1869.] Mineralogy. 133 



the well-known jeweller, to examine the reputed diamond districts 

 of that country.* As the rocks which he traversed were for the 

 most part amygdaloidal traps, it is highly improbable that they 

 would ever yield diamonds or other gems ; and hence he concludes 

 that the alleged discoveries are purely deceptive, all the stones 

 exhibited as Cape diamonds having been previously imported from 

 other countries. Mr. Gregory also hints that the African El Dorado 

 is equally visionary. That gold exists in South-eastern Africa, 

 every traveller admits; but that it exists in quantity sufficient 

 to render its working remunerative, Mr. Gregory is evidently 

 incHned to doubt. It is only just to add that an attempt has 

 been made to refute these statements, tending, as they so inevitably 

 do, to the prejudice of the colony.f 



Although Mr.Gregory brings home neither diamonds nor gold- 

 dust, some of his South African specimens are not without interest. 

 One of these is a meteorite, weighing 2 lbs. 5 oz., which fell on the 

 20th March, 1868, at Daniel's Kuil, Griqua territory. Its fall was 

 witnessed by a native Griqua, who picked it up whilst still warm. 

 In composition it is a meteoric stone, through which much free 

 iron is disseminated, in association with troihte, schreibersite, &c. 

 As but few African meteorites are known, we give Professor Church's 

 analysis of this stone.:!: 



Nickel-iron 29-72 



Troilite 6-02 



Schreibersite .. .. ., .. 1'59 



Silica and Silicates .. .. .. Gl'53 



Oxygen, other substances, and loss .. 1-14 



100-00 



A new mass of meteoric iron from South Africa is also noticed 

 by Mr. Gregory. It fell in 1862 at Victoria West, and is now 

 exhibited in the Museum at Cape Town, 



Some interesting questions are suggested by Kenngott's study 

 of a Swiss specimen of hmestone, which exhibits a drusy cavity 

 containing gypsum and anhydrite. As it can hardly be supposed 

 that these two minerals — the one hydrous and the other anhycbous 

 — were of contemporaneous formation, it becomes a point of interest 

 to determine which of the two was the earlier formed. Kenngott, 

 after a lengthy discussion, concludes that the cavity was first filled 

 with anhydrite, from which the gypsum has been derived by hy- 

 dration. § 



Under the euphonious name of Aquacreptite, Professor Shepard 

 describes a massive mineral found at West Chester, Pennsylvania. )| 



* See ' Quart. Joum. of Science,' Jan., 1868, p. 107. 



t ' Journal of the Soc. of Arts,' Nov. 13th and 20th, 1SG8. 



X ' Geolog. Mag.,' Nov., 18GS, p. 532. 



§ ' Neues Jahrbuch.' 1868. Heft V., p. 577. 



11 ' Silliman's American Journal,' Sept., 1868, p. 256. 



