Note 130 — EXCURSION VI.

Sir H. Davy, in a paper on the Geology of Cornwall, published in the first volume of our Transactions, observes that "the nature and origin of the veins of Steatite in Serpentine are curious subjects of inquiry. Were they originally crystallized, and the result of chemical deposition? Or have they been, as for the most part they are now found, mere mechanical deposites, I am inclined to the last opinion. The Felspar in Serpentine is very liable to decompose, probably from the action of Carbonic acid and water on its Alkaline, Calcareous, and Magnesian elements; and its parts washed down by water, and deposited in the chasms of the rocks, would necessarily gain that kind of loose aggregation belonging to Steatite."