Notices of some Minerals. 335 



II. — HOLMITE. 



Sometime in last October, I received from Mr. Finch a 

 small specimen of a mineral which he had brought from 

 Warwick, in the State of New York near the Hudson river. 



In America it was distinguished by the name of bronzite. 

 It was subjected to a chemical analysis by one of my 

 practical pupils. But as he met with some unexpected 

 difficulty, I was induced to examine the few grains that 

 remained. I detected in it zirconia; but the quantity in 

 my possession prevented me from being able to subject it 

 to an accurate analysis, having exhausted my specimen in 

 ascertaining the nature of the constituents. Fortunately, 

 about the beginning of the present year, I got a small box 

 of minerals from Dr. Holmes of Montreal, and, among 

 others, there was a pretty large specimen of the supposed 

 bronzite. I requested my friend and pupil Mr. Richardson 

 to analyze it, which he did with his accustomed accuracy. 



This mineral being obviously new, I have given it the 

 name of Holmite as a small tribute to Dr. Holmes of Mon- 

 treal, to whom I am indebted for so many new and curious 

 minerals from Canada and the United States of America. 



Colour dark reddish brown. Lustre semi-metallic. 



Texture laminated with only one perceptible cleavage. 

 The plates or leaves into which it splits are elastic like 

 those of mica; but cannot be obtained so thin. 



Transparent when in thin plates. 



Hardness 6. Specific gravity 3-098. 



Before the blowpipe loses its colour and becomes opaque. 

 With carbonate of soda no change. With borax fuses into 

 a colourless transparent bead, containing within it a skele- 

 ton of silica. The phenomena with bi-phosphate of soda 

 are the same, except that the bead in the reducing flame 

 acquires a greenish yellow tinge. Its constituents are, 



Atoms. 



Silica, 19-35 9-68 



Alumina, 44*75 19-88 



Zirconia, 2-05 0*54 



Peroxide of iron, . . . . 4-80 0-96 



Protoxide of manganese, . 1-35 0-30 



Lime, 11-45 327 



Magnesia, 9-05 3*62 



Water, 4.35 4-04 



Fluoric acid, 0-90 0-72 



98-25 



