152 PHYSIOGRAPHY. 



Corundum. 



by crystals and grains of Magnetic Iron-Ore, and several species of gems. 

 The variety Corundum occurs in imbedded crystals in a rock, which 

 consists, according to BOURNOJV, of Feldspar and Fibrolite, several spe- 

 cies of gems and Magnetic Iron-Ore. Adamantine-Spar occurs with 

 Magnetic Iron-Ore and Fibrolite (Kyanite) in a sort of granite, con- 

 taining no Quartz. Some varieties have been found imbedded in com- 

 pact Feldspar, Magnetic Iron-Ore, Calcareous- Spar and talcose-slate. 



4. The finest varieties of Sapphire come from Pegu, where they oc- 

 cur in the Capelan mountains near Syrian. It has also been found at 

 Hohenstein in Saxony, at Bilin in Bohemia, at Puy in France, and in 

 several other countries. Corundum occurs in the Carnatic in the East 

 Indies ; Adamantine-Spar in the neighborhood of Canton in China, and 

 on the coast of Malabar. In St. Gothard, red and blue varieties exist im- 

 bedded in dolomite. Those from Gellivara in Sweden, imbedded in Mag- 

 netic Iron-Ore, are of a yellowish-white color. Emery is found in the 

 higher part of Saxony, in the mountain called Ochsenkopf near Schnee- 

 berg, and is of a dark blue color, inclining to grey; it approaches to the 

 appearance of blue Corundum, whenever its individuals are of conside- 

 rable size. In the island of Naxos, and in several other islands of the 

 Greek Archipelago, also at Smyrna, Emery is found in large boulders on 

 the 'surface of the earth, mixed with other minerals. 



Very beautiful blue Corundum is found at Newton, (N.J.) disseminated 

 through an aggregate of brown Hornblende, Mica, Feldspar, Tourmaline, 

 Iron Pyrites, Talc and Calcareous-Spar, the whole of which is connect- 

 ed with an extensive bed of white limestone. The majority of the spe- 

 cimens are found in detached boulders of various sizes, distributed through 

 the soil in a kind of basin, or valley of moderate extent, between two 

 small limestone ridges. The ctystals of Corundum are often several 

 inches in length, though deficient in perfection of form. They are 

 also found loose in the soil. Very well defined crystals of Corun- 

 dum of a bluish, and also of a pink color, are found under somewhat 

 similar circumstances in the vicinity of Warwick, (N.Y.) where they 

 sometimes occur in cavities of large crystals of Spinel. Pale blue crys- 

 tals of this species occur in Connecticut at West Farms, near Litchfield, 

 associated with Kyanite ; and single crystals have been found loose in 

 the soil in the State of North Carolina. 



5. The pure and transparent varieties of Corundum, when finely col- 

 ored, are in great estimation as ornamental stones. The red varieties 

 are most highly valued ^ and go by the name of Oriental Ruby. The 

 violet- blue are called Oriental Amethyst, the green Oriental Emerald, 



