lxxx Jistorical Sketch of the Physical Sciences, 1818. 
haupt had discovered boracic acid in the tourmaline. He 
promises to give the quantitative results, and the mode of analysis, 
in a future paper, which I have not yet seen. This notice 
attracted the attention of M. Vogel, who actually succeeded, as 
he informs us (Journ. de Pharmacie, 1818, p. 338) in extracting 
a quantity of boracic acid from the black tourmaline of the Upper 
Palatinate (see an abstract of his paper in the Annals of Philoso- 
phy, xii. 314); but it still remains doubtful whether this acid exists 
mevery variety of tourmaline; at least Prof. Gmelin, of Tubingen, 
who has devoted much of his time to the analysis of minerals, 
and who informed me that he had repeatedly analyzed the tour- 
maline in Berzelius’s laboratory at Stockholm, and had always 
experienced as great a loss as that which had been sustained by: 
Bucholz in the analyses which he had made of the tourmaline at 
the request of Prof. Bermhardi. Prof. Gmelin has again sub- 
jected the same mineral to a new analysis since the discovery 
announced by Lampadius, and verified by Vogel, without being able 
to detect the presence of boracic acid ; but we must suspend our 
judgment till the modes of analysis followed by Lampadius and 
by Gmelin have been laid before the chemical world. 
» 2. Aainite.—Vogel has announced the presence of boracic 
acid likewise in axinite. I should think it rather surprising that 
this acid should have been overlooked by Klaproth and Vauque- 
lin, at least if it occur in considerable quantity, in a mineral 
which contains, according to their estimate, above the sixth of 
its weight of lime. If such oversights have been committed by 
two of the most expert analysts of the age, it is impossible not 
to conclude that the whole labour of analyzing the mineral king- 
dom remains still to be undertaken. 
3. Tantaliie, or Columbite.—This ore, formerly so scarce, has 
been observed first m Finland, in small grains disseminated in 
granite ; and more lately at Bodenmais, m Germany, crystallized 
in pretty large four-sided prisms ; at least this is the form of a 
specimen in my possession, for which I am indebted to the kind- 
ness of Mr. Heuland. Tantalite has been analyzed with great 
care by Berzelius, and more lately by Vogel. The following 
table exhibits the constituents as deduced from the analysis of 
each. The reader will bear in mind that the tantalite of Berze- 
lius was from Finland, while that of Vogel was from Bodenmais. 
: Berzelius. Vogel. 
Ce OE PEE os satan dene (OCS, o> obs ears 
PLGLOXIGe OLILONY aic.cwussas cies 1:2. 6 os e.cts bape i. 
Protoxide of manganese. .... 74 ..eee.4. 5 
ba (ag es OS oe ES, MEE gees 1 
98-4 98 
.. 4. Petalite—This mineral, according to the mean of seyeral 
careful analyses by Arvedson, is composed as follows : 
‘ 
