408 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



4. In order that the acquired uniformity may be attained, changes 

 should be made in existing names when it can be done without great 

 inconvenience. 



Names like Quartz, Garnet, Gypsum, Realgar, Orpiment, with 

 the names of the metals and gems, which are part of general lite- 

 rature, must remain unaltered. Mica and Felspar, equally old with 

 Quartz, have become the names of groups of minerals, and are no 

 longer applied to particular species. 



Fluor was written Fluorite last century by Napione. Blende, 

 although one of the number that might be allowed to stand among 

 the exceptions, has already given place with some mineralogists to 

 Sphalerite, a name proposed by Haidinger (because blende was ap- 

 plied also to other species) in 1845, and signifying deception, like 

 Blende. Galena was written Galenite by von Kobell some years 

 since. Orthoclase, Loxoclase, Oligoclase might be rightly lengthened 

 to Orthoclasite, &c. But the termination clase (from the Greek for 

 fracture) is peculiar to names of minerals, and the abbreviated form 

 in use may be allowed to stand for species of the Felspar group. 

 It seems better that it be avoided elsewhere. These remarks on 

 special cases might be further extended ; but it is unnecessary, as I 

 shall soon present my views more fully in another place. 



There are, of course, objections to all such change. But the num- 

 ber of names requiring it are comparatively few ; and hardly any of 

 them are over sixty years old, a short time compared with the future 

 of the science. Mineralogy is yet in its formative period ; it is far 

 from being so stiffened with age as not to admit of progress in the 

 direction contemplated. 



With regard to the nomenclature of rocks, Professor Dana ob- 

 serves : — 



It has become very desirable that this should have some point of dif- 

 ference from that of minerals. Names like Diorite, Dolerite, Eurite, 

 Porphyrite, Andesite, Tonalite, Phonolite, Leptynite, Domite, Dunite, 

 Amphibolite, Pyroxenite, Pegmatite, Hyperite, Itacolumite, Spilite, 

 Ditroite, Sanidinite, Phthanite, Nephelinite, Miascite, Itabirite, 

 Aphanite, are fast multiplying, and have nothing in them to indi- 

 cate whether they are to be looked for or not in a work on mine- 

 ralogy. It is therefore here suggested, as an easy method of giving 

 the names of rocks a distinctive feature, to substitute for i in the 

 final ite the letter y. Thus Diorite, Eurite, Tonalite, &c. would 

 become Dioryte, Euryte, Tonalyte, &c. The y is already in the name 

 Trachyte. The change would not be necessary in the familiar 

 names Granite and Syenite. In the German language the terminal 

 syllable lite, when from the Greek Xldos, is written lith, as in Pho- 

 nolith ; but it would be no disadvantage to the language, or to its 

 science, if the h should be left off here as elsewhere, and the yte 

 (or yt in German) be accepted as simply a termination in obedi- 

 ence to system. 



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