Geology and Mineralogy. 



395 



2. Vermont Geological Survey ; G. H. Perkins, State Geolo- 

 gist, Annual Report, 1903-1904, 22V pp., 8 figs., 81 pis.— The 

 fourth of the present series of Vermont State Reports indicates 

 great activity on the part of Professor Perkins and his co-workers. 

 In addition to a description of the present condition of quarry 

 industries within the state, the report contains articles by Professor 

 C. H. Hitchcock on the Glaciation of the Green Mountain Range, 

 Professor V. F. Marsters on the Asbestos Deposits, and a paper by 

 the state geologist on the Geology of Grand Isle County and the 

 Brandon Lignite Deposit. Grand Isle County has been com- 

 pletely mapped in the past two years and the fossils have been 

 studied. A special paper on the Stromatoceria of Isle LaMotte 

 has been written by Professor H. M. Seeley. The origin of ser- 

 pentine is discussed somewhat by Professor Marsters, who believes 

 that magnetite may be shown to pass by imperceptible stages of 

 decomposition into masses of fibrous serpentine. The interest- 

 ing Tertiary deposits at Brandon are described and seven plates 

 illustrating the fossil forms are published. 



3. The big " Cullinan " Diamond from the Transvaal. — The 

 April number of the Geological Magazine contains a description 

 by F. H. Hatch and G. S. Corstorphtne of the large diamond 

 recently found in the Transvaal ; from this we quote the follow- 

 ing paragraphs. Two plates with four excellent views of the 

 stone, natural size, accompany the paper but cannot be repro- 

 duced here. 



" Great interest has been excited, not only in the Transvaal, 

 but throughout the world, by the discovery at the Premier Mine, 

 on Wednesday, the 25th January, 1905, 

 of the largest diamond hitherto known. 

 The stone was found by Mr. Wells, Sur- 

 face Manager, in the yellow ground 

 about 1 8 feet from the surface, a brilliant 

 flash of light from a projecting corner 

 having caught his attention. After a 

 preliminary cleaning it weighs 3,024f 

 carats. According to Gardner Williams 

 the South African carat is equivalent to 

 3*174 grains ; consequently the diamond 

 weighs 9600'5 grains troy or 1-37 lbs. 

 avoirdupois. Through the courtesy of 

 the Directors of the Company, we have 

 been enabled to make an examination of 

 the stone, with the following result : 

 It measures 4 by 2-j- by 2 inches. The 

 stone is bounded by eight surfaces, four 

 of w T hich are faces of the original crys- 

 tal, and will be referred to in this description under the letters 

 A, B, C, D, and four are cleavage surfaces, the cleavage being of 

 course parallel to the face of the octahedron. In the following 

 description these cleavage surfaces are referred to under the let- 



Diagrammatic projection 

 (to half scale). 



