1864. | Mining, Mineralogy, and Metallurgy. 691 
that the colour of the emerald was due to organic matter. M. Lewy 
was led to believe that this was the case, as the gem appeared to lose 
colour on the application of heat. M. Weehler does not find this to 
be the case; and he imparts a similar colour to glass by the use of 
chromic oxide, from which he concludes that this is the colouring 
agent, though he does not deny the presence of some organic matter.* 
Mr. H. C. Sorby, F.R.S., who has associated his name with the 
microscopic examination of rocks, has communicated to the Royal 
Society a continuation of his inquiry as directed to the structure of 
meteorites.| Mr. Sorby says :— 
“Tn the first place it is important to remark, that the olivine of me- 
teorites contains most excellent ‘ glass-cavities,’ similar to those in the oli- 
vine of lavas, thus proving that the material was at one time in a state of 
igneous fusion. The olivine also contains ‘ gas-cavities’ like those so common 
in volcanic minerals, thus indicating the presence of some gas or vapour.” 
- .. “Some isolated portions of meteorite have also a structure very 
similar to that of stony lavas, where the shape and mutual relations of the 
crystals to each other prove that they were formed in sitw on solidifica- 
tion.” . . . “In others the constituent fragments have all the characters 
of broken fragments. This sometimes gives rise to a structure remarkably 
like that of consolidated volcanic ashes, so much, indeed, that I have 
specimens which, at first sight, might readily be mistaken for sections of 
meteorites. It would therefore appear that, after the materials of the 
meteorites are melted, a considerable portion was broken up into small 
fragments, subsequently collected together, and more or less consolidated 
by mechanical and chemical actions, amongst which must be classed a 
segregation of iron, either in the metallic state or in combination with 
other substances. Apparently this breaking up occurred in some cases 
when the melted matter had become crystalline, but in others the forms 
of the particles lead me to conclude that it was broken up into detached 
globules while still melted. This seems to have been the origin of some 
of the round grains met with in meteorites; for they occasionally still 
contain a considerable amount of glass, and the crystals which have been 
formed in it are arranged in groups radiating from one or more points on 
the external surface, in such a manner as to indicate that they were de- 
veloped after the fragments had acquired their present spheroidal shape.” 
. .. “There are thus certain peculiarities in physical structure which 
connect meteorites with voleanic rocks, and at the same time others in 
which they differ most characteristically.” 
Mr. Sorby promises a continuation of this interesting subject. 
A correspondent of ‘Les Mondes,’t from Palermo, reports the dis- 
covery, near Nicosia, in the province of Catania, of a quicksilver 
mine. The mineral is said to exist in great abundance. 
Ata recent meeting of the Académie des Sciences de Paris, M. 
Ste. Claire Deville presented an analysis made by M. Damour of a 
new and very rare mineral, to which they have given the name of 
Parysite. This mineral contains 3 equivalents of carbonic acid, 2 
equivalents of oxide of cerium, 2 equivalents of oxide of lanthanium 
* «Comptes Rendus,’ June 27, 1864. 
+ ‘Philosophical Magazine,” August, L864, p. 157. 
t ‘Les Mondes,’ June, 1864. 
