510  Mineral  Wealth  of  Southern  States.    { ABocSerr jsqT"' 
MINERAL  WEALTH  OF  SOUTHERN  STATES. 
By  Wiixiam  B.  Thompson. 
Mr.  H.  C.  Demming,  formerly  State  Stenographer,  a  gentleman 
well  known  and  much  esteemed  by  the  druggists  of  Pennsylvania, 
whom,  in  the  deliberations  of  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical 
Association,  he  has  frequently  served  in  his  professional  capacity, 
writes  to  the  Philadelphia  Times,  under  date  of  August  19th,  a 
highly  interesting  account  of  the  unusual  mineral  development  of  a 
region  embraced  in  Virginia,  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia.  Almost 
every  known  production  of  mineral  has  been  found,  including  such 
rare  gems  as  the  diamond  and  ruby.  A  conclusion  naturally  sug- 
gested by  the  statements  of  Mr.  Demming  is  that  we  have  become 
so  accustomed  to  the  figures  and  statistics  of  the  enormous  soil  pro- 
ducts of  this  country,  as  well  as  its  staple  mineral  and  metal  re- 
sources, that  we  have  yet  to  realize  the  wealth  of  that  which  lies  hid- 
den in  its  vast  geological  formation.  The  interest  of  the  student 
must  be  awakened  to  the  future  importance  of  these  products  to 
science  and  art.  As  an  illustration  of  the  latter  adaptation,  refer- 
ence may  be  made  to  the  group  which  includes  corundum,  zircon, 
and  monazite,  the  last  of  which  now  enters  largely  into  the  compo- 
sition used  in  the  Welsbach  light  and  other  similar  purposes,  both  in 
the  United  States  and  Europe.  Monazite  appears  to  be  a  highly 
composite  mineral,  and  in  a  conglomerate  state  has  been  sold  from 
the  mine  in  quantity  as  great  as  five  tons  per  day,  at  $200  per  ton. 
It  is  valued  for  containing  such  associate  substances  as  thorium, 
cerium,  didymium,  rhodium,  lanthanum  and  yttrium.  "  Two  per 
cent,  of  thorium,"  Mr.  Demming  says,  "  makes  monazite  a  very 
salable  mineral  in  Europe,"  whilst  he  also  states  that  he  has  found 
in  good  specimens  of  this  mineral  as  high  as  27  per  cent,  of  cerium 
oxide.  The  number  and  variety  of  precious  stones  and  minerals 
which  have  been  found  exceeds  thirty,  including  almost  every  known 
kind.  Many  of  these,  when  set  and  polished,  are  of  great  natural 
beauty,  and  of  sufficient  character  to  attract  the  notice  of  the  lapi- 
dary. The  particular  interest,  however,  which  these  facts  furnish  to 
pharmacists  may  be  found  in  the  adaptation  of  some  of  these  more 
rare  mineral  specimens  to  the  purposes  of  therapy  and  bacteri- 
ology. Investigators  in  England,  France  and  Germany  are,  at  the 
present  time,  engaged  in  determining  certain  properties  which  are 
supposed  to  pertain  to  these,  naturally,  and  as  bases  for  compounds 
