44 DOMAIN VIII. DIAMICTONIC. 



NOME VI. BASALTIN, WITH EARTHY 

 FELSPAR. 



[GEBRITE, from Geber (Abou Moussa GIA- 

 BER ben Haijam al Soft), the first of the Arabian 

 chemists, A. D. 830,] 



Saussure afterwards describes another singular 

 diamictonic rock, which he found near Mont 

 Blanc. 



" Fragments of a remarkable rock are after- 

 wards observed ; its colour is red, inclining to 

 violet, like the dark lees of wine ; it is not schis- 

 tose, but in hard and compact masses ; yields 

 fire with steel. In the fracture its grain appears 

 a little scaly ; and if observed with a lens, it 

 is found mixed with dull grey parts. These 

 parts, softer than the rest of the rock, become 

 white when scraped with a knife, and are un- 

 questionably ofpierre de come. As for the hard 

 and reddish base, it seems to be of the same 

 nature with that of several porphyries, which 

 have been improperly classed among jaspers. 

 The blast of the blow-pipe discolours and melts 

 it, though with difficulty, into a transparent 

 glass, strewed with small bubbles. This cha- 



