ACCOUNTS, ESTIMATES, &C. OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 4I 



Depaktment of Mineralogy. 



During the year 1868, 1,036 specimens have been added to the Mineral Collection. 



These have been registered, labelled, and incorporated with the Collection, tlirough 

 which they havebeen distributed in accordance with the classification. Other minerals 

 that they have displaced have been arranged in drawers with the reserve portion of the 

 Collection. 



The duplicate specimens have also been carefully sorted. The introduction of new 

 drawers under some of the table cases has enabled the arrangement of the reserve and 

 duplicate drawers in a symmetrical plan to be proportionately carried forward. 



The entries of all the Minerals contained in ten volumes of a Catalogue of 27,500 

 Minerals and Fossils prepared by former keepers, have been extracted and entered in a 

 separate Catalogue ; whereby many specimens have been identified, the history of which 

 had been uncertain. 



Five glazed fronts and sides to the table-cases have been fitted up, and Minerals of too 

 large a size to be shown on the tables have been arranged in them for exhibition. 



The great Iron Meteorite from Melbourne has since its arrival exhibited a rapid decom- 

 position in one portion of its mass, due to a large amount of ferrous chloride contained 

 within it, and considerable pieces of decomposed material have consequently fallen from 

 it. The endeavour has been made to arrest this destructive action by several coatings of 

 varnish. 



Important results have been obtained in the Laboratory regarding the mineral con- 

 stituents of Meteorites, and the methods best adapted for their analysis ; and the formulae 

 of several minerals have been determined, including Cronstedtite, a magnesian arseniate 

 from Cornwall, and a new variety of Enstatite in the Breitenbach Meteorite. 



The most important acquisitions made in the Department have been the following : — 



By Presentation : — 



Eleven Diamonds, two Carbonet, five samples of Cascalhao, all from Brazil ; by G. F. 

 Coster, Esq. 



Flexible Sandstone, Kurana village, Pergunna Dadree, District Jhujur, Delhi; by 

 Charles Falconer, Esq. 



Several rock and gold quartz specimens from Idaho and Oregon ; Massive Cinnabar, 

 New Almaden, California ; presented by Robert Brown, Esq. 



Cubic Pyrites, Crodo, Val Antigorio, Piedmont ; Pyrrhotine, Miggiandone Copper 

 Mine, Pallanza ; three Babingtonite, Baveno, Piedmont ; Native Gold, Val Toppa, Pied- 

 mont ; by the late Commanditore E. Francfort, of Pallanza. 



Thirteen Specimens of Serpentine, Lizard ; six Quartz mixed with a green Serpentine 

 (the so-called Jade of the Lizard) ; by Coles Child, Esq. 



Phlogopite, Kossie, St. Lawrence Co., New York; Jefferisite, "Westchester, Pennsyl- 

 vania ; by Wm. H. JefFeris, Esq. 



Herschelite on Basalt, Richmond, Victoria; by A. R. C. Selwyn, Esq., f.g.S. 



Pyrosclerite, Baruanorann, Connemara ; by Professor Harkness. 



Fine Sodalite on a siliceous sinter, Tasmania ; collected by the late Robert Brown, 

 Esq., and presented by J. J. Bennett, Esq., keeper of the Botanical Department, British 

 Museiun. 



Two specimens of Native Gold in quartz, Monte Video ; by Senor Luis Otero. 



Stetefeldtite, Belmont Mine, Nye Co., Nevada, U.S.A. ; by J. Richardson, Esq. 



Salt in cubes, large specimen, Jhelum Salt Range, Punjaub ; by E. L. Braudreth, Esq., 

 Indian Civil Service. 



Salt in cubes, Cheshire ; by Sir Philip de Malpas Grey Egerton, Bart., M.P. 



By Exchange : — 



Crystallized Cinnabar, Almaden, Spain ; Museum of Practical Geology. 

 Twelve Geodes of Amethyst, trihedral Quartz, and Agate from Uruguay ; W. G. 

 Lettsom, Esq. 



By Purchase : — 



Amethyst, Agate, Chalcedony and wood Opal, Uruguay ; and fine specimens of Lapis 

 Lazuh, Malachite, and Arsenic with Realgar, Chili ; M. Durassie. 



Native Gold, Bute City, Montana Territory, U.S.A.; Native Copper, pseudomorjjhous 

 after Aragonite, and also crystallized with aualcime. Lake Superior ; Nagyagitc in crystals, 

 Nacryao-;°Obsidian, hyacinth red in colour, Java. 



Crystellized Cryolite and Pachnolite ; Arksut Fiord, W. Greenland. 



Two Greenockites, Bishoptown, Renfrewshire ; Lettsomite, Rez-banya ; Suite of Ser- 

 pentine, Portsoy ; a series of the Zeolites from the Isle of Skye and Iceland; Pectolite in 

 crystals' Ratho, near Edinburgh ; 250 rock specimens with localities, and a number of 

 other minerals,' chiefly interestuig from their locality, selected from the Nicol-Bryson 



Collection. • 1 i t • 1 i -> 



Tetrahedrites coated with copper pyrites prettily tarmshedj near Liskeard ; Scoroditc, 

 211. G2 a very 



