238 Count de Bournon's Description of 
stone into Europe, but also respecting the information which, 
in consequence of his repeated inquiries, he had been able to 
obtain with regard to its local situation ; and it is chiefly to him 
that we are indebted, for nearly all the specimens of this stone 
which exist in the various collections, as well as for the attention 
which has been paid to it. 
From the moment when this stone became known, the 
opinions which were formed, respecting the place it ought 
to occupy in mineralogy, were very various ; indeed, it was 
natural they should be so, with regard to a stone which, as yet, 
was only known by means of a few specimens, (by no means 
sufficiently numerous to supply every collection,) and whose 
local situation, as well as every thing else relating to it, 
was totally unknown. It has suffered, in this respect, the fate 
usually attendant on things so circumstanced; yet, whatever 
erroneous notions have hitherto been entertained respecting it, 
it has at last, I trust, found the place assigned to it by nature 
and truth. 
The progress of chemistry, with respect to this stone, has 
not been more certain than that of mineralogy. It was first 
placed among those substances which were considered as com- 
posed of new earths ; afterwards it was classed among those 
which were found by analysis to be chiefly, and indeed almost 
exclusively, composed of argill. This was already a great step 
towards the knowledge of its real nature ; since it was thereby 
placed, if not by the side of, at least at a very inconsiderable 
distance from, the oriental gems, then known chiefly by the 
name of sapphire. 
It is, in fact, among those gems or stones, now known by 
the names of sapphire, oriental ruby, &c, that corundum ought 
