This is said to be very valuable, because it contains that link in the chain of evidence which demonstrates the conversion of common limestone into gypsum.' We know not the chain of evidence to which allusion is here made; but almost all gypsous deposits, where crystallization has not taken place, exhibit this appearance; being a result of the disintegration of preexistent strata, and therefore often containing the broken remains of those animal impressions which characterize secondary limestone. The fifteenth substance described, must be peculiarly interesting to Caledonian students. It is native sulphur, from the Clifton Springs; waggon-loads of which precious mineral,' Dr Mitchell assures us, lie on the surface of the ground!' And, a little farther on, he bears new and grateful testimony to the salubrious effects of that invaluable substance, both upon vegetable and animal bodies. The moss in the neighbourhood of the fountains is completely encrusted with it. The water of these copious springs lets fall the brimstone freely on every thing it touches; but plants are not at all injured by it. They appear to vegetate perfectly well, and without sustaining the smallest inconvenience. Various animals live in it. Horses and cattle drink it freely, like common water. The other substances do not require any notice; excepting the last; which is described as an uncommon association of a rianthus, graphite, and

quartz."

The second article is by Colonel Gibbs. It contains observations on the Iron-Works of Franconia, in New Hampshne," a mountainous tract of country, eight miles east of Connecticut river. The ore is the fer oxidulé of Haüy. It is similar to that which is found in Sweden; and also occurs, similarly associated, in gneiss, alternately with granite and primitive greenstone.'

Its

The third article is from the pen of Dr W. Meade, A Description and Analysis of an Ore of Lead, from Louisiana. '-This mineral resembles metallic lead in colour and lustre. brilliancy is said to be greater than the generality of those ores which bear the name of galena; yet, as its chemical analysis proved it to be nearly a pure sulphuret, and both its crystallization and fracture exhibited the cubic form, the dill rence can, Lardly be sufficient to separate it from those varieties. Le Sege formerly described an appearance of galena which was almost mall-ble. The ore analyzed by Dr Meade, notwithstanding its resemblance to metallic lead, is very brittie; and its specific gravity 7.50.

The fourth article contains A Geological Account of Dutchess County in New York,' by Dr Samu 1 Akerly, who rotices the improvement which has taken place in agucture, of lite

years, owing to the introduction of gypsum as a manure. He describes the mountains on the east side of the Hudson river, as consisting of masses of granite, occupying a region of three hundred square miles. Very few of these mountains exceed a thousand feet in elevation above the surface of the river. They abound in ores, which are said to present themselves on the very surface of the earth. Iron is the principal metal which has been extracted and worked; but tin is also noticed. To the north of this mountainous district, occur slate and limestone; neither of which substances exhibit vegetable or animal impressions; and are therefore described as of primary formation. Dr Akerly's communication concludes with some ingenious observations upon the mineral waters in that part of America, in which he detected the presence of carbonic acid gas-of sulphuretted hydrogen-of lime-and of sulphuric acid.

A Chemical Examination of Heavy Spar, from New Jersey, by Mr George Chilton, succeeds the observations of Dr Akerly. The mineral was found on a branch of the Delaware, by some farmers, who mistook it for gypsum; and used it as manure. It was not found, however, to possess any remarkable fertilizing quality.

The sixth article of the Journal again introduces Colonel Gibbs, with a Mineralogical Notice respecting the West River Mountain-Connecticut river. This mountain having been announc→ ed in the American Geography, and in the Annals of the American Academy, as volcanic, he had the curiosity to visit it. Instead of the crater of a volcano, however, he was sorely disappointed to find only the shaft of an old iron mine; whence hæ matite iron ore had been extracted, and exhibited as lava! The mountain itself is of granite, and gneiss. To this succeed the observations of Mr John Griscom upon a Mineral Water, from Lichfield, in the State of New York,' written with great diffi dence, but evincing, in a very eminent degree, the chemical knowledge requisite in the investigation. The Lichfield springs have long been resorted to by the neighbouring people, as extremely salutary in many cases of cutaneous disorder. According to Mr Griscom, their principal saline ingredient is sulphate of lime. This substance, with a considerable quantity of hydrosulphuret, and a small portion of carbonate, may be considered as constituting the chief soluble matters in those waters, independently of their gaseous contents, a portion of which is sulphuretted hydrogen.

The next article will perhaps be considered as more interesting than any other. It relates to the discovery of native magnesia in New Jersey; and is written by the editor of the journal, Profes

sor Bruce; who has also transmitted specimens of the mineral to this country. It is found in a very advanced state of crystallization; and, externally viewed, somewhat resembles the tale of Mount St Gothard; but with more of the sparry lustre which characterizes apophyllite. It consists wholly of magnesia, combined only with its water of crystallization, in the proportion of seven to three. As it is perhaps the only minera substance known, which can be considered exhibiting magnesia in a state of perfect purity, the observations concerning it, and its description, shall be given in the Professor's own words.

Although Magnesia enters into the composition of many mine. ral substances, yet its existence in the mineral kingdom, in an uncombined state, has, till within these few years past, been unknown.

Brogniart, in his Mineralogy, has described several minerals under the name of Magnesite (a term he has introduced as expressiva of the large quantity of magnesia they contain), in some of which, magnesia appears to exist in a pure state. Of those which approach nearest to native magnesia, are the magnesites of Piedmont, as described by Giobert in the Journal des Mines, particularly the varie ty from Castella Monte. Although this mineral, as analyzed by Gayton de Morveau, atorded a large proportion of carbonic acid, yet it appears, from the assertion of Giobert, that, when first taken from the quarry, it contains no carbonic acid, but that it absorbs it after being two or three weeks exposed to the atmosphere.

