Outlines of Mineralogy

Part 1

OUTLINES OF MINERALOGY, TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL, OF SIR TORBERN BERGMAN, KNIGHT OF THE ORDER OF WASA, PROFESSOR OF CHEMISTRY AT UPSAL, &C.

BY WILLIAM WITHERING, M. D.

MEMBER OF THE ROYAL MEDICAL SOCIETY

AT EDINBURGH.

Itum eſt in viſcera terræ; Quaſque recondiderat ſtygiiſque admoverat umbris Effodiunter opes, irritamenta malorum. OVID.

BIRMINGHAM:

PRINTED BY PIERCY AND JONES,

FOR T. CADELL, AND G. ROBINSON, LONDON, J. BALFOUR, AND C. ELLIOTT, EDINBURGH.

M,DCC,LXXXIII.

TRANSLATOR’s PREFACE.

The pleaſure and inſtruction I received myſelf from this excellent little work of Profeſſor Bergman, inſpired me with a wiſh to make it more generally known to others. A ſyſtem like this, founded upon the constituent principles of things, may be improved, but never can be exploded. Engliſh names are given, but the Latin ones of the original are ſtill retained, as an acquaintance with them will enable the reader more readily to conſult other authors. Blank ſpaces are left after most of the ſpecies, for the convenience of inſerting any new ones that may occur. I have added a few new ſpecies, and ſome notes; the utility of which will be ſufficiently obvious. The table of metals, at page 71, and the index at the end, will alſo, I hope, be conſidered as uſeful additions.

BIRMINGHAM, 1ſt September, 1783.

N. B. The centenary (centenarius) of PROFESSOR BERGMAN is equal to 60 Swediſh grains, or nearly 63 Engliſh grains.

THE AUTHOR’s PREFACE.

In compliance with the requeſt of my learned and amiable friend, the celebrated Mr. Ferber, I tranſmitted to him a ſlight ſketch of mineralogy, in which the ſubjects were arranged according to their conſtituent or component parts. After peruſing it, he requeſted my permiſſion to publiſh it. At firſt I thought it better to ſuppreſs a work that was ſo imperfect, eſpecially when I conſidered the number of analyſes that yet remained to be made. He replied, that a perfect method was not yet to be expected in a ſubject ſo extenſive, but that having once laid a good foundation, I might occaſionally make ſuch additions and corrections, in new editions of the work, as future experiments might render neceſſary. Indeed, I was fully aware, that the ſyſtem would ſooner be rendered perfect, if ſubmitted to the inſpection of other more diſcerning chemiſts, than if the completion of it reſted upon myſelf only. The different remarks of others, will correct errors, which, by a further attention, I might have amended; but if the intereſt of ſcience be promoted, no matter by whom.

This little work contains GENERA and SPECIES, except in the appendixes, which, as not properly belonging to my deſign, contain Genera only.

The GENERA are founded upon the prevalent component parts; the SPECIES upon the diverſity of the composition. Varieties depend upon external appearances, and therefore are at preſent omitted.

After this manuſcript was ſent away, I diſcovered two species of ſtannum ſulphuratum (tin combined with ſulphur), one of which contains about forty per cent. of ſulphur, the other only twenty. The firſt has the appearance of aurum muſivum; the latter partly reſembles antimonium ſulphuratum (crude antimony), but does not contain antimony. Both are contaminated by a ſmall quantity of copper. I got them from Nerchinſkoi in Siberia.

As to the TERRA PONDEROSA (heavy earth), I have long been aware of its great reſemblance to calx of lead, and have even lately found a method of precipitating it by the phlogiſticated alkaly; ſo that I verily believe it to be of a metallic nature, although it has never yet been made into a regulus, and, therefore, I ſtill place it with the earths, until its ſituation be better aſcertained.

If providence allots me life and health, I hope, a few years hence, to republiſh this imperfect ſketch, corrected and enlarged.

OF A NATURAL SYSTEM OF MINERALOGY.

§ 1.

The MINERAL KINGDOM conſiſts of the foſſil ſubſtances found in the earth. Theſe are either entirely deſtitute of organic structure, or, having once poſſeſſed it, poſſeſs it no longer: ſuch are the petrefactions.

§ 2.

It is requiſite, for the proper diſcrimination of foſſils, to eſtabliſh certain characters, whereby they may, at all times, and in all places, be diſtinguiſhed from one another. The ſcience that teaches theſe is called MINERALOGY.

§ 3.

