COP PER-PYRITES. 119 America.—United States ; Mexico ; and Chili. Africa.—Morocco ; Abyssinia ; country of the Nama- quas, in Southern Africa. Uses. Nearly one-third of all the copper which is obtained by metallurgic operations, is extracted from this species: it is, however, a poor ore, seldom yielding above 36 pounds, more commonly only 20 pounds ol copper m the hundred. Sulphur is frequently obtained from it by sub limation. Observations. 1. It has been confounded with Native Gold, but it may be readily distinguished from it by its fracture, which is uneven, imperfect conclmidal, or imperfect o- liated j whereas that of gold is hackly; and also iy is tenacity, it being brittle, whereas gold is malleable, is distinguished from Iron-pyrites, by its hardness, it e- ing only"*intermediate between semi-hard and solt, where as iron-pyrites gives fire with steel, by colour, non p) rites being bronze-yellow, whereas it is brass-yellow; am the'crystallisations are also very different trom those o iron-pyrites ; in particular, it occurs in tetrahedrons, a form never observed in iron-pyrites. 2. It passes into several other species of ore, particu larly into White Copper-ore, Grey Copper-ore, and Va riegated Copper-ore. . 3. The softer varieties of copper-pyriles contain the greatest quantity of copper, and the harder the greatest proportion of iron. Among the softer varieties, those having a tarnished surface are said to contain the greatest quantity of copper.