On the supposed new element, Thalia. 95 
ordinary public printing, which we are sorry to say has, until lately, 
been very inferior in its typographical execution and quality o 
paper. And we hope that Dr. Owen’s report, as to style of execu- 
tion, may serve as a standard for all future Congress documents, 
which embody valuable practical and scientific information for the 
people; the more especially since the cost per volume, consider- 
ing the amount of matter and illustration, has actually been much 
less than had previously been paid for illustrated scientific works 
got up at the seat of government in the ordinary unworkmanlike 
—we may almost say careless and*slovenly—manner of most pub- 
lic printing. 
Arr. XIII. —On the supposed new element, Thalia; by Prof. J. 
AWRENCE SMITH. 
two or three grammes of the mineral from Dr. Owen, and sub- 
jected it to analysis without discovering any substance in it that 
could be called a new element. The results were not made 
public at the time, as more material was required to arrive at a 
positive conclusion. It is only lately that, through the kindness 
of Dr. Genth of Philadelphia, an additional quantity of the 
Thalite has been obtained, as well as some of the earth called 
thalia. Both have been examined with great care: the analysis 
of the former accords with my former analysis, making the 'Tha- 
lite to be saponite ;—details of the analyses will be given in the 
third paper on the reéxamination of American minerals. The 
earth sent as thalia, is magnesia mixed with a little lime. 
It may be well to state here, that the fact of the precipitation 
of the neutral solution of the earth by oxalate of ammonia seems 
to have had considerable weight on the original decision concern- 
ing this substance. But it is an erroneous impression that oxalate 
