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Ilmenite is quite common, and has been mistaken for silver, and even for platinum. A teacher of chemistry reported it to be platinum, and lie felt so confident that he was right, that he persuaded a few others to join him and buy several hundred acres of the Llano county mountains. This was done secretly and as quickly as possible, to make sure of the tiling which was to give an immense fortune to each member of the company.

Throckmorton was then Governor, and I was his geologist. One of the members of the company who had invested $500 in gold in it, brought some specimens of the ore to me for testing. It being an old acquaintance, I told him at once what it was. This caused him to swear, for lie loved money, and could ill afford to lose it.

BISMUTH

A bed of this ore is said to be near the Little Wichita, in Archer county. Specimens from there were given me by Gov. Throckmorton, several years ago. A large bed of this ore is said to be there. It is a valuable mineral, being used to form alloys with tin, copper and other minerals. As yet it has not been found in any considerable quantity in the United States.

ZINC.

Ores of this metal are also reported to be in Archer county.

STEATITE OR SOAP STONE.

On Comanche creek, near Comanche mountain, in Llano county, are extensive dykes of hornblende rock, enclosing large masses of soap stone. One of these veins of steatite is about three hundred feet wide, extending in a westerly direction towards the Rondo creek, where, at the distance of eight miles, it appears again.

There are other beds of this rock in the mountains, on Sandy creek, about ten miles from its junction with the Colorado river. It has a bright gray color, a, fine grain, and a very compact texture, yet so soft, as easily to be cut with a knife, or sawed into thin boards. It is all excellent material for the construction of furnaces for smelting iron or copper. It makes good fire plates, ink-stands and griddles; these last do not require any grease to keep buckwheat