Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 449 



borings at Lindal, in Purness, are given, in which, beneath Upper 

 Boulder-cla}-, one of these vegetable deposits was pierced, resting on 

 Boulder-clays or sand. Similar deposits (which have been less 

 completely examined) occur at Crossgates, Walney Island, and Drigg. 

 Another is near St. Bees, which has been more minutely examined ; 

 and yet another near Maryport. These deposits are not, like the 

 Lindal beds, clearly interglacial, but, being compact and in other ways 

 differing from the ordinary peaty deposits, are believed by the author 

 to be so ; further, they all rest on Lower Boulder-clay. 



The author believes that the vegetable matter was not produced 

 in situ, but accumulated under water. Rootstocks certainly occur 

 in position of growth ; but their roots do not pass down into the 

 underlying Boulder-clay ; so they may have floated into this position. 

 The author considers this to throw light on the formation of coal. 



LV. Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



THE DISCOVERT OF OXIDE OF ANTIMONY IN EXTENSIVE LODES 

 IN SONORA, MEXICO. BY E. T. COX, OF TUCSON, ARIZONA 

 TERRITORY. 



TP to the present time the antimony of commerce has been 

 ^ mostly obtained by the reduction of the sulphide ; and though 

 this ore is widely distributed over the globe, it is, as a rule, associated 

 with a variety of mineral substances that obstruct reduction and 

 add to the cost of purifying the metal. These sulphides are also 

 found in such sparse quantities, that the metal usually commands 

 from three to four times the price of lead, and fully as much as 

 that of tin or copper. At present the supply of sulphides of 

 antimony for the English smelters is obtained from Algeria, Spain, 

 and Ceylon. Small quantities of oxide-of-antimony ores have 

 been found in portions of Europe and in Ceylon, but at no time 

 in such quantities as to elicit special attention. When, therefore, 

 about a year ago, I called the attention of English metallurgists 

 and smelters to the occurrence of vast lodes of almost pure oxide 

 of antimony in the district of Altar, Sonora, Mexico, thirty miles 

 from the G-ulf of California, it seemed too marvellous for their 

 belief. A company of gentlemen of Boston, Mass., now have 

 control of these antimony-mines ; and the ore will soon be in the 

 hands of smelters. 



The geological features of the country where this ore abounds 

 are similar to those of Southern Arizona. The mountains are in 

 short, narrow ranges, having for the most part a northerly and 

 southerly trend. Their crests are either rugged or well-rounded 

 cones, according to the nature of the rocks forming their mass. 

 Between these ranges we have what is called mesa or tableland ; 

 the latter is formed of the debris of the mountains. This material 

 is of so loose and porous a nature, that the small amount of rain 

 which falls sinks through it and leaves the land dry and arid. As 

 far as I have been able to make out the order of the rocks forming 



