Country rambles in England : $b or, Journal of a naturalist — John Shaqi
Country rambles in England : $b or, Journal of a naturalistKnapp, J. L. (John Leonard)
History
Country rambles in England : $b or, Journal of a naturalist
Knapp, J. L. (John Leonard)
Natural history -- England; Natural history -- Outdoor books
Another quarry presents, likewise, unquestionable evidence of an animal
origin, veins of it being composed of shattered parts of shells, and
marine substances, greatly consumed and imperfect, embedded in a coarse,
gray, sparry compound; an ocean deposit, not a fabrication, and
consequently has more impurities in its substance than that of insect
formation: it contains about
Carbonate of lime 73
Magnesia 11
Clay 14
Silex 2
———
100
These two specimens so clearly prove that the original materials of
their substance were derived from the deep, that no further arguments
need be advanced to support this fact as to our limestone. The former
is, perhaps, the mountain limestone of Werner; the latter a variety of
dolomite. Our other quarries, as well as the lower strata of the above,
present no such indications of animal formation, and they are probably
sediment arising from a minute division of shelly bodies now indurated
by time and superincumbent pressure and become a coarse-grained marble.
Our limestone thus appearing not to be contaminated with any great
portion of magnesian earth, it may be used for all agricultural purposes
with advantage. Many detached blocks of limestone are found about us,
having broken shelly remains; and the joints of the encrinite, greatly
mutilated, embedded in them. Irregularly wandering near the lime-ridge
is a vein of impure sandy soil, covering a coarse-grained siliceous
stone; sand agglutinated, and colored by oxide of iron, resisting heat,
and used in the construction of our lime-kilns: the laborers call it
“fire-stone.”
We occasionally, though sparingly, find, in a few places on our downs,
nodules of lead ore, which induced persons in years past to seek for
mineral riches; but the trial being soon abandoned, the result, I
suppose, afforded no reasonable ground for success. We likewise find
thin veins of carbonate of strontian, but make no use of it; nor is it
noted by us different from common rubbish; nor do I know any purpose to
which it is peculiarly applicable, but in pyrotechnics. Spirit of wine,
in which nitrate of strontian has been mixed, will burn with a beautiful
bright red flame; barytes, which approaches near to strontia, affords a
fine green; nitrates of both, compounded with other matters, are used in
theatrical representations. Strontian exists in many places, and
plentifully; some future wants or experiments will probably bring it
into notice, and indicate the latent virtues of this mineral.
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