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ty of this ore, is also found in Japan. The Japanese esteem this ore highly and believe rightly that it produces the beat steel for their swords. It is generally known that the good quality of the Swedish iron is chiefly due to this ore, which forms in Sweden only large mountainous masses.
Loadstone has been found in Japan for the first time in the year 713 A.D. in the province of Omi. The Japanese make use of it for manufacturing compass-needles, and as a medicine in disease of the heart. The Japanese name for ordinary magnetic iron-ore is: Gen-seki, Synon. Hoku-shu, Te-riu-sho, Gen-bu-seki. It is found in large quantities in Harima, Hoki, Satsuma, Idzumo, Wakasa, Iwami, Hiuga and many other provinces.
The loadstone is named: Ji-seki or Ji-shaku, Syn. Hari-sui-ishi, Kiu-tetsu-seki, Shinan-seki. An excellent kind of loadstone is found in Sendai, Nambu, Bizen, Okayama, middle quality in Shinano, Kai and an inferior stone in Mino.
2°.—Specular iron-ore (oligist ore or iron glances) having a steel grey colour with a brilliant lustre. The Japanese call this ore also Gin-seki, the name which they give to black maguetic iron-ore. The difference in chemical constitution with the above named ore is not great, both being oxidic ores. We got a good specimen from Hiüga, and were informed that this ore is found also in other provinces, where it is also used in melting iron.
3°.—Brown Hematite (Brauneisenstein of the Germans). It occurs in Japan in different varieties, one of which is a very peculiar ore in spheroïdical grains, closely resembling our Limonite or Pea-iron-ore (Bahnerz). Ordinary brown hematite is found in Idzumo, Mutsu, Hiüga, Satsuma, Shinano, Bizen and other places. The Limonite occurs in Japan, Toza, Satsuma, Idzu and Totomi. The latter ore is also used in medicine as a hæmostaticum and is named: Mu-miyo-i, Mu-mei-i, Syn. Do-shi.
4°.—Red Hematite. An impure variety. (Kotheisenstein). The Japanese red hematite is of an ochry, soft quality. One fine crystallised ore seems not to be
