42 • AXNTTEESARY ADDRESS. 



which it litis been asserted he mistook for chroinate, he says : — 

 " All the banks of the South Biiy and the Woodin Canal on the 

 side of the main land are composed of the same schistose serpen- 

 tines among which Hydroxide of iron is abundant." Again: 

 " The river in question (Necoutcho) flows in the midst of clays 

 and serpentine rocks ; its banks are very abrupt, and the hydrox- 

 ide of iron is abundant. I ascended the Hono-Kouao, the chief 

 branch of the river, through its whole length, and met rocks of 

 serpentine and immense blocks of hydroxide of iron upon its 

 banks. It is there that the Kawrie" (Dammara ovata of our asso- 

 ciate Mr. Moore) "attains dimensions truly remarkable." " If" 

 he goes on, " we traverse New Caledonia, from the east coast, we 

 find even to the north of Groro this formation of serpentine and 

 iron ores. Beyond, these minerals are more rare ; but when we 

 see these mountains entirely composed of hydroxide of iron, 

 rising from the sea shore from the depth of safe harbours, we ask 

 why ships of commerce, which always leave New Caledonia in 

 ballast, do not come home loaded with this mineral, which may have 

 a sufficiently high value. At Sydney, for example, the furnaces of 

 Fitzroy would perhaps take a good part of this ore, which they 

 could have at a low rate. 



"This ore of iron is an anhydrous silicified peroxide more or 

 less mixed with limonite ; the dry assay has given a proportion of 

 51 "30 per cent, of iron. Moreover, this ore always contains 

 disseminated through the mass a certain quantity of chromate of 

 iron. Now, steel containing in the state of ' alliage' 2 per cent. 

 of Chrome, according to Berthier, loses none of its malleability 

 and attains even an extreme hardness." 



Further, of the bay N'go he says — " Ships may anchor in perfect 

 security ; a beautiful river flows into it 3 the surrounding moun- 

 tains are high and covered with ferruginous red clays, containing 

 masses of hydroxide of iron. Such is the Koure Peak, symme- 

 trical with Ja Peak (height about 1,600 feet), placed as this is on 

 the border of the sea, and in the south-east of the bay N'go." 



I wish I had time to repeat his description of Mont d'Or, a 

 vast igneous mass with precipitous sides, on the summit of which, 



