eae CONDUCTED BY : BENJAMIN SILLIMAN, OFESSOR OF ee MINERALOGY, ETC. IN YALE COLLEGE; CORREs- PONDING weg o THE SOCIETY OF ARTS, MANUFACTURES AND COM- ERC oe » e ~ a , oe NEW-HAVEN: - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY S. CONVERSE, FOR THE EDITOR. . ; he SOLD ‘BY THE oe BY E. LITTELI, & Hoe Se lem: PHILADELPHIA, AND TRENTON, N. J.;, AND 8 Howe & Spalding, New Haven ; is & Force, Washington, (D, C.) ; foe "Bu ton & at gat Hart 5 oes & Hilliard, Boston ; _Good- Ap e Glazier allo owelyaigey A .'T. Goo ze 1 & Co. N Yy "3 Caleb Atwater,Circleville, oe 3; Thomas ay, a,Ga.; us Baltisiore ‘ e “oe $.C.; Miller ia Heck Providenct#eR 1. ? Thome Wi alan, oa (RA -);.W illiam T. ‘Williams, avann: ah, Geo. ; Luke Loomis, Pit weir Pa.; Daniel S taneyt Brunswick, Me. ; Pro fi essor D. i . Bers. Cha ee” N.(.; John Miller, No, 69, F “Mo. Bot-Garden, 2 e "1907, i ae cas TS FOR VOL. VIE tte “3 tee GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, ‘rorogRaPay, re oe sby, M. D. hee Localities of Sehice, Coccolite, Adgiteat Notices of tne work entitled | + St toria > Neo ait? -Brongui’ Memoir, oy Seats. caracteres Cialosta iques des Formations,” &c. ; by . Percival, 213 * Notice of the Malleable Yeon | of Lowisian na, - “2 9218 N eee} Geology of the country near Easton, Penn. ; by J. Finch, 236 “Geology of a part of Massachusetts, &e. 5 by Prof. C. Dewey, 240 iy pee of a singular Conglomerate, and of an ing lon as oe 2 __cality of Trap aie eo Ta se - 244 Notice of the Ancra Mine ; ; by C. ALL - 2 Notice of eit va beds i in » Chester, ‘Mass. ; by ap aiperee 7° 93, 264 sfoand m near : Easton "Penn. : by the fo 26' “s Schweinita, we. sr EC AND THE . Prof. R. A Galvanic’ ae la ved Single Leaf Electrometer—t een’ an € Siv. #20. = = val a of pres: rving the Colour of the purple Cabbage, by =o a Bowen, — 112. ¥ * nC Analysis of “she Sin anit sities en, é ag Ca q o is ofa Sil ceous H, ; te of Gippert from.N. Maret a . th auielic e pepe of “— in the U, ieee = \ se G. T. Bowen, a the Theory of the Construction of the Thermometer; by J, Adam - “Remarks. on several Kh published in former volumes of - this - ~131 Pf the Precastion i the Faquinoses, hy — = 139. Account of a new Air Pam Joseph i. Pale a 148 ike lid by ioe: R. oltaic | 3 by Pro on Mr. Patten’s Air Pamp; by ’Prok. J. F. Dan On the produced by Friction; by J. T. Watson, On the stOppiog of Astronomical Cloc ocks$ by Prof. W. | ard, ° # Reply t to Mr. Quinby on bOraak Motién,: -—: The formation of Crystals in Geodes, gehen pe ge Mr. Mae pts ‘Memoir by Pr Har . SNBice of illuioatiog Gas from. Cotton Seed > Olmsted, i Aaslpes of an Hydrat of I ron 5 Phy fi. Seyberk Analysis of the ile from oc Co. N, 3: ; by A, " . Seyberty Remarks KS Notice : the b y Res Meredibtogica! ‘Noted ; by tng: Field, _ Pres. Dwight on the West and England, Observations on ‘ue Comet of oe ro ae Reliquiae Dilu fthe D CONTENTS. v. Notice of a Geological and hag Se eee: of ie ict adjoining the Erie Cana 358 a INTELLIGENCE AND MISCELLANIES, eo 2 L “Fonrtox. a Bes | al Crystallization of gob carves of Potash—Cas Lights, ode hi _ Piercing of hot lron by Sulphu See The ve Gorle—Public Srila Une - ee eS vers Pasa Universtes-—Bonitoria Instruction / rani “+ me : 2 Miacellanron Notice Island ey eylon, — - + of Min neralogieal™ xcursions in Spain Git to the aa rican Geolo “in aes as to the BERG sar Roc k Format 187 reais piliical” simple of the Old and New Wari an rogressive improvements in ia aa ion - 188 sceand Es ition of Parkes’ Essays, 190 Biographical Notice of Haii 362 ae = echge at Daten; Scotland—Royal Encour- agem 37 : Sodigie, 372 shed by their t tast 5. 373 of Ma ‘ oe ism—Volatile Oil 3 n th - cS = Eedhoeit Straw Plai oe Difecente of enealine fortis of the same substance—Plate Electrical Machine - 378 ___ Electricit Separation of parts - - 379 Electric opper—Prussian Blue, - 380 Test for Moanin Cake latching of Fish, 381 pny of the combustion of certain coal strata—Letter ra the Chevalier de Martius to ty Se, - 382 . - ee, * 334 a 383 .. 389 - C ‘Great —Combination of sted: : hol with oil at Turpentine—Action of Cork on Chalet Se ate ininflammable Clothes. S90 Animal Mes Wormm—Preservation of Fish wy eu Ductilty of Glas owi Aurora Borealis in Paiva: oil and Sant Pags from Asia to America te 302° - ‘ is > sapere: P ale SaBOETED ii ONDUCTED BY : BENT. MIN SILLIMAN, OR OF CHEMISTRY, MINE cane, FE : F AND SCIENTIFIC SOCLETIFS IN AMERICA a OH ARONA VOL. VIII, No. 1.—Mav, 1824. NEW-HAVEN elem SOLD BY THE PUBLISHER; PHILADELPHIA, AND TREN P4By H Ho owe “ Spalding, New-Haven; Dé vis & Force, W sshingtod, (D.C Huntington & scyage her pidge re Cummings & Hilliard, Be eo . Good Glazier & Co. Hallo ok Ma nes A. T. € Ne Caleb Aiewec-Chcleville, ae a i wk a. Coz oa Py ate ch, Pa. > 5 Jauicl Stone, AND ARTS. TC. N YALE COLLEGE, CORRES- D COM- BY &. LITTELL, TON, Ne J.j AND Goodtie hee Co. Pits Shar ate et & aL Ok as a <—<—<“_ Se eo — *-* © , Peneallen Hitchcock, in Vol. VI. of the American Journal ‘of Besant THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, &c. GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, &e. Arr, L—4 Sketch f the Geology and Mineralogy of the ‘western part of Massachusetts, and a small part of the adjoining States; by Professor Cuzster Dewey, of Williams College. | Communicated to the Lyceum of Natural History of the Berkshire Medi- cal Institution, and, with additions, forwarded to the Editor of this Journal. | Tue county of Berkshire, and a small cor wi on adjoining states, constitute the section of cou tained in the following sketch. For the geology hg "of the counties of Hampden, a | ranklin, which lie on the eastern side of the co nee a7 and Arts. The accompanying map is designed as a con- tinuation of that of Mr. Hitchcock, across the county of Berkshire to the river Hud son. Along the adjoining portions of Berkshire and the above New-Haven, Conn., and extends northwards, forming the n Mountains* of Vermont. The Taconick range of * Our geographers have usually considered West Rock as the origin of this ra — of 7 ag But West Rock is secondary greenstone, and is ted, according Bvad statement of Professor Eaton, geographically, las po ste Me y; from sagt d ter range. The greenstone ex- prdity ye West Rock to Deerfield and Greenfield, in Massachusetts, on Connecticut River.—See Rev. Hitchcock’s paper, Vol. I. No. 2, of this jowree and Vol. VI. No. 1, page 44. L. VILI.—No. 1. 1 2 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. mountains lies along the boundary between the county of Berkshire and the state of New-Yor The latitude of the county of Berkshire was ascertained by Messrs. Ewing, Rittenhouse, and Hutchens, commis- sioners appointed to survey the boundary line between the states of Massachusetts and New-York. According to their Report,* the latitude of the S. W. corner of Massa- chusetts is 42° 3’ N., and of the N. W. corner, 42° 44’. The course of the boundary line is, according to their re- port, N. 15° 12’ 9” E., and the variation of the needle was at that time, (July, 1787,) 5° 3’ W. The mage of the N. W. corner is, from late observations, 78° 22’ 52.5” W. from Greenwich, and of the S. W. corner nearly 73° 44’. The above mentioned survey gives the length = ca county, “fifty miles, forty-one chains, and sevent: links. That part of the counties of deapited: Hampshire: and Franklin, contained in this sketch, is very narrow, and ex- tends only to that ia 3s by Mr. Hitchcock, in the pa- pers mentioned abov he rincipal part Pot the state of New-York, contained in this section, is transition ; the other part is decidedl High hills or mountains and deep vallies alternately meet the eye. The scenery, generally very stones is often are m plain. This a is known, from measurements for the contemplated canal along the Housatonick, to be about six hundred and fifty feet above tide water.t| The mountains of the eastern range are more elevated towards the north, The * See the certified copy of this Report among the records in the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston. From observatiens made to ascertain the latitude of Williams College, the latitude of the N. W. corner appears to be a little greater than that given in the above report + The level of the Housatonick at the south line “ ——-" was found to be six hundred and twelve feet above tide wa Geology and Mineralogy of apart of Massachusetts, &c. 8 highest in this oon, and in Massachusetts, is Saddle* Mountain, between Williamstown and Adams. See the Geology of Williamstown and vicinity, in Vol. I. of this Journal. The map of this section is copied, with some alterations, from different maps of this part of the United States. Few Mountains, however, are delineated