472 Scientific Intelligence. 



metal. Dr. Kunz gives interesting facts in regard to prospecting 

 for platinum in Alaska, which may yet prove to be an important 

 source of the metal. He also gives valuable digests of the 

 occurrences in Russia and in Spain, as described by Professor 

 Duparc. 



With respect to the always interesting subject of precious 

 stones, it is remarkable that the entire world, even stricken and 

 impoverished Vienna, should have found it possible to purchase 

 diamonds and pearls to an almost unprecedented extent. In 

 this country, 1919 saw the importation of 105 million dollars 

 worth of diamonds, pearls and precious stones. Of uncut 

 diamonds alone, more than twenty-one million dollars worth 

 were imported, nearly double the amount for 1916. It is not 

 surprising under these conditions, that the price has greatly 

 increased. It is remarked also that the total product of the 

 South African mines has been under the control of a Syndicate. 

 With respect to the well known mines in the Kimberley region, 

 it is stated that between 1909 and 1919 the value of the product 

 was upwards of two hundred millions. Furthermore, in view 

 of the fact that nearly fifty years ago (1872) these mines were 

 hardly more than scratches on the surface, it is worth noting 

 that the main rock shaft of the Kimberley mine has gone to a 

 depth of 3600 feet. The Premier mine, famous because of the 

 discovery of the great Cullinan diamond in 1905, yielded in 

 October, 1919, a white flawless stone of 1500 carats or about 

 half the weight of the Cullinan. It is suggested that this last 

 stone may perhaps be a fragment of the original Cullinan crystal, 

 which at the time of its discovery was known to be only part 

 of the original. The value of the diamonds produced from the 

 Premier mine since 1903 was over 100 million dollars. It is 

 proposed to carry on work in the diamond field of Arkansas on 

 a considerable scale, but what success this may meet with is 

 still quite uncertain. The diamonds of Southwest Africa 

 formerly belonging to Germany have been taken over by a 

 British Company. New diamond fields have been discovered at 

 Tlaring, Bechuanaland near Nairobi, British East Africa; and 

 on the African Gold Coast. 



10. Zeitschrift filr Krystallographie und Mineralogie, heraus- 

 gegeben von P. Groth und E. Kaiser. Leipzig (W. Engel- 

 mann). — The concluding double number of the fifty-fifth volume 

 of Groth 's Zeitschrift has been recently received; it was issued 

 on September 10, 1920. It embraces nine papers, two of them 

 devoted to the new minerals leifite and idtrabasite (to be noticed 

 later) ; with also brief original notes and the usual indexes. 



As this number goes to press, the announcement is received 

 that, with volume 56, the editorship has been assumed by Dr. P. 

 Niggli, professor in the Technische Hochschule at Zurich, 

 Switzerland. 



