'/O TRAVELS IN UPPER 



liability, but with a very scanty stock of knowledge, 

 was not afraid sometimes to hazard, with a tone 

 of self-sufficiency, opinions the most erroneous, 

 M. Tott, had laid it down as certain, that the 

 pretended marble of Malta was talc. This opi- 

 nion was favourably received, and the grand- 

 master appeared to be persuaded that it was 

 founded In truth. In support of it, M. Tott pro- 

 duced a fragment of that stone, a part of which 

 was, according to him, evidently talc, and he con- 

 cluded that no argument was capable of destroy- 

 ing a fact, which was, in reality, nothing more 

 than a supposition more than gratuitous In fact, 

 on the examination of this fragment, which was to 

 constitute the proof of an absurd assertion, it ap- 

 peared that the fascicles of needles of which it was 

 composed, had been cut diagonally in certain 

 places, and that these sections presented shining 

 and transparent plates, which exhibited a false 

 appearance of talc, of which our half-philosopher 

 had been the dupe. I was forced, so to speak, to 

 explain myself on this subject before a numerous 

 company. I declared, without reserve, that I could 

 not be of M. Tott's sentiment ; and I employed a 

 reasoning sufficiently simple to be easily compre- 

 hended by every body : it was, that talc resists 

 every attack of acids, whereas they produce the 

 most powerful effect on matters purely calcareous, 

 which are put to this test. M. Tott's opinion of 



course 