upon these maps, and the mountains of this section are very inaccurately laid down on any map yet published. Though much pains have been taken to get accurate views of the mountains, it is no to be expected that they can be delineated with perfect ac- curacy on the accompanying map. While the eastern part ion li a range of hills, only the general ranges have been attempted to be given, because the rocks so nearly resemble each other. More efforts have been made along the middle and western part of the sous of Berkshire, because the rocks were different. Even small hills are often put down, because they:show the "thaiadlicken of the rocks, or the projection of one rock in the midst of others. The different coloring shows the general course and places of the different rocks. In the two counties of New-York, fewer hills are depicted, because their relative situation was less observed, and because they have less ele- vation, and less diversity of rocks. __ Principal Rocks. SP ene These are Crane Gneiss, Mica- -Slate, Granular Lime- stone, Argillaceous Slate, Quartz Rock, Transition Lime- stone, and Gray Wacke. Mica-slate is far the most abundant rock in Berkshire county, and in the counties in Vermont and Connecticut, directly north and south ; and it forms the principal rock along the eastern boundary of Berkshire in _ the three adjoining counties. - The — ae to the prominences of : — from seg this mountain name, depends upon the form and posi of the principal peal he same peaks, however, are net een nin The di different positions ate Shick this mountain is viewed. This mountain is errone- ously called Saddleback on the map of mountains, published at Boston 1820. kis a mountain in England. 4 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c 1. GRANITE. Colored purple, and marked with parallel lines. Granite is found in Adams, Hinsdale, New-Marlborough, Worthington, Middlefield, Chester, and in most of the towns on the eastern part of this section. It occurs in small ey and at a less elevation than most of the mica-slate. ough it is found in several places in nearly the same direction, it is interrupted or covered with other rocks. In Adams and Hinsdale it is in small quantity, and several hundred feet lower than the mica-slate on the east of it. In the eastern part of Middlefield, granite is a continuous rock, two or three miles in length, and more than half a mile in breadth. It is on the east side of the highest part of the range of mountains, and many hundred feet below th summit of the mica-slate on the west of it. This, like most of the granite, is coarse grained, with a small quantity of mica, and contains no minerals imbedded in it. Like that of Europe, it is not a stratified rock. In Chester, Sandis- field, Granville, &c., granite is found in veins or alternating Jayers in mica-slate, from a few feet to a few inches or part of an inchin breadth. Dr. E. Emmons has observed that the veins of granite in Chester, sometimes diminish in breadth until they can no longer be traced. In these cases they cannot be considered as aliernating layers. Porphyritic Granite is found in large masses in Middle- field and Chester. After an examination of the granite in several places, I am inclined to the opinion that it must be considered as beds or veins, rather than as a continuous rock like the mica- slate. ‘The eds as well as the veins of granite, lie in the direction of the strata of gneiss or mica-slate : for it is not essential to the notion of a vein, according to Cleaveland and the European Geologists, that it should run across the strata. The appearance of the granite in this section seems more easily accounted for upon the Huttonian than the Werne- rian hypothesis. If granite were formed from materials in a state of fusion, it would more probably be found at a lower level than the rocks which here contain it, than if it were merely acrystalline deposite made before all other Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, fc. 5 rocks on the surface of the earth. The fact is that the granite is here surrounded by gneiss or mica-slate. To suppose the incumbent rocks to have been worn away so as to show the granite, involves the fundamental point of the Wernerians, viz. universal Seon, and a very wonder- ful elevation of often very smal] and thin portions of gran- ite above the common ied to form the veins in the mica- slate, as well as the action of causes more powerful than any peter to be operating at the present time. of granite in Middlefield is far greater than any othiir i in this section. It lies in oe and is the only granite put down upon osition of Granite—In Chester is a mass Granite ite | in mica-slate, of which Dr. Emmons gives the following representation. (See Plate 2. A, is the granite, of a cuneiform shape, lying on the sur- face of nearly vertical strata of mica-slate. The granite is connected with nearly perpendicular veins of granite, Band C passing up through the strata of mica-slate, BD. 2. GNEISs. Colored Purple. This rock to be of a very limited extent in this section of our country, though it is more abundant than granite. "It occurs indeed in various places wots the east- ern partof Berkshire Co. in small quantities. In Windsor, Peru, and Middlefield, it is found as a continuous rock, several miles in length, ‘and sometimes more than half a mile in breadth. It is a coarse light ht whitish rock, con- sisting chiefly of feldspar. ve not noticed this rock a mile pe of the meeting house, i is another appearance of gneiss, the extentof which is not well ascertained. I have put upon the map, the gneiss of the south east part of this section, on the authority of Mr. Hitchcock in his papers ale 6 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. ready referred to, and have supposed it to be connected with the gneiss of Middlefield. But I am not certain of the gneiss in that part of the section. 3. MICA SLATE. Colored Green. This rock constitutes the principal part of the rocks of the range along the eastern boundary of Berkshire. Un- der this name is included much that has generally been cal- led gneiss. The mica-slate, which appears along the mid- dle of Berkshire county, is the common variety, and read- ily distinguished. But farther east it is es Sa and the _ ele: has ingredients are mingled much more i more of the appearance of layers, like gneiss. tes ever, the mica-slate, described by Cleaveland and others, in. which the “two ingredients alternate in distinct layers.” This is the reason that it has been often mistaken for neiss. A careful examination, however, proves it to be destitute of feldspar. When I have attempted to melt it by the blow pipe, only mica has been found, showing its des- titution #5 one of the essential ingredients of gneiss. It seems very certain that mica-slate is a far more abundant rock than has heretofore been supposed. Other geologists have lately expressed the same opinion of this rock. It lies on both sides of the gneiss, and much of it ata higher elevation. Indeed I am rather inclined to the opinion that the gneiss should be considered as beds in the mica-slate, than as one of the general strata. I have not, however paras with sufficient minuteness to state this to be the “The mica-slate appears under a variety of forms. om two most common are those already mentioned ; the on the common slaty variety, and the other, in which ‘the i oma dients are in “ distinct layers.” Besides these, there a several others like those mentioned by Mr. Hitchcock, Am. Journ. Vol. VI. p. 23—4. It often splits into tabular masses, and sanctiinal has a very distinet grain, so that it may be split into most convenient forms for building stones. A ledge was shown me by Dr. E. Emmons at Chester, tine. ie eee es Berkshire pee towards the foot o Geology und Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c, 7 where the strata were nearly perpendicular, and easily divi- ded into narrow tables, from four to twelve inches thick, and many feet in length. The line of the grain of this stone is inclined to the horizon about 30°, and dips towards the north, so that while it is in the nearly perpendicular plane of the strata, it is oblique to the horizon and the general lev- el of the strata. The mica-slate may often be split in this manner; but a great portion of it is destitute of any grain, In the town of Windsor, Mr. Hitchcock observed a rock, which seems to be conglomerated mica-slate. The same kind of mica-slate is often to be found along the middle of uartz oCcurs ‘in it in considerable masses, besides the jon aiich seems to enter strictly into the composition of this kind of slate. arious minerals are contained in this rock. Along the