M I N E R 
produced by putrefcence. From thefe, by cryftalliza¬ 
tion of attraaion, ftones are re-produced, which by the 
variation of the elements are repeatedly refolved into 
earths, and again regenerated by a like perennial circle. 
Clay, the precipitation of vifcid fea-water, is opake, 
plaftic, friable, hardening in the air, and not fufible by 
the aftion of fire. 
Sanct, the cryftallization of turbid rain-water, is hy¬ 
aline, without moifture, fcintillant, of the fame perma- 
ment hardnefs, and fufible into glafs. 
Soil, the refolution of afcefcent vegetables, is black, 
bibulous, reducible to duft, inflammable, and combuf- 
tible. . . 
Calx, the resolution of putrefcent animals, is whitifh, 
abforbent, farinaceous when dry, penetrable, and effer- 
vefcing with acids. 
Clay, the earth of marine water, formerly oppofed to 
muria, fordid, vifcid, flippery to the touch, impalpable, 
without regular fliape, tough, opake, and becoming plaf¬ 
tic by the addition of moifture; in its native Situation 
jnoift, becoming friable when dry, hardening by ignition, 
not fufible by the greateft degree of heat, but when mixed 
with other heterogeneous fubftances becoming varioufly 
Shaped by fire ; after remaining a long time dry, and cora- 
prefled, is hardened into raffle Talc, which by refolution 
is often regenerated into fibrous AJbeJlus, but when mi¬ 
nutely refolved, is in a wonderful manner reproduced 
into Italy Mica. 
Sand, the earth of rain-water, impregnated with ethe¬ 
real nitre, Shining, fixed, rigid, rough, cryftalline, hyaline, 
not foftening in water, ftriking fire with fteel, of perma¬ 
nent hardnefs in ignition, but fufible into glafs by the 
greateft degree of heat; call upon the continent and dried, 
it forms the Aranea mobilis, which worn by age and be¬ 
come friable is the Aranea glarea;. each becoming moift 
under ground, obliquely and tranfverfely cleft, and ulti¬ 
mately uniting and forming Saiid-Jione by minute atoms 
of cryftallizations, or mixed with humid extraneous fub¬ 
ftances is cemented into Gravel, and this again into va¬ 
rious ftones, ftones into rocks, but when refolved and re- 
cryftallized it forms Quartz. 
Soil, the earth of vegetables, eagerly combining with 
nitre, acefcent, of a black colour, greedily imbibing 
moifture, crumbling into powder in frailure, reducible 
to dull when dry, flaming in ignition, combuftible in a 
greater degree of heat, by continued compreflion is indu¬ 
rated into fiflile l'chift, which whert faturated with bitu¬ 
men becomes Coal. Schift is however often refolved into 
earthy Ochre, which by multiplied mineralization is rege¬ 
nerated into Toph. 
Calx, the earth of animals, combined with Natrum, 
alkaline, of a whitilh colour, ablorbing acids eafily Scraped 
with a knife, farinaceous when dry, penetrable by fire, 
eftervefcing when burnt, calcifying moift and argillaceous 
extraneous fubftances into Marble; but, when resolved 
and faturated with acid, is re-cryftallized into GypJ'am, 
not again eftervefcing with acid without depuration by 
fire; and each is refolved by the elements into farinous 
Chalk , concreting by ethereal water into Flint, but when 
refolved is re-cryftallized into Spar. Thefe are the mothers 
■ of/tones. 
Stones grow from earths, are again refolved, and again 
reproduced. 
Clay is attracted into Talc, refolved into Lithomarg, 
and regenerated into Amiant. 
Sand, accretes together into Free-ftone, is refolved into 
Gravel, and regenerated into Rock. 
■ Soil is.cemented into Schiji, refolved into Ochre, and 
regenerated into Toph. 
Calx is coagulated into Marble, refolved into Chalk, 
and regenerated into Alabufter. 
Diaphanous ftones have their origin from a fluid mo¬ 
ther, opake ftones from a fixed one. They are often 
tinged with a vitriolic alumen, varying in colour aecord- 
A L O G Yo 4-35 
ing to their various tinctures; and by thefe are filled and 
confolidated with a cicatrix the fiflures of rocks. 
