284 
THE COMPOSITION OF THE SPAR OCCURRING IN MOTHER SHIPTON's CAVE, 
KNARESBOROUGH. 
BY B. A. BURRELL, F.I.C. 
{Read October 1th, 1897.) 
The occurrence of Strontium Sulphate at Knaresborough had 
been noticed as early as 1811, for in the Transactions of the Geo- 
logical Societ}^ vol. iv. p. 445, we find an extract from the minute 
book stating " that a letter from Dr. Murray, of Harrogate, to Mr. 
Sowerby, was read mentioning that sulphate of strontian had been 
found on the banks of the Nidd, near Knaresborough." 
The Edinburgh Phil. Journal, Jan. 1825, vol. xii., p. 178, 179, 
also refers to the same subject. " Most of the native combinations 
of strontites, have of late been found by Dr. Peter Murray in the 
W. R. of the County of York, in the vicinity of Knaresborough. 
. . . Of the sulphate, three varieties have been noticed upon the 
banks of the Nidd, near Knaresborough." 
Strontium in the form of Carbonate is found in the Bilton Spa 
Water (Attfield's analysis), and the writer has shown that it is also 
present in the water of the Dropping Well as sulphate."^ 
It is evident that Strontium compounds occur to some consider- 
able extent in this district, and it seemed to be an interesting point 
to ascertain whether they were present in more than the very small 
traces which Roscoe states are to be generally found in many kinds 
of limestone.! 
The analysis of the spar occurring in Mother Shipton's Cave is 
now submitted as a first instalment to the solution of this question. 
The spar may be seen in fissures of the rock at the back of the cave, 
and from its appearance it is evidently the deposit from some ancient 
calcareous spring, whose waters have been highly charged with 
Carbonic Acid, thus enabling them to dissolve large quantities of 
* Transactions of the Chemical Society, May 1896, vol. 69. Proc. Yorksh. 
Geol. & Polyt. Soc, vol. xiii., pt. ii., 1896. 
t Roscoe & Schorlemrner. Treatise on Chemistry, vol. ii., pt. i., p. 218. 
