IV PREFACE. 



prospectors as well as travellers is a desideratum. Tho 

 ordinary miner or prospector discards a lengthy descriptive 

 work on Mineralogy, containing an account of all the 

 known minerals, the majority of which are perfectly useless 

 to him in his struggle for existence ; and again, elaborate 

 means of dealing with his specimens appear only like a 

 puzzle. It is for this reason that I have endeavoured to 

 treat the subject in as brief, though as comprehensive, a 

 manner as possible ; and I hope that these pages will satisfy 

 the requirements of at least some of those toilers who 

 explore the trodden or untrodden tracks on the face of the 

 globe. 



I cannot conclude these prefatory remarks without 

 acknowledging with gratitude my indebtedness to many 

 valuable works to which, by the kind permission of the 

 author or the publisher, I have had access. Among these 

 I would especially mention Mr. Eobert Hunt's great work, 

 " British Mining ; " Mr. D. C. Davies's two comprehensive 

 treatises, entitled respectively " Metalliferous Minerals and 

 Mining" and " Earthy Minerals ;" and Lieut.-Col. Ross's 

 recently published work, "The Blowpipe in Chemistry, 

 Mineralogy and Geology." I have also had the privilege 

 of borrowing certain illustrations from , these and other 

 works, which I feel sure have greatly added to the value 

 and usefulness of my pages. 



October, 1835. 



