MODE X. GREEN MARBLE. 369 



are informed it was dug in the environs of Thes- 

 salonica, in Macedonia, which at present forms 

 part of European Turkey*. 



" This verde-antico, properly so called, must 

 not be confounded with the marbles known by 

 the names of vert~de-mer, or vert-d'Egypte. The 

 real verde-antico is a bricia, and never is mingled 

 with red spots, while those just mentioned are 

 veined marbles, mixed with a dull red substance 

 which gives them a brownish hue, not very 

 agreeable. Besides, it is one of those marbles 

 which decompose in the open air."f 



This decomposition is rather a proof that the 

 darkest parts are of an argillaceous nature. Dr. 

 Kidd regards the genuine verde-antico, which 

 must be carefully distinguished from ancient 

 green porphyry, and from mere serpentine, as 

 " an irregular breccia, consisting of fragments 

 of dark grey compact limestone, black argilla- 

 ceous schistus, and white granular marble, im- 

 bedded in a species of serpentine, which here 

 and there is of a uniformly green colour, and a 

 considerable degree of transparency, very closely 

 resembling j ad, or compact talc. 



ce The fragments of white marble are very sin- 

 gularly fringed, as it were, with a green sub- 



* A gross mistake, antf glaring inconsistency, 

 t Brard, 333. 



VOL. i. SB 