eastern part of the section, it contains vast quantities of garnets, generally small, sometimes an inch on the linear edges. lso, staurotide, cyanite, schorl ; the staurotide Nees? in large crystals and very abundant in Worthington. the south part of Berkshire, in Great Barrington and Sh effield, the mica-slate is so filled with garnets as to look at alittle distance like the most beautiful puddingstone. One mile east of a poageue toes in Sheffield, this rock may be found extending mi a similar rock may be found er sual insulated hill abouta mile S. W. of the meeting house, where the road crosses its southern base. This rock, with its beautiful garnets and staurotide, occurs again, in abundance, nearly south from this plane, in Salisbury, Con. There is a very great re- semblance between the mica-slate containing these imbed- ded minerals, as it is found on the east and west side of the eastern range of mountains, though separated by an inter- posed stratum of limestone, anda stratum of mica-slate desti- tute of these minerals. On the east side, however, as at Chester, Middlefield, &c. the mica-slate also contains chlo- rite, crystals of eae spar, stilbite, chabasie, cyanite &c. neither of which have I ever found in the mica-slate on the west side of the range, although garnet ape staurotide are so abundant in it. 8 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. The mica-slate of the Taconick range is far coarser than that of theeastern ridge. Taconick Mt. is a huge mass of mica-slate. The same kind of rock continues along the highest part of this range, and is crossed by the road passing from Pittsfield to New Lebanon Spring; at the summit of the same hill between Lanesborough, and Han- cock ; and apparently terminates with this ridge at the south part of Williamstown. It is found again farther south and west in Hancock along the eastern foot of the hills which here form the western boundary of the state. It disappears before you reach the place where the range is broken | through by Hoosick river. On the north side of the Hoo- sick, however, it appears again, apparently a continuation » | of the hill which terminates at the south part of Williams- town, and extends towards the west as you proceed north- wards, forming the southern part and perhaps the summit of Mt. Anthony in Bennington, Vt. The south declivity of this mountain extends southwards to the middle of Pownal, and its rock seems to be a continuation of this coarse mica- slate, which was before mentioned as appearing on the west side of Hancock, and extending along the boundary line towards the north. I have been thus particular in de- signating the places where this rock appears, because this point is essential to a right understanding of the position of the argillite in Berkshire county, and the south-west part of . Vermont, and is conclusive of the place where, at least, we are notto look for transition rocks. his stratum is separated from the other mica-slate by the primitive limestone. It often contains some talc, form- ing talco-micaceous slate, especially along the eastern base of the Taconick range, while the higher parts are often the coarse mica-slate without any mixture of talc. A Geologist, in passing from the east across Berkshire Co. into the state of New-York, would naturally anticipate his approach towards a different formation, as he examine the mica-slate of the western boundary of Massachusetts; and he would pass only a short distance farther west to be satisfied that he had come upon the transition series of rocks. » e aidiene Fai a Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, §c.° 9 amines with the mica-slate of the eastern part of this section Trap or Hornblende Rocks. Cleaveland. This name, as is observed by Prof. Cleaveland, * in fact conveys no definite idea of any one species or sort of rocks.?* * Cleaveland’s Min. and Geol. 9a Ba. p- 743. There never Was a more conclusive reason for discontinuing the use ofa name. While some of the Tro: by describing ese several roc socks * their order, under this generic na in Rees’ Cyc. into a tabular form. See also Art. Mineralogy in the New Ed. Encye. dona wiension r view TRAP OR HORNBLENDE ROCKS. Primitive Trap. 1, Common hornblende, asa rock. Var. 1 , Geosuier ende. 2, Hor 2, Hornblends and Feldspar. Var. 1. Primitive Greenstone, Do. Greenstone Slate. 3. Intimate mixture of hornblende and feldspar with some mica. 2 Cg ‘Aupaaell Known by their transition associates, Secondary Trap Rocks. és dary greenstone, or greenstone trap. -~ renee oe A gr OF gr 3. Wacke, &e. &c. n, though no reason can be given, as it Sientte must form ia now dated, why it ethoald not not te ranked with the hornblende rocks, Vor. VIII. No.1. 2 10 Geology and Mineralogy of apart of Massachusetis, &c. Yo designate the rock intended by an observer, it is neces- sary to resort to the several subdivisions. he hornblende rocks of this section are all primitive. They are 1. Hornblende and Hornblende slate, occurring as rocks, in which the hornblende is “ nearly or quite ure.”* 2. Primitive Greenstone, or aggregate of horn- blende and feldspar, in which the “ hornblende predomin- ates, and very frequently gives to this aggregate more or less of a greenish tinge, especially when moistened.”* This mineral often has a slaty structure, forming a variety, prim- itive Sratesions slate. ‘These rocks are always cee ith “f gneiss, mica-slate, or argillite.”* 3. Hornblende and Mica, the former in larger quantity and someting’ a little feldspar. It may be called micaceous primitive trap, or micaceous greenstone, with more propriety. The preceding rocks are abundant along the eastern part of the ergo often associated, and always in beds in the mi- ca-slat hey are too abundant to need a specification of their localities: though I have not observed them to form very large beds. About a mile east of the meeting house in Middlefield is a beautiful greenstone slate. Indeed that town, as well as the others in that line, contains all the above varieties of primitive trap.t Associated with these rocks, is Stenite. This is an aggregate of hornblende and feldspar, in which the ‘feldspar is the most abundant ingredient, and the quantity of horablendas is sometimes small.”* I have never observed this sete in | great quantities. It is sometimes porphyritic. In s’ Cyc. it is stated that the feldspar of the real sienite is of a ee color. In what is called Sie- * Cleaveland’s Min. and Geolp 743, 745, and 750. The composition : ee rocks, given in Rees’ Cre is the ce as that quoted from this + On the nigh marshes, in the es pl sen blag rest on this rack and mica-slate, is found the rare plant, Eriophorum cespitosum, and in Stockb ridge i “eg an eleyated marsh < the foot of a hill of sniodaiete grows the E riophorum a alpinum, L. and Carex lenticularis, Mx. Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, §c. 11 nite in our country, the feldspar is whitish. At least in this section, this aggregate has always a whitish aspect, from the white or yellowish white colour of the feldspar _As we descend from the eastern range of hills, into the vallies of the Housatonick and Hoosick rivers, we leave the hornblende entirely. None of it is found in the mica-slate of the middle and western parts of Berkshire Co. Only small fragments of the hornblende aggregates are washed down, by the streams into the eastern part of these vallies, Besides these hornblende rocks, there is another rock, as- sociated with them, whichis composed of hornblende, quartz and mica, or of hornblende and mica-slate. This aggre- gate has often appeared more abundant than either of the hornblende aggregates already mentioned. Occasionally the quartz nearly or quite disappears, and the mixture is hornblende and mica. In Sandisfield, Tyringham, Mid- dlefield, &c. this aggregate may be found. It passes into primitive greenstone slate, and differs so little from it in its general appearance that a specific name may not be ne- cessary. On the rocks of hornblende is generally found the fine epidote of Middlefield, Chester, and Worthington. In fis- sures in mica-slate, and on hornblende in Chester, is found stilbite, chabasie, crystals of carb. of lime, &c. he mica-slate contains numerous beds of Serpentine. Serpentine is ranked with the rocks by Jameson, Bake- well, MacCulloch, &c. It is scattered, like the primitive ornblende rocks, widely on the eastern part of the sec- tion. It is primitive serpentine, and very different from that which occurs in the lower series of rocks, having that sub-crystalline appearance so peculiar to primitive rocks. It is found in large beds in Middlefield, Russell, just with- out the map at the south-east of