WARD’S NATURAL SCIENCE BULLETIN. 
An Antient Mineralogist. 
It is well, after the lapse of a certain time, to 
look back and compare the results achieved with 
those of preceding periods, and take note of the 
progress. In no field is the change apt to be so 
startling as in the classifications of science. In 
a quaint old volume now before me (A History 
of Fossils, by John Hill: London, 1748) lies em- 
balmed the attainments in the knowledge of the 
inorganic world at a time when a single mind 
could still easily survey the whole domain. Hill’s 
work marks, in a manner, the turning point 
of the old science into the new — the time when 
the first faint glimmerings of the new method — 
that nature could be best studied at first hand, 
instead of through vagaries recorded and indef- 
initely repeated in books — began to dawn upon 
a few advanced minds, and for this new method 
the author strenuously pleads. 
“After it is found how little assistance can be 
had from books in order to a true knowledge of 
Fossils, recourse is naturally to be had to the 
bodies themselves. Though crystal and spar are 
both, in their purer state, angular and pellucid, 
yet when we find crystal untouched by acid 
menstrua, unaltered in a moderate fire, and giv- 
ing sparks of fire on collision with steel; and 
spar, on the contrary, effervescing with and sol- 
uble in acid menstrua, readily calcining in a 
small fire, and not giying sparks with steel, we 
shall assuredly know that these are bodies of 
different classes, and be able to distinguish spar 
from crystal whenever so pellucid; and crystal 
whenever so opalte, from spar.” 
But from the relatively restricted knowledge 
of the time, the author’s good intentions are in 
some degree frustrated. Everything that comes 
out of the ground is to him a fossil, and so his 
book is a history of fossils. The bodies to which 
we now apply this term he only treats incident- 
ally as “ extraneous fossils, which are bodies of 
the animal or vegetable kingdoms accidentally 
buried in the earth,” and which, he says, “belong 
properly to the histories of plants and animals.” 
Starting out in his classification with the 
earths, he divides them into moist and dry, and 
these again into “ boles, clays, marles, ochres 
and tripelas.” For many of his divisions, as 
well 1 for his substances, he was obliged to in- 
vent names, and he makes the pardonable mis- 
take of describing the same material, under dif- 
ferent physical conditions, often several times; 
but he has exercised such care in description that 
it is usually not difficult to recognize the mineral 
he has in mind. It is easy, for instance, to detect 
ordinary mica as a kind of “ Speculares” which, 
in its turn, he makes an order of the Talcs; while 
one form of talc falls under Bractearia, which he 
defines as “Talcs, composed of small plates in 
form of spangles.” After describing this brac- 
tearium with small spangles, he adds: “The 
chymists have been very fond of the notion of 
an oil of talc, with which they imagined they 
should be able to fix mercury, and turn it into 
silver; but, even if their oil had that power, it 
seems so difficult to be come at, that they would 
not soon get rich by it; all the fluids they pro- 
duce as oil of talc, are evidently the product, not 
of talc, but of the various other ingredients they 
have employed in the making them ’’—not bad 
judgment. 
Under Asbesti andAmianthi he includes differ- 
ent forms of asbestus, of the incombustibility of 
which he appears well informed. Of one vari- 
ety, which he calls “Amianthus rigidus,” he re- 
marks,^ “ This is the fossil usually known in the 
shops under the name of Alumen Plumosum, 
though it is something wonderful how it came 
originally to be mistaken for that substance, 
since it has neither the taste, nor any one of the 
properties or qualities of alum,” which enables 
him to get in a sly hit at the physicians of the 
day in this amusing style: “It is very happy for 
us that physicians have forgot to prescribe alu- 
men plumosum, since the apothecaries have no 
idea of any other fossil of that name, than this, 
and would inevitably use this for it, where it was 
to be had; how very improper it must be for in- 
ternal use, may be judged from its effects when 
applied externally, its spiculae making their way 
into, and lodging themselves in the skin, and 
occasioning swellings, with the most intolerable 
itching; a subject, which my having been much 
handling it, while writing this account, and 
since thoughtlessly rubbing my face with part of 
its spiculae remaining on my fingers, makes me 
at this instant able to write very feelingly 
about. ” 
The chapter “ Of Crystal in General” evinces 
much sound judgment. Our author was familiar 
with the fact that water frequently contains min- 
eral matter in solution, which is deposited on 
evaporation, by the aid of “that stronger mens- 
truum fire,” as he terms it, and in opposition to a 
prevailing opinion he says: “In regard to the 
much celebrated and generally credited experi- 
ment of converting water to earth by repeated 
distillations, I am sensible that the thing has heen 
reported to have been tried and believed by the 
best chymists; but from the few trials I have 
made of water on this occasion, I am assured the 
process is impracticable. * * * No part of 
the water is, in these processes, at all converted 
into earth, but a small quantity only of stony 
matter suspended in the water is thus separated 
from it; and after a second distillation carefully 
and properly made, no more solid matter can be 
procured from the water.” Iceland spar and its 
doubly refracting property, he knew, and of the 
haloids, which he classifies as “ Simple Salts,” 
he was familiar with muria or alimentary salt, 
natrum, alum and borax. 
