362         ' Asphaltum  and  Amber  from  Vincentown.  {Am){\y%i7h9*Ivr' 
streak  and  powder  appear  brown.  It  melts  easily  in  the  flame,  like 
wax,  and  burns  with  a  yellow  smoky  flame,  leaving,  after  burning,  a 
voluminous  coal  and  but  little  ashes.  In  water,  alcohol  and  solution 
of  caustic  potassa,  it  is  not  soluble.  It  dissolves  in  chloroform  and  in 
oil  of  turpentine.  In  ether  it  dissolves  with  difficulty,  forming  a 
yellowish-brown  solution  by  transmitted  and  a  dirty  greenish  solution  by 
reflected  light.  Oil  of  vitriol  dissolves  it  into  a  black  liquor,  which,, 
when  poured  into  water,  shows  that  a  part  of  the  substance  is  retained 
in  solution,  whilst  another  subsides  as  a  dark-colored  powder.  Nitric 
acid  reacts  on  the  substance  at  an  elevated  temperature,  forming  there- 
with soluble  products  of  oxidation. 
Not  far  from  the  pit  from  which  the  asphaltum  had  been  obtained,  a 
a  specimen  of  yellow  mineral  resin  was  found.  It  occurs  frequently 
in  the  marl  of  the  cretaceous  formation,  but  not  regularly ;  sometimes 
hundreds  of  tons  may  be  looked  over  without  finding  a  single  piece;, 
at  other  times  enough  has  been  found  to  fill  a  barrel  within  a  day.  It 
is  usually  known  under  the  name  of  amber  or  succinite. 
It  differed  in  several  particulars  from  the  typical  amber  found  at  the 
bottom  and  on  the  coast  of  the  Baltic  Sea.  Our  specimen  is  lighter 
than  water,  whilst  the  amber  from  the  Baltic  is  specifically  heavier. 
The  latter  fuses  into  a  thick  sluggish  fluid,  the  Vincentown  amber  into 
a  very  fluid  mobile  liquid ;  the  cohesion  of  the  Baltic  product  is 
stronger  than  in  the  specimen  in  question.  These  differences  indicate 
its  analogy  to  the  variety  of  succinite  called  Krantzite  by  C.  Bergeman> 
who  reported  its  occurrence  near  Neuberg,  Germany. 
It  melts  on  heated  platium  foil  into  a  brown  liquid,  which  runs  like 
water.  It  takes  fire  easily,  and  burns  with  a  yellowish,  strongly-smok- 
ing flame,  leaving  but  little  coal,  which  rapidly  burns  away  and  leaves 
a  small  quantity  of  dark-colored  ashes  as  a  residue.  Heated  in  a  closed' 
tube,  it  melts  and  vaporizes  into  a  gray  cloud,  which  condenses  easily 
into  an  oily  liquid  and  some  small  crystals,  which  are  probably  succinic 
acid.  The  odor  of  the  fumes  is  strongly  penetrating,  like  acrolein. 
In  water,  alcohol  or  ether  it  seems  to  be  but  sparingly  soluble.  In 
chloroform,  bisulphide  of  carbon  and  in  oil  of  turpentine  it  dissolves 
freely.  Oil  of  vitriol  makes  with  it  a  red  solution.  Cold  nitric  acid 
seems  not  to  affect  it  much.  On  warming,  the  yellowish  powder 
becomes  orange-red.  It  is  partly  dissolved  by  caustic  potassa.  In  this 
vellowish-brown  Krantzite  Mr.  Goldsmith  noticed  on  a  fresh  fracture 
