33^ 'Personal and Scie^itific News. 
From the report of Robert T. Day, chief of the division 
of mining statistics, U. S. geological survey, we learn that the 
total value of mineral products in this country for i8S6 was 
$465,337,888. During the three years 1882, 3 and 4 the pro- 
duction steadily diminished. In 18S5 it increased slightly, and 
in 1886 it exceeded the very large product of 1S83 by $9,163,- 
399. The fluctuation is chiefly in the metallic minerals, especi- 
ally iron, the non-metallic minerals, such as coal, being nearly 
constant. The production of the precious metals, gold and 
silver, is much more constant than that of iron, but the value of 
iron ($95,000,000 in 1886) is greater than that of gold and silver 
combined ($86,000,000). 
Coal exhibits an outi^ut still more valuable than iron, viz., 
$154,000,000, about equally divided between bituminous and 
anthracite. Thus we find the non-metallic minerals decidedly 
in the lead. One of them is first of all in aggregate value; their 
production is more constant; and the total value of the non-me- 
tallic minerals exceeds that of the metallic by $34,000,000 not- 
withstanding the incompleteness of the statistics. Under "min- 
eral products unspecified " are lumjoed together a great number 
of common products of the earth, such as clay and sand, with a 
total estimated value of $6,000,000, which is much too low. If 
complete statistics of these could be obtained the excess in value 
of the non-metallic minerals would be largely increased. 
The first ten minerals in the order of annual value in round 
millions are: 
1 Coal 154 miliions f> Petroleum 20 millions 
2 Iron 95 " 7 Building stone 19 
3 Silver 51 " 8 Copper 10 
4 Gold 35 " 9 Lend 12 
5 Lime 21 " 10 Natural gas 9 " 
Dr. Reusch on Meteorites — In a lecture delivered at the 
University of Christiana, Norway, Dr. Hans Reusch gives a 
learned and interesting dissertation on meteorites. In Norway 
they are popularly known as '■'•t/ioreIo'\ i. e.^ the wads of llior. 
One is apt to think that if the wadding of the thunder-god is 
so formidable, his solid shot must be portentous indeed. 
Under tiie head of "phenomena accompanying the fall of 
meteorites," Dr. Reusch describes the descent of the Tysntes 
meteorite which came down "like a shot bird," about a minute 
after a loud report had been heard in the heavens. No fiery 
display was witnessed by observers at the spot, apparently be- 
cause it was over their heads; but distant observers saw the 
usual phenomenon of a fire-ball rushing rapidh' through the 
air and exploding. 
The most significant observation in the lecture is that the in- 
ternal structure of the Tysnses meteorite, which belongs to the 
stony group having little iron, indicates that it has been broken 