Middlefield, and Windsor. I mention these three towns, because they extend over that breadth of country, along which both to the south and far north into Vermont, the serpentine is found in exten- om beds. See the subjoined catalogue of simple mine- rals. 12 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. — Diallage Rock? Jameson. In the mica-slate at Chester, Dr. Emmons has found a rock, not extensive, which contains a mineral rese mbling diallage. I am not certain, this is the mineral, for I have not sufficient means of comparison. If it be diallage, e aggregate is diallage rock. I mention it for investigation. It is highly probable too that among the aggregates, of which augite forms an ingredient, Dr. MacCulloch would find augite rock. Connected with mica-slate is TALCOSE SLATE. Colored y a} Se Be Pe A stratum of this rock, composed of tale and quartz, is given by Mr. Hitchcock, Vol. VI. page 26 of this Journal. As it comes just within the limits of my map I have laid it down, not without strong suspicion that, at least from Plain- field southwards, it is merely mica-slate of a finer and sof- ter texture. Though era colored, it strongly resembles certain varieties of mica-slat Associated with the iea-alite 3 in the western part of the county of Berkshire, is Talco-micaceous Slate. By this name is intended that kind of mica-slate which contains a small quantity of talc. ‘The talc is sometimes a *It is very desirable that this name should be confined to the compart intended by Mr. Hi itchcock, While tale, steatite, or soapstone, need n ° riat nded by Bakewell indeed; but his language is so indefinite, both in his definition of taleose slate, and in his remarks upon the substitution of tale for mica in some — eoology Ist Ed. p. 71 and 358,) that the fact is of little con- sequence, This t e slate is on Ceomy of talcose rock in the Index to the Gecloey of the aieere States, pages 34 and 147. But it is desirable to limit the term still more. This is done by confining it to a rock compo- sed of “talc and quartz.’’ ee alee ads ee Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 13 much in its composition as well as situation from the others included under the same name, that a specific name 1s important. It occurs at a lower leve l, and is associ- ted with the mica-slate of the Taconick range. It is found west side of Saddle Mountain, in Lanesborough, e meeting-house in Lenox, on the northern part of Barrington, and at the east foot of Taconick Moun- tain: also along the - west of Williamstown. It is ues a very extensive rock, and must be considered as r associate of the principal rock, mica-slate. The preceding rocks, mentioned under u to me to occur in is, an e of them This view of these associated a is consistent with fact, and assimilates our geology more to the Euro- pean. 4. GRANULAR LIMESTONE. Colored yellow. Although this mineral is not considered by the generality of geologists, as one of the continuous rocks or strata, but as forming only beds in the primitive pts yet the extent of it in this section renders it proper to treat of it in this connexion. Coarsely granular shail is found occa- —— in small beds or in large masses in most of the towns along the eastern part of this section. It occurs thus in Becket, Middlefield, and Savoy. There are, how- Washington, New Marlborough, into Canaan, oa ., and thence southwards to inert ma in Con. western states of Vermont and Connecticut. The limestone is de- cidedly granular. In the eastern it is more coarsely granu- lar and more highly crystalline. This difference is very obvious in the limestone of Adams, and that in Williams- 14 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &e. town at the N. W. base of Saddle Mountain, only three miles distant from each other. The limestone of the western range is often distinetly crystalline, and always granular. Generally, as we ap- proach the western side of it, its grains become finer, and the crystalline texture partially disappears. This may be noticed in Egremont, Alford, Williamstown, Pownal, and Bennington. In Hinsdale, a very coarse and highly crys- talline limestone contains plates of mica, diffused through it. On the west side of the hill which lies between Lanes- borough and Hancock, and the mica-slate of whose summit exactly resembles that of Taconick mountain, is granular limestone, extending some miles, and exactly like that on the other side of the hill in Lanesborough. It is, indeed, like the latter, excellent marble. The limestone has great variety of color, from snow white to blue or very dark gray. The colors are often mingled in stripes, clouds, &c. The two ranges are separated by hills of mica-slate, and both ranges are inclosed in the same rock. e western range especially is associated in a great part of its course with magnesian carbonate of lime. Both these minerals often extend several miles in width. They are colored on the map, as one rock, Marble.--The ranges of granular limestone yield anabun- dance of excellent marble. e white is wrought in New- Marlborough, Sheflield, West Stockbridge, Lanesborough, New-Ashford, and Adams. The clouded is obtained at most of these places, especially Sheffield, West-Stock- bridge, and Lanesborough. Beautiful dove colored mar- ble, as well as white, is now wrought in New-Ashford. The marble of Lanesborough has been worked extensive- ly in Pittsfield, and has hence acquired the name of Pitts- field marble. In this town, however, no marble is found; at least none is quarried. The marble generally occurs in strata of a thickness very convenient for splitting, oF sawing into slabs or tables. The removal of the common limestone, often resting upon the marble, is sometimes very expensive, I have known the sum of 300 dolls. given for removing the limestone from one mass of white marble. At the bottom of a quarry in West-Stockbridge, small blocks of very fine grained marble, white and taking an Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 15 exquisite polish, have been found, which are supposed to = a superior quality of marble at a greater depth. is a common remark of the workmen, that the quality auaibes as its depth increases. The elastic marble of Lanesborough and West-Stock- bridge has long attracted the attention of mineralogists. The artificers consider it a poorer kind of marble, compact and fine; and some of them have made the re- — that most of their coarser marble is somewhat elas- “The value of the marble annually wrought in the coun- ty of Berkshire, is estimated at about $40,000. Travel- lers who have not been accustomed to such abundance of this beautiful mineral, have often admired the multitude of white marble monuments in our church-yards, and ex- pressed their surprise at its commonness in ordinary dwelling houses. here the limestone joins the mica slate, the two often run into each other, forming, with the quartz and some- times tale mingled with it, a singular aggregate, scarcely capable of being named, and not worth the t 0 ing it. Near. Williams College, is a bed of limestone which contains a large proportion of quartz. It is a fine- grained, compact mineral, harder than the true granular limestone, and sometimes much divided by neguier “a which are Sik with tale. This bed may a d for ibe distance of two miles—white and gray —an ofteit di- vided by natural seams into rhombordal masses Fs various dimensions. Caverns are said to be uncommon in granular limestone. In this section, however, are several. They are at Ben- crystalline calcareous qe and stalactites and ries eg are found in them. e caverns at Benning- ton and New- tte iniokgh have several rooms, some of onal are large. That at Lanesborough is a long and a passage at a lower depth nular limestone alternates several times in this section with mica-slate. The alternations in Salisbury, Con. were noticed by Prof. Silliman, Am. Journ. Vol. II. p- 211. 