Sapphires of the ancients.

Werner's lazulite.

The lazulite appears to have been the sapphire of Pliny, which was spotted with gold; and ancient engraved gems have been found of this substance. Wad mentions two Egyptian monuments of this stone; being little statues, an inch or two in height.

The lazulite of Werner, found at Varau in Austria, and in Salzia or Salzburg, is a different substance, recently arranged with the blue felsite of Krieglach in Stiria. But Haüy regards it as distinct*. The lazulite here described, is the lazurstein of Werner.

NOME VI. GRANITE WITH SAPPARE.

This rock has only been recently observed. The sappare is in small spangles, of a lively blue, being interspersed among the common ingredients of granite.

Saussure informs us, that he first received this substance from the Duke of Gordon, among other Scotish minerals; who informed him, at the same time, that the Scotish name was sappare*. Werner (whose fondness for the worst of all nomenclatures, that derived from accidental colours, has been ably ridiculed by Mr. Chenevix), has, forgetting all due respect to the great name of Saussure, most needlessly changed this denomination for Kyanite, or blue stone!

NOME VII. LABRADOR ROCK.

The celebrated opaline felspar, originally, as is said by some, discovered by the Missionaries in the transparent lakes of that country, while others affirm that it is only found in the Island of St. Paul, to the south of Labrador, has scarcely

§ 1901.

First appear

ance.

yet been observed in the parent rock, which is only inferred to be a kind of granite. Another rock containing opaline felspar, but of far inferior beauty, has been recently observed in Norway. The felspar is conjoined with a very hard reddish substance, which has been inferred to be quartz.

In the Bee, a periodical paper, published at Edinburgh in 1793, by Dr. Anderson, there is a curious account of precious stones by Dr. Guthrie, physician to the corps of Noble Cadets at Petersburg, presenting some interesting particulars concerning those found in Siberia. A correspondent of Dr. Anderson's has added a letter concerning the first appearance of the Labrador stone; which, being little known, shall be subjoined.

"The coast of Labrador is a cold inhospitable country, bordering upon Hudson's Bay; and was granted by George II. to a religious sect of people, called the Moravians, who solicited and obtained it, in order to convert to their way of thinking the few inhabitants who had settled along the sea coast; but they soon discovered a more material advantage in cultivating the furtrade, which they do at present to a very considerable extent. About ten years ago, another unlooked-for source of wealth started up, and

which, if it had been properly managed, would have proved little worse than a silver mine. Some of the English settlers, walking along the borders of the inland rivers, observed particular stones of a shining opaline colour; these when slit, or cut in a mill and polished, displayed all the variegated tints of colouring that are to be seen in the plumage of the peacock, pigeon, or most delicate humming-birds. Some of these beautiful stones being sent as a present to their friends in England, soon attracted the notice of the lovers of the fine productions of nature, who bought them up with avidity. From England the same desire spread all over Europe, and every collector was unhappy till he could enrich his collection with specimens of different colours, which are no less than seven, often mixed with varying tints and shades. Some of the larger specimens have four distinct colours upon the same slab; but more generally each stone, as found in the lump, has its own particular colour, and which most commonly runs through the whole. The light blue and gold is the most common; green mixed with yellow, is the next; fire with a purple tinge, not so common; the fine dark blue and silver, still less; and fine scarlet and purple, least of all. The largest spe

cimens yet discovered are about three feet in circumference; and all over one continued gleam of colour. I have seen many blocks of it greatly larger than the above, but they had only spots of colour here and there, thinly scattered. The first quantity that was exposed in Edinburgh, was in the year 1790, in a ware-room on the south bridge, by one Shaw, from London, a native of Aberdeenshire, who, I think, keeps a shop of natural history in the Strand; and was the same person who sold that wonder of nature, the Elastic Stone, to the Honourable Lord Gardenstone, and which his lordship, with his usual goodness, sent to the ingenious Mr. Weir, and now forms a part of his elegant Museum in Prince's Street, New Town, Edinburgh. Mr. Shaw again paid us a visit so late as November 1792, when he exhibited some most brilliant specimens of Labrador spar; particularly one of fine, extremely bright, and variegated colours; one pretty large, of the scarce fire-colour with the purple tinge; and one with gold, blue, and green shades the first was sold to the celebrated Dr. Black; the two last are in the elegant collection at Morningside. This beautiful stone, when analysed, is found to contain a portion of calcareous matter, and some particles of silver