208 
granular distinct concretions, is more or less 
translucent, semihard, brittle, easily fran- 
gible, is peculiar to the primitive and tran- 
sitive mountains, and is chiefly found in 
Italy, whence it is distributed over Europe, 
for the purpose of statuary. The white 
marble of Paros, or granular iiniestone, has 
long been celebrated. Scotland furnishes 
some beautiful varieties of marbles, whose 
Uses are well-known. 
The latter, or calc spar, is principally 
white, but has many shades. It occurs 
massive, disseminated, and chrystallized, 
either in six-sided prisms, or three-sided 
prisms. The lustre alternates from splend- 
ent to shining and glistening, and is most 
commonly vitreous. The massive va- 
rieties are translucent, and sometimes even 
transparent. It is found veinigenous in al- 
most every rock from granite to ihe newest 
floetz trap, occurs in a great variety of mine- 
ral veins, and is very universally dissemi- 
nated, but is found particularly beautiful in 
Derbyshire, in Ireland, Saxony, France, and 
Spain. 
3. Fibrous limestone, is of two varieties, 
common fibrous limestone, and fibrous lime- 
stone, or calc sinter. The former is com- 
monly greyish, reddish, or yellowish-white; 
missive, lustre glistening, fragments splin- 
tery, more or less translucent, semihard, and 
occurs only in small veins. 
The latter, or calc sinter, is principally 
white, of which it exhibits several beautiful 
varieties ; occurs massive, and also in many 
particular external forms ; internally is glim- 
mering and pearly. It is commonly found in 
curved lamellar distinct concretions, is more 
or less translucent, semihard, brittle, and easily 
frangible ; it is discovered in almost every 
limestone country. The grotto of Anti- 
paros, and similar situations, afford striking 
instances of calc sinter. It is the alabaster 
•of the ancients, and is still used in statuary. 
4. Pea-stone is commonly yellowish- 
white, massive, internally dull, opaque or 
translucent on the edges; soft, very easily 
frangible ; and is found in great masses in the 
vicinity of the hot springs at Carlsbad in 
Bohemia. It is composed of spherically 
round distinct concretions. All the varieties 
of limestone effervesce with acids. 
Fourth species. Schaum, or foaming earth , 
Is principally of a light yellowish colour ; 
occurs massive and disseminated ; is inter- 
mediate between shining and glistening; pre- 
sents large, coarse, small, and fine-grained 
distinct concretions; is generally opaque, 
soft, completely friable; feels fine, but not 
greasy, and cracks a little. It is found in 
cavities of the oldest floetz limetone in Thu- 
ringia, and in the north of Ireland. 
Fifth species. Slate spar. 
Its colour milky, and greenish or reddish- 
white ; occurs massive ; lustre intermediate 
between shining and glistening, and com- 
pletely pearly; fragments slaty, translucent, 
80ft, aiui pretty easily frangible. It is found 
in limestone-beds in primitive mountains, 
and is produced in Norway, Saxony, and 
Cornwall. 
Sixth species. Brown spar. 
This is divided into the following sub-spe- 
cies: 
1 . Foliated brown spar, is principally white 
MINERALOGY, 
and red, with several varieties of each. It 
occurs massive, globular, with tabular im- 
pressions, and frequently chrystallized, ex- 
ternally shining, internally alternating from 
shining to splendent. It is found in granular 
distinct concretions of all magnitudes ; is 
more or less translucent, semihard ; a little 
difficultly frangible, and occurs in veins ge- 
nerally accompanied with calc spar, See. in 
the mines of Norway, France, Germany, 
England, and other countries. 
2. Fibrous brown spar is of a flesh-red, 
passing into rose-red ; occurs massive, lustre 
glistening, fragments splintery, in other re- 
spects resembling the preceding. Hitherto 
it has been found only in Hungary and Tran- 
sylvania. 
Seventh species. Rhomb spar. 
Its colours are yellowish and greyish-white; 
occurs only in regular middle-sized rhombs ; 
lustre splendent, generally intermediate be- 
tween translucent and semitransparent; is 
semihard, brittle, easily frangible, and is 
found imbedded in rock's belonging to the 
talc genus in Switzerland, Sweden, and on 
the banks of Loch-lomond in Scotland. 
Eight species. Schaalstone. 
The most common colour is greyish-white; 
it occurs massive, is shining and nearly 
pearly, translucent, pretty hard, brittle, easily 
frangible, and has been hitherto found only 
in the Bannat ofTameswar, accompanied by 
copper ore. 
Ninth species. Stink-stone. 