Being a scholar, the discussion of alum gives 
him opportunity to disclose his reverence for the 
Antients. “ Whoever will look into the German 
shops, and into such of ours as keep what they 
call alumen plumosum, will find this amianthus 
preserved under its name, and even many who 
have written of drugs, have confounded them 
together; whoever will consider this, and com- 
pare it with what Diosoorides has left us, it will 
appear one of those instances in which the An- 
tients, whom some are so fond of thinking knew 
nothing, really knew more than many of the 
Moderns in their own professions.” 
Of sulphur he recognizes four kinds, 8. flaves- 
cens, virescens, cinereum, rubrum, or yellow, green- 
ish, grey and red, the latter of which, “ examined 
by the microscope, is a very glorious object.” 
Orpiment— “ broad-flaked, gold coloured orpi- 
ment,” he describes as “an extremely elegant 
fossil, well known and much esteemed in all 
ages,” and mentions its making “ the finest of all 
yellow in painting.” The hydrocarbons then 
known, he classes as “Phlogiscieria,” including 
“Ambergrise,” which he says, is “of great use to 
the perfumers, and is sometimes prescribed with 
us in medicine.” But although “a cordial, a 
strengthener, and a prolonger of life,” he is con- 
strained to admit that “ it was not known to the 
Antients.” 
Of asphaltum he distinguishes three kinds — a 
“ light shining-black” variety, and two stinking 
asphaltums. Of the first he remarks, “ it is the 
species that ought to be used in medicine, but 
very little of it gets to us; the present practice, 
indeed, takes very little notice of it, and in what- 
ever compositions it is ordered, our druggists 
compel us to use the stinking species in its 
place.” Several kinds of coal are described, and 
well described, as is also naptha. 
Among the marmora or marbles, which the 
author endeavors to identify with those known 
to the ancients, he includes a “hard, black col- 
umnar marble, the Giant’s Causeway of Ireland,” 
which he says, “ ferments the least,” and is 
“ most slightly affected in Aqua Fortis; ” and 
further states that “it is also called Basaltes.” 
His “white veined, green, variegated marble,” 
which “ ferments briskly in all its parts except 
the green flaky ones, with Aqua Fortis, but most 
violently in the white,” is readily recognized as 
verd antique. 
Septaria form a class of Fossils, and are divided 
into two orders and six genera, according to the 
size and arrangement of the septa; while Geodes 
— “ a very fine and singular fossil,” are of five 
kinds: _ “Cracked Geodes, Wrinkled Geodes, 
Sparkling Geodes, Long Scabrous Geodes, and 
Long scabrous Geodes with a single blackish 
crust.” It might be difficult to discover in “Glob- 
ose Pyriplacis, with a cracked coat,” or in “By- 
ritrichi phylum, with a foliaceous superficies,” 
varieties of common iron pyrites, but considering 
the circumstances, we may be charitable. 
8 
It would be easy to go on almost indefinitely 
in selecting examples of the interesting style of 
our author, but the query arises whether our 
present classifications will be any less amusing a 
hundred and fifty years hence. John Hill did 
good work in his day, for which he deserves all 
credit. Would that all modern writers had the 
same conscientious spirit, and love of accuracy 
as this ancient mineralogist. F. W. 8. 
MINERALOGY. 
Since the issue of the last Bulletin we have 
received in this department a series of magnifi 
cent 
S TIB KITES, 
From Japan; 
YANADINITES 
From Arizona; 
STILBITES, ) 
HEULANDITES, Vfrom Nova Scotia; 
LAUMONITES, ) 
COLUMBITE, 
IOLITE, 
MARCASITE, 
CALCITE, 
GALENA, 
ATACAM1TE, 
MR. HOWELL IN EUROPE. 
Since Mr. Howell’s departure for Europe, Jan. 
26th, we have received from him many interest- 
ing letters from Naples, Rome, Venice, Florence, 
Bonn, Berlin, Prague, Paris, etc., etc., all dis- 
coursing on the many choice specimens in the way 
of minerals that he has succeeded in obtaining. 
We give below a partial list of the specimens, 
taken from his various letters. 
Idocrase , Garnets, Micas, Olivines, Cavolinite . 
Nephelite, Marialite, Meionite, Leudtes, Sulphurs, 
Pyrrhotites, Atacamites, Peridase, Tenorite, Hem- 
atites, Pyroxenes, Amphiboles, Spinels, Fioriie, 
Wollastonite, Humboldtilite, Monticellite, Bmitlison- 
ites (of various colors), Aragonites (the beautiful 
Flos Ferri or Flowers of Iron) from Greece, Anal- 
eites, Selenites, Celestites, Herschelite, Halites, 
Thompsonites, Humites, Hydrodolomite, Scherma- 
gite, Ohalcanthite, Huchorite, Dolomite, Phillipsite, 
Humite, Labradorite, Anorthite, Halotrichite, Go- 
quimbite, Azurite, Aurichalcite, Tourmalines (from 
Elba), Potulsk and Toluca Meteors, Cuprite crys- 
tals, etc., etc. Also a large suite of Italian Mar- 
bles, as well as many other varieties that are too 
numerous to mention. 
Mr. Howell has also purchased many fossils, 
the lists of which will be given in a future Bul- 
letin. 
At the present time, however, none of the boxes 
containing the above specimens have been received, 
but over sixty of them are announced as now 
on the way, and will arrive during the coming 
month. 
from Conn. ; 
from Illinois; 
from Chili. 
