101 



TAB. CCCLV. 



Siliceous Sckistus, Hone- Stone, ovNovacnlite. 



Syn. Novaculite. Kiriv. 1. 238. 

 Whet Slate. James. 1. 331. 

 Argile schisteuse novaculaire. Haiiy, 4. 448. 



xi one-Stone is generally considered as a foreign sub J 

 stance, said to be imported from Turkey j and has hereto- 

 fore been always mentioned by authors as such. I can only 

 say that we have a substance so nearly resembling it in 

 England, that it may very fairly be considered as the same j 

 and therefore I esteem the Hone a product of our own 

 country. It is more or less an attendant upon Slate. Its 

 colour is grey, light greenish grey, buff, and nearly white ; 

 its fracture splintery. I have it from the Carnarvonshire 

 hills, North Wales, (see the upper spe'cimen) of a cream-co- 

 lour, like what is usually called Turkey Hone. Such is 

 much esteemed by the cutlers at Sheffield, and is sold in 

 proportion to its quality. A piece of about six inches in 

 length, fit for sharpening a razor, was thought so excellent 

 as to be worth a guinea. Many varieties of Hone-Stone 

 are found near Conistone, in Lancashire, and are sometimes 

 6o prettily marked with dendrites as to have gained the ap- 

 pellation of Mocoa Stones*. The greenish Whetstone with- 



* Mocoa stone9 from Germany are perhaps coloured by Bitumen, but 

 those fr»m the East Indies by Manganese. In the first, the dendrites are apt 

 to wear out, in the latter they are durable- 



