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210 
astringent taste, and feels a little greasy. It 
oozes out of fissures of rocks of alum slate, 
and is found in Lusatia, Thuringia, Denmark, 
Siberia, and near Paisley in Scotland. 
Tenth species. Natural vitriol 
Is divided into the three following sub- 
species: 
1. Iron vitriol, is commonly of an emerald 
and verdigris green. It occurs massive, tu- 
berose, stalactitic, and chrystallized in differ- 
ent iigures ; is splendent and vitreous, has a 
sahne consistence, and a sourish astringent 
taste. It is found usually along with iron 
pyrites, by the decomposition of which it is 
formed, in different countries of continental 
Europe, in many of the English mines, and 
in America. It is employed to dye linen 
yellow, and wool and silk black, in the pre- 
paration of ink, as a paint, &c. 
2 .Copper vitriol, is usually of a dark sky- 
blue colour. It occurs massive, dissemi- 
nated, stalactitic, dentiform, and chrystal- 
lizcd ; is translucent, soft, very brittle, and 
has a styptic taste. It is found in various 
rniiung countries, in Wicklow, and in Angie- 
sea. It is used in cotton and linen printing, 
and when prepared is employed by painters. 
3. Zinc vitriol, is of a greyish, yellowish, 
reddish, and greenish-white colour, (t oc- 
curs tuberose, stalactitic, and coralloidal, is 
translucent, of a saline consistence, and a stvp- 
tic taste. It is produced most abundantly 
where much blende occurs, and is found in 
Austria, Hungary, and Sweden. 
Here it must be remarked, that borax, 
though so well known by name, is without a 
place in the Wernerian system, as it is un- 
certain whether or not it occurs in a solid 
state. It is most probable that it occurs only 
in solution in certain lakes. See Borax. 
'1 lie new genus stallite, of which only one 
species, cryolite, lias been found in Green- 
land, seems properly to come under this 
head. 
CLASS III. 
Inflammable Fossils. 
Fossils belonging to this class are light, 
brittle, mostly opaque, yellow, brown, or 
black, seldom chrystallized, and never feel 
cohl. They are more nearly allied to the 
metallic than to the earthy or saline classes. 
First Genus. 
Sulfkur Genus. 
First species. Natural sulphur. 
It contains the two following sub-species : 
1. Common natural sulphur, is of the co- 
lour the name expresses, but of different de- 
grees of intensity. It occurs massive, disse- 
minated, and chrystallized in octahedrons or 
double six-sided pyramids, is internally be- 
tween shining and glistening, translucent, in 
chrvstals frequently transparent, very soft, 
easily frangible, and light. 
It is found in masses in gyps, in veins that 
traverse primitive rocks, in nests of lime- 
stone, and in other situations, and is pro- 
duced in every quarter of the world, though 
in the British dominions it seems to be con- 
fined to Ireland. 
2. Volcanic natural sulphur is of the co- 
lour the name imports, but with a consider- 
able tinge of green. It occurs corroded, ve- 
sicular, perforated, amorphous, and some- 
times as a sublimate in flowers, is glistening 
and resinous, and translucent in a slight de- 
MJNERALOGY. 
gree. It is found only in volcanic countries, 
and among lava, but is produced in great 
abundance; and is employed in medicine, in 
the composition of gunpowder, and as a va- 
pour in whitening wool and silk. 
Second Genus. 
Bituminous Gejius. See Bitumens. 
First species. Frozen coal. See Coal. 
Fourth Genus. 
Graphite Genus. 
First species. Glance coal. 
This is divided into two sub-species : 
1. Conchoidul glance coal, is of an iron- 
black colour, of different degrees of intensity', 
occurs massive and vesicular, internally shin- 
ing, bordering sometimes on semi hard, 
brittle> easily frangible, and light. It bums 
without flame or smell, and has hitherto been 
found only in the newest floetz mass forma- 
tion, accompanied with other kinds of coal, 
at Meissner in Hessia. The fracture is con- 
choidal. 
2. Slaty glance coal, is of a dark iron-black 
colour, occurs massive, is shining and glis- 
tening, soft, very easily frangible, light, and 
intermediate between sectiie and brittle. It 
is found imbeded in masses, beds, and veins, 
in primitive, transitive, and floetz rocks, 
and is produced in Spain, Savoy, Saxony, 
Bohemia, and in the isle of Arran in Scot- 
land. its principal fracture is more or less 
slaty. 
Second species. Graphite. 
