154 



only the light yellowish columns that prove to be in a tolerably 

 unaltered condition. But that sort of material has evidently not 

 been at Lind s trom' s disposal. He states his material to have 

 been of a faint silky lustre; now this is characteristic of the 

 common asbestus-like form . which always is more or less 

 altered. The nature of this alteration is not, of course, known 

 with certainty. That it is combined with hydration, is, however 

 very probable. The amount of water found, except ^/2 per cent, 

 goes off before ignition, and 5,89% is lost at a temperature 

 between 15" and 100° C. 



It can, therefore, hardly be doubted that at least part of 

 the water percentage is secondary. If the whole of the water 

 is considered as secondary, the original mineral should have 

 the following composition: 



Na^ Si^ O5 + Zr (Si^ O5) ^ . 



This composition would be quite analogous to that of the 

 minerals narsarsukite and leucosphenite , which are however 

 known "only in the fresh state. 



30. Narsarsukite. 



The new mineral which is to be described in the following 

 lines was the first that attracted my attention on Narsarsuk. 

 None of the other new minerals has been found at so many 

 different localities on the plateau or is so largely distributed 

 there. It may therefore, more than any other mineral, be said 

 to be characteristic of the place. On this ground I propose 

 for it the name narsarsukite ^). 



Persons familiar with the Greenlandian or Esquimaux language have 

 told me that the name of the plateau , which name is said to signify 

 "the great plain», should be written Narsarsuk. Of this I was not, 

 however, informed, untill the plates belonging to the present article, had 

 been printed. Therefore the name of the mineral is given in Plate VIII 

 in the form narsasukite in accordance with the pronunciation of the 



