MUNDIC OR FOOL'S GOLD, AND HOW IT MAY BE KNOWN.

Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 104, 31 December 1872, Page 2

MUNDIC OR FOOL'S GOLD, AND HOW IT MAY BE KNOWN.

We wish those correspondents who so often send us iron pyrites (man die), supposing it to be gold, and to which the Americans appropvi itely give name of " Fool's Grold," would read the following: story which is going the rounds of the papers, and would be decidedly rich if only true: — A Terdant-lookim* Yermonter appeared at the office of a chemist with a large bundle in a bandana, and onening it exclaimed : " There, doctor, look at that!" " Well," said the doctor, " I see it." " What do you call that, doctor ?" " I call it iron pyrites." " What, isn't that gold ?" " Jfo," said the doctor, and putting some over the fire, it evaporated up the chimney. " Well," said the poor fellow with a woehesone look, " there's a widder up in our town has a whole hill of that, and I've been and marred her." That the poor fellow had married the widow for the sake of the hill of pyrites is very probably true, hut that the pyrites evaporated up the chimney is simply impossible, and such a statement is to be regretted because the inexperienced may be led to believe that, if a bright, yellow metallic looking mineral does not evaporate when stronglv heated, it must be gold. There are several minerals which are sometimes mistaken for gold, but the two-which are most apt to give rise to decent'on in this matter are pvrites and.mica, and hence they are sometimes called fool's gold. The method of distinguishing between them and gold is very simple, and requires no complicated apparatus. Gold is malleable, that is, it can beaten out into thin leaves under the'hammer, while the others crumble to powder. Moreover, gold is easily cut with a knife, while iwe at'empt to c t pyrites it breaks up, and mica sepa«tte3 hi thin flakes. It is when mica is in fine powder," however, that it most resembles gold, and in such cases its weight betrays its true character. Gold is nearly twice as heavy as lead, and lead twice as besvv as mica.