This contains two sub-species : 
1. Scaly graphite, is commonly of a dark 
steel-grey colour. It occurs massive and 
disseminated, is usually glistening, fracture 
scaly-foliated, is very soft, perfectly sectiie, 
writes and soils, feels very greasy, and is ra- 
ther difficultly frangible. 
2. Coippact graphite, is rather blacker 
than the preceding, is internally glimmering 
with a metallic lustre, fracture fine-grained, 
in other respects agreeing with the preced- 
ing. It usually occurs in beds, and is found 
near Keswick in England, in Ayrshire in 
Scotland, and jn various other parts of Eu- 
rope, Asia, and Africa. The finer kinds are 
first boiled in oil, and then cut into pencils. 
The coarser parts and sawings are melted 
with sulphur, and then cast into coarse pen- 
cils for the ’use of artificers. It is likewise 
applied to various other purposes, under the 
vulgar name of black lead. 
Third species. Mineral charcoal. 
The colour is a greyish-black. It occurs 
in small angular and somewhat cubical-shaped 
pieces, is glimmering, with a silky lustre, 
soils strongly, is soft, and light. It'is found 
in thin layers in different kinds of coal, and 
is widely disseminated. 
Fifth Genus. 
Resin Genus. See Resins. 
- First species. Amber. 
This is divided into the two following sub- 
species: 
1. White amber, is of a straw-yellowish 
colour. It occurs massive, and sometimes 
associated with the following sub-species, is 
glistening with a resinbus lustre, fracture con- 
choidal, and simply translucent. 
2. Yellow amber, is of a wax-yellow co- 
lour, passing into several neighbouring shades. 
It occurs always in indeterminately angular 
blunt-edged pieces, is externally dull, inter- 
nally splendent, with a vitreous and resinous 
lustre. It is transparent, soft, rather brittle, 
pretty easily frangible, light, and swimming. 
It burns with a yellow-coloured flame, emit- 
ting an agreeable odour; when rubbed, it 
acquires a strong negative electrical virtue ; 
is found in layers of bituminous wood, and 
in moor coal, on sandy sea-sliores, and fre- 
quently floating on the sea. It is chiefly- 
produced on the coasts of Prussia, in Sweden, 
Norway, &c. and according to some, has 
been found in the alluvial land near London. 
It admits of a fine polish, and is cut into 
necklaces, bracelets, snuff-boxes, and various 
other articles. The oil and acid obtained 
from it are used in medicine. 
Second species. Honey-stone. 
See Mellite. 
CLASS IV. 
Metallic Fossils. 
First, Platina Genus. 
First species. Native platina. 
The colour is very light steel-grey, ap- 
proaching to silver-white. It occurs in flat, 
smooth, and smallish grains, externally shin- 
ing, lustre metallic, intermediate between 
semihard and soft, completely malleable, 
pretty flexible, and very heavy, its specific 
gravity being about 15.6. 
Platina is the least fusible of metals, and 
does not amalgamate with mercury. Jt has 
hitherto been found only in sand accom- 
panied with other metals, and is produced in 
South America, and probably also in St. Do- 
mingo and Barbadoes. From the peculiar 
qualities it possesses of resisting the action of 
many salts, of remaining unaltered in the air, 
and of receiving a fine polish, it has been 
rendered subservient to several purposes in 
chemistry and the arts. See Platina. 
Second Genus. Gold. 
First species. Native gold. 
This is divided into three sub-spccies : 
L Gold-yellow native gold, is of a perfect 
colour, corresponding to its name. It seldom 
occurs massive, often disseminated in mem- 
branes, in roundish and flatfish pieces, in 
grains, and also chrystallized in cubes, octa- 
hedrons, simple three-sided pyramids, garnet 
dodecahedrons, and acute double eight-sided 
pyramids. External lustre of the chrystals is 
splendent; internally it is glimmering, pass- 
ing into glistening. It is soft, completely 
malleable, flexile, and uncommonly heavy. It 
is found in veins, beds, disseminated in rocks, 
and in grains, in almost every country of the 
world, but commonly in too small quantities 
to be collected for use. America and Africa 
supply the largest quantities. 
2. Brass-yellow native gold, is principally 
of the colour of brass, occurs disseminated, 
capillary, moss-like, reticulated, and in leaves* 
also chrystallized in thin six-sided cubes, and 
is rather lighter than the preceding. It is 
found in different situations in Bohemia, 
Transylvania, and Norway. 
3. Greyish-yellow native gold, is of a brass- 
yellow colour falling into steel-grey, occurs 
in very small flatfish grains like platina, and 
is found with that metal. 
Third Genus, Mercury, which see. 
