134 ACCOUNTS, ETC., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



tific work in more than one of the above three branches of 

 the subject (physical, petrological and chemical), such a sharp 

 limitation of the work of the assistants would be contrary to 

 the interests of the museum ; hence, as far as possible, it is 

 arranged that each assistant has the opportunity of acquiring 

 a general knowledge of the specimens preserved in the 

 department, and of thus becoming of more general service to 

 the public during the absence of his colleagues. 



Three Attendants. — One is specially employed in the prepara- 

 tion of thin sections of minerals and rocks for examination 

 with the microscope ; a second is charged with the arrange- 

 ment and cataloguing of the departmental library ; the third 

 with the more mechanical work of the chemical laboratory. 



The general duties of dusting the cases, packing and un- 

 packing specimens, copying, &c., are also performed by the 

 attendants. 



Two Boy -Attendants. — They attend on the superior officers 

 as required, are charged with the sale of the departmental 

 guides, and do a large part of the simpler mechanical work, 

 such as the filling of trays with clean cotton wool, &c. 



Mr. Davies. 



During the year 1892 the Department has suffered a great 

 loss by the death of Mr. Thomas Davies, who had been on the 

 staff since 1858. 



General. 



For the continuation of the descriptive Catalogue of 

 the Mineral Collection, the following species have been 

 examined : — Rittingerite, Xanthoconite and Zinckenite. 



Specimens of Quartz, Anatase, Hopeite, Meionite, Felspar, 

 Geikielite and other minerals have been crystallographically 

 and optically examined. 



A new mineral from Ceylon, which has been named 

 Baddeleyite, has been discovered and described ; the identity 

 of Rittingerite and Xanthoconite has been proved. 



One hundred specimens have been chemically examined ; 14 



specific gravity determinations have been made ; quantitative 



analyses have been made of two specimens of Copper Silicate 



from Egypt, two Pilolites, Augite, Xanthoconite, Rittingerite 



- and Proustite. 



The chemical examination of a New Zealand meteorite has 

 been commenced. 



The minerals exhibited in Cases 1-10 have been re- 

 arranged, crystals remounted and duplicates removed ; the 

 species- and locality-labels recently printed have been 



incorporated ; 



