68 



NATURE 



\Nov. 17, 1887 



Part 2, vol. iv. of the Indian Meteorological Memoirs con- 

 tains a very lucid discussion of the disastrous storm which visited 

 Orissa in September 1885, and whose centre was at False Point 

 on the 22nd, drawn up by Prof. A. Pedler. This storm is of 

 considerable meteorological interest from several points of view : 

 viz. the rapidity of its formation ; its smallness, the diameter at 

 the part of greatest wind-force being only from 100 to 200 miles ; 

 its enormous fierceness ; particularly as it approached the land ; and 

 the decided indraught towards the centre as opposed to the 

 circular theory ; the extraordinary low readin^^of the barometer, 

 27*135 inches, being recorded at False Point at 6h. 30m. a.m. of 

 the 22nd. The reading at 8h. p.m. of the 21st was 29'622 

 inches, thus giving a fall of 2*487 inches in \o\ hours. This is the 

 lowest pressure ever recorded in a storm in the Bay of Bengal, 

 and in fact is the lowest on record for any part of the world. 



The Journal of the Scottish Meteorological Society for the 

 year 1886 contains a large amount of useful information, and 

 testifies to increased activity, both observational and experi- 

 mental. Among the various papers, all of which are of the 

 highest importance, may be specially mentioned, (i) an address 

 by the Hon. R. Abercromby on the modern developments of 

 cloud knowledge (see Nature, vol. xxxv. p. 575) ; (2) discus- 

 sions on the winds and rainfall of Ben Nevis, and on a pecu- 

 liarity of the cyclonic winds of the mountain, which has an 

 important bearing upon weather forecasting, viz. the outflow of 

 the wind from the cyclone when the centre is north or east of 

 Ben Nevis towards an anticyclone or area of high pressure 

 somewhere in an opposite direction. The prevalent wind on 

 the Ben is north, while south-east and west-south-west are 

 secondary points of maxima. Compared with the winds of 

 other stations in the north of Scotland and Ireland, the wind 

 curve is quite different. The year divides about equally into 

 cyclonic and non-cyclonic periods. The most frequent cyclonic 

 wind is south-west ; next to this comes north, apparently due to 

 the cyclones passing to the north of Ben Nevis. The relative 

 frequency of the winds in non-cyclonic periods is quite different : 

 while north still retains its place as a maximum point, the most 

 frequent wind is south-east. In the curve for the whole year 

 tha west-south-west winds are chiefly due to cyclonic winds, 

 south-east to non-cyclonic, and north to both systems. In both 

 systems the north-west wind is wettest while it blows, and the 

 east is driest. The south-east winds, which are generally west 

 at low levels, are the driest on Ben Nevis, with the exception of 

 the east winds. The total amount of precipitation for the year 

 was nearly 108 inches ; the wettest month was November, 

 14"6 inches ; and the driest February, 2 "8 inches. The journal 

 also contains an interesting account of the biological work of 

 the Scottish Marine Station, and the results of observations at 

 the Northern Lighthouse Staiion, at the stations connected with 

 the Medical Department, including observations in Iceland, 

 Faroe, and Uruguay, and at fifty-five stations established by the | 

 Scottish Meteorological Society, and well distributed over the 

 country. 



GEMS AND ORNAMENTAL STONES OF THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



C\^ Saturday, October 22, an evening lecture on this subject 

 ^-^ was delivered by Dr. A. E. Foote, of Philadelphia, in the 

 Trophy Hall of the American Exhibition. The speaker was 

 introduced by Mr. F. W. Rudler, the President of the Geologists' 

 Association. 



Dr. Foote remarked that hitherto mining for gems in the 

 United States had been of a very desultory character, being 

 principally carried on in connection with mica and other mines. 

 The emerald and Hiddenite mines of North Carolina and the 

 tourmaline mines of Maine are the only ones which have been 

 worked systematically. The gems peculiar to America are 

 chlorastrolite, zonochlorite, and Hiddenite. Chlorastrolite, or 

 green star-stone, was discovered by Prof. J. D. Whitney, of the 

 United States Geological Survey, about forty years ago. The 

 only place where it is found is Isle Royale, Lake Superior. The 

 island, belonging to the State of Michigan, forty miles long and 

 five miles wide, and about twenty miles from the mainland, is 

 composed of amygdaloidal trap, in the almond-shaped cavities 

 of which the gem principally occurs. This green stone has a 

 radiating structure, and shows a beautiful chatoyance similar to 

 cat's-eye and other fibrous mineral^. 



