G. C. Hoffmann — Souesite. 319 



Art. XXXII. — Souesite, a native iron-nickel alloy occurring in 

 the auriferous gravels of the Fraser, 'province of British 

 Columbia, Canada; by G. Che. Hoffmann, of the Geolo- 

 gical Survey of Canada. 



[Communicated by permission of the Acting Director, Dr. R. Bell.] 



In washing the material obtained in dredging for gold in the 

 Fraser river, two miles below Lillooet, Lillooet district, in the 

 province of British Columbia, it has been found that there 

 remains, at the time of cleaning up, a fine, heavy, greyish sand, 

 having a metallic aspect. A sample of this sand, which was 

 sent to the writer for identification, has been examined and 

 found to consist, essentially, of an aggregation of small, very 

 irregular-shaped, rounded grains of an iron-nickel alloy and 

 small to minute, flattened, rounded, steel-grey, glistening scales 

 of native platinum ; intermingled with which were some minute, 

 bright, steel-grey colored, irregular-shaped, flattened grains of 

 iridosmine, a few flattened grains of native gold, some minute, 

 partially rounded, crystals of magnetite, a few equally small 

 grains of ilmenite, and a few particles of quartz and of garnet. 

 Of the foregoing, the grains of the iron-nickel alloy constituted, 

 approximately, forty-seven per cent, and those of the native 

 platinum forty-three per cent, by weight, of the whole ; the 

 grains of iridosmine, native gold, magnetite, ilmenite, and of 

 quartz and garnet, making up the balance of ten per cent. 



This iron-nickel alloy occurs, as above described, in the form 

 of small, very irregular-shaped, rounded grains, the largest not 

 exceeding a millimeter and a half in diameter, whilst many, 

 indeed the greater number, were of far smaller dimensions, and 

 others were of microscopic minuteness. It has a faint yellowish 

 steel-grey color, and a submetallic lustre ; is strongly magnetic, 

 and malleable. Its specific gravity, at 15'5° C, is 8*215. The 

 mineral is but very slightly acted upon by hydrochloric acid in 

 the cold ; upon the application of heat, however, it very slowly 

 passes into solution. It is readily attacked by dilute nitric acid, 

 even in the cold, and is easily and completely dissolved by it 

 on heating. 



The mean of two very closely concordant analyses, conducted 

 by Mr. F. G. Wait, upon very carefully selected material, 

 showed it to have the following composition : — 



Nickel 75-50 



Cobalt none. 



Iron... 22-02 



Copper 1-20 



Insoluble siliceous matter.. 1-16 



99-88 



