MINERALOGY. 1$ 



SECT. XII. 



F. Stalaclitical Spar, Stalafiites CakaretiSi Sta* 

 laftites, Stone Icicle, or Drop-ftone; 



rhomboidal, cubical, or a plated form, with fmooth arid po* 

 lifhed furfaces, it is called (par; and as it is thus applied to 

 ftones of different kinds, without any regatd to their princi- 

 ples, one ought necefiarily to add fome term to exprefs the 

 conltituent parts at the fame time as the figure is mentioned t 

 for inrtance, Calcareous Spar, Gypfeous Spar, Flux Spar* 

 Shorl or Cockle Spar, Sec, This term, however, is not ap- 

 plied but only to earths, and fuch ores as are of the fame h> 

 gure 8s the Lead Spar, &c. 



All cryitallifed fpars, when broken, mew the fparry figure" 

 in their particles, ar.d the cryftallifaticn is to be afcribed to 

 the empty fpace left by the contiaclion of the fparry princi- 

 ple : fuch hole •. filled with Drufen of fpars, are in Swedifh 

 called Drokr, or Drufe-bol f. 



The figure of the cryftals varies more in this genus t!i<trt 

 in any other, for which no reafon can be afiigned • it ought 

 not to be afcribed to falts, as long as the prefence of any fuch 

 cannot be proved : bu: there are flrong indications tofufpecl, 

 that other fublrances may likewise have received the fame 

 property to aflame an angular furface on certain occafions* 

 See Mr. Cronftedt's Ir-rodudlory Speech at the Royal Acade- 

 my of Scienres at Stockholm. 



BefiCes. the conficieration of thofe figures is a thing of* 

 more curiofuy t.an of real ufe, becaufe no miner has yet 

 been able to make any conclufion relative to the quantity 

 or quality of the ores, from the difference of the figures of 

 fpars found along with tl^-m ; and the grotto makers never 

 take any notice of the angle? or fides, but think it fufiicient 

 for their purpofe, if they make a fine or glittering appear- 

 ance at a difcance. 



It would, neverthelefs, be well if any one would take up- 1 

 on himfelf the trouble to obferve, whether each fppcies of 

 fpar has not a certain determ ; na f e number of figures or fides, 

 within which it is confined, in its accretions. This has hi- 

 therto been impofiible to do, becaufe all (pedes of fpars have 

 been confounded together, without regard to their different 

 principles : though, for my part, I do iiot think it of any 

 great confequence. 



x Whv thu ?\]thrr fcyc In the that*. no*-e is of little confluence to 

 the Enelifh ftudent, as the name of fpar is never ufed with fuch latitude 

 in our language. All fpars cf this fiakey texture were by our former 

 writers, as Crew and Woodward, called Talcy Spars j but that tsrnn 

 row is juftly exploded. See my Lectures, D. C. 



C % This 



