No. 275, 1 
105 
was discovered by Dr. Barrett, at Cold Spring landing in 1822, during 
the excavations for the foundation of the long block of buildings next 
the shore, on the north side of the village. Specimens were obtained 
at that place in abundance by Dr. Barrett, and more beautiful than any 
that I have seen from any other part of the country. Titanium has, 
however, been applied to but one useful purpose, and that of compara- 
tively trifling importance, viz: for tinging the enamel of artificial teeth 
of a slis:ht yellowish colour, like the natoiral teeth. 
Arsenical Ores. 
Arsenical iron occurs in several places in Putnam county, but the 
only locality known in that county to which any practical importance is 
attached, is about four or five miles northwest from Putnam Court- 
House, and about half a mile southwest of Pine pond, in the township 
of Kent, near the serpentine marble quarry. This is one of the old 
mine holes from which silver is reported to have been obtained. The 
mine is now owned or leased by a mining company, called the Hudson 
River Mining Company. It had been cleaned out when I saw it The 
shaft is forty feet deep. Yellow pulverulent sulphuret of arsenic cover- 
ed the sides of the shaft and the timbers, wherever they had been cover- 
ed by w^ater, resulting from the decomposition of the arsenical sulphu- 
ret of iron. This latter mineral abounds there. It forms a bed or mass 
in hornblendic gneiss rock above the shaft, and is there undergoing de- 
composition, forming arseniate of iron. The ore does not, so far as I 
could perceive, form a vein, but is a mass, and from the surface indi- 
cations, and from what I saw in the mine, there is a probability of the 
existence of a great quantity of this ore. The mine goes by the name 
of the silver mine, and it is stated that silver has been obtained from it, 
but the individual who is said to have analyzed it, has no public name 
as a chemist, and until it shall be analyzed by a disinterested person of 
reputation as an analytical chemist, confidence ought not to be reposed 
in the statement that it is a silver ore. This kind of ore is wrought as 
a silver ore in Germany, where it contains some of the precious metal. 
It is possible this may also contain it, and even should it be argentife- 
rous, it may not contain enough silver to make it worth separating^ 
The ore contains much arsenic, and it may perhaps be profitably 
wrought to furnish the common white arsenic of the shops. It is well 
known that large quantities of this material are consumed for various 
purposes in this country, such as the manufacture of shot, flint glass, 
medicinal preparations, &c. and the supply is at present derived from 
Germany. This mine would probably supply the demands of commerce 
[Assem. No. 275.] 14 
