Smith and Thomas.] ZoU [MarchlT, 



progress of the Xew Dictionary of the English Language, now 

 progressing under the auspices of the Philological Society. 



Pending nominations Nos. 835, 951 to 956, and new nomina- 

 tions Nos. 957 and 958 were read. 



The resignation of the Eev. Samuel Longfellow, of German- 

 town, Pa., was presented to the Society, and on motion ac- 

 cepted. 



And the meeting was adjourned. 



Corundum and WavelUte. By Edgar F. Smith and N. Wiley Thomas. 

 {Read before the American Philosophical Society, March 17, 18S2.) 



Specimens of these minerals from localities, as yet perhaps unknown to 

 mineralogists, came under our examination some time ago, and thinking 

 that a description of them might not be without some interest to special- 

 ists, we submit the following : 



1. Early in .January last, a piece of what was once a large hexagonal 

 prism of corundum terminated by pyramids, was handed us. The speci- 

 men we received was an end piece exhibiting a perfect hexagonal form, 

 ■with pyramidal ending, and on the broken surface of the crystal, the 

 color observed was blue. The weight of this specimen is five pounds. 

 The original complete crystal measured eight inches in length, and the 

 diameter over the secondary axes is about four and one half inches. On 

 the exterior surflice are observable here and there, magnetite crystals and 

 these were the cause of the destruction of the original crystal soon after 

 it had been ploughed up. The farmer thinking he had made a valuable 

 discovery and curious to know the appearance of the inside, broke the 

 cr3'Stal into several pieces, one of these coming into our possession, after it 

 had been carried about to various parties, for inspection and determination. 

 Only very slight indications of any alteration are apparent on the exterior 

 of the crystal. Soon after getting the above, we received another crystal 

 — a double pyramid — about five and one-half inches long and weighing 

 over five pounds. Since the reception of the preceding, we obtained sev- 

 eral cigar boxes full of smaller, well-defiued crystals. All of our speci- 

 mens were found near Shimersville, Lehigh Co., Pa., and were thrown out 

 while plowing. The district over which these crystals were scattered, 

 and have been noticed, is rather extensive and is already under lease, and 

 " prospecting " for larger ciuantities has been commenced. Quite a num- 

 ber of medium sized crystals were sent to the Weissport Emery Works, 



