392 Scientific Intelligence. [Nor. 



found ; but its description, as drawn up by Mr. Lenz, is as 

 follows : 



Its principal colour is grey, but it is spotted smutty white, 

 brownish red, brown, and green. 



It is massive. 



External surface, uneven, and full of holes. 



Lustre, both external and internal, glistening. 



Fracture, imperfect conchoidal. 



Fragments indeterminate ; sharp edged. 



Opaque, hard, brittle, difficulty frangible. Sp. gravity 3-714. 



Infusible by itself before the blow-pipe ; but with borax it 

 melts into a dark olive coloured bead. 



Its constituents, according to the analysis of Dobereiner, are 

 as follows : 



Silica 32-5 



Protoxide of iron 32*0 



Protoxide of manganese .... 35*0 



99-5 



or it consists of an atom of silicate of iron united to an atom of 

 silicate of manganese. 



Dobereiner is of opinion that if this mineral were to be found 

 in abundance, it would yield at once, simply by reducing it to 

 the metallic state, excellent steel. It is difficult to conceive on 

 what this whimsical opinion is founded. — (Schweigger's Journal, 

 xxi. 49.) 



X. Spodumene, or Triphane. 



This mineral, which was supposed confined to Sweden and 

 Norway, where it was first observed, has been discovered lately 

 in the Tyrol on the road to Sterzing, in a granite rock along with 

 tourmaline. Its specific gravity is 3-1158, and it has not been 

 found crystallized in this locality any more than in Sweden. It 

 was analyzed by Vogel, and found composed of 



Silica 63-50 



Alumina 23*50 



Lime 1-75 



Potash 6-00 



Oxide of iron 2-50 



Water 2-00 



Manganese Trace 



99-25 



Our readers are aware that the alkali to which the name of 

 potash is given in this analysis is in reality lithina, which 

 Arfvredson found in spodumene to the amount of eight percent. 

 It deserves inquiry, however, whether the new alkali be an 

 essential constituent of this mineral. If it be only an accidental 