As in the vegetable kingdom different methods have been formed upon the roots, the leaves, the flowers, the fruit, &c. ſo alſo in Mineralogy many methods may be deviſed, and there is no doubt of the utility of contemplating inorganic bodies in every point of view; for the more compariſons are multiplied, the more evidently do reſemblances or differences appear.

§ 4.

Part 2

But as the chief object of the ſcience is to render foſſils ſubſervient to the uſes of man, it is evident that that method muſt be the beſt which diſplays their component parts: for theſe being well underſtood, we know what to expect from them; we accommodate our deſigns to their nature, and ſpend not our labour and money in vain attempts inconſiſtent with their inherent qualities.

§ 5.

There is a power implanted by the creator in organized bodies, which, upon the acquiſition of proper nutriment, unfolds and evolves the ſtructure which before lay concealed in the fecundated egg or ſeed. Similar veſſels, in each ſpecies, abſorb, convey, and aſſimilate the nouriſhment in the ſame manner; ſo that the appearance and ſtructure remain the ſame, unleſs peculiar cauſes prevent the accuſtomed courſe of things, and produce monſters: but this very rarely happens. Hence it is that the leading features or the external parts agree with the internal properties, and when judiciouſly choſen, form ſufficient characteriſtic diſtinctions.

§ 6.

But the formation of foſſils is totally different. Here no ſyſtem of veſſels collects, diſtributes, ſecretes or changes the concurrent particles, but they run together by chance, and are ſolely connected by the power of attraction; they are generally, too, of different kinds, rare and denſe, figured and ſhapeleſs, admitting of every poſſible variety. This general view of the ſubject ſhews us how little external characters can be depended on; but we ſhall more particularly conſider the principal of theſe.

§ 7.

Colour varies exceedingly, as does alſo the ſize of bodies. We cannot ſufficiently wonder at the violence done to nature by the ſtudied ſeparation of earths from ſtones. The conſequence is, that a ſtone of a certain ſize muſt conſtitute one genus, whilſt the ſame thing, reduced to powder, muſt be placed under another genus, which ſhall not be found even in the ſame claſs.

§ 8.

Hardness not unfrequently varies even in the ſame ſpecimen. Soft clay dries in the fire, and at length acquires the hardneſs of flint. Steatites (ſoap-rock) which may be ſcraped with the nail, and many other matters harden in the ſame manner, and that ſometimes without any notable loſs of weight; ſo that bodies paſs through every different degree of hardneſs, without any other change of their mixture.

§ 9.

TEXTURE, and external form of the particles, may ſeem at firſt ſight to depend more upon the conſtituent parts; but a calcareous particle, globular or ſhapeleſs, is found, upon the moſt ſcrupulous examination, to poſſeſs the ſame properties as a piece of ſpar; and in another place I have clearly ſhewn, that the ſchirl-like, garnet-like, hyacinthine, twelve-ſided, and other figures, are not unfrequently formed by nature out of the ſame materials. And if we are liable to deception where ſo great a difference in external forms exiſts, what can we expect from leſs conſtant external qualities?

§ 10.

Superficial characters are therefore inſufficient. They cannot even enable us to diſtinguiſh calcareous from other earths, for the efferveſcence with acids is a chemical mark, and happens, too, in matters of very different natures. To paſs over other inſtances, let him who is able diſtinguiſh the plumbum aeratum and plumbum phoſphoratum (§ 182. § 183.) by external appearances only!

§ 11.

But let us not altogether deſpiſe external characters: it is of moment to know and mark them well. They frequently enable the accuſtomed eye without troubleſome trials to acquire a degree of certainty, which wants only a few ſelect experiments to confirm it. Sometimes alſo the uſe depends upon external properties, evident to our ſenſes, as the hardneſs, the colour, the pellucidity, &c. Theſe therefore may with propriety be joined to thoſe which point out the conſtituent principles.

§ 12.

Claſſes, Genera and Species are therefore to be formed upon the internal nature and compoſition; the varieties upon the external appearances. In ſuch a ſyſtem both methods conveniently agree.

§ 13.

CRONSTEDT firſt attempted this method, and with great ſucceſs; but afterwards the liquid analyſis, in which the illuſtrious MARGRAAF took the lead, better opened the internal ſecrets of nature; ſo that the excellent work of Cronſtedt now appears to contain many errors; theſe however are not to be attributed to any fault in the author, but to the inſufficiency of his experiments. The attempts of Mr. Pott by fuſion have long been known; but theſe however uſeful in other reſpects, rather tend to confound than to lay open the component parts of bodies.

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