Review of Recent Geological Literature. 179 
During the thirty-six years from 1850 to 1885 inclusive, the world's 
product of quicksilver is estimated at 101,300,000 kilograms, or about 
223,000,000 pounds, its estimated value being $146,800,000. The chief 
uses of this metal are for the amalgamation of ores and the manufac- 
ture of vermilion. As the process of amalgamation was discovered in 
Mexico more than three hundred years ago, and has ever since been 
extensively employed there in mining gold and silver, the Mexican 
government was led in 1873 to offer large bounties for the development 
of quicksilver mines. But the first discovery of the great quicksilver 
deposits of California was made so late as 1845, at New Almaden, 
which from 1850 to 1886 yielded 853,259 flasks of 76)^ pounds avoirdu- 
pois. The total product of the California mines during the same 
period was 1,451,370 flasks, being about half of the total production of 
the world. The large ratio was much increased from 1875 to 1883 by 
the rapid mining of the Comstock lode, the extraction of its bullion 
being wholly by amalgamation. 
All the quicksilver mines of the world and the principal known 
localities of its occurrence are described, the greatest mine being that 
of Almaden, in Spain. Its other most important mines are at Idria, 
Austria, in Tuscany, in Kwei-Chau, China, and in Huancavelica, 
Peru; but the Peruvian mines have not been worked during recent 
years. The pi'oportion of California to other countries in the produc- 
tion of this metal since 1850 is not likely to be maintained; for 
Almaden, Idria, and Kwei-Chau have far greater amounts of ore in. 
sight, although the Almaden mines have been worked since 415 B. C. 
In Europe and Asia these deposits bear a relation to the great moun- 
tain belt stretching from the Pyrenees and Alps east to the Himalayas, 
called by Mr. Becker the Alpimalayan chain similar to the relation of 
the American deposits to the Cordilleran belt that forms the Pacific 
border of the whole western continent. 
Cinnabar is everywhere the principal ore of quicksilver, and it is in 
most cases demonstrable that its deposition was subsequent to some 
disturbance of the country rock. In the quicksilver mines of Califor- 
nia the usual mineral association consists of cinnabar and traces of 
native mercury, withpyrite and marcasite, silica and carbonates; but 
sulphur occurs at three mines, chalcopyrite is not very uncommon, 
stibnite is found rarely, gold or auriferous pyrite occurs in a few cases, 
millerite in a number of instances, and barite in one. A new bitumen, 
two new chromium minerals, and a red antimony sulphide have been 
detected with cinnabar in this investigation. The cinnabar occurs in 
the form of veins, sometimes cutting sedimentary rocks and some- 
times following the stratification. Connected with the veins are also 
recticulated masses and chambers of the ore, and adjoiiiiiig porous 
sandstone is often impregnated with it. 
The country rock of the cinnabar deposits of the Pacific slope is of 
the most varied character, ranging from granite, probably Archjcan, at 
the Steamboat Springs to modern lake beds and recent lava at Sulphur 
