32 MEMOIR ON EMERY. 



This mineral has been designated ephesite because of its 

 occurrence at the emery locality near the ancient city of 

 Ephesus. 



EMERYLITE (A NEW SPECIES). 



This mineral, which I have designated by the name of emery- 

 lite, is a new species belonging to the family of micas. I have 

 already published a note indicating its existence,* but have 

 reserved for the present time a complete description of it. 



I first discovered this mineral with the emery of Gumuch- 

 dagh in Asia Minor, and subsequently in that of Manser, the 

 islands of ISTaxos and Nicaria, and also with the emery of Siberia. 

 Its connection with all the emeries that have come under my 

 observation, except that of Kulah, induced me to call it emery- 

 lite. When I announced this discovery to Prof. Silliman, jr., 

 he hastened to examine the minerals coming from the corun- 

 dum localities of the United States, and has succeeded in find- 

 ing the emerylite with the corundum of several localities. The 

 specimen from Siberia on which I found this mineral is in the 

 collection at the Garden of Plants at Paris, and I have also 

 reason to think that I have found it with the corundum of 

 China. 



The emerylite is lamellar, like mica; the plates are easily 

 separated, and possess a little elasticity. Sometimes it is in 

 the form of a mass composed of very small pearly scales, which 

 are very friable, resembling some species of talc. The plates 

 are commonly convex and concave, grouped in such a manner 

 as to form a triangular prism. I have also found it massive, 

 with a micaceous structure, l?ut with an irregular fracture. 

 The aspect of this variety is waxy; it comes from Gumuch- 

 dagh. The crystalline form of this mineral is difficult to deter- 

 mine; but if we are permitted to judge from the streaks on the 

 surface, and the imperfect cleavage in two directions, it would 

 appear to belong to an oblique rhombic prism. 



Its color is white and luster silvery. The hardness taken 

 on a specimen from the island of Nicaria is from 4 to 4.5. 

 The sp. grav. taken on ten specimens varies from 2.80 to 3.09. 

 This difference is not remarkable in a lamellated mineral. 



*See Amer. Jour, of Science and Art, 2d ser,, VII, p. 285, 1849. 



