ITALY. LETTER XXI. 295 



its continuations under the level of the fea ; which 

 is the more credible, as the fea carries conftantly 

 to the fnore a great quantity of feparated pieces 

 of the fame iron-ore. The iron-mafs or ftock at 

 Elba confifts, for the greateft part, of a found 

 iron-coloured ore, being either an iron-coloured 

 hematites (Cronft. Min. 201.) or magnetic ore 

 fib. 2. 10.), or load-ftone (Ib. 209.) which is 

 now and then found to be very good. Thefe dif- 

 ferent forts of ore cryftallize in the holes and 

 fifiures into different forms ; as that of ftalaftites, 

 polygones, cellular cryftallizations, or lamellated 

 and glimmeryones ; fuch as iron-glimmer or eifen- 

 mann. The fineft famplesof all thefe fpecies of ore 

 are to be had from that iiland, the ore itfelf being of 

 the fame goodnefs as the Swedifli : but the Italians 

 are greatly deficient in its melting and preparation, 

 as I have obferved in the iron magazine at Flo- 

 rence. In the fubftance of the ore offer now and 

 then fome pyrites in cubic or polygone marcafi- 

 tical cryfhls, fome copper-pyrites, whith amianth, 

 wolfram, and great quantities of white, liver-co- 

 loured, and red bolus, which is found in large long- 

 itretching fiflures, that might be called veins. Part 

 of thefe boles appear fometimes to be petrified into 

 jafper. I have feen likewife ftalactites from this 

 iiland, either -confifting of brown iron-ocher, or 

 of an iron-coloured fubftance. The ores are from 

 U 4 ffob 



