( 55 ) 
characteristic of quite unaltered rocks in Ceylon 
they may also he original in the Saxon rocks. The 
absence of .sericite in the latter presents adiftieulty 
to those who favour the dynarno-melauiorphic view. 
Lelimanri supposed that its place was taken by 
biotiie, but this mineral is not infrequently an 
original constituent in Ceylon rocks. Garnets are 
characteiistic of typical granulites, and their 
presence is the result of chemical peculiari- 
ties in the magma or peculiar physical condi- 
tions obtaining at the time of its consblidation. 
The chemical composition of Ceylon and Saxon 
granulit -s resembles those of truly igneous rocks. 
Perhaps in Saxony wejire dealing only with the 
ou er margin of an eruptive mass intrmled into 
surrouiiiiing schi-tose rocks, while in Ceylon the 
heart of the eruptive mass is exposed. In both 
cases tliere hns been extensive magmatic differen- 
tiation, and this niay be considerd chai acteristic of 
granulites in gc eral. 
It is only in immediate contact with the 
graphite veins that the granulite matrix is chemi- 
cally altered and finally impregnated with graphite. 
FiHgmeiits of rocks included in the veins are also 
apecinlly affected. In altered rocks the felspars 
are largely changed to nontronite, a feature 
associated vviih I he occurrence of graphite in 
the Pissau district also. The pyroxenes change 
to a line scaly maieiial with aggregate polarisa- 
tion'. .Mica and garnet alter less readily. Im- 
pregnation with rutile and titanite is charac- 
teristic, as in the Bavario-liuhemian area. Beside 
the rock fraginent.s, pipces of various niinerals 
occur in tiie veins — quartz, pyrite. orthoclase, 
niicioperthite, apatite, bioiice, augite— the for- 
mation of these being previous to that of the 
graphite; wlii le calcite, and sometimes biotite, seem 
to have been denosited conteiuporaneously. . 
In the Passau district (Bavari > ) the f rmatioii of 
nontronite and impregnation wi' h graphite affect 
the whole schisto e complex, while in Cevlou 
the graphite occurs in veins. This differ- 
ence depends chiefly on the harder and more 
massive character of the Ceylon rocks. In 
Ceylon, S beria and Cumberland the graphite 
occurs in veins ; in Passau and Ticonderoga 
(U, S. A.) in ve ns and beils ; in Bohemia in 
beda : these d fferences depend on the varied 
character of t;he matrix and not on different m^des 
of oiigin of the graphite. Emanations of carbon 
monoxide, with or without cyanogen-bearing com- 
pDUiids, m-iy have given ri^e to th" graphite vein.s ; 
while the in'^roduction of iron oxide and iinanganese 
peroxide in their neighbourhood may argue thaS 
raetal carbonyls wore also nresent. 
Finally Pnifessor Weinschenck would suppose 
the following to have been the sequence of event.? 
in (Jeyloii : — A fluid magma intruded into beds of 
unknown aue con^-olida' ed as a peculiar ' schlierig ' 
rock, while eontact-metamnrphic structtites were 
devf^loped in surrounding beds. Contraction-joints 
developed on cooling, ;illowed the formation oi peg 
m itites, including pare quartz veins to sume extent. 
But, eontempiirai.eonsly with the formation of the 
pegmatite, there were emanations of carbon monox- 
ide and cyanogen bearing compoumls, which 
followed the same paths as the pegmatites and then 
gave rise to the graphire veins. The system of 
vei ls traversing tlie whole massif pla^ ed in latter 
m(MinC!iin movements the i61e of buffer, the soft 
yie ding mineral absorbing t he mechanical effects, 
and thus the Ceylon granulites remained unaltered 
by dynamic changes. 
I have attempted in this review merely tn give amd 
abstract of Professor Weinschenck's views as ex- 
pressed in his important paper. 
A. K. COOMAR.\-KWAMY. 
__ ^ 
VISIT TO A CINQALESE INSANE ASYLUM. 
BY A NUBSE GLOBE-TROTTKR. 
Seven o'clock in the morning according to 
English ideas of time is a most unsuitable hour at 
which to visit a pulilic institution. In Ceylon a 
betore-breakfast round of a h')spital or asylum|is 
quite " the thing." Later on, the stifling heat 
makes up-and-down-stair visitation a penance and- 
weariness to the flesli. Unlike most tropical in- 
stitutions, which are commonly built on one floor, 
bungalow fashion, the huge insane Asylum at 
Colombo possesses many stairs and an upper storey. 
Accordingly, at 7 a.m. punctually, aflei a drive 
through the lovely Cinnamon Gardens, whi< h are 
the joy of generations of globe trotters, one of the 
highest officials of tVylon and I exjdored the wilder- 
ness of tropical tiees, flowers and gorgeous blossoms, 
in which the vnst insane Asylum of (.'olnmbo, con- 
taining some 1,200 patients, stands. The patients, 
like ourselves, had taken an early cup of tea and 
bread and butter, the more substantial brenkfast 
which we subsequently saw in process of being 
cooked is served at about 10 a.m. It was the 
Europeans who taught the Cingalese to drink tea,, 
a habit which has now become inveterate and 
exaggerated in native family life. 
The asylum honsebuM had been up and busy for 
about a couple of hours before our arrival, groups 
of semi-safe patients weie scattered under the shade 
of the trees, for even at this early hour the sun was 
sufficiently str<um to m«ke a shelter from its rays 
both grateful and comforting. 
They weve squatting native fashion on the grass, 
chattering, cryintr and laughing in turns. Most of 
the men were smoking ; some were diessed in the 
Cingalese " half petticoat," wearing turbans made 
from several yar.ls of linen wound about their 
heads ; others were garbed cooly fashion in a single 
wide loin clot h. 
A DRAWB.\CK TO GOOD NURSING. * 
4 
The native ideal of bliss is to squat eternally — 
and talk eternally. Before vi.siting the East I had 
accepted the "grave quiet Oriental " of literature 
as a gospel truth, iiutas a matter of fact neither the 
man nor the woniiin of the East ever s'ops talking. 
They stay awiike most of the night, because the 
day has not been long enough to give tliem time to 
say all they want to. And if by some chance sleep 
overcomes a native he still goes on talking. This 
incessant chatter is a terrible drawback to good 
nursing, both in (/pylon and India. For the nurse 
finds it a most difficult matter to oltain absflute 
quiet for her patient, either in the daytime or the 
siilf- small bonis "f nights. The punkah puller's 
wife imd family cannot tie prevented from camping 
out with him dny and night, so as to form a cheery 
conversatioii parly. The incessant prayer of a 
patient in the Ea-^i is for one hour's renl rest. For 
if the humans can be -'i enced by supei btimnn effort, 
threats and fines, he flving foxes, monkeys, jackals, 
and crows all have their noisy innings tid a sick 
man s nerves grow raw with nojse. 
AMUSEMENTS. 
The amusements of a Cingalese Asylum are few 
and far between. N rtives play very few games, 
though they are incessant dice-throwera and 
