Page:An Account of Corsica (1769).djvu/93

Rh On the borders of the lake of Ino, they find pieces of rock crystal, very clear, and with five sides, as if they had been cut by a lapidary. They find some of it too in the mountains of Istria. It is so hard, that it strikes fire; and the Corsicans frequently use it for flint to their fusils.

Near to Ballia, there is found a fort of mineral, called by the country people, petra quadrata, because it is always found in little square bits. It has much about the hardness of marble, has a colour like iron-ore, and weighs like lead. The Corsicans ascribe certain mystical virtues to this stone, as appears from an old monkish distich made in its praise:

From the description of Corsica, which I have now given, it will appear to be a country of considerable importance. According to Mr. Templeman's Tables, in his New Survey of the Globe, the island contains 2520 square miles. It hath a number of good harbours. Its air is excellent, and its productions rich and various.