HOW — ON MINERALOGY OF NOVA SCOTIA. 33 



Provincial Museum. Anhydrite does not admit of use as 

 plaster by burning or boiling but is equally good with gypsum 

 for agricultural purposes, in fact it is about 21 per cent, more 

 valuable so far as its ingredients are of use as it is free from 

 water. It is not ground in mills but crushed hj stampers. 

 The rock from Ckeverie is chiejiiy anhydrite, it goes mostly to 

 Bridgeport, near New York, where it is almost the only kind 

 employed. It is valued at Cheverie at 55 cents a ton. 



Minerals contained in G-ypsum and Anhydrite. 



In the deposits just described no attention has been given 

 practically to foreign minerals, indeed no considerable amount 

 of these has been found ; but small quantities of various kinds 

 have been met with which are very interesting from a scientific 

 point of view, and some of these will prove very valuable if 

 abundant. What the quarrymen call " salts" is said to be often 

 found, especially at the line of junction of hard and soft plaster, 

 where there is often a narrow seam partly filled with it. It is 

 described as having strong purgative properties, and as '< salts" 

 is the common name for sulphate of magnesia, I once thought 

 it might be the substance found, but I have never seen this here, 

 while Glauber-salt or sulphate of soda has been brought me more 

 than once as found in the Clifton quarry : it is said to be plenti- 

 ful occasionally. I have also had common salt brought from 

 the same quarry in small quantity. 



Borates. The most important minerals of possible future 

 value are certain borates, the first of which made known as 

 occurring in the gypsum, was described by myself about ten 

 years ago ; I have since found two others which are quite new 

 and peculiar to this province. The first mineral was brought 

 me by one of our students, and 1 shewed it to be natroborocal- 

 cite, which at that time had only been found in Peru, where it 

 is called Tiza, and perhaps in Tuscany, and which I had seen 

 imported to Scotland from the former country : I found it to 

 contain when washed free from a little sulphate of soda :— 



