1872.] Mineralogy. IOI 
MINERALOGY. 
An extraordinary discovery of native iron, apparently of meteoric origin, 
Was made in 1870 by the Swedish Arctic Expedition when exploring the coast 
of Greenland. It was not, however, until the autumn of last year (1871) that 
the largest of these specimens were brought to Europe. So much interest is 
connected with this discovery that it formed the subje@ of a recent communi- 
cation from the Embassy at Copenhagen to the Foreign Office. From some 
remarks made by Mr. David Forbes upon this communication when submitted 
to the Geological Society, we learn that the largest of these masses of native 
iron weighs not less than twenty-one tons English, whilst the next in size 
weighs about g tons. The former is now deposited in Stockholm, the latter in 
Copenhagen. The iron contains nearly 5 per cent of nickel, with from 
I to 2 per cent of carbon, thus agreeing in general composition with many aéro- 
siderites. Moreover, this agreement is strengthened by the development of 
the well-known figures considered to be characteristic of meteoric iron, when 
a polished face of the metal in question is etched with acids. The masses of 
iron were lying on the shore between the ebb and flow of tide, resting 
immediately upon basaltic rocks probably of meiocene age, in which they 
appear to have been embedded; and it is curious to note that these neigh- 
bouring rocks contain fragments and disseminated particles of similar iron, 
whilst the so-called meteorites in their turn enclosed fragments of the basaltic 
rock. Are we, then, to believe that the iron and the basalt were contempo- 
raneous—that, in fact, we are here dealing with fossil meteorites, the relics of 
a meteoric shower in meiocene times? Such appears to be the view held by 
some mineralogists, including Professor Nordenskjéld. More cautious in his 
conclusions, Professor Maskelyne believes that the question of their origin, 
whether meteoric or telluric, can be decided only by examining the basalt at a 
considerable distance from the objects in question, and thus determining 
whether the metallic iron is disseminated through the entire mass of rock or is 
confined to the immediate neighbourhood of the masses of iron. It should be 
remembered that the Swedish specimens are by no means the first examples of 
what have been recognised, with more or less probability, as fossil meteorites. 
Another species has been added to the short list of minerals already known 
to contain vanadium. Herr Frenzel, of Freiberg, announces the discovery of 
a vanadate of bismuth to be named Pucherite, after the shaft where it was 
obtained. The mineral occurs in very small rhombic crystals, of a reddish- 
brown colour, with a specific gravity of about 5°9. The crystals appear to be 
disseminated in tolerable abundance through the impure carbonate of bismuth 
now being raised at the workings at the old Pucher Mine, near Schneeberg, in 
Saxony. 
Professor Church has published in the ‘* Chemical News” the analysis of a 
fine specimen of Pitticite from Redruth, in Cornwall. Excluding the water 
evolved at 100°C. as accidental, the mineral contained as much as 37°25 
per cent of arsenic pentoxide, with only 35°67 of ferric oxide. Phosphorus 
pentoxide was present to the extent of 1°39 per cent, and the remaining con- 
stituents were sulphur trioxide 7°98, and water 17°71 per cent. 
A molybdate of molybdenum has been discovered in the lead mine of 
Bleiberg, in Carinthia, and described by Professor Hanns Hofer under the 
name of I/semannite—a name suggested by the late Von Haidinger in honour 
of J. C. Ilsemann, formerly of Clausthal. The mineral occurs in earthy or 
crypto-crystalline masses, of a black or blue-black colour, soluble in water. It 
contains MoO2z.4Mo03; and has probably been produced naturally by the 
action of sulphuric acid upon the wulfenite, or molybdate of lead, well known 
to occur abundantly in this mine. 
The same mineralogist describes a new fossil resin from the coal of Sonn- 
berg, in Carinthia, to be termed Rosthornite. 
Some researches on the felspars have been published by Professor Streng. 
In addition to the theoretical views which he enunciates respecting the 
