Royal Physical Society. 5 



named by him Huinboldtine ; the other, an oxalate of lime, identical in 

 composition with that ordinarily precipitated by the chemist, has been 

 called after Dr Whewell. Some months ago Mr R. Greg of Norcliffe 

 Hall sent Dr Heddle for analysis a few white crystals, which had been 

 found, some five-and-twenty years ago, in a copper mine at the Old Man, 

 near Coniston Lake, in Westmoreland. From a hasty examination of 

 these, Mr Greg was led to suppose that he had found a new substance, 

 and the analytical result proved that he was right. Dr H. found the mi- 

 neral to be an oxalate of lime, differing from Whewellite in having six 

 additional atoms of water of crystallization. Associated with these white 

 crystals was a purplish-red substance, which, appearing to him to be new, 

 he submitted also to analysis, when it proved to be an oxalate of potash, 

 with ten atoms of water of crystallization. The colour was due to some 

 oxalate of cobalt. It is always desirable that a mineralogist should be 

 able to account for the occurrence of every substance which comes under 

 his notice. This is more especially the case when the substance is of an 

 organic nature, and in general we have little difficulty in satisfactorily 

 explaining even such occurrences. The mineral Humboldtine, for in- 

 stance, being found either embedded in lignite, or associated with decom- 

 posing succulent plants, leaves no room for doubting that, as it is organic 

 in its matrix, so also it is organic in its origin. He was afraid, however, 

 that their ingenuity would be taxed rather severely to account for the 

 three other oxalates which we are now acquainted with, two of these hav- 

 ing been found deep in the womb of earth, associated with a metallic lode. 

 He thought there could be little question that they were of secondary for- 

 mation, having resulted in some way or other from the operations con- 

 nected with the working of the mine ; but he professed to be perfectly 

 unable to offer any explanation which appeared even to himself to be 

 satisfactory. One theory had been brought forward, — a theory which he 

 could not but dissent from ; it is, that the minerals were originally bi- 

 carbonates, — that metallic potassium having been brought into contact 

 with them, an atom of oxygen was abstracted, the result being necessarily 

 oxalates. This did not appear satisfactory: neither bi-carbonate of lime 

 or of potash had yet been found in nature ; and he could not place him- 

 self among those who, whenever they wished to account for volcanic 

 action, or to get out of any difficulty, called in the aid of metallic potas- 

 sium. He was very far from thinking that no satisfactory theory could 

 be brought forward, but he was content for the present to look upon the 

 occurrence of these oxalates as one of many proofs that as yet we know 

 but too little of the operations carried on in nature's laboratory. The 

 first of these minerals had been named, by Mr Greg, Conistonite, from the 

 locality ; and the second Heddlite, after the analyst. 



II. On a Raised Sea Bottom, near Filluide Bank, between Leith and 

 Portobello. By Hugh Miller, Esq. 



