Geological researches in China, Mongolia, and Japan, during the years 1862-1865.

88 GEOLOGICAL RESEARCHES IN
having flowed from a vent, only in that the artificial product is richer in sulphur.
In this instance the "vehicle of fluidity" was undoubtedly heat acting through
melted sulphur.
This first rough product is remelted in similar pots, and then filtered through sacks,
at first allowing the liquid sulphur to pass, by its own weight, and finally squeezing
it gently under a lever. From these filters it falls into tubs the shape of which it
retains on cooling, The blocks thus obtained are broken, and the cooling surface,
to the depth of two inches, being of a dark color, and, perhaps, less pure, is remelted
to obtain yellow sulphur; the interior of the blocks is yellow and highly crystalline.
The produce at the time of our visit was about 5,600 lbs. daily. The officials
stated in round numbers that, everything included, the cost of producing 32,000 lbs.
was about 80 rios, or $103, the same quantity bringing about $385 at the Hakodade market.
The iron pots cost for the top pieces $2 66 each; for the bottoms $6 60. The
bottoms last from 30 to 60 days.
Continuing our journey we descended the western slope of the mountain to
Nitanai, on the sea-shore.
June 7th. Leaving Nitanai, we rode along the sea-shore to Kobi. Near Nitanai
we passed the outcrop of a bed of white infusorial earth raised several yards above
the sea. The reader is referred to Mr. A. M. Edwards' Letter (App. No. 3) for the
highly interesting results of his examination of this material under the microscope.
Mr. Edwards has discovered a close resemblance between the organisms contained
in this deposit, and those of the stratum under Richmond and Petersburg, Va.; and
a still greater similarity to those of the extensive deposit along the California coast,
the resemblance in the latter instance extending even to identity of species among
the Diatomacece.
At Kobi an attempt had been made to smelt the magnetic iron sand from the beach
in a blast furnace of the foreign pattern. One of our party, Mr. Takeda, a Japanese
officer of rank, who has done much to advance, in his country, the knowledge of
military engineering and navigation, was commanded by the Imperial Government
to construct a large furnace for smelting iron. ore after the foreign method. Such
a thing had never been seen by a Japanese, but without further plans or specifica.tions than he found in a Dutch work on chemistry, Mr. Takeda built a furnace about
thirty feet high, after a very fine model, with cylinder blast moved by an excellent
water wheel. Unfortunately, owing to the absence of all details on the subject in
the only book he had, the blast obtained was only a fraction of that required, and the
bricks used in the construction were not sufficiently refractory. Thus the affair was
a failure after smelting a few hundred weight of iron. The incident, however, is
an illustration of Japanese enterprise. I will add that the experiment was repeated
by order of the Prince of Nambu, in order to work an excellent ore of magnetic
iron on his property, and furnace after furnace built, from 20 to 30 feet high, until
successful campaigns of several months' duration were obtained
At Kobi, besides the iron sand of the beach, there is an elevated, ancient beach,
now from 50 to 100 feet above the sea, containing a bed of iron ore of a similar
origin, the lower half cemented by oxidation to a solid mass, and changing to