30 On the Composition of Zeolite. 



department of the Aisne. In a single reverberating furnace, 

 the floor of which is 24 feet square, we decomposed in 24 

 hours 300 kilogrammes of muriate of soda. 



The departments of the Aisne and of the Oise present 

 o;rcat advantages for the manufacture of factitious sodas. 

 They are traversed by navigable rivers and canals which 

 secure a vent. The price of labour is low in that neighbour- 

 hood, an<l vitriolic eartlis arc very abundant. Numerous 

 valleys ccnfaiit innncnse ciuantities of turf for fuel ; and 

 V hen the raiia? of St.Oniniin is finished, the coals of the, 

 Qidevant Belgium i1tay be easily conveyed thither. Several 

 cfeeniisis have alreadv erected manufactories in these fa- 

 x'ourable districts, and bid fair to succeed i-n furnishirrg 

 France with an ample supply of soda in future. 



V. Oir the Composliion of Zp'dite. Bt/ James Smithson, 

 Esc]. F.R.S* 



j\j.iNKRAL bodies being, in fact, vatiije chemical prepara- 

 tions, peifecllv analogous l-o those of the laboratory of art, 

 it is onlv t)v chemical means that their species can be as- 

 certained with anv degree of certainly, especially under all 

 the variations of niechanical state and intimate admixture 

 with each oiher to which they are subject. 



And accordingly we see those methods which profess to 

 supersede the necessity of chemistry in mineralogy, and to 

 decide upon the species of it by other means than hers, yet 

 bringmg an unavoidable tribute of hon)age to her superior 

 powers, bv turning lo her for a solution of the difficulties 

 whicli continually arise to then), and to obtain firm grounds 

 to relinquish or adopt tlie conclusions to which the princi- 

 ples they employ lead them. 



Zeolite and nalrollte have been universallv admitted to be 

 species distinct from each other, from Mr. Klaproth having 

 discovered a considerable quantity of soda and no lime in 

 the composilion of the latter, while Mr. Vauquelin had 

 not lound anv portion of either of the fixed alkalies, but a 

 considerable one ot lime, in his analysis of zeolitef. 



The natrolitc has been lately met with under a regular 

 crystalline i'onn, and this form appears to l)e perfectly si- 

 milar to tliat of zeolite, but Mr. IJaiiy has not judged him- 

 self warranted by this circumstance to consider these two 



• Troin the Pliiiosopliiral Transactions for 1811, P.ut I. 



-j- Journal di'i Mm:-, No. x!iv. 



^odies 