Zonochlorite is a green-banded stone, similar to chlorastrolite 

 in composition, discovered by Dr. Foote at Neepigon Bay 

 on the north shore of Lake Superior. The full description was 

 published in the Transactions of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science in 1872. Its hardness is about 7 ; 

 it takes a very high polish, and if it could be found in sufficient 

 quantities would undoubtedly be extensively used. 



Hiddenite is a green variety of the well-known species spodu- 

 mene. A yellow variety from Brazil has been cut as a gem for 

 many years. The green variety has been known for about seven 

 years, and is fully as beautiful, and valued as highly, as the 

 diamond. It occurs in connection with emeralds in North 

 Carolina. Ol gold quartz about ;i^28,ooo worth is sold annually. 

 Most of this comes from California, where it is not only used as 

 a gem, but in the manufacture of various ornaments. 



Although the flexible sandstone, the reputed gangue of the 

 diamond in Brazil, is found in mountain masses in North 

 Carolina and other States, no very large diamonds have as yet 

 been discovered. Many small ones are recorded from California, 

 North Carolina, Virginia, and elsewhere. The largest was 

 found at Manchester, near Richmond, Virginia, and weighed 

 235 carats in the rough and \\.\\ carats cut. Pi'of. Whitney 

 states that the largest found in California was ']\ carats. Rubies 

 and sapphires have been found in the rock in the corundum 

 mines of North Carolina, and Mr. C. S. Bement has an uncut 

 green one in his collection that would give 80 to 100 carats' 

 worth of good stones, one of which would probably weigh 

 20 carats. The largest red and blue crystal weighs 312 pounds, 

 and belongs to Amherst College. The best sapphires are found 

 in the placer mines of Montana. Asteriated corundums are 

 found in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. 



About ;^2200 worth of quartz or rock crystal is mined annually. 

 The best localities are Hot Springs (Arkansas), North Carolina, 

 New York, and Virginia. A portion of a mass that must have 

 weighed over 40 pounds was i-ecently received from Alaska, that 

 cut a hand-glass 3 inches by 5. Rock crystal is frequently dug up 

 in the prehistoric mounds, and was used by the medicine-men 

 and others for telling future events. Amethysts are found in 

 very fine specimens in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas, and the 

 Lake Superior region. From the latter region they are very 

 remarkably lined, some specimens showing "phantom crystals" 

 equal to the Hungarian. Near the Yellowstone National Park 

 and in the chalcedony forests of Arizona are tree-trunks, some 

 of which are 100 feet long, mineralized by the action of silicated 

 waters. Some of these trees are still standing upright, others, 

 having fallen, bridge deep chasms. The once hollow cavities 

 of some are lined wilh amethyst, others with agate. The 

 Arizona agatized or jasperized wood shows the most beautiful 

 variety of colours of any petrified wood in the world. Probably 

 the most remarkable locality anywhere for smoky quartz, or 

 cairngorm stone, is Pike's Peak, Colorado. Here it is found in a 

 graphic granite associated with iVmazon stone, which also makes 

 a very beautiful green ornamental stone. The rutilated quartz, or 

 Cupid's arrows, is found in remarkably fine specimens in North 

 Carolina. Perhaps the most remarkable mass is one 7 inches by 

 3I, now in the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences 

 of Philadelphia. The crystals of rutile a'c about the size of 

 knitting-needles. Some of the North Carolina rutile has been 

 cut, furnishing brilliant gems, closely resembling carbonado. The 

 rutile, geniculated till it forms a perfect circle or rosette, from 

 Magnet Cove, Arkansas, is often mounted and worn as a gem. 

 While opals are found at many places in the United States, they 

 do not rival those of Queretaro in Mexico. Here are found not 

 only the "milky opals that gleam like sullen fires in a pallid 

 mist," but fire opals and almost every other variety known. 

 Rhodonite, in specimens suitable for polishing, is found in Massa- 

 chusetts and New Jersey. At the latter locality were obtained 

 the finest crystals ever seen. The garnets from New Mexico 

 and Arizona are superior to the "Cape rubies" from South 

 Africa ; and from Alaska the most beautiful crystals ever seen, in 

 a setting of gray mica schist, have recently been obtained. 



The New Mexican turquoise is mined to the value of about 

 ;^700 annually. It has recently been described very fully by 

 Prof. Clarke, Curator of the Mineralogical Department of the 

 National Museum, and is especially interesting as being the 

 material from which the " chalchihuitls," or most sacred 

 images of the Aztecs, were made. The Indians still regard it as 

 a lucky stone. 



Labradorite, lately so popular for gems and ornamental stones, 

 is found in many localities. The tourmalines of Maine are 



