77 



TAB. CCCXLIV. 

 ISMUTUM carbonatiun, 



Class 3. Metals. Order 1. Oxygenized compounds. 



Gen. 13. Bismuth. Spec. 1. Carbonate. 



Div. 1. Amorphous. 



1 his common earthy-looking substance, being chiefly 

 Carbonate of Bismuth, with a little Oxide of Iron, and a 

 very little stony substance, came to me by favour of the 

 Rev. W. Gregor, from St. Agnes, Cornwall. That gentle- 

 man, often usefully employed for his amusement in ana- 

 lysing minerals, is an honour to his country. We think 

 it of much consequence to figure such a substance as the 

 present; for, by remembering the figure or the substance, 

 we shall not too hastily pass over things which at first have 

 common appearances; but examine them with attention, 

 which will habituate the judgement to the easy discrimina- 

 tion of obscure characters, and teach us to suspect what is 

 not quite usual, and therefore to examine it, if necessary, 

 by means of chemical agents. 



Nature, in this mineral, seems to point out something 

 of the soapy appearance of Steatite : — see tab. 222 ; but 

 it is more earthy, or rather harsher to the touch, though 

 the Oxide of Iron in some parts disguises it. The 

 weight in the hand seems greater than that of Steatite. As 

 Oxide of Bismuth has been found a most beautiful anB 

 pleasant pigment for high-finishing water- coloured draw- 

 ings, and as the present specimen does not apparently 

 change colour, as that does, on exposure to light, I was 



