48 



the other, which is of a yellow hue, but becomes 

 paler and discoloured with age, is brought from the 

 province of Chilian. 



The metallic earths or chalks, discovered in Chili, 

 are the mountain green and blue, native ceruse, 

 lapis caliminaris, brown, yellow and red ochres ; of 

 the latter there are two varieties, one of a pale and 

 the other of a bright red like cinnebar, the last is 

 called Quenchiiy and is mentioned by commodore 

 Anson as being found in great quantities in the 

 island of Juan Fernandez. Some give it the name 

 of native minium from its appearance, and its weight 

 differs very little from that of red lead ; it is 

 supposed to have been produced from the calcina- 

 tion of mines of lead by subterraneous fires. The 

 veins of both these ochres run deep into the ground, 

 and their quality is found to improve in proportion 

 to their depth. 



Few places in Chili are in reality sandy, or so 

 covered with sand as to be incapable of vegeta- 

 tion. But the rivers abound with it, owing to the 

 constant friction of the pebbles with which their 

 beds are lined, and on their shores all the various 

 kinds of sand described by naturalists may be found. 

 The black sand of Virginia (arena micácea nigra) 

 first described by Woodward, is common on the 

 sea shore and on the banks of several rivers ; it is 

 black and very heavy from the quantity of ferrugi- . 

 nous particles it contains. In the same places is 

 also found another kind, differing from the former 

 only in colour, which is a beautiful Prussian blue ; 

 for this reason I have called it the black blue sand 



