W. F. Fontaine—Minerals in Amelia County, Va. 335 
characters. Fusibi ity = 8; hardness = 6°5; 8 
omposition : 
The spessartite thus associated with helvite has the following 
ili p. gr. = 4:20. 
RO. ain Scapa onde cuba cate 36°34 
BA ciesteteees alent Maio 12°63 
Oe RTP RRS RE ON ge 4°57 
MN ee a ee 44°20 
TN ee ee 1°49 
PAO or a bec ae ee : 
Var... a faint trace. 
99°70 
The color is pale pink to flesh-red. Some fragments are 
brownish purple. The mineral looks more like some rhodonite 
than like garnet. It will be noted that the manganese is unu- 
sually high, and the iron and alumina unusually low. 
he above analysis, with the determination of the specific 
stavity and hardness, was made by Mr. C. M. Bradbury in the 
laboratory of the University of Virginia. 
_ Orthite.—Orthite is found in great abundance at the locality, 
pit No, 8, that furnishes the very large feldspar crystals men- 
honed above. Here some of the thin-bladed crystals may be 
Seen more than fifteen inches long. It is also not rare in pit 
0. 2, but here the crystals rarely show lengths exceeding six 
to eight inches. In all cases both ends are broken off. ose 
of the greatest length do not exceed in thickness 4™ and in 
Width 2 to 24 “In shape they are much like an ordinary 
Wory paper cutter. 
he mineral, so far as I have observed, always occurs im- 
bedded in feldspar or a mixture of feldspar and quartz. It usu- 
ally has a decomposition crust of varying thickness, and some- 
times the whole crystal is altered. The crust has an ash-gray 
Color and is without luster. It is sharply distinct from the 
et interior. The internal sound portion has a velvet-black 
Color and a high pitchy luster. 
This saitieen ee Kobi analyzed, independently, by Profes- 
sors Keenig and Dunnington. For the analysis of Professor 
Keenig, see Proc, Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1882, p. 108; 
Tennes made for mica in the vicinity without finding it. 
he largest masses were found in pit No. 1, some twenty feet 
below the surface. These masses occurred in the northern end 
