Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-07-19
The Cabinets of the University.


e The Stewart Cabinet building, OF
e the University grounds, is now re
ceiving the large and valuable col
2 lections, the rich and munificeni
gifts of the late Prof. VIM. M. Stew.
, art. We have had the pleasure d
) taking partial survey of the rooms
: and hope to make repeated visits
/ for the purpose of obtaining more
, complete knowledge of their con-
, tents. We have thought that many
of our readers would be pleased to
have a description of the same,
which, while avoiding unnecessary
techniealities, will place them in
possession of its general scope and
arrangement. We have, therefore,
undertaken to furnish in several
successive issues such information
as will, in our judgment, be accept
able and useful.
The collection is naturally divisi-
bic into three parts, viz: 1st, The
Minerals I'd, The Rocks and Fos-
sils /; Sd, The recent Shells and
C0rals.
We will devote ourselves in the
present article, to the first of the
above divisions, the Minerals. They
are arranged in closed cases, upon
trays or shelves, ten deep, and num-
Der perhaps over 5000 specimens.
We find them in the order of Dana's
original classification, beginning
with the forms of Carbon and Hy-
dro-carbOn. Mineral Coal and its
allied forms are here seen, in regu-
lar series, and representing various
localities. Peat from Ireland, Lig-
mite or Brown Coal, Anthracite, BIZ
luminous and Camel coal, from
Scotland, England, Germany, and
the United States Graphite and
Jet, and in the midst of these dark
er and less valuable varieties,
Trough Diamond" Then there are
Asphalt and Bitumen, and beauti-
full specimens of Amber Ga fossil res
inn, some of which contain insects
perfectly preserved, which had been
caught and entombed in these ''crys-
tai collins" while the resin was com
ing forth, in a viscous condition,
from the ancient forest pines. These
handsome yellow forms on the next
shelf are crystallized Sulphur, from
Sicily, Italy, Switzerland, Spain,
the Z. s., etc., and alongside per-
feet cubical crystals of another quite
common and useful substance, Salt,
one or two specimens of beautiful |
blue, colOred by the presence of |
some metallic oxide which happened |
to have been added to the crystalliz-
ing solution.
We come next to the ores of Bar
ium and StrOntium, consisting of |
Sulphates and Carbonate5 of each.
The mineral Barytes, commonly |
called Heavy Spar, attracts atten-
ton by its great weight hence its
name, and, indeed, the name of the
metal Barium itself, whose Greek I
derivation signifies "heavy." One
other point of interest i'll connec-
ton with these minerals, may be
mentioned which is, the frequent |
association of yellow sulphur with
the suIphates, indicating the chem
zeal relation, and pointing to the or
igin of one from the other.
But what shall we say, now that
we have struck the Calcium miner
ais, SO numerous and so abundant.
Here is Gypsum, cfystallized and
uncrystalliZed, as Alabaster, the
lustrous Sienite, as radiated, stel-
late, rosette, stalactitic, fibrOus vari-
cites and satin spar. Here too, are
the wonderfully numerous modif-
cations of Caloite (the Carbonate
of Calcium) identical in eonstitu-
ton with our ordinary Limestone.
OF this mineral, $50 notifications of
capitalization are distinguished.
Among this group we find the Opti-
cally interesting variety known as
Doubly Refracting Spar, so much
used for purposes of Polarization of
Light /; also form of Arragonitein
the condition of delicate plant-like
branches, called FlOs Ferri, the
Flower of Iron, from its Stimulating
vegetation springing up from an
Iron soil, for it is generally associa-
ted with Iron. Then beyond are
some magnificent mineral Fluorite
Fluor Spar or Derbyshire Spar),
presenting its most perfect cubes,
the prevalent color being blue and
green, but often assuming very diff
feFent hpes, Whenever we look at
such crystals as these, we are im-
pressed with The strange and inscru-
table character of that molecular
force which determines the cnnstrue-
ton of these most wonderful crys-
talline edifces. Perhaps when our
scientists have advanced further in
the line of their present investiga-
ton of molecules, we may be able
to learn more of the underlying
principle.
Here we may appropriately men
ton the marbles-marble being
metamOrphic limestone. There is
Ruin marble, the lines and shad-
ings resembling a ruined structure !
Landscape marble, almost picture
with its varied aspects of trees and
earth and water shell marble,
rough on one side, and made up Of
shells on the other beautifully
polished, the markings scarcely be-
traying their source marbles from
England, from France, from Gibral-
tar, from Egypt, from Tennessee.
Leaving the Calcium minerals we
reach that other important class,
even more abundant, the Silica
class-Quartz, which constitutes
nsOra gba., ans. half of tho p1a4arial