ACCOUNTS, &C., OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM, 



Department of Mineralogy. 



The additions to the Mineral Collection during the year 1872, have consisted in 1,499 

 specimens, and comprise 24 species new to the Collection. 



The above 1,499 specimens have been registered, labelled, and incorporated with the 

 Collection. 



The glazed compartments supplied to the table cases numbered 5, 21, 38, and 46, have 

 been provided with fittings for exhibiting specimens too large for the table-cases. 



The larger masses of Copper-Glance, Bournonite, Fluor, and others belonging to the 

 groups of Sulphides, Fluorides, and Silicates, have been arranged in them. A large ore- 

 specimen of very rich gold quartz from Costa Kica, presented by the Aquacuta Mining 

 Company, has been exhibited in the glazed front of table 2. 



The work on the Collections in drawers and in the basement has consisted in the 

 examination of 4,862 mineralogical and lithological specimens, of which 2,062 belonging 

 to the portion of the General Collection reserved in drawers, have been labelled with 

 their localities and systematically arranged in trays, and 633 specimens selected from the 

 remainder have been carefully cleaned and incorporated with this part of the Collection. 

 The rocks from different localities at present retained as distinct collections, have been 

 increased by some valuable additions from Gei'man localities. 



Of crystals and facetted stones 130 have been mounted on supports, their localities 

 and the symbols of their crystalline forms, where of interest, being inscribed on the 

 pedestals. 



The examination of Meteorites by analysis and by other chemical methods, has been 

 continued in the Laboratory ; and among the analyses completed are specimens of rocks 

 from Queensland, apd of minerals from Cornwall and South Africa. 



Among the more important crystallographic determinations, are those of the forms of 

 the specimens of Glaucodote and of the series of Corundum and Sapphire, being pre- 

 liminary to the undertaking a catalogue of the Crystals in the Collection. 



Among the more important of the acquisitions are the following: — 



By Presentation ; — 



Native Gold disseminated in quartz with calcite, San Rafael, Costa Rica (estimated to 

 contain 50 ozs. of gold) ; Monte del Aquacata Mining Company. 



Specimens of Native Silver and Argentite, Silver Islet mine. Thunder Bay, Lake 

 Superior ; Auriferous Copper Pyrites, Lake Shabendowan ; Molybdenite in granite. 

 Pic River, Lake Superior; Professor H. AUeyne Nicholson, M.D., &c., &c. 



Rose Quartz and Sphene, Sierra de Cordova ; crystals of Orthoclase, near Chepis ; 

 Native Gold disseminated through Galena, Castaiio, Argentine Republic, South America ; 

 Edward Fielding, Esq. 



Crystals of Calcite in Coal, Northamptonshire; Samuel Sharp, Esq., E.G.S. 



Galena and Calcite, Gladstone mine, Holywell, Flintshire ; Gladstone Mining Company. 



Series of specimens of the minerals found in the Diamond-bearing detritus of South 

 Africa ; W. Stow, Esq. 



Specimens from the Colesberg Kopje, Diamond Fields, South Africa ; W. Bell, Esq. 



Diamond-bearing rock, De Beer's Pan, Diamond Fields, South Africa; T. Rudd, 

 Esq. 



Specimens of Minerals from Japan ; A. W. Franks, Esq., m.a. 



Suzannite, Leadhills, Lanarkshire; Richard Jones, Esq. 



Stalactitic Opal, Rosario mine. State of Queretaro, Mexico ; W G. Lettsomj Esq. 



Specimens of Lava from the volcano of Mauna Loa, Hawaii; Wood Opal, Murphy's 

 Camp, California; Christy Collection; through A. W. Franks, Esq. m.a. 



By Purchase : — 



A series of crystals and crystalline groups of Native Gold from Antioquia, New 

 Granada ; Native Gold, Sillada, Island of Sumatra ; large crystal of Amalgam with 

 Limonite, Moschellandsberg, Rhenish Bavaria ; crystalline Native Tellurium, Maria 

 Loretto mine, Transylvania. 



Diamond crystal in steatitic matrix, Du Toit's Pan, South Africa ; crystals from 

 Golconda and Visapoor, India ; Sulphur in large crystals, Girgeuti, Sicily. 



Whitneyite, Donnersberg, Rhenish Bavaria. 



Fine Copper-Glance from St. Ives Consols, Cornwall ; Enargite in crystals, Lugon ; 

 a crystal of Jordanite, Binnenthal, Switzerland ; Rionite, Annivierthal, Switzerland ; 

 Sandbergerite, Jucud Mine, Caxamerca, Peru ; Diaphorite, Przibram, Bohemia ; Chal- 

 copyrrhotine, Nya Kopparberget, Sweden. 



Calomel, Moschellandsberg, Rhenish Bavaria; Ralstonite and Gearksutite, Evigtok, 

 Arksut-Fjord, West Greenland. 



Cuprite in very fine crystals fi-om the Bank Mines, Ekaterinburg, Perm, Russia ; also 

 from Cornwall ; Cassiterite, Dolcoath mine, Camborne, Cornwall ; Lithiophorite, Saxony ; 

 a series of crystals of Corundum from Macon Co., North Carolina, U. S. A.; Turnerite, 

 Tavetsclithal, Switzerland ; a crystal of Quartz with terminal planes, Jarischau, Silesia; 

 an Enhydros of Chalcedony, Uruguay. 



A large 



