182 Miscellanies. 



20. Strontianite discovered in the United States. — I embrace an 

 early opportunity of stating, through the medium of the Journal of 

 Science, the discovery of the Carbonate of Strontia in this country. 

 So far as my knowledge extends, this mineral has not, until the pres- 

 ent time, been observed in the limits of the United States, and it is 

 even considered rare in Europe. This fact makes it peculiarly in- 

 teresting to our mineralogists. Perhaps I ought to make a reserve 

 in pronouncing it pure Carbonate of Strontia, as the mineral may 

 contain other elements besides Carbonic Acid and Strontia. The 

 following are some of its most interesting characters. 



Color, nearly pure white ; sometimes tinged yellowish on the sur- 

 face. Lustre, vitreous ; fibrous varieties, pearly. Translucent . . . 

 opake. Brittle, and easily reduced to a powder. Hardness =-3*5, 

 of the scale of Mohs. Specific gravity, undetermined. Streak, 

 white. Cleavage, apparently parallel to the plane of a rhombic 

 prism. The crystallization is too imperfect to admit of measurement. 



Before the blowpipe it is infusible, but with a strong heat an im- 

 perfectly friable, white mass is formed, which has an acrid alkaline 

 taste. Color of the flame, red or reddish purple. 



In muriatic acid it dissolves, with an active effervescence, accom- 

 panied with the disengagement of carbonic acid. Solution incom- 

 plete in cold muriatic acid. The muriatic solution, on the addition 

 of alcohol, burns with a fine carmine red flame. From this solution 

 sulphuric acid throws down a white precipitate. 



The varieties of this substance are mostly compound. The most 

 perfect consist of stellated groups, or rather of imperfect individuals 

 diverging from several centres, forming masses of different sizes. 

 On one partially decomposed specimen, I observed a few small but 

 regular six sided prisms. In all other cases, the crystallization is too 

 confused to permit the determination of the precise forms, or their 

 dimensions. Some pieces, which evidently contain Carbonate of 

 Strontia, resemble, externally, its congener, the Sulphate ; that is, 

 they are tinged bluish, and present a structure both laminated and 

 fibrous. 



I conjecture that some of the specimens are the Baro-strontianite 

 of Traill. Others seem to be Strontia, combined with Carbonate 

 of Lime. 



The locality of this mineral, or family of minerals, is Scoharie, 

 N. Y., in the vicinity of Ball's Cave, which has already furnished 

 so many fine things for our cabinets. 



