1 00 Minerals from Greenland, [Feb. 



have since thought that it might prove interesting to mineralo- 

 gists to know by what minerals these substances were accom- 

 panied, and have accordingly drawn up the following account, 

 from which some idea may be formed of the great variety of 

 minerals that are to be found in the almost unknown regions of 

 Greenland. From the very uncouth and careless manner in 

 which the collection appeared to have been formed, I was at first 

 led to suspect that it could not have been made by any person of 

 science. In this, however, I was mistaken, having subsequently 

 learned that the collector is a German mineralogist of high 

 repute, of the name of Gieseke. Having heard of the fate of 

 bis minerals, soon after they were captured, with an enthusiasm 

 much to be admired, being still in Greenland, 1 am informed he 

 immediately employed himself in repairing the loss by forming 

 another collection. The return of Mr. Gieseke to Europe is 

 expected next spring ; and as we have reason to hope that he 

 will arrive at the port of Lehh, we may be able to obtain farther 

 elucidation on several interesting points, particularly the geo- 

 gnostic relations of some of the fossils, and also the geographic 

 account of the whole, as at present we only know thar the 

 collection in question was captured in the Der Freuhlin, 

 Captain Ketelsoo, on her passage from Greenland to Copen- 

 hagen. These minerals filled no less than nine or ten old boxes 

 and barrels : a few specimens were wrapped in coarse paper; but 

 a scanty supply of dry meadow moss was the only other material 

 with which they were prevented from injuring each other. 

 Before I examined them th^ey were turned out on the floor of a 

 merchaot's warehouse in Leith, and lay such a spectacle of 

 unioviting rubbish, that they were thought wholly unworthy of 

 Sitlention by all those who had previously seen them: which 

 principally arose from the very great quantity of rubbish and 

 water- worn stones, many of them covered with marine insects^ 

 ivith which the collection was loaded. The impression their 

 first appearance made upon me was entirely similar, till my 

 attention was attracted by some large white masses of what I 

 thought resembled cryolite, of which I had obtained a few 

 grains when in Paris as a present of great value. On closer 

 inspection I soon found I was right; while, most fortunately for 

 me, the masses alluded to passed with others as sulphate of lime. 

 Indeed, the very circumstance of its abundance was enough to 

 stifle any suspicion of its being the rare end sought for mineral, 

 I consequently accomplished the purchase, along with my friend 

 Col. Imrie, without opposition; and having caused the minerals 

 to be washed, in order to remove the dirt and soil with which 

 they were covered, I carefully examined each separate specimen, 

 and after throwing aside about one half of the entire bulk as useless, 

 the remainder turned out to be of much more value than I at 



