REPORT ON THE DEPARTMENT OF MINERALS IN THE U, S. NATIONAL 



MUSEUM, 1887. 



By F. W. Clarke, Honorary Curator. 



During the year the routine work of the department has been carried 

 on under my direction by Mr. W. S. Yeates, assisted by Mr. H.H.James 

 as clerk, and the growth of the mineral collection has been quite satis- 

 factory. The following important accessions may be properly noted: 



(1) The collection of meteorites has been enriched by the deposit of 

 the private collection belonging to Prof. C. TJ. Shepard, jr. This col- 

 lection numbers about 200 falls, some of them of extreme rarity. The 

 meteorite collection has also been increased during the year by exchanges 

 with the cabinets of Harvard, Tale, and Amherst Colleges, the British 

 Museum, and Mr. B. Stiirtz, of Bonn, Germany. About 40 falls were 

 thus added, making our total number, exclusive of the Shepard collec- 

 tion, 101. 



(2) There were obtained for the gem collection by purchase 151 cut 

 specimens of agate, jasper, carnelian, bloodstone, etc. Additions have 

 also been made by the special cutting of rough specimens previously 

 in the Museum, and the collection has thereby gained several handsome 

 gifts. Mr. 0. S. Bement, of Philadelphia, gave some fine sapphires and 

 zircons, and a large moonstone from Virginia. Mr. G. F. Kunz, of New 

 York, gave 18 cut specimens of moss agate, bloodstone, onyx, sard- 

 onyx, etc. Mrs. S. F. Baird gave a brooch of Norwegian pegmatite, 

 set in silver, and a fine bloodstone. Mr. Thomas Wilson deposited a 

 large carved seal of yellow quartz and 10 antique intaglios of rock 

 crystal, carnelian, agate, and plasma. From the Treasury Department 

 was received a collection of 133 small diamonds and 150 pearls. These 

 were presented by the Imaum of Muscat to President Van Buren. The 

 gem collection has practically doubled during the year. 



(3) The general collection of minerals has received important additions 

 as follows : By gift — from H. U.Thorpe, of Liberty Hill, Texas, 40 speci- 

 mens of celestite, garnet, aragonite, etc. By exchange — 64 specimens of 

 Maine minerals from N. H. Perry, of South Paris ; 16 specimens of the 

 Lake Valley vanadates, etc., from T. Kendall, of Beading, Pennslyvania ; 

 37 specimens of Japanese minerals, including some remarkable quartz, 

 stibnite, and amber, from the Educational Museum at Tokioj 30 



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