494 SCIENTIFIC NOTES. 
Haven, and the natives from Arahura make excursions to obtain a 
peculiar kind of greenstone from near Wakatipu, und may be occa- 
sionally seen at Jackson's Bay or Cascades, but there is no other regular 
village. The people are chiefly a remnant of the Nga-i-tau lril>e that 
formerly occupied the country round Otago and Bank's Peninsula, and. 
extended over the island to the West Coast, for the purpose of working 
the greenstone. Ranparaha and the Taranaki tribes, with their guns, 
scattered them in a series of bloody engagements on the East Coast, and 
afterwards the Ngatitoa tribe, under other leaders, came down from 
Massacre Bay, by the coast track that we followed, and defeated them 
on the west side. But the sight of the poenamu had a pacifying in- 
fluence, and before long intermarriages took place ; some of the Ngatitoa 
remaining%at Taramakau, and others returning to Cook's Straits with a 
tribute of greenstone meris. * * * 
(To be continued.) 
imntifc JJnte. 
The Oreide op Gold. — This substance, of which so many articles 
called jewellery are new made, is simply an alloy of copper and zinc — a 
brass of a peculiar colour resembling " jeweller's gold " of about sixteen 
carats fine — copper and gold mixture. It is the invention of MM. 
Mourier and Valient — two Frenchmen. It was patented in Fiance in 
December, 1854, and in the United States in March, 1857. It is com- 
posed of 100 parts (by weight) of pure copper, 17 of zinc, 6 of common 
magnesia. 3*60 sal ammoniac, 1'80 quick lime and 9 of crude tartar. 
The copper is first melted in a crucible, then the magnesia added, then 
the sal ammoniac, lime and tartar separately, and in powder. These 
are kept from contact with the air, and all well stirred for about twenty 
minutes, until they are incorporated together. The zinc is now added 
in strips, which are thrust under the scum formed on the top of the 
crucible. The mass is now stirred, the lid put on the crucible and its 
contents kept fused for about twenty -five minutes; after which the 
crucible is opened, the slag skimmed carefully from the surface, then 
the molten alloy is poured out into ingot moulds if it is required to be 
rolled, or into iron rolls if designed for castings. When designed for 
works of art, however, it is best to cast it into ingot form first, then 
melt it in a furnace and cast it. This alloy is very beautiful, and well 
deserves the name of " oreide of gold," as it greatly resembles the 
precious metal. It is very ductile, and may be rolled into very thin 
leaf; but it is nearly as easily tarnished as common brass. — ' Scientific 
American.' 
