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XXXV. Contributions to the Miner aloyy of Nova Scotia. By 

 Professor How, D.C.L., University of King's College, Wind- 

 sor, Nova Scotia. 



[Continued from vol. xxxix. p. 280.] 



VI. Winkworthite, a New Mineral from the Gypsum of Hants 



County. 



SINCE I first showed the existence of borates in the gypsum 

 and anhydrite of this district, in addition to the specimens 

 collected by myself, some very good ones have been obtained by 

 others. Mr. Selwyn, Director of the Geological Survey of the 

 Dominion of Canada, to whom I had the pleasure of exhibiting 

 my cabinet while on an official visit to this province during the 

 past summer, was surprised at the considerable dimensions of 

 some of the specimens I had secured, as he himself, on inspect- 

 ing the gypsum quarries in company with Professor Hind, had 

 only seen small nodules. My success was due, to some extent, 

 to the good services of the quarrymen ; for, having pointed out 

 the different borates to some of these and to the manager of some 

 of the quarries at Winkworth, the locality of the finest specimens 

 of silicoborocalcite (Howlite of Dana), I was fortunate enough to 

 bring about the preservation of a number of specimens fresh 

 from the newly blasted rock. The quantity of gypsum raised 

 at those of the Winkworth quarries now spoken of amounts on 

 the average to about 22,000 tons a year ; so that there is a good 

 deal of material for examination. I may mention that the total 

 export of "plaster" (i. e. gypsum and anhydrite), a few thou- 

 sand tons only of the latter, however, being sent away, during 

 the last two years from this county has been as follows : — ■ 



Plaster shipped from Hants County , Nova Scotia. 

 Port. 1869. 18/0. 



Windsor 

 Hants port 

 Maitland 

 Cheverie 

 Walton . 



Totals 



81,276 55,913 tons of 2240 lb: 



3,860 7,567 



1,180 1,075 



9,348 15,335 „ 



4,760 5,640 



100,424 85,530 



During the past year, since the publication of the latest paper 

 of this series (Phil. Mag. April 1870), very good specimens of 

 the borates have been collected by quarrymen at Winkworth : 

 some of these came directly to myself ; for others I am indebted 

 to my friend Mr. J. Brown, of this county, in whose cabinet I 

 saw, last summer, the two largest specimens of crystalline How- 

 lite yet observed, so far as I know. They consisted of rounded 



