S T A 



S T A 



Some waters, that rife frohi beds of limeflone, are fo over- 

 charged with calcareous earth, as to form an incruftation of 

 Hone round any fubltance that is immerfed in them for a fhort 

 time ; of which we liave well-known inftances in the waters 

 of Matlock, in Derbyfhire, and Knarefborough, in York- 

 ftire: fiich are called petrifying fprings. It is by a fimilar 

 procefs that Italaftites are formed, by the water dropping 

 from fome projefting point and depofiting a part of its con- 

 tents ; fucceeding drops continue to enlarge the depofition, 

 which frequently alTumes the form of an icicle, and is fome- 

 times of confiderable fize. 



Stalaftites form fo rapidly in fome caverns and mines as 

 to clofe up the entrance, and even fill up the excavation en- 

 tirely. The depofitions of calcareous earth formed on the 

 floors of caverns, by the water which drops from the roof, 

 are CdWeiJlii/a^milei. 



Though the formation of ftalaftites apparently depends 

 on the mechanical depofition of earthy matter, and may 

 feem to admit of an eafy explanation, there are fome pecu- 

 liarities of ftrufture in ttalaftitical maflcs which it ia more 

 diffi«ult to account for. 



In fome ftalaftites we may obferve a radiated diverging 

 cryftalline ftrufture ; in others, the lamellar ftrufture of cal- 

 careous fpar is obfervable when broken, and they divide 

 into rhombs, or the regular primitive cryftals of carbonate 

 of lime. The progrel's from the radiated to the regular 

 cryftalline ftrufture may be feen in the fame fpecimen : thus 

 it (hould appear, that the particles of the ftalaftite, after 

 they had been mechanically depofited, and formed a folid, 

 were capable of a certain degree of motion, which per- 

 mitted their cryftalline arrangement to proceed to its ulti- 

 mate form, or the primitive; rhomb. Some ftaliftites have 

 occafionally been found which were tubular ; other ftalac- 

 tites, that are folid, are covered with minute cryftals, and 

 fometimes are terminated by a knob, refembling a mu(h- 

 room. Stalaftites are not unfrequently formed under the 

 arches of bridges, by the percolation of water through the 

 mortar. 



In the Gcyfers, or boiling fprings of Iceland and other 

 parts of the world, filiceous ftalaftites and ftalagmites are 

 formed on tlie fides of the rocks on which the water falls, 

 or in the bafins which furround the fprings. Thefe natural 

 bafins are indeed entirely formed of filiceous depofitions, 

 and it has been afcertained, that the waters contain a con- 

 fiderable portion of filcx in folution. 



The larger and more compaft malfes of ftalaftites are em- 

 ployed in ttatuary. This fubltance was much ufcd by the 

 ancients, and called alabaflron and alabajlrites. The ala- 

 bafter of the moderns is more frequently gypfum, or ful- 

 phate of lime. 



The alabafter from ftalaftite is fometimes of a pure 

 white, but this kind is not fo durable as that which is of 

 a light yellow colour, or veined. The iron, which is the 

 colouring matter, communicates to the ftonc a great degree 

 of hardncfs, and on this account the coloured alabaltcr was 

 more prized by the ancient fculptors than the pure white. 

 See Stonf. y^r Statuary. 



STALACTITICAL, formed like ftalaftite. 



STALACTOCIBDELA, m Natural Hi/lory, the 

 name of sf genus of fpars. The word is derived from the 

 Greek 5-K>,a»1o., Jlillatitious, or formed by the dropping of 

 water, and xii'ci'»:>,o,-, impure. 



The bodies of this genus are formed by the dropping of 

 water from the roofs of lubterranean caverns, and are the 

 coarfer kinds of what authors have called ftalaftitx. They 

 are cryftallino-terrcne fpars, formed into oblong bodies, and 



Vol.. XXXIU. 



found hanging from the roofs of c^rerns and grottoes. Of 

 this genus there are only two known fpecies. Hill. 



STALAGMITiE. See Stalactite and Stalag- 



MOSCIERIA. 