16 Gere and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. Although I have spoken of the granular limestone as two ranges, | have avoided calling them strata, as there is nothing which prevents the ranges from being composed each of many extensive beds. Still this would not be the natural conclusion, though it may not be easy always to show the continuity of the beds. 5 quartz rock. Cleaveland. Colored Vermilion Red. This rock occurs in beds. It forms hills, sometimes of niles in length, and from a few hundred to one thousand feet in elevation. It is often distinctly stratified, and the strata, often nearly i. have the general ol tion of the otherrocks. It is sometimes distinctly and at others, compact and fine grained. It is geneiillly associated with granular limesione, and is found with both the ranges of it. The white ciiffs of Monument Mt., which add so much to the beauty of the scenery in view from the village in Stockbridge, is this rock. Bey the hil] farther south, on which the monument is now to be seen,* the quartz is brownish. The hills of squat rockf are com- monly precipitous on one side. The precipice at Monu- ment Mt. is onits eastern side. At Sheffield, Washington, and Williamstown, the precipices are on the west side of the hills. ‘This rock is easily broken off at its numerous seams, and the bottom of the precipices is covered with fragments of from a small size to many tons in weight. Besides the general stratification, this rock is usually crossed by * The monument isa pile of quartz stones, cont Js, collec- ted by the Indians. The tradition is that the stones we e heaped over the body of a female Indian, who was dashed in pieces by le eaping from the cliffs above. This monument gives name to the mountain, and is only a few rods west of the highest part of the road, leading from emcee to Great Barrington, whi ch passes over this part of me mountain. On e amining the monument no bones were found under ¢ hard surfaces of this rock seem to be the natural soil of several wel! known pcs of Gyrophora. At Monument Mt. and on Stone Hill, in Wil- liamstown, they are abundant upon it. Endocarpon miniatum, 1 hav found only upon limestone. Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. Ww seams oblique to the lines of the strata. The seams are so numerous, that it is easily obiaiogaor building stone. Near the foot of the hill, on the W. side of Washington, agile SE. from the village of Pittsfield, the quartz rock wuish red or brownish gray,and very:remarkable for re- e. Itis used for the walls and hearth ,enox, and for the same object was trans- ported at great expense to Bennington, Vt. until the same rock was discovered near the furnace in that place. A similar rock is found in Williamstown. It is not known to what this peculigg, pre sonar is to be attributed, the existence ich in is the more singular, as this rock crack a : a application of high heat. Indeed this is the sone method of getting quartz rock into manage- able fragments. I have, however, seen this stone after it had Paine the highest heat of the furnace for months, and found its surface merely glazed by the high tempera- ture. Near this rock in Washington, but at a greater elevation, is a variety of quartz rock, of a whitish aspeet and full of ragged and irregular cavities. It is pretty extensively wroughi into riders after the manner of the Paris burh- stone. Itis an excellent stone for this use. It corres- s to the ccnerdl description of burhstone, and passes familiarly under the name of = nee burhstone. 1 have never seen in it those ‘siliceous threads” which are so com- mon in the burhstone of Paris. Tn its vader appearance, it is very different from the Paris burhstone, as well as that of Georgia. I see no reason why it should not be called burhstone, unless this mineral actually belongs to secondary rocks, The rock at Washington certainly. is surrounded on all sides with primitive rocks, and separated from even the transition rocks by several different strata reget for miles to the limit of the primitive formation, A similar va- riety of quartz rock is found in Williamstown, and tek been employed for the same purpose. In Williamstown and Bennington rolled masses of quartz occur in large quanti- es. Quartz rock is liable to disintegration, especially where it lies but just beneath the surface of the earth. In the south part of Cheshire, this rock is disintegrated toa great extent, and an excélleat nig paar a is found over acres of No. Vou. VIII. 18 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c- ground. Even the ledges of the rock at this place, Hcp appear firm, on being moderately struck, break o masses which fall to sand. No peculiar reason for the dis- integration at this place is known to exist. The rock, be- fore disintegration, appears to be the same as that at other places, where no such process is going on. This sand is employed in sawing marble into slabs, and in the manufac- ture of glass. It is said tohave been transported to the glass factory in Utica, N. Y. It appears to be inexhaustible, and is excellent for the composition of crown and cylinder glass. In several places in this section, there is a quartzose Breccia; or rock of conglomerated quartz. It is always connected with the quartz rock. About four miles from Pittsfield, in the S. W. part of Hinsdale, are large rocks compo osed of variously shaped, not rounded, Begipents of quartz cemented generally by Sibrous brown Hemat The iron ore is sometimes a mere lining of the fe " sometimes nearly half an inch thick. very m the aig of having been subjected toa high tempera- ture. Some have thought they discovered indications of an expired volcanoe. ‘This is doubtless mere imagination. In Great Barrington and Sheffield, the fragments are ce- mented by a quartzose cement, 6. PRIMITIVE ARGILLACEOUS SLATE.* Colored Blue. ee This rock is found along the foot of the hills ofthe Taconick range of mountains. In Williamstown it forms considerable * | have vith mit rock primitive argillite, because it is - and primitive aca as s Bakewell has done. His great reason for doin _ is, t that as some be p itive, But ie ae argillite i is found i in the primitive rocks, and alternating With some of them, m, (Clea and’s Min. and Geol. p. 449 and 740,) there must be the same rea for ani dering it primitive, as for rankin kinds of limestone, greenstone, serpentine, &c. among min icra of the primitive formation. To remove all argillite into the transition and secon- dary rocks, is to blend the different rocks, and make the divisions, so gen- pra adopted, wi ithout the least use. The writer on organic remains in je" Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 19 hills. It occurs also in New Ashford, Richmond, West Stockbridge, Egremont and Sheffield. It is more exten- sive along the boundary line between the states of New- ork and Vermont, associated with the limestone and mi- ca-slate, as in ee county of Berkshire. The same stratum may be traced in a direct line from Williamstown over North West Hill, through Pownal and Bennington in Vt. On the west side of the Taconick range in the state of New York, this argillite is alsoabundant. See the * Geo- logical and Agricul Survey of Rensselaer County,” pa- ges 9 and 18,and Mr. Barnes’ Section of the Canaan Moun- tain,” Vol.V. p. 11, of the American Journal of Science and is rock appears therefore to alternate with the weste rn range of mica-slate, and talco-micaceous slate as- sociated with it. On the east side it can scarcely be con- sidered a continuous rock ; at least it cannot be traced through the whole section. But on the west side, it ap- pears to be abundant and continuous, and to form a regular stratum. It extends farther south in this section than the county of Reagan though f am not able to state its ex- tent at the sout This argillite is found also in small gam in a0 mica- slate i in the eastern range of mountai hav n it in larlborough, and it is found in Plainfield, still ae his stratum of argillite has a shining aspect, and is ined different from that along the Hudson river.* It is sometim tortuous. In other parts its strata are easily divisible into large tables, forming roof slate. It is wrought extensively in Hoosack, Lebanon, aad Hillsdale. the New J da. Encyc. seems desi gus of placing argillite as one rock by fo itself; acknowledges that. ie remains und in the older varieties of it, meaning’ the argillite found in the rocks, gen- , erally te primitive With the same acknow nt respect- ing mestone, he appears to aren: it all as one formation. Surely this ¥ orn alk rocks to one formatio Be deere Prof. Eaton is Sr. 00h to consider the aoe. along the border o separated from that of the ee “ through out the whole extent, ip a coutinniie north and south range of well Dr reeteraed metalliferous limestone; and it gta in ng ae with the European granary of shining argillite.” 