Miscellaneous Koikes in Mineralogy, and Geology. 39 



Art. VII. — Miscellaneous notices in Mineralogy, and Geol- 

 ogy. — Editor. 



1. Snowy Gypsum in extremely delicate crystaline 

 scales, so minute as to be scarcely discernible by the naked 

 eye — colour pure white, with here and there a shght tinge 

 of grey ; it might be wrought as an alabaster, and is more 

 beautiful than any thing which we have seen, that was pro- 

 duced in this country. We received it from the Hon. John 

 Calhoun, Secretary of War, to whom it was forwarded by 

 Mr. Horton Howard, who writes from Delaware, Ohio, that 

 it is found in a large body on the shore of the north side of 

 Sandusky Bay. Mr. H. R. Fenn of Rochester, N. Y. has 

 handed us a similar specimen from Rochester, L. Ontario^ 

 where it is found imbedded in fetid limestone. 



2. Nephrite, so called by Dr. Mead. This beautiful mineral 

 is of a lively apple green, like chrysoprase — it is almost im- 

 possible to break it, such is its excessive tenacity — its frac- 

 ture is splintery — it is softer than the nephrite of the books, 

 being scratched by steel. It occurs in large masses imbed- 

 ded in white primitive lime-stone, which is almost compact — • 

 this mineral has not been analyzed and perhaps it may be 

 doubted whether it is the genuine nephrite — we understand 

 it is nearly exhausted — locality Smithfield near Providence 

 — the specimens were from Mr. George T. Bowen of Prov- 

 idence. 



3. Compact magnetic oxid of Iron, lustre highly resinous 

 ■ — colour brown — Owyhee, from the American missionaries 

 in that Island. 



4. A vesicular lava, like that cf Hecla. It forms a pre- 

 vailing rock in Owyhee. — Id. 



5. WJiite statuary Marble, North- West Coast of N. A~ 

 merica.~Id. 



6. Native Copper in rounded pieces — near the mouth of 

 St. Peters river which empties into the Mississippi — this na- 

 tive copper IS frequently covered with a coating of green ox- 

 id and is disseminated among limestone rocks. Rev. Dr. 

 Morse and son. 



7. Carnelians and agates, very well characterized. — Al- 

 luvial banks of the Missisippi, at Prairie du Chien — Id. 



8. Qwarfz, perfectly milkwhite-Sandusky bay, Ohio.-ld. 