Mica, the concretion of clay, is fcaly, flexile, opake, 
fliining, becoming more rigid in ignition, and at the fame 
time more fliining. 
Quartz , the cryftallization of elementary water, is pel¬ 
lucid, hard, from the watery cavities of rocks, and there¬ 
fore always paraiitic ; its cryftals being often oblcured by 
abrafion, or by its bulk. 
Spar, the cryftallization of calcareous water, is diapha¬ 
nous, fragile, whofe internal rhombs an adept will eafily 
diftinguiSh from a different cryflal; adulterated with iron, 
it becomes harder, and ltrikes fire with fteel. 
Crystals are flony, produced in and from water im¬ 
pregnated but not faturated with fait, which abounds with 
impalpable terreftial atoms, and is retained in the cavities 
of ftones. They increafe by long and undilturbed habi¬ 
tation, and are not again foluble by water into impalpa¬ 
ble atoms. In their many-fided figure they differ from 
all other ftones ; nor have they any other, however com¬ 
mon to moll falts, which is the foie caufe of cryftallization 
at prefent known; nor would falts have a determinate 
figure unlefs by fimilar incorporation. Stalaflite acretes 
with a cryftalline covering, in like manner as calculus; 
and no one will venture to fuppofe that cryftals can exift 
without fait, or deny that the earth is cryftallized by falts. 
Their tranlparency is derived from their atomical con¬ 
struction, and their colour from metals. The value of 
gems is according to their transparency, hardnefs, perma¬ 
nency, and colour; and, from their being the principal 
inftruments of human luxury, are often imitated by the 
frauds of trade. 
Vitriol, the product of alum, intimately allied to me¬ 
tal, is of different appearance and figure according to the 
nature of the metal, of which the molt frequent are Iron, 
Coppei> and Zink; fome therefore molt commonly be¬ 
come Sulphureous Pyrites, others terrene Ochres. Dif¬ 
ferent Pyrites affume different figures, whofe earth into 
which it is refolved is ufualiy denominated Ochre; which, 
when proceeding from Iron is yellow, and becomes red 
when burnt; when from Copper, by acid is green, by 
alkali blue: l'o that ftones which are yellow or red, are 
principally from Iron; thofe which are green or blue, 
from Copper. Each kind of Ochre, by cryftallization, 
coagulates earths into Tophs. 
Metals are fupra-decompound, and confift of Earth, 
Salt, and Sulphur. Iron, whenever prefent, is often dif- 
l'olved by the elements ; and when diffolved by vitriolic 
fait and an Ocraceous earth precipitated, Iron by cryftal¬ 
lization cements earths into ftones, and abforbed is mul¬ 
tiplied by metal, and fo produces many times more than 
it had primarily received. Vitriol Stagnating in the fiffures 
of rocks retaining water, when multiplied and precipitated 
by a long laple of time, paffes into a vein, which, when 
opened tranfverfely and filled up with a different earth, 
will forthwith change the metallic vein into a different 
one; as, from Iron or Copper, Lead often becomes en¬ 
riched with Silver, &c. For the fame vein, by variable 
modification, may abound in Alum, Vitriol, Arl'enic, Sul¬ 
phur, Iron, Copper, Gold, Silver, Antimony, Lead, Zink, 
or Bifimuth. 
Rocks, appearing like the prominent bones of the 
earth, are of great bulk, folidity, and longevity; com- 
pofed of fand, gravel, opake and diaphanous ftones,. with 
every-where argillaceous, and often talcofe, fubftances 
intermixed ; and are at length cemented into more folid 
maffes, with a various and irregular mixture of cryftals 
of Quartz, Mica, and Spar. That thefe are the offspring 
of time and the ftrata of nature, no one will doubt, whofe 
constituent parts are to everyone palpable. In thefe the 
metallurgist will discover the matrices of minerals, many- 
fliaped from their mixture, and diversified in fire. 
Petrifactions are rather the parents than the pro¬ 
duct of marmoreous mountains, and may. confift of as 
many 
X 
