Physics. 291 



The other characters of the mineral are : hardness 5 -5-6 ; spe- 

 cific gravity 2*84 ; fracture conchoidal ; luster vitreous and 

 very brilliant especially on the fracture, except on c pearly ; 

 color white to colorless ; transparent to translucent. The frac- 

 ture surfaces normal to c show a columnar structure. Before 

 the blowpipe it decrepitates and fuses about 3 to a somewhat 

 clouded glass, coloring the flame deep yellow. It gives color- 

 less beads with borax and salt of phosphorus. No water was 

 obtained in the closed tube. It dissolves entirely in hot hydro- 

 chloric acid, and the crust of salts obtained on evaporation 

 gives a bright yellow flame, but the spectroscope shows nothing 

 but the sodium line. 



A few tests in the wet way showed that the mineral was a 

 phosphate, sodium being present as a base, and also a metal 

 whose oxide is precipitated by ammonia. The other experi- 

 ments noted above give important negative evidence of the 

 absence of most of the other bases that might be looked for. 

 A test for fluorine with sulphuric acid gave negative results. 



Since this examination was made a preliminary analysis by 

 Prof. Horace L. Wells, of the Sheffield Scientific School, has 

 shown the mineral to be an anhydrous phosphate of beryllium 

 and sodium, with probably the formula NaBeP0 4 . 



A complete analysis will soon be concluded, and as promptly 

 as possible we propose to give an exhaustive account of this 

 new mineral. 



I would suggest the name Beryllonite, in allusion to the 

 fact that it contains the rare element beryllium. The name of 

 the gentleman to whom the credit of finding this new mineral 1 

 is due, and that of the locality, are at his request withheld for 

 the present. 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 



I. Physios. 



1, I?ifra red Solar Spectrum. — W. de W. Abney (Phil. Trans. 

 Lond., 177, 1886) with the aid of a Rowland concave grating 

 has improved his map of the infra red portion of the solar 

 spectrum. He employed a special emulsion of bromide of silver 

 in connection with a collodium emulsion. The developer con- 

 sisted of a ferrous oxalate of greater strength than that formerly 

 employed by him. The amount of vapor in the atmosphere ex- 

 ercises great influence upon the length of the infra red spectrum 

 and especially upon the group from A to wave-length 8200. 

 Four strong lines, X a (8497) X 2 (8542), X 3 (8661) and X 4 (8816)' 



Am. Jour. Scl— Third Series, Vol. XXXVI, No. 213.— Oct., 1888. 

 19 



