336 ACCOUNT AND DESCRIPTION 



IV. Of the black, irregular masses. 

 V. Of the crust. 

 VI. Of the globular bodies. 



I. Of the stone at large. 



The account now to be given, supposes the reader acquaint- 

 ed with the statement which Mr. Kingsley and myself have 

 already published, especially with the mineralogical description. 



1 . One hundred grains of the stone, taken without any par- 

 ticular reference to the various bodies, and, containing, pro- 

 miscuously, portions of all of them, were pulverised in a por- 

 phyry mortar. The malleable iron resisted the pestle, so that 

 the mass could be reduced only to a coarse powder. It was 

 then digested for 1 1 hours, with a moderate lamp-heat, in strong- 

 nitric acid, in a capsule of porcelain. Nitrous gas was disen- 

 gaged, with the usual red fumes, and a light whitish matter 

 appeared, dispersed through the solution, resembling gelatinous 

 silex. 



1. The clear fluid was decanted from the insoluble residu- 

 um, all of which, except a small portion of the white floculent 

 matter, had subsided; to separate this, the fluid was filtered, 

 and exhibited a decidedly greenish colour. 



3. The solid residuum was heated over Argand's lamp, till 

 it was quite dry, and then triturated for an hour in mortars of 

 porphyry and jasper. As the malleable iron had now been re- 

 moved by the acid, the residuum was easily reduced to a fine 

 powder, which had a brick red colour, and was digested again 

 for an hour, with a mixture of nitric and muriatic acids, some- 

 what diluted, and then boiled for some time in the same fluid. 

 This was decanted and filtered, and the residuum was washed, 

 with water, till it came off tasteless ; the washings were all fil- 

 tered, and added to the two solutions, No. c 2 and 3. The en- 

 tire fluid had now a light yellow colour, owing to the nitro- 

 muriatic acid, present in excess. 



4. The solid residuum, together with the solid matter arrest- 

 ed by the filters, being ignited in a platinum crucible, became 

 nearly white, and weighed 51,5 grains. It was fused with 

 potash in a silver crucible, and the crucible with its contents 



