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XXXIII.— ON AN ARGENTIFEEOUS GALENETIC-BLENDE AT 

 OVOCA. By C. E. C. TICHBORNE, LL. D., E. C. S., &c. 



[Eead, October 6, 1884.] 



I AM strongly of opinion that we sliould never lose an oppor- 

 tunity of bringing before tbe scientific public any natural product 

 of this country which is likely to become of commercial value. The 

 general uncertainty which appertains to all mining operations ap- 

 pears aggravated in Ireland, where it almost seems as if we hung 

 upon the fringe of extensive mineral deposits. The want of smelting 

 materials adds greatly to our difficulties. In the year 1875 I had 

 the honom" of placing before this Society^ a specimen of a rich 

 magnetite found in Wicklow, which at that time was unknown to 

 the Geological Survey. The veins of this ore could be traced for 

 some two miles or more. Consignments of the magnetite were sent 

 to Staffordshire to be smelted, and the most flattering account of 

 the quality of the iron obtained therefrom was returned ; yet I 

 believe this ore lies perdu. 



I wish, on the present occasion, to bring before the Society a de- 

 scription of another ore of even more importance. Of this ore very 

 little is known, and I intend to ofiter some speculations upon its 

 general character. I believe that the lode may be typical of many 

 ores, which will be found disseminated in lead mines, but of these 

 there is no record except a short reference in the Mineral Statistics' 

 for the year 1882, and also a reference to which my attention has 

 been drawn within the last week, and subsequent to my analysis 

 and report upon this mineral, viz. : — a paragraph in a Paper en- 

 titled, " Notes on the Ancient and Eecent Mining Operations in 

 the East Ovoca District," by P. H. Argall.^ 



The mineral I am now about to describe is known as " Blue- 

 stone," and locallj^ in Wicklow as " Kilmacooite," from the dis- 



■■ Journal of the Eoyal Geological Society of Ireland, vol. iv., part 4. 

 - Mineral Statistics of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, for the 

 year 1882, pp. 88 and 94. 



3 Scientific Proceedings, R. D. S., vo^ iii., n. a., p. 225, 



