OF CENTRAL CANADA PART II. 119 



is found in Melbourne, Bolton, Ham, Thetford, Coleraine, Broughton 

 and other eastern townships, where within the last three or four years 

 it has been extensively mined, and it now forms an important article 

 of commerce. 



Aphrodite : White, yellowish-white. In soft, earthy, or waxy-looking 

 masses, strongly adherent to the tongue. Essentially a hydrated silicate of 

 magnesia, allied to serpentine and also to meerschaum. Occurs in small quan- 

 tities, in a bed of steatite or pyrallolite (see under No. 62 above) in the town- 

 ship of Grenville on the Ottawa. 



(11) GROUP OF KAOLINIC SILICATES. 



[The minerals of this group much resemble in aspect and general 

 characters the talcs and steatites of the preceding group. Foliated 

 examples present a pearly lustre and talcose appearance, and compact 

 and granular varieties are more or less soapy to the touch and 

 adherent to the tongue. Th se Kaolinic silicates, however, differ 

 from the talcose species in being essentially non-magnesian. They 

 are hydrated silicates of alumina, or of alumina and potash, and are 

 evidently products of alteration, derived from the decomposition of 

 feldspathic and other aluminous silicates. As in the case ^f all 

 substances of this kind, composition and physical characters are 

 necessarily somewhat variable, numerous so-called species might be 

 made out of these products if slight points of difference were taken 

 into consideration ; but Canadian examples may be referred to two or 

 "three types, as given below.] 



84. Kaolinite or Pholerite : Pearly- white, pale-green, greenish- 

 grey, and sometimes red from admixture with scaly red iron ore. 

 Occurs in soft unctuous scaly masses, and also in a more or less 

 'Compact and granular condition. Very sectile, and soapy to the 

 -touch. H = 1.0 2.0: sp. gr. 2.33 2.63. BB, sometimes 

 exfoliates or expands in bulk, but remains unfused. In the bulb- 

 tube, yields a large amount of water. The light-coloured varieties 

 assume a fine blue colour after ignition with nitrate of cobalt (See 

 Operation 3, under the Application of the Blowpipe, in Part I.). 

 Scarcely attacked by acids. Average composition : silica 46, alumina 

 40, water 14. Occurs in fissures of a sandstone of the Quebec group 

 near Chaudiere Falls (Dr. Sterry Hunt) \ also, according to Dr. 

 Hunt, in films in the joints of some of the quartzose sandstones of 

 the Huronian series. A red ferruginous variety in strongly soiling 



