From ST'RONT'IAN, ir 



of fulphur and cryflals of Strontltes, I poured fome hot wa- 

 ter, which I caiifed to boil for fome time. A liquid hepar, of 

 a dark yellowifh brown colour, was the produdl, and fliowed 

 the fame qualities as the preceding. 



50. Crystals of Strontites were diifolved, but fparlngly by 

 alcohol. The tinifture was of a yellow colour, and burned 

 with a reddidi flame. 



51. Having detailed all the properties of the Strontian mi- 

 neral, and of its earthy bafe, with which I have made myfelf 

 acquainted, my next objedl fliall be to confider, and, if polTi- 

 ble, to determine, whether this earth be really different and 

 diftindl from all thofe that are already known. There are two 

 kinds to which the Strontitic bafis bears in its properties no in~ 

 coniiderable refemblance, I mean barytes and lime ; yet it feems 

 to me to differ as much from both of them as they differ the 

 one from the other. In external appearance, it mufl be ac^ 

 knowledged, fome fimilarity is obfervable among the native ■ 

 carbonates of thefe earths. The Strontian foflil refembles mod 

 the barytic fpar. Indeed this is fo much the cafe, that many 

 perfons admitted it into their colledlions as the aerated barytes. 

 Nay, a French chemift of fome note, M. Pelletier, informs 

 us, that having analyzed a mafs, which he received from the 

 Honourable Mr Greville, he did not publilh the refult. for 

 the reafon, " qu'elle ne m'avoit fourni rien de particulier *." 



52. These two produ(flions of nature agree in exceeding 

 other earthy fpars in fpecific gravity ; in retaining their carbo- 

 nic acid, unlefs when urged by a very intenfe heat-; in dif- 

 folving when cauftic in water ; in affording the pure earth 

 in cryftals ; in diffolving in acids with nearly fimilar phe- 

 nomena ; in forming falts of difficult folubility with feve- 

 ral of the acids, and cryllallizable ones with the nitric 

 and muriatic. In thefe refpecfis a ftrong analogy prevails 

 between them, yet it is but an analogy ^ for in the points now 



enumerated'-; , 

 * Ann. de Chem. t. 10. p. 188. 