STALAGMITE, in Mineralogy, the depofition of 

 earthy matter, formed by drops of water on the floors of 

 caverns. The word is derived from the Greek raXay^x, a 

 drop. See Stalactite. 



STALAGMITIS, in Botany, fo called by Murray, in 

 the Gottingen Tranfaftions, v. 9, from -^K%yjj.a.:, a dropping, 

 or dijlillation, bccaufe of the gum yielded by this tree. — 

 Schreb. Gen. 729. Willd. Sp. PI. v. 4. 980.— Clafs and 

 order, Polygamia Monoecia, or rather Polyadelphia Polyan- 

 dria. Nat. Ord. Guttiferiz, Jufl'. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Perianth inferior, deciduous, of four 

 roundifh, concave, coloured leaves, fleftiy in the middle, 

 bordered ; the two outermoft coriaceous, fmalleft ; the two 

 innermoft thinner and veiny. Cor. Petals four, obovate, 

 rather coriaceous, fringed, fpreading, larger than the calyx ; 

 the two oppofite ones largett. Stam. Filaments about thirty, 

 inferted into a fleftiy quadrangular receptacle, club-fhaped, 

 abrupt, fomewhat quadrangular, ereft, the length of the 

 corolla, united into five fets ; anthers ercft, of two round 

 lobes. Pijl. Germen fuperior, globofe ; ftyle ereft, thick, 

 ftiort ; ftigma of four inverfely heart-fliaped, fpreading, per- 

 manent lobes. Peric. Beriy globofe, of one cell, crowned 

 with the ftyle and ftigma. Seeds three, oblong, obfcurely 

 triangular, "terminated by a joint." 



Some male flowers are interfperfed, in which there is no 

 germen, only the thread-ftiaped rudiment of a ftyle in fome 

 of them, with a prickly unequal imperfeft ftigma. Koenig 

 obferved the calyx to confift occafionally of fix leaves, while 

 the ftigma was only three-cleft. Schreber doubted whether 

 the ftamens were always polyadelphous. 



I. S. camhogwides. " Murray Comm. Goett. v. 9. 173." 

 Willd. n. I. — Native of Camboja and Ceylon. A middle- 

 fized tree, with oppofite fpreading branches. Leaves oppo- 

 fite, ovate, acute, entire, flat, coriaceous, rigid, dark-green, 

 fmooth on both fides ; occafionally obovate. Footjlalks very 

 fliort. /'/oTOcr^ axillary or lateral, whorled ; the male onei 

 either intermixed with the others, or in a clufter by them- 

 felves. Murray. This tree appears nearly akin to the 

 Xa\thociivmus of Roxburgh, fee that article hereafter; 

 Ait. Hort. Kcw. v. 4. 420 ; yet we muft prefume them to 

 be dift'erent on account of the great authorities on which the 

 latter depends. 



STALAGMODIAUGIA, in Natural Hi/lory, the 

 name of a genus of fpars. The word is derived tVoai the 

 Greek yxXuFf^iy:, a drop, and oi:<t)>>ic, pellucid. The bodies 

 of this genus are the purer kinds of what authors call fta- 

 lagmitx, or drop-ftones. 



They are fpars found in form of fmall balls, each com- 

 pofcd of numerous crufts, and confiderabi) |,i llucid and ci > f- 

 talline. Of this genus there arc three kno .11 Ipceies. II. il. 



STALAGMOS, a term ufcd by authors to cxprcfs a 

 diftillation of rheum from the head. 



STALAGMOSCIERIA, the name of a genus of 

 fpars. The word is derived from the Greek ^Jt^n^Juo^, a drop, 

 and o-xi'fj-, opaque, and cxprcfles an op: que fpar, which has 

 received its form from the dropping ol water. 



The bodies of this genus jra the coarfer kinds of what 

 are called by authors ftalagmiti, and are fmall roiii.d i;i;.lles, 

 compofed of numerous thin crufts, ai.d of an tpaque and 

 coarfe ftrufture. 



Of this genus we have only two known fpecies. Hill. 



Scotland affords a vaft variety of the ftalagmitsc. One 



4 U CiVfl 



