of the Pyrites. 53 



quantity, as may properly entitle it to be clafTed 

 with the yellow pyrites, nor, confequently, with 

 the copper ores. I never had an inflance of the 

 yellow pyrites in lime-flone, gypfum-ftone, ala- 

 bafler, &JV. How the cafe Hands with Hone-coal, 

 I know not. Sand- Hone, fo far as my experience 

 goes, mould have little of it : mufcles, periwinkles, 

 and the like fhells, reduced to pyrites, never have 

 a fufficient quantity of copper, to entitle them 

 to rank with the yellow pyrites, or copper-ores. 

 The white pyrites I never miffed, but in fhiver, 

 'till a fpecimen I once had, fhewed it there inter- 

 fperfed in grains. Having long, and in vain, 

 looked for it in lime-flone, a fample from Sweden 

 fhewed it alfo intermixed there : but in fand- 

 flone, fo far as my obfervations and enquiries 

 have gone, I never had any inflance of it. 



The pyrites is found alfo in water, but neither 

 as in its proper matrix, much lefs, as fpringing 

 from water, as from its feed. The curious 

 Dr. Daum, of Drefden, fent me, from the ifland 

 Heiligland, in Holflein, a pyrites, under the title of 

 marcafita aurea marina, which is fulphureous, arfeni- 

 cal, and alfo fomething coppery •, and moreover, 

 of a variety of figures. It is thrown on the more 

 by flrong eaflerly winds, and driven back again 

 into the lea, by weflerly. It was, undoubtedly, 

 lodged in earth, or rock, and broken loofe by 

 the waves. Dr. Major mentions fome remark- 

 able circumflances about it •, as, that in the fire 

 it will emit a kind of cinnabar, or rather, a fan- 

 darach, of the colour of cinnabar ; alfo flowers, 

 of an ultramarine colour •, though this I never 

 obferved, nor heard of, in any other pyrites -, nor 

 can I imagine it mould yield any fuch flowers. 

 Earth-blues, of which kind are ultramarine, chry* 

 focolld, mountain- green, and Malachites, are de- 

 rived, 'tis true, from copper-ores, and thus from 

 E 3 pyrites-, 



