The 
Middletown columbites; like the latter, the’ Haddam specimen 
appear to contain principally niobic acid. pS A enlaces, a 
nig ee ae 
Samarskite.—T his species was announced two years-since by” 
of. C 
erford County, North Carolina. This conclusion was based 
ing been made by him. Last autumn, however, he placed in 
y hands a fragment of the mineral, which I have submitted to 
examination ; the results show the correctness of Prof. Shepard’s 
conclusion. 
@ specimen at my disposal was a worn and rounded frag- 
ment weighing about -7 grammes, and having adherent a small 
portion of iron-stained quartz, near to which it was penetrated 
with a yellowish earthy matter, which made my determination of 
the specific gravity a little below the truth; it was 5:45, and the 
hardness was 6. Externally the color was dull iron-black ; the 
fracture was perfectly conchoidal, and exhibited a velvet-black 
color, and a splendent vitreous lustre like obsidian ; it was very 
: brittle, and the fragments were perfectly opaque, even on the 
' Iges. The powder wasa dark reddish or clove-brown color, 
Solution with hydrochloric acid and a fragme 
- fine biue color, rapidly becoming of a dirty hue, ally cl 
ing to brown. On adding tincture of galls to the solution slightly 
acidulated with hydrochloric acid, the precipitate assumed a very 
Serres, Vol. XIV, No. 42.—Nov., 1852. 44 
yg" * 
