a New Mineral Species. 327 



fessor Cleaveland of Boston, should have been attached to a 

 species which had a name before, that of Albite, a name adopt- 

 ed by Professor Rose from the imperfectly characterized spe- 

 cimens, to which it had been given by the Swedish mineralo- 

 gists and chemists, whatever objections there rhight have been 

 against the name itself, in order to avoid that unnecessary in- 

 crease of synonyms which now a days so generally prevails. 



Systematic denominations should refer to systems, and ex- 

 press the degree of resemblance among the objects- denominat- 

 ed. The only attempt at such a nomenclature was made by 

 Professor Mohs, whose system is the only one in existence 

 framed upon the pure principles of natural history. Trivial 

 names are single words attached to each species, without ex- 

 pressing their degree of resemblance. No rule can be given 

 for their formation except that they should not be compound, 

 and that they may refer to anything connected with the spe- 

 cies. They should consist, as Linnaeus has it, *' vocahulo unico^ 

 libere, undequaque desumto.'''' Mineralogists ought to look to 

 the interest of their science, and avoid applying new names 

 to increase, without the utmost necessity, what is already too 

 much. A new species requires a new systematic denomina- 

 tion ; but since a short name to designate it is sometimes called 

 for, when the species is viewed from another than a systematic 

 point of view, also a trivial name is necessary. To give a 

 name to an acknowledged variety of another species, as ame- 

 thyst, prase, flint, and others, from the older mineralogy, and 

 many more that have been proposed in our own days, is to 

 betray a perfect indifference in regard to the determination of 

 the species, in as much as what only a species has a right to 

 is bestowed upon a variety. But it is still more reprehensible 

 from mere caprice to object to whole classes of trivial names, 

 such for instance as are taken from persons, or from localities, 

 or from colours, and supplant others for them, which are often 

 not better than those which had been current before. The au- 

 thors of the Prodromo would probably not have deprived Pro- 

 fessor Rose of the authority of fixing a name on the species, 

 which he first solidly established, had they been acquainted 

 with his memoir ; and we can now do nothing but wish that the 



