414 Chronicles of Science. [July 
Minine. 
About a year since the Peruvian Government sent out an expe- 
dition to explore the northern parts of that country, about the rivers 
Maranow and Morona, which are tributaries to the Amazon. A 
Government steamer was employed under the command of a Major 
Vargas. An official report has been recently issued. This shows 
that gold exists in great quantities in the region through which the 
expedition passed. It is affirmed that an Indian using the ordinary 
gold-washing bowl could gather several ounccs in two or three 
hours. That gold exists in the alluvial deposits in these parts there 
is no doubt, but the quantity said to be obtained is open to many 
doubts. 
Dr. Gustay Tschermak read before the Imperial Geological 
Institute a very complete account of the gold mines of Transylvania. 
It appears that the precious metal is found disseminated in almost 
imperceptible particles in the trachytic rocks in the environs of 
Falathna and D’Abrud Banya, where it is still worked by the most 
primitive methods. There are 300 families or partnerships, consist- 
img each of three individuals or thereabouts. A thousand quintals 
of the rock yield about 8,500 grains of pale-yellow gold, which con- 
tain a little silver. The rolled débris of the crystalline rocks found 
in the valley of lAranyos is carefully washed, and yields about 
half an ounce of gold to 31,000 quintals of stuff. This gold is of 
a deeper colour and contains less silver. They also find gold in a 
peculiar freestone (Carpathiques bocardes), which is of a pale colour, 
like that found in the trachytes. The gold mines of Transylvania 
have been worked from the earliest historic times, yet they still fur- 
nish above 2,000 lbs. avoirdupoise annually. 
Chevalier C. von Hauer, of the Austrian Geological Survey, thus 
describes the emery of Asia Minor :—There are four beds of emery 
known in Asia Minor, that of Scalanuova, worked by an English 
commercial house, which furnishes alone all the demands of the 
Liverpool market. That of Tira, worked by a Turk, abundant, but 
of inferior quality, having in two or three years sent to England 
from 40,000 to 50,000 quintals (2,240,000 to 2,800,000 kilo- 
grammes); that of Djelat-Kaffé, only recently opened ; and, lastly, 
that of Gamlik, in the neighbourhood of the sea of Marmora, still 
little known. The emery of Naxos, of which the Government 
reserves the monopoly, is supposed to be of a superior quality to any 
other. The emery beds of the province of Smyrna have not been 
geologically explored. All that we can say of itis, that this mineral 
is found in compact masses, above the granite, and is traversed here 
and there by veins of this rock. It is worked without method. 
The greatest part of the produce is sent to Liverpool as it comes © 
out of the mine, to be prepared and reduced to the form of powder 
