GENERAL NOTES. 469 
NEW ZEALAND DIAMONDS.—Since the reputed discovery of 
diamonds in the Auckland District by some miners recently re- 
turned from the Cape diamond-fields, and the placing of an un- 
- doubted diamond, found by the said miners, in the Auckland 
Museum, a fresh discovery of these precious stones has been 
reported from the Canterbury district. Some specimens of the 
reputed diamonds from both localities were sent to Professor 
Haast, who forwarded them to Professor Ulrich, of the Otago 
School of Mines, for examination. From the report published 
in the Lyttelton Times we learn that these crystals were neither 
more nor less than quartz, having the conchoidal fracture, vitreous 
lustre and absence of cleavage characteristic of that mineral, 
while the recognisable crystals manifestly belonged to the 
hexagonal or rhombohedral system. The further tests applied 
leave no doubt as to the correctness of this identification. The 
crystals could scratch glass, but did not attack topaz in the least. 
The specific gravity was determined as 2.4, which, considering 
the small quantity of material operated on, gives results within 
the limits of error allowed for quartz (2.5 to 2.6), but not near 
_. that of diamond (3.1). Lastly, the chemical re-action with sul- 
phuric acid and calcium fluoride gave unmistakeable proof of the 
presence of silica. As against this latter test it has been stated 
that some of these Canterbury diamonds were placed in hydro- 
fluoric acid for 48 hours, the only result being that the outside 
became a little soft. It is needless to say that had they been 
diamonds they would not have become a little soft, whereas rock 
crystals would easily resist the action of hydrofluoric acid fora 
considerable length of time unless they were previously pulverised. 
A company has been formed to work this deposit of quartz, 
and a large number of specimens have been taken home by Mr. 
T. Kelsey to be reported on. Unless some Cape diamonds have 
inadvertently found their way into this consignment, the London 
and Amsterdam dealers will have little encouragement to give 
the consignees. ee 
VERONICA DERWENTIA, Lttlejohn.—Mr. J. B. Armstrong, 
of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens, informs us that this species, 
which was originally described from Tasmania, occurs sparingly 
in the Canterbury district. In his synopsis of the genus Veronica 
in “ Trans. N.Z. Inst.,” Vol. XIII., page 344, it was regarded as 
a large form of V. cataracte, to which no doubt it is somewhat 
closely allied. 
DIXON’S PATENT GAs.—Considering how completely the 
attempt to palm off this gas on the Victorian public was ex- 
posed by Mr. J. Cosmo Newbery at a meeting of the Royal 
Society of Victoria many months ago, it isa matter of regret and 
one calling for a protest from every scientific man that the inven- 
tion (?) should now be brought forward again, and this time in 
Dunedin. The gas is neither more nor less than an ordinary 
petroleum gas, and if the patentee had contented himself with 
