1847.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 881 



Geology and Mineralogy. — I have looked over and chemically examined 

 some of the specimens presented by Captain Kittoe in April. " Many axe 

 common, but a few are worth notice. 



1. A very good specimen of Asparagus-green Tourmaline, with small 

 crystals of red Tourmaline amongst it; the green a new mineral for India, 

 as far as I recollect. We have pale apple-green, white and blue tour- 

 malines, from America, and the Alps, in our collection ; but none of this 

 colour, which is rarer than many other sorts. The red ones, though minute, 

 are perfect Rubellites. 



Our specimen is evidently from a vein and weathered, so that probably 

 larger crystals may be found there. 



Before the blowpipe it becomes by long heating opaque and slaggy on the 

 edges, though still preserving its green colour, so that it has the appearance 

 of a small lump of copper slag or Uranium ore under the magnifier. 



The hardness is 6.7, and the specific gravity 3.3. 



2. A remarkable apple-green quartz rock with bands of rose-coloured fels- 

 par and transparent quartz running through it. This is, both mineralogically 

 and geologically curious ; for, as will be seen afterwards, it is the rare case of 

 pure silicate of iron so often met with in sand, and disseminated in other rocks 

 and minerals, forming nearly a rock by itself. 



Another specimen of the same kind is mixed with grey and white quartz 

 and minute crystals of Iron pyrites. This specimen was carefully examined, 

 as the pyrites might be auriferous, but nothing but Iron with slight traces of 

 arsenic was detected. The pure green rock also, when pulverized, yielded 

 nothing but iron and silica, both via humida and by the blowpipe, to which it 

 gave with borax the usual green glass. 



3. A specimen, sent, I presume, as the Plumbago mentioned with a note 

 of interrogation at p. 492, is not Plumbago, but a rolled specimen of magne- 

 tic Iron ore, mixed with silvery mica and quartz ; forming together a remarka- 

 ble light grey diallage-looking rock with a strong pearly lustre in certain 

 lights. It is highly magnetic but infusible before the blowpipe, which only 

 renders it slightly slaggy at the edges. It dissolves largely in Hydrochloric 

 acid but gives only Iron to re-agents. We have a specimen which approaches 

 to this from the iron mines of Ajmeer, but it is certainly not common, and if 

 a definite compound, should form at least a separate variety, for the purer sorts 

 might be termed Diallage iron-ore. 



4. A fine specimen of flesh-coloured ft^spar, of which we had but a very 

 small piece in our collection. 



5. — A good specimen of granular and fibrous Tremolite. 



We have no localities I regret to say, for these minerals. I will write to Cap- 

 tain Kittoe to learn if he can recollect the place where he collected them. 



Captain Sherwill, of the Dinapore Survey, as already mentioned, has sent a 

 few specimens for examination : amongst them are a remarkable variety of 

 massive Asbestos, much resembling lithomagc in appearance, but of which 

 the fibrous structure when crushed and its behaviour before the blowpipe 

 place it in the asbestos family : specimens of the same altered by heat have 

 also been sent. 



