1864. | Mining, Mineralogy, and Metallurgy. 491 
soda of the former, M. Pisani has given owide of caesium, which metal 
was mistaken for the alkalies by Plattner. This is the first mineral 
discovered with a known base of the new metal czesium. 
M. Pisani has also discovered cxsium in the rose lepidolithe or 
lithia mica of Elba, and with it a considerable quantity of the metal 
rubidium. * 
Sources from which the new metal thalliwm—which was discovered 
by Mr. Crookes—may be obtained, are increasing upon us. Mr, Emer- 
son Reynolds informs the Royal Geological Society of Ireland of the 
existence of a thalliferous pyrites in Ballydehob, county Cork; and 
M. Schrotter announces to the Imperial Academy of Sciences of Vienna 
the presence of this metal in the lepidolithe of Moravia (a lithia mica) 
and in the mica of Linnwald, Bohemia. 
‘A Popular and Practical Exposition of the Minerals and Geology 
of Canada’ has t been published by Professor Chapman. This volume 
gives a popular, yet full sketch of the Mineralogy and Geology of 
Canada, ; 
Mr. N. 8. Maskelyne communicates { the discovery of a new 
mineral] from Cornwall, “ prismatic, in crystalline form, and consisting 
probably of a basic sulphate of copper, insoluble in water. It occurs 
in minute but brilliant crystals, and in fine masses of the richest blue 
colour; it forms a thick incrustation upon a tender killas.” 
The phenomenon of asterism in natural crystals will be familiar 
to most persons; it 1s not so generally known that this may be pro- 
duced artificially. Rose showed long since that the star of mica 
could be produced upon isinglass by impressing the mica on it. G. 
A. Griiel§ gives a very simple method for producing asterism ; a piece 
of glass is cut into a triangular figure, and then rubbed backwards 
and forwards a few times on a sheet of fine emery paper, each of the 
three sides being successively guided against a metal rule, which, at 
the same time being pressed on the emery paper, keeps it in position. 
We have found that we may obtain glasses exhibiting any number 
of radial lines by fixing the glass on a lathe. The lathe enables us to 
produce a figure with any number of sides, and the application of the 
emery paper or a fine file, parallel to each side, is carried out without 
difficulty. 
A lignite of superior quality is said to have been discovered in the 
Punjaub. This discovery has been made about 150 miles north of 
Lahore, upon the borders of Jhelum, a little to the west of the road 
to Peshawur, nearly on the line of the railway projected by Mr. 
Andrews from Lahore to Peshawur. It has been analysed for the 
Railway Company, and it is said to be for use in locomotive engines 
superior to the coal found in Bengal. This lignite is therefore neces- 
sarily exciting considerable interest, for if it exists in large quantity, 
which is said to be the case, it will materially facilitate the extension 
of the railway system in the Punjaub. 
* L'Institut, and Les Mondes. 
+ By E. J. Chapman, Ph.D., Prof. University College, Toronto. Toronto, 1864. 
{ ‘Philosophical Magazine,’ No. 182, April, 1864. 
§ ‘ Poggendorff's Annalen,’ vol. exvii. p. 635. 
VOL. I. 21 
