( 406 ) (July, 
PROGRESS IN SCIENCE. 
MINING. 
In consequence of the great development of the manufacture of spiegeleisen, 
both in this country and on the Continent, the spathic iron ores, or native car- 
bonates of iron, which are so largely used in this manufacture, have been 
brought, within the last few years, very prominently into notice. A paper on 
the distribution of these ores was read by Mr. C. Smith at the recent meeting 
of the Iron and Steel Institute. In this country there are numerous deposits 
of spathose ores, the most important perhaps being those of the Brendon 
Hills, which are worked by the Ebbw Vale Company. Here the ores occur in 
irregular veins, coursing through Devonian clay-slates, and recalling the con- 
ditions under which similar ores occur in Rhenish Prussia. The spathic ores 
of the Rhine Provinces are distributed in two separate distriéts—the one near 
Coblenz, and the other to the east of Cologne; the latter being by far the 
larger area, and containing the well-known Stahlberg. In Styria immense 
deposits of spathic ores have long been worked, especially at the Eisenerz, for 
the manufacture of charcoal-iron. Sweden seems to be destitute of these 
ores, the magnificent iron-making resources of that country consisting mainly 
of magnetites and red hematites. The mineral called Knebelite—a silicate of 
iron and manganese—is worked in Sweden for use in the spiegeleisen manu- 
facture. 
Some deposits of tin-ore, which promise to become of enormous value, have 
been discovered at Mount Bischoff, in Tasmania. We believe that Mr. Gould, 
the Government geologist, who has recently returned from Tasmania, bringing 
with him’ some fine examples of these ores, will shortly communicate a 
description of the deposits to the Geological Society. Some of the tin-stuff 
is associated with much ochreous oxide of iron. In addition to the lodes, 
there are said to be alluvial deposits of vast magnitude. Mr. W. Ritchie 
speaks of one bed of wash-dirt, 37 feet in thickness, rich in tin from the sur- 
face to the bottom of the shaft. 
A rapid tour through Gippsland, made in the early part of this year, has 
enabled Mr. R. Brough Smyth to contribute to a recently-issued official Report 
some remarks on the mineral resources of this part of the Colony of Victoria. 
Many parts of the country are said to be rich in gold, but though some few 
workings—such as the Walhalla mines—have been for some years in operation, 
the gold-fields of Gippsland have yet to be developed. 
From Persia we hear of recent discoveries of several beds of coal, and of 
deposits of nickel ores, by Dr. Tietze, of Vienna, who is now engaged in ex- 
ploring this country with special reference to its minerals. The coal is, said 
to be of Mesozoic or Secondary age. Much of the coal of Queensland, and 
valuable deposits of mineral fuel elsewhere, are also referable to the Mesozoic 
period. 
With reference to the age of some of the American coals and lignites, 
Dr. J. S. Newberry has recently communicated to ‘ Silliman’s Journal” a 
paper in which he takes a general review of the occurrence of coal in the Far 
West, and seeks to show that the deposits of lignite and the various plant-beds 
of the Western States are mostly of Cretaceous age, whilst some belong to the 
miocene period. The coal of Vancouver’s Island is said to be Cretaceous. 
A deposit of bismuth ore has been discovered near Meymac, in the Depart- 
ment of the Corréze, in Central France. The ore occurs in a quartzose vein 
running through granite, and is accompanied by wolfram, mispickel, and 
pyrites. The bismuth exists chiefly as the native metal, but partly as sulphide 
and as oxide. 
epee 