1. and ie Survey of I Reamaleer County, page 20 Geology and Mineralogy of apart of Massachusetts, §e. The argillite along the east side of the Taconick range, has sometimes a little talc mixed with it, forming talco-ar- — gillaceous slate. Beds of argillite, resting on limestone, are found low down ip the valley of Williamstown. The primitive _argillite is not disintegrated so rapidly as the transition. The soil of the argillaceous district is more fertile and productive than of any other portion of the section, except the alluvial. This fact has been remarkec pr ne riculturalists, and corresponds with the statement of so English geolozists. The same fact i is noticed in the Géolows of Rensselaer County, page 23. On the use of roof slate upon buildings, it may be prop- er to mention a fact sta y respectable gentleman af Troy, tat the sm es of slate found to an the larger, former e- ing much less liable to coal val loosen by the action of heat and cold than the latter. The argillite seems to pass into chlorite slate occasional- ly,or, at least, chlorite slate i “¢ associated with it, and talco-mi- caceous slate, i in several places. Chlorite slate occurs in Pownal, Petersburg, &c. On the east side of the Taconick range, it often contains magnetic oxide of iron, in octoedral crystals. In Petersburg it forms considerable hills, and is found in considerable quantities in the towns south of’ this lace re the south of Bennington, Vt. is a small hill of ae which approaches the variety, called graphic slate. Its ¢ lour is dirty black, fracture rather earthy, and streak ome ack. It contains erystals of sulphuret of ivon, which are often changing to the hepatic sulphuret. The soil arising from the disintegration of the slate, is nearly black. The whole hill has the appearance, which might result from a recent combustion. Several years since a shaft was sunk here for the purpose of finding coal. It was not indeed continued through the rock. The geologist is aware that coal is not to be expected at this place, such is the geologi- cal position of the rock. The principal road from Ben- nington to Pownal passes over the side of this hill of argil- lite. The slate here is also tortuous, noticed by Prof. Sil- liman, Vol. IV, p. 43. q Fal 7 PF. Geology and Mineralogy of « part of Massachusetts, &e. 21 ye te 7. TRANSITION LIMESTONE. eee. ES + Metalliferous Limestone. Eaton.* Colored light brown. This Limestone forms through | ‘eee vo Calis mbi uve _limeston coun gle icon mt ained ; but it continues he hwards beyond the limit of the section, as Prof. “7 believes, to Lake Champlain.* It is distinguished somewhat earthy fracture, and its tendency towards the = x structure ; and is associated to some extent with quartz. hough some of it differs but little from the newest primi- tive in Berkshire Co., yet its connexion with that which possesses the preceding characters has convinced geologists that it belongs to the transition series. It is doubtless the oldest transition rock’ in this section of the country. The limestone of Hoosack, Petersburgh, Lebanon, Canaan, Hillsdale, &c. belongs to a stratum. It occurs in beds also still nearer the Hudso The mineral spring at "New Lpthnen is in this rock. The latitude os rp / Spring was 08 by Rittenhouse in _ iN, The spring 1787, to be 4 is is ston’ 70° Ties ae 8. TRANSITION ARGILLITE. Colored Carmine. This rock lies next west of the transition i joins upon it. It is much less shining than prim lite, and is more full of seams, ee 2 in various directions. It resembles the argillite along the son. Between the two, indeed, lies the gray wacke ten miles in width. But as strata of argillite occur in the gray wacke near the Hud- son, and occasionally farther east, which differ not essen- * Geological and Ag. Survey of Rensselaer County. “See also Mr. Barnes’ Section of = Canaan Mountain, Am. Journ. Vol. V. p. 10, for some notices of this ot 22 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. tially from that on the west of the transition limestone, there is reason to conclude that this stratum of argillite ex- tends to the Hudson. If this be true, the stratum of gray _ wacke actually lies over and upon the argillite.* The only reason for doubt is, that the inclination of the gray wacke and the occasional interposition of narrow strata of argillite, might lead to the conclusion that the argillite and gray wacke alternate with each other. I have often thought, when examining these rocks, that this is the fact. Future observations, especially upon the situation of the gra wacke on both sides of the river, will doubtless determine which is the fact. From examination of the argillite in Columbia Co. there cannot be a doubt that the argillite of the Hudson extends a considerable distance to the east, — the fracture, variety of color, seams, facility of disintegrillbn, and gen- eral appearance, all — to prove the rock in diffe- rent places to be the same stratum. Very few petsifactions have been found in this argillite, at least in this section. Perhaps the only one is the ortho- eeratite, mentioned in the Geol. of the northern states, page 167. This rock, however, contains beds of siliceous slaie, which affords petrifactions. The siliceous slate near the city Hudson, contains pectenites and terebratulites, and is found in extensive beds. The rapidity with which this argillite is disintegrated on proper fae oy nee been mentioned in this Jour- nal, Vol. IL. p Glazed Slate. Eaton.t This curious variety of transition argillite is found at Troy, Lansingburgh, &c. and would probably be found gen- erally along the Hudson by passing to a certain depth in the common argillite. The structure is distinctly slaty, but the lamina have a much finer and more com- pact texture than the common argillite above. It is full o irregular seams, or the lamina are of very irregular form, so that it easily breaks into a multitude of lenticular, splinte- * See note, page 21. + See his a Survey of the County of Albany, and also of the County of Rensselae Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 23 ry fragments, whose surfaces are uniformly glazed, as if by ajet black varnish, and then polished. The ¢ glazing is probably carburet of i iron, or black oxide of manganese. I examined this minere] at the north part of Troy, where | great quantities were thrown out for the short canal con- structed for sloop navigation. It contains flattened masses of quartz, sometimes crystallized, whose surfaces or the surface of the argillite in —— are somctaeee marked with longitudinal strie uret which Professor Eaton sanpoens; with =e ; be the cause of the hepatic springs along This slate is abundant on the opposite side of this river, 9. GRAY WACKE. Colored bistre brown. This is an abundant rock. It is ——— a mechanical deposite, consisting more commonly of r e quartz, or quartz and feldspar, held Reha by an argilla- ceous cement, which may be claystone, The cement is sometimes the larger part of the rock, and sometimes the reverse. The cemented masses, not ‘always rounded but sometimes angular, differ very much in magnitude as = as — Some masses resemble a coarse s wacke slate. There is another variety wrought for = ing stones, in which the materials are so fine that the rock may be polished, but the sage is not slaty. It might be called compact gray wacke. rains are as fine as those of many compact sesame ate he common variety and rubble stone, often contain seams of quartz, dividing them into ‘rappose or prismatic forms. The action of the 24 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. elements is continually breaking down the larger rocks through a seams. Ru tone is more abundant some distance from the river, aa generally lies on more elevated ground. The mountains in Grafton are composed’ of it, and it is found on the summits of others. Near the city of Troy, the gray wacke corresponds more perfectly with the European descriptions of this rock, It contains, with the materials before mentioned, fragments of argillaceous slate, siliceous slate, and lime stone, and has a partially slaty structure. e extent of the gray wacke in the southern part of the section, has not been satisfactorily ascertained. I believe, however, it becomes ee. peunaee: in this quarter on the east side of the Hudso hough separated ras this stratast of gray wacke by a range of hills, the lowest parts of which are several hundred feet above the valley of the Housatonick, masses of rub- ble stone, and sometimes of the common gray wacke, are found in Berkshire county. I have seen them from the weight of a few pounds to that of several hundreds and sometimes tons ic weight, in ee Stockbridge, and Sheffield. They are found also in Williamstown; and some have lately been found by Dr. eles high as the range of mica-slate, in Chester. They are always rounded masses, and so exactly like the gray wacke of this stratum, that one cannot fail to believe that they have been trans- pound by the agency of water from this, their original pla Gray wacke contains organic remains. On the west side of the Hudson, at Newburgh, Cattskill, &c. they are abundant in this rock. Some ge Petty seem to be compo- sed chiefly of terebratulites. In the gray wacke in this section, I believe they have not yet been discovered. Itis probable, however, that they will yet be discovered in the neighbourhood of Hudson, since they are found at a short distance on the other side of the river. I have a mass of petrified shells, which were picked up at a small stream in Nassau. This place is in the region of gray wacke, Butit is impossible to ascertain the geological relations of these shells, so completely are they detached from the rock which contained them. As tirey effervesce with acids, they proba- bly belonged to the shell limestone. Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &e. 25 10. op RED sanpstone. Werner. This rock is mentioned on the authority of Prof. Eaton.* It is found in small quantity in Grafton and Sand Lake, and in pon quantity in Nassau. It appears to rest on gray acke. 11. TRANSITION SHELL LIMESTONE. Cleaveland. Colored Orange. Near the city of Hudson occurs in quantity a shell lime- stone, which corresponds in its relation to argillite and gray wacke, and in its general character, to the oldest shell lime- stone, or transition shel! limestone, described in Cleave- land’s Mia. p. 163—4, and by European geologists. I have therefore, BITE it this appellation. The extent of it Tam notable to state. Itcontains an abundance of petrifac- tions. It is roam as marble, and, as it takes a fine polish, the differently colored shells give it a beautifully varie- gated appearance. It is well known in most cabinets of minerals. It is associated with compact, bluish lime- stone without shells. To this rock probeey. belongs the limestone containing terebratulites, mentio rof. Eaton, as found in the town of ihashineks The same organic remains are found in the shell limestone at Hud- son. To the same rock may be referred the compact limestone, found by Professor Eaton a few miles south of Troy. ALLUVIAL. The common alluvial deposites of sand, gravel, beds of potters’ clay, &c. are found abundantly along most of the streams. e alluvion of a epee to often from half a mile toa mile in width, the wider alluvion of the Hudson in this section, fide yi vitsubelted nothing of spe- cial interest. Buried trees of different kinds are found on these rivers at various depths, more or less decayed ac- eording to obvious circumstances. Geol. and Ag. Survey of Rensselaer County, p. 11. —No. I. 4 Vou. Vill, 26 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. On the bank of the Hoosick in the south part of Pownal, Vt. is a considerable bed of PUDDINGSTONE AND SANDSTONE. This seems to be an alluvial formation... The road from Williamstown to Pownal, at what is commonly called the dug-way, passes at the foot and over a part of the bed. It lies close to the Hoosick, in large rocks on the side of a hill, and forms the south front of the hill from the river to an elevation of more than one hundred feet. The masses seem to be not attached to the rocks about it, for one has moved down the hill. The bank of the river is gray gran- ular limestone. Passing another small bed of the pudding- stone a few rods north, we come upon argillite. ‘he puddingstone lies, therefore, upon limestone or limestone and argillite. It isa very singular deposite. ft is com- posed of rounded masses, sometimes four inches in diame- ter, and grains of quartz, limestone, siliceous slate, argillite and chlorite, cemented by a whitish argillaceous and sili- ceous cement. Sometimes, it is wholly composed of grains, and becomes sandstone, much resembling some arse gritstones. Half a mile south, in a bank o fine sand, similar sandstone is found in strata, from half an inch to two or three inches thick. Both kinds of this stone are slowly disintegrated on exposure to the weather. Inthe large masses the cement is so strong, that the fracture will pass through any of the aggregated minerals. ~The formation of this stone is not easily accounted for, even on the supposition that the valley was once the bed of a large lake. The quantity of rolled minerals in this pud- dingstone, similar to those now washed along in some of the streams, and the quantity of rolled quartz in the plain for a mile south of this rock, favour such a supposition, But in what manner they should be collected chiefly on the northern banks and on the side towards which the stream now runs, and how the materials of the puddingstone should be collected in such quantity at this one place, is a point of very difficult solution. iy Sasa cen a Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, §c. 27 Inclination of the strata, general direction, §c. The inclination of the strata is towards the east, vary- ing between 15° and 70°. The same rock appears to be more inclined at one place than another, probably owing to some cause which may not have affected the inclina- tion at a great depth. The inclination is different, how- ever, from what is to be expected from the language of geologists. For the more elevated parts of the primitive range are at the east, and yet the lower rocks dip under the higher; that is, the argillite of the Hudsonseems to dip under the gray wacke east of it; the gray wacke, under the transition limestone ; and this, under the primitive ar- gillite ; and in Berkshire county; the mica-slate dips under the primitive limestone; and this, under the mica-slate east of it, and so on, till the highest mica-slate inclines as if it must dip under some other primitive rocks still farther east. The mica-slate becomes more inclined at the east, and in Chester some of its strata are almost perpendicu- lar. It is in these nearly perpendicular strata, that veins, or layers of granite occur, of the same inclination. Does not this inclination mark the geological summit of the mi- ca-slate, though it is at a less elevation than the mica-slate upon the hills a little west of this? - Dr. E. Emmons, of Chester, from whom I have received many valuable remarks on the rocks, bas observed that the inclination of the mica-slate in Norwich, on the east of Chester, is towards the west. An examination of the rocks north and south of this place, with particular reference to this point, is very desirable. It may be, however, that the mica-slate of this section belongs to the granitic range farther east, the valley of Connecticut River, with its in- clination of some of the limestone is fo the west; of some, nearly perpendicular; while that of the greater part is to the east. 28 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. In the bed of limestone near Williams College, there passes a rock of mica-slate, containing considerable quartz and some talc. This rock appears to have heaved the limestone in opposite directions. The limestone on the west of this rock and actually in contact with it, in- clines to the west at an angle of 41° with the horizon; but at a few feet below the surface, the limestone bends more ing state, had been bent upwards by the mica-slate, and then solidified. As the rock has been uncovered for sever- al feet in depth, it is evident that the inclination of the mica-slate is to the east; and the limestone is so covered that the distance it extends to the west cannot be ascer- tained. A few rods distant is another similar appear- ance, caused by the same rock in a parallel stratum. mica-slate, as well as the argillite, often presents tortuous strata. In New Marlborough, a mile e ' meetinghouse, is a singular instance. It may be traced for severa S. rge mass beside the road, resembles how much is to be done, before a correct knowledge of the causes, which have given to the crust of our globe its pre- sent appearances, will be attained. The general course of the strata may be seen, pretty nearly, upon a map of New-England, and of the state of New-York, east of the Hudson, from the direction of the lar- ger rivers. The course of the stratum of mica-slate, is nearly oan with the western boundary of Mass., quite to Long sland Sound. This is the range, there containing more gneiss, which was crossed by Prof. Silliman, and noticed in this Journal, Vol. II. p. 201. The granular limestone of this .section, about eighty miles in length, preserves a very direct course, in a line parallel to that of the mica-slate. The eastern range of it seems to be continued from New-Marlborough, through Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 29 Canaan and Cornwall, to Washington, Con., and thence through Brookfield , &e. .,to Reading, in the same state. See Geology of the Northern States, page 1538. The western range seems to be separated from the eastern in Canaan, Con., by a hill of mica-slate along the east part of Salisbury. ’ This: mica-slate belongs to the same stratum which separates the two ranges farther north. The western range of limestone is therefore continued from Sheffield