140 Derivations of Mineral Names. 
regarded as referring to the fact that the crystals are small, rare, not 
showy, and were long unnoticed.” 
YENITE is a name given by the French scientist Le Lievre, in 
1807, to a mineral found on the Island of Elba. The name was 
bestowed in commemoration of the battle of Jena, October 14th, 
1806, in which Bonaparte almost annihilated the Prussian army. 
Apart from the fact that the name should have been formed 
Jenite or Jenaite, the ungenerous spirit which prompted an intro- 
duction of political feelings into scientific matters was repudiated 
by Le Lievre’s own countrymen, as well as by the displeased Ger- 
mans: the name I/vaite—from the L. name of Elba—given to the 
mineral by Steffens in 1811, was substituted for Yenite. 
The hereditary rivalry between the French and German nations 
has found expression, within the last few years, in the naming of 
two newly-discovered elements: Gallium was named by a patriotic 
Frenchman, only to be followed by Germanium a short time after. 
8. Naming minerals after localities is by no means an innovation, 
as the following examples will show :— 
Magnetite.—About 400 B.c. the Greek term 2edoc ‘Hpaxieca 
was used by Plato to designate a mineral with magnetic power. 
Pliny quotes it as Heraclion. Probably it was named after Hercu- 
les (Herakles) in intimation of its strength (lapis Herculeus was 
used in the sixteenth century), rather than after the town of Her- 
aclea in Lydia. Pliny claims that it was named after a shepherd, 
its discoverer.' 
Later on, Dioscorides a. o. use the term deo¢g parys, describing 
a magnetic stone supposed to have come from Magnesia, a portion 
of Thessaly. JePog payvytyc, used by Dioscorides also, referred to 
soapstone or talc, so far as can be determined. (Dana and Pape.) 
The name reached Germany in the period of M. H. G. and took 
the form of aget-stein or agt-stein. It was applied rather indiscrimi- 
nately, and apparently to amber by preference. The latter attracts 
small bits of paper and wool, ete., after having been subjected to 
friction. 
1 “Sideritin ab hoc alio nomine apellant, quidam Heracleon. Magnes — 
apellatus ab inventore (autor est Nicander [about 150 B.C.])in Ida reper” 
tus 
est.” . . . “ Invenisse autem fertur, clavis crepidarum et baculi cus- 
pide herentibus, cum armenta pasceret.”’ 
è 
