C US 3 
VII. An Account of some analytical Experiments on a mineral 
Production from Devonshire , consisting principally of Alumine 
and IFater. By Humphry Davy, Esq. F. R. S. Professor of 
Chemistry in the Royal Institution. 
Read February 28, 3,805. 
I. Preliminary Observations. 
This fossil was found many years ago by Dr. Wavel, in a 
quarry near Barnstaple : Mr. Hatchett, who visited the place 
in 1796, described it as filling some of the cavities and veins 
in a rock of soft argillaceous shist. When first made known, 
it was considered as a zeolite ; Mr. Hatchett, however, con- 
cluded, from its geological position, that it most probably did 
not belong to that class of stones ; and Dr. Babington, from 
its physical characters, and from some experiments on its 
solution in acids, made at his request by Mr. Stockler, ascer- 
tained that it was a mineral body, as yet not described, and 
that it contained a considerable proportion of aluminous earth. 
It is to Dr. Babington that I am obliged for the opportu- 
nity of making a general investigation of its chemical nature ; 
and that gentleman liberally supplied me with specimens for 
analysis. 
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