184 



JOUBNAL, B.A.S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. IX 



soft mineral itself, in its various forms of crystallization , 

 the most prevalent being a radiating star-like arrangement, 

 and its variation of sparkling colours from steel grey 

 to plates of jet black, may be regarded as a veritable 

 " thing of beauty." A collection of first class lumps, each 

 highly polished and lustrous, intended for shipment to 

 Germany, which could be seen at Mr. W. A. Fernando's 

 store recently, was certainly a striking sight. In connection 

 with this collection of silvery masses, Mr. Fernando 

 showed us specimens of a dark-coloured variety, of needle- 

 like formation, which he said he had been requested by his 

 customers to make up separately, as the ordinary mills could 

 not easily grind that particular quality. Graphite generally, 

 like iodine, shows a bright metallic sheen, but it is at once 

 distinguished from the true metals by its soft and unctuous 

 mechanical condition. I am speaking of first class mineral, 

 for, showing us a specimen of plumbago formed, apparently, 

 over an ironstone nucleus, Mr. Fernando declared such ore to 

 be unsaleable. In truth, the reasons why our Ceylon graphite 

 is so much sought after, are the entire absence of lime from 

 the mineral, and in most cases its equal freedom from fer- 

 ruginous particles, the small proportion of foreign sub- 

 stances, if any, being volatile matter and minute fragments 

 of silica and alumina. Besides grinding to extreme fine- 

 ness, an acid bath is used thoroughly to purify graphite 

 used for certain delicate purposes, such as electrotyping, 

 when the finest and purest dust is required to coat surfaces 

 of wood, plaster of Paris, and gutta percha, &c, to render 

 them conductive. An authority of all in the world, perhaps 

 best qualified to speak, describes Ceylon plumbago as 

 combining the two qualities of being almost as refractory 

 as asbestos and at the same time the most perfect conductor 

 of heat. 



The North of England mines, which at one time supplied 

 the world with pencils, although ordinary lead pencils have 

 been in use in the present century, seem exhausted, while 

 the supply of the somewhat allied mineral — jet — is still 

 available for the manufacture of ornaments at Whitby. 

 There is graphite in Scotland, (plentiful in Aberdeenshire 

 according to Mr. Ferguson of Kinmundy) though not, I 

 believe, of useful quality. The black lead mines spread 