The magnesite from Baudissero, which is near Castella Monte, contains, in the hundred parts, according to Giebert, 68 magnesia, 12 carbonic acid. 15 silex, 2 sulphate of lime, and 3 of water. This, like the magnesite from Castella Monte, he thinks, obtains its carbonic acid from the atmosphere.

The magnesites from Valleças in Spain, and Salinelle in France, contain no carbonic acid: they, however, all have a large proportion of silex. That of Salinelle, according to Vauquelin, contains 55 parts in the hundred.

Brochant mentions, as native magnesia, a substance found at Robschütz, in Moravia, by the late Dr Mitchell of Dublin, which, according to Dr Mitchell's analysis, and that of Professor Lampadius, contains nearly equal parts of magnesia and carbonic acid. Why this mineral is described as Native Magnesia, I am at a loss to determine; unless, like those of Giobert when first discovered, it contained no carbonic acid, but absorbed it after exposure to the atmosphere.

At Hoboken, in New Jersey, on the estate of Mr John Stevens, is found a mineral, which presents the following characters.

Colour, white, passing into greenish white.--Lustre, pearly.—— Structure, foliated; the folia or leaves frequently having a radiated. position.—The folla, when separate, transparent; in the mass, semitransparent; the surface, after exposure to the weather, becom

ing

ing opake. Somewhat elastic.-Adheres slightly to the tongue.Soft.-Powder, pure white.-Specific gravity, 2, 13.-Before the blowpipe, becomes opake and friable, and loses weight.-Soluble in the sulphuric, nitric, and muriatic acids.-This mineral occurs in veins, from a few lines to two inches thick, traversing serpentine in every direction.' p. 26-28.

Then follow the Analytical Experiments by which the Professor ascertained the nature of the substance under his examination; for which, want of room compels us to refer to the Journal.

The ninth and tenth articles contain mineralogical notices respecting Phosphates of Lime and Lead,' from PensylvaniaMelanite,' from the same country-and Amber' from New Jersey; the first by Mr Godon; and the second by Mr Charles Wister. The apatit accompanies beril-emerald; the phosphate of lead is found in veins of pyritous copper. Melanite, according to Mr Wister, occurs in the district of Germantown, six miles north-west of Philadelphia, in a matrix of gneiss reposing on granite. Its crystals are of a velvet black colour, varying from the size of a pin-head, to one inch in diameter.Through the granite of Germantown, crystals of tourmaline, mica, phosphate of lime, and beril, are universally disseminated; but melanite has been found only in one place.' Amber is found in grains upon wood coal; and, from the description given by Mr Wister, its appearances resemble specimens we have seen in Copenhagen, said to have been brought from Greenland.

The last article relates to American fluates of lime, which are said to be rare in the country. This also is from the pen of the editor. Professor Bruce describes three different appearances presented by the mineral from New Jersey, from Connecticut, and from New Hampshire. The rest of the Journal, (about half the first Number of Vol. I.) is appropriated to the Review of Mineralogical Publications; to intelligence received from other parts of America, and from England; and concludes with an Appendix, extracted from the Transactions of the Royal Society of London, concerning the Identity of Columbium and Tantalium, as announced by Dr Wollaston, secretary to the Society. The Review notices a very interesting paper, published in the sixth volume of the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, respecting the discovery of Palladium in a state of combination with gold; by Joseph Cloud, an officer in the Mint of the United States. According to Mr Cloud's experiments, palladium possesses a degree of hardsess, nearly equal to wrought iron. It is malleable and very ductile; forming ductile loys with gold, sil ver, and platinum; and is characterized by properties which en

title it to a place among the noble metals. Mr Cloud has, moreover, been extensively engaged in experiments upon rhodium, which he has obtained in great purity from the ore of platinum.

We shall here close our analysis of this curious publication; no part of which can be deemed unworthy the attention of the public. To the mere mineralogist, it is peculiarly gratifying; because it opens a new source of instruction, and a field of research, whose limits are incalculable. But science is still so new in America, that all who take any concern in its general progress, must greet the approach of such a stranger, even though they feel no peculiar interest in the errand on which he has come. His speech and manners,-even the very dress that he wears, naturally excite our curiosity, and enable us to draw inferences as to the condition of his country. A number of little circumstances, of which the editor was most probably himself unconscious, became, in our eyes, characteristic and important. We are struck, for instance, by the neatness and accuracy of the American typography; and the taste displayed in the plan and form of the work;-nay, even the advertisements printed upon its ccver, afford us some insight as to the peculiar direction in which literature is destined to make its progress among our Transatlantic brethren. In this point of view, we cannot avoid noticing the air of business which seems to play about every thing American.Chemistry, in which they seem to have made greater advances than in Mineralogy, always appears among them in connexion with some useful and gainful occupation. They have not yet found leisure to pursue it as a science of amusement. It is therefore studied only with a view to improvements in the arts of preparing cements and manures, dyeing, bleaching, distilling, purifying infected air, tanning and currying leather. These are the topics to which the chemical books, published or imported, principally refer. Other works advertised, are chiefly medical and chirurgical journals. Then the wholesale commerce carried on in these articles, and their booksellers' shops passing under the name of Book Stores, all conspire to present us with new and peculiar views of the infancy of Western science. In many of its departments this businesslike accuracy and method may be found very serviceable-and in none more than in that which is the subject of the work now before us. Its execution, we think, upon the whole, very respectable; and look forward, with an eye of expectation, as well as curiosity, to its promised continuation.

ART.