"Antonio Álzate." 385 



witli all points o£ the United States. In Torreón it connects 

 with the International R. R. for Monterey, and Tampico or 

 Corpus Christi on the Gulf o£ México. 



I cali attention to extensión and number o£ the deposits. 

 An estímate o£ the total amount o£ onyx on sur£ace o£ so ex- 

 tensivo and numerous deposits, would be impossible. Conside- 

 ring ouly the área on the road to Cuencamé, o£ which I have 

 spokeu previously, where the work o£ quarrying as in the 

 other places is very easy without any underground work, I 

 calcúlate a volume o£ more than 2.000,000 cubic £eet. The de- 

 posits already mentioned and some others should give not less 

 than 6.000,000 cubic £eefc. Many other mountains in Jimulco 

 have never been prospected £or onyx. 



It is not necessary to recollect the difEerent uses o£ onyx 

 marble suggested by the quality o£ this Jim aleo onyx. I on- 

 ly say the hardness is so great that it can be used as buil- 

 ding stone £or arches, stair - ways, panels, columns, etc., for 

 tables o£ all kinds, transparencies for windows in churches 

 and houses, in thin slabs, and £or all kinds o£ interior decora- 

 tions, vases and statuary. 



I spoke o£ properties of onyx as I see in quarries without 

 any work of grinding and polishing. In this way I get only 

 small pieces. It is necessary before working on a large scale 

 to try the material as to the polishing and strength of the sa- 

 me as it often contains fissures owing to being weathered, also 

 thereare many other points of interest in this beautiful orna- 

 mental stone. 



México, May 1901. 



Memcírifts.— [1000-1901.] T.— XV.á9. 



