve a problem that has much perplexed antiquarians, — as 

 to the source of some of the marbles employed in the decoration 

 of ancient Rome, as, e.g., in the baths of Diocletian. A great va- 

 riety of such materials was used in the luxurious buildings of the 

 later Roman period, but their localities have been utterly lost 

 and unknown. Recently, in the region of ancient Numidia, ex- 

 plorations carried further inland than before, have come upon 

 extensive marble quarries, filled with chips and debris, among 

 which are old Roman tools. There is no possible doubt that we 

 have here discovered the source of at least some of the favorite 

 materials of the imperial city; especially as the specimens now 

 obtained correspond to some of the Roman marbles. 



Mr. Fritsche, by invitation, made a few remarks, describing 

 the mode of occurrence and exploitation of the marbles ex- 

 hibited. 



The President spoke further on the subject especially of 

 the great antiquarian interest of this discovery. He alluded to 

 the fact that many years ago, while abroad, he had procured a 

 very complete series of the ornamental stones of the city of 



