
          I doubt its being pure Sal. strontium however. I do not
know what it is. I wish you to let [crossed out: ?] some person, whose
trade has made him familiar with brazing pieces of 
iron together, use the Schoharie mineral [added: finely pulverized] as a flux instead
of borax. Then let him use any acknowledged Sal. 
Baryte, in a familiar experiment. You will find the
latter mineral will not answer the purpose; but the
Shoharie mineral will, though it will require a
little higher heat. I am inclined to [crossed out:?] conjecture,]
that the mineral may consist of Sal. barytes and Sal.
strontian combined, as Car. lime and Car. magnesia are
combined in dolomite, from a few experiments I
have made; though I have by no means come
to a conclusion. Let me tell you one fact. Pieces
dug out of the rock are always blue and of a specific
gravity about equal to barytes. After being
exposed to air, light, moisture &c.[etc.] a while, the
same mineral becomes almost white and of much
lower specific gravity. Certainly nothing like
this takes place in the Sal. barytes of Southampton, 
Hatfield or the Little falls. At the Little 
falls it is white and first and becomes reddish
on exposure, without any change of specific
gravity. If the Schoharie mineral contains no strotian,
he must be more than mad, who believes
it contains nothing different from the Sal. barytes
of other localities. I do not believe [added: it] is simply either
Sal. barytes or Sal. Strontian. You wonder why I
will not yield. If you should see tons of Sal barytes
of S. Hampton, Hatfield, Little falls &c.[etc.] as I have;
and then see a little worth of the Schoharie mineral;
you would say, onwe would be as excusable for summoning
quartz and chalk the same mineral, as
he who should pronounce these the same. I know there is
a difference among the varieties of many species. But I
know of no case where the difference is so great. I know I am
not obstinate. I am extremely anxious for the truth in this
case. I am not committed at all; for I never pretended to
have fairly experimented upon it. I [?] [?] merely by external character at
        