Cerite

This ore has only, as been found in Sweden, and Las no very remarkable outside character, yet a description, with the aid of a figure, will give us some acquaintance with it. It was, when first found, in 1750, thought to be an ore of Tungsten, from its great specific gravity. Klaproth, in his Analysis, pubiished in 1804, under the name of Ochroit, considers it as containing a new earth. It afterwards underwent an examination by Hissinger and Berzelius, who considered it to be a metallic oxide, when Cerium, as a discovery coinciding with the planet Ceres (discovered by Piazzi) was suggested as a name. The metallic properties are not, I believe, fully established; it is, however, placed as a metallic oxide by most authors. The present specimen was given me by the well known and able artist in his line, W. Lowry, Esq. Its shape is irregular; the fracture in some parts rather laminated, in other parts coarsish and finely splintery; lustre rather peculiar, so that the greasy aspect, bordering upon the rezinous, with fine granular illinitions, would make one almost think that the name came from Cerate. It has apparently small grains of Specular Iron, which may be distinguished by the usual metallic lustre, like particles of Steel. The Cerite has a crimsonish red colour, more or less, as if mixed with opaque or blackish granulæ; and the lighter splintery sides of the fracture are of a paler, dull, rather garnet-like red. According to analysis, the Allanite of Dr. Thompson from Greenland, is also an ore of Cerium. Spec. Grav. 4.660.