404 Scientific Intelligence. 



The further results promised by the authors, of experiments on 

 rocks of different kinds, will be looked for with interest. — Proc. 

 Boy. Soc, read June, 21, 1900. 



8. Report of the Section of Chemistry and Mineralogy • by 

 G. Chr. Hoffmann, Geol. Survey of Canada. Part R, vol. xi, 

 1900. Among the various points of general interest in this report 

 we note the following : 



Celestite occurs in radiating columnar masses in the township 

 of Bagot, Renfrew Co.; an analysis by Johnston showed the 

 presence of 14 p. c. of barium sulphate. Hubnerite occurs in nar- 

 row seams and in irregular masses with coarsely laminated struc- 

 ture at Emerald, nine miles from Margaree Forks, Inverness Co., 

 Nova Scotia. An analysis by Johnston showed it to be nearly 

 pure manganese tungstate (0*4*7 FeO) ; sp. gravity = 6*975. 

 Hydromagnesite occurs in considerable abundance on the Cariboo 

 road, 93 miles north of Ashcroft, Lillooet district, British Colum- 

 bia. Other extensive deposits have been found on the east side 

 of Atlin Lake, Cassiar district. Natron has been identified in 

 Goodenough Lake, 28 miles north of Clinton, Lillooet district, 

 B. C. When examined, at the close of the dry season, it formed 

 a deposit over nearly the entire bottom of the lake (20 acres) 

 and with a thickness of about 8 inches. It was estimated that 

 the deposit contained 20,000 tons. Natural soda also occurs in 

 Last Chance Lake, 8 miles distant. Polycrase has been found in 

 the township of Calvin, Nipissing district, Ontario. It forms 

 crystalline masses, one of them weighing more than 700 grams ; 

 color pitch-black ; luster resinous ; sp. gravity 4*842. It is asso- 

 ciated with xenotime, magnetite, etc. Only a qualitative analysis 

 has been made thus far. 



9. Florencite, a new mineral. — Florencite is a new hydrated 

 phosphate of aluminum and the cerium earths recently described 

 by Hussak and Priok. It was first found very sparingly in the 

 cinnabar-bearing sands of Tripuhy, near Ouro Preto, Minas Geraes, 

 Brazil, where it is associated with monazite, xenotime and the 

 titano-antimonates, lewisite and derbylite. It also occurs more 

 abundantly in diamond-bearing sand from Matta dos Creoulos, 

 near Diamantina and with the well-known yellow topaz at Morro 

 do Caixambu. It occurs in rhombohedral crystals with/* (0221) 

 as the prominent form, also c (0001) and ?*(1011) and m(1010) 

 both rare. The angle ff' — 108° 26' is not far from that of 

 hamlinite (108° 2'); the vertical axes are 1-1901 and 1*1353 

 respectively. Cleavage basal, fairly perfect ; fracture splintery to 

 subconchoidal ; hardness about 5; specific gravity 3*586; luster 

 greasy to resinous ; color clear pale yellow. 



The mean of two analyses by Prior gave : 



P 2 5 A1 2 3 Ce 2 3 (etc.) Fe 2 3 CaO H 2 Si0 2 



25*61 32*28 28"00 0*76 1*31 10*87 0-48=99*31 



For this the formula is deduced 3Al„0 3 .Ce 2 3 .2P 2 5 .6H 2 0, not far 

 from that of hamlinite. — Min. 3Iag., xii, 244, 1900. 