Its colour is wood-brown, passing into vari- 
ous other shades. It occurs massive, and some- 
times disseminated through gyps, is dull or 
glimmering internally, translucent on the 
edges, rather soft, easily frangible, and when 
rubbed, emits an urinous smell. It is found 
in considerable quantities in the district of 
Mansfield in Thuringia. 
Tenth species. Marie, 
Which see. 
Eleventh species. Bituminous marie slate. 
Its colour is intermediate between grevish 
and brownish-black ; it is massive, from 
glimmering to shining, fragments slaty, usu- 
ally soft, not very brittle, easily frangible, and 
streak shining. It is found in beds along 
with the oldest floetz limestone, and contains 
much copper intermixed with it, on account 
of which it is usually smelted in Thuringia. 
Twelfth species. Calc tuff. 
The colour is yellowish-grey; it is gene- 
rally perforated or marked with the impres- 
sions of other substances, also amorphous, 
ramose, and corroded. Internally dull, 
substance opaque, soft, easily frangible, and 
approaching to swimming. It occurs in al- 
luvial land, and is found in Thuringia, at 
Gotha, and other places in Germany. 
Thirteenth species. Arragone. 
The principal colours are greenish-grev, 
and iron-grey. It occurs chrystallized in 
perfect equiangular six-sided prisms; the 
lustre is glistening, passing into shining, and 
is vitreous; it is semihard, brittle, not par- 
ticularly heavy, and plurpluresces a little. 
It was first discovered in the province of Ar- 
ragon, whence its name, imbedded in gvps, 
but has since been found in some other coun- 
tries of the continent. 
Fourteenth species. Apputite. 
'Fhe usual colours are white, green, blue,, 
and red; it generally occurs chrystallized! 
the radical form of which is the equiangular! 
six-sided prism. Externally it is splendent! 
internally shining and resinous. It is com-J 
monly transparent, semihard, brittle, easily! 
frangible, and occurs in tin veins in Saxony,! 
Bohemia, and in Cornwall. It has been con-1 
founded with schorl, &c. Fig. 20. 
Fifteenth species. Asparagus or spargel 
stone. 
The principal colour is asparagus-green ; 
it occurs only chrystallized in equiangular 
six-sided prisms, is internally shining, most; 
frequently translucent, semihard, easily 
frangible, and brittle. FJitherto it has been 
found only in Murcia in Spain, though sup- 
posed to be produced in Norway. It is 
nearly allied to appatite. Fig. 21. 
Sixteenth species. Bora cite. 
Its colours are yellowish, smoke and grey- 
ish white, passing to asparagus-green; 'it 
occurs in chrystallized cubes, with the edges 
and angles truncated, internally sinning, 
commonly semitransparent, semihard, brit- 
tle, and easily frangible. Hitherto it lias 
been discovered only at Luueburg in Ha- 
nover. Fig. 22. 
Seventeenth species. Fluor, 
Which see, also fig. 23. 
Eighteenth species. Gyps. 
This is divided into the following sub-spe- 
cies : 
1. Gyps earth is of a yellowish-white co- 
lour, passing into some allied shades, is inter- 
mediate between fine scaly and dusky, dull 
and feebly glimmering, soils a little, feels 
meagre but soft and fine, and is light. It is 
found, though rarely, in gyps countries, and 
is formed in the same manner as rock milk. 
It is used as a manure. 
2. Compact gyps, is commonly ash-grey, 
passing into smoke and yellowish-grey, is 
massive, internally dull, feebly translucent 
on the edges, very soft, frangible without 
great difficulty, and is employed in archi- 
tecture and sculpture, under the name of 
alabaster. 
3. Foliated gyps is commonly white, grey,-, 
or red, presenting spotted, striped, and vein- 
ed colour delineations. It occurs massive, 
and in blunt-edged pieces, but seldom in 
chrystals. Internally it alternates from shin-1 
ing and glistening to glimmering, is trans- 
lucent and duplicating, very sott, and not 
particularly difficultly frangible. It has been 
confounded with granular limestone. 
4. Fibrous gyps is principally white, grey,! 
and red, with various shades of each, it o'o4 
curs massive and dentiform, the internal lus- 
tre is usually glistening and pearly, com- 
monly semitransparent and translucent, very 
soft, and easily frangible. 
Fossils belonging to the gyps formation, 
occupy different situations. They are found 
in Switzerland, Thuringia, Derbyshire, Corn- 
wall, Moffat in Scotland, and other places. 1 
Gyps, when burnt, forms an excellent 
cement, and is used for many ornamental 
purposes. 
Nineteenth species. Selenite. 
Its principal colour is snow-white, passing 
into other neighbouring shades: is generally 
