Minerals. 373 



1865. 



Total acquisitions 3620, including : 



Several fine large specimens : a polished mass of Iceland spar ; 

 harmotome f rom Strontian; chessy lite from Chessy; along branch 

 of crystallised native copper from Lake Superior ; celestite from 

 Sicily : presented by Prof. John Ruskin. 



A collection (about 3250 specimens) formed by General 

 N. I. Koksharov [1818-1893], of St. Petersburg. This purchase 

 enriched the Museum with an admirable series of Russian, 

 and, in particular, of Siberian minerals, the finest specimens of 

 which are rarely offered for sale beyond the borders of the 

 Russian Empire. The collection had served as material for the 

 valuable series of Memoirs published by General Koksharov 

 under the title of Materialien zur Mineralogie Russlands [1853- 

 1891]. The collector, being at the same time Director of the 

 Mining School at St. Petersburg, had exceptional opportunities 

 afforded to him. Worthy of special mention are : several large 

 crystals of phenakite, isolated or in the matrix, from the emerald 

 mines, Ekaterinburg, Urals; and a suite of six magnificent, 

 isolated crystals of topaz, smoky brown in colour and transparent, 

 from the Urulga river, Nertschinsk, Transbaikal. Other species 

 well represented are alexandrite, euclase, emerald, tourmaline, 

 perofskite, idocrase, columbite, crocoite and apatite. 



1866. 



Total acquisitions 668, including : 



Small, yellowish-green, acicular crystals of pyromorphite, 

 thickly encrusting the matrix ; from Roughten Gill, Caldbeck, 

 Cumberland : by exchange. 



A large specimen of pharmacosiderite with numerous crystals ; 

 from Redruth, Cornwall : purchased. 



Rhombohedra of lilac-blue calcite, certain faces being en- 

 crusted with quartz crystals ; from Tankerville mine, Shelve, 

 Shropshire : purchased. 



Gold ores from Borneo : purchased. 



1867. 



Total acquisitions 778, including : 



A large octahedron, with artificially polished faces and rounded 

 edges, of ruby spinel, from Ava, Burma : purchased. 