through Salisbury, and along the adjacent parts of Connecticut and New-York. The general course of this range, if continued, would pass near mageeey in the neighborhood of the city of New-York. And as granular limestone is found along this course in some of the coun- ties north of Kingsbridge, it is very probable that the lime- _stone of Kingsbridge belongs to this range of limestone. These considerations render it improbable that the high- lands of New-York, belong, geologically, to the ranges of mountains in New-En gland. The rocks of the Highlands re- resemble those of the range east of the Taconick range ; so that, if they belong to our mountains, the granular limestone of Berkshire county must lie on the western side of this range of scenes and most of that in Connecticut, and at Kingsbridge. must lie on the east side of the same do it. This examination is very desirable, to settle with certainty several points in our geology. the examination, it will be necessary to trace the transition argillite south of Columbia county, and to ascer- tain whether it be limited on the south by the primitive. rocks of the Highlands. This examination must X- tended eastward of the Highlands, over the counties of Dutchess and Putnam, to the line of Connecticut. The remarks on the geology of Dutchess Co. in Bruce’s Mine- ralogical Journal, are too brief, and were not designed to throw any light on this particular point. From the notice of the Highlands, in this Journal, Vol. V. p. 232, it would seem that the gneiss of this interesting place rises up 30 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. through the transition argillite, as this rock lies upon the gneiss, both north and south. xamination would show whether the argillite lies along the east side of the High- lands also. Until the examination be made, the Highlands may as well be considered a part of the primitive range of the west side of Lake Champlain, as of that of New-Eng- land. ORES. The principal ores in this section are those of iron and manganese. The two are associated at the beds of ore, but the latter is not found, in quantity, except at Benning- ton, Vt. The large beds of iron ore are in Salisbury, West- Stockbridge, Richmond, Lenox,.and Bennington. It will line, whichi = nearly parallel with the western boundary of Mass. That of Kent, in Con. lies but a little east of this line. Beds ty iron ore are found, on the same line, north of ag ecin at least to Brandon, i in Vermont, po southward {o Amenia, N. ¥.* These beds are near lime- stone, but on beds of clay, and covered only with the com- mon earth. The situation of allis very similar, Asm slate is found on both sides of them, they must daubtless a considered as lying in this rock, though the clay indicates that they are a later deposite than the rock itself. Oxide of manganese is found also on the east side of Sad- dle Mt. in mica-slate. Near this, has been taken also some sulpbhuret of lead. The place is concealed by the discoverers he bed ‘ot oxide of manganese, announced in this Jour- nal, Vol. IV. p. 189, I have not yet been able to discover. The bed of iron and manganese, mentioned in the Geolo- gy of the Northern States, page 124, I have not visited. It lies on the general line just mentioned. Loose masses of iron ore, similar to that at Salisbury, Le- nox, &c. are found occasionally in most of the towns along this line of tron ore beds. This ine, it will be observed, runs several degrees east of north. It seems to have little connexion with the varia- tion of the magnetic needle, as this variation upon both * In this same line, still farther south, in — N. ¥., isa similarly situated bed of iron ore, as yet but little explored. C. H. Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &e. 31 sides of this line of iron ore has been for many years tothe west of north. Even if beds of iron ore extend to the north pole upon a great circle of the earth of which this line is a part, the north magnetic pole would, from the dis- coveries of Capt. Parry, be about thirty degrees west of this circle or line of iron ore. The variation of the needle ap- , in this part of the country, to be decreasing, and from observations made by surveyors is about the same as it was fifty years ago. ; Beo0 The beds of iron ore in Somerset Vt., the well known bed of Hawley distinguished for its beautiful micaceous ox- ide of iron, the specular ore of some of the towns south of wiley, and the coarse iron ore of Middlefield, seem to me to be ina linevery distinctly separated from the other, as well by the nature of the ore as by its geographical position. MINERAL SPRINGS. The principal is the well known spring at New Lebanon, very near the boundary of Mass. Only a small quantity of solid matter is contained in its waters, according to the analysis of Dr. Meade. In Williamstown isa spring, pos- sessing similar properties. The gas which issues from itis common atmospheric air. It contains a small quantity of carbonate of soda. epatic waters, or springs containing sulphuretted hydro- gen, are not uncommon along the Hudson. The one at Bath, opposite Albany, attracted some attention a few years since. At Adams, Pittsfield and Great Barrington, are springs, whose waters have a favourable influence upon many cutaneous diseases. At Hinsdale is a hepatic spring, around which the earth is covered with sulpbur in dry and settled weather, from the decomposition of the sulphuretted hy- drogen which rises from it, prings from which nitrogen gas issues in some quanti- ties are found in the S. EF. part of the town of Hoosick, Geol. and Ag. Survey of Rensselaer county, p. 29. SIMPLE MINERALS, This section contains a great variety of interesting mine- rals, some of which are rarely found in our country, The 32 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. most important localities are Middlefield and Chester. Most of the minerals of these towns have been discovered by Dr. E. Emmons of Chester, an indefatigable and acute observer. Most of them I have examined, and seen them in place. In the account of them I am aided oe a paper of Dr. E. upon the minerals of these towns, read b fore the Lyceum of Nat. Hist. of the Berkshire Medioal Institution. This paper mentions about forty species of minerals, besides nearly as many varieties and sub-species. It is probable that other were if they were as thoroughly examined, would be found nearly as rich in mineral treas- ures as Middlefield and Chester: ‘The former town belongs naturally to the eounty of Berkshire. Many minerals which have already been announced, are mentioned for the sake -of additional remarks. The order and names in Cleaveland’s Mineralogy, 2d Ed. are generally followed. CLASS I. 1, MURIATE OF SODA. Springs at New Lebanon. Also, in wells and springs along the Hudson. Eaton. 2. CARBONATE OF SODA. Springs. Pittsfield, Williamstown, and Adams. 3. CARBONATE OF LIME. 1. Crystallized. In lenticular crystals in Williamstown on granular lime- stone. Also, in Chester in fissures in mica-slate with cha- basie and stilbite. Here are some interesting forms of the crystals. 1. A str sided table, truncated on all its angles, terminated at each extremity by planes. 2. Lenticular, resulting from the deeper truncations of the angles of the preceding. 3. A six sided prism terminated by a six sided pyramid—rare. 4. Hexaedral prism, which appears s0 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, fc. 33 truncated upon the alternate planes of the extremities as to form pentagonal sides, and ee in three pentagonal faces. Also in rae on, - Adams, Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge, in granular limestone. As it will not take a polish, it is a troublesome mineral in marble. It often spoils a large table. The workmen call it spar. Abundant in Bennington,—used as a ius at the furnace. a - 2. Granular Limestone. Very abundant. See the preceding Geol. Sketch. Oc- curs sometimes between the strata of mica-slate in Chester, —highly crystalline. Emmons. 3. Fibrous Limestone. Between the layers of fine grained gray wacke, Troy,— in small quantities, beautiful. In W. Spri ingfield, in veins in fine red sandstone. Emmons. 4, Compact Limestone. Hudson, with shell limestone—fine, close grained. Also near Troy. Eaton. $i ‘elt 5. Agaric Mineral. nd by Mr. Root, of the Berk. Med. Institution, in a . Fou cavern in West Stockbridge. It is fine, white, earthy, particles slightly — small quantity. Vou. VIE. No.1 34 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 6. Concreted Carbonate of Lime. Stalactites, stalagmites, and incrustations, in the caverns of limestone. See the Geol. Sketch. These are highly crystalline, of a dirty white. Between the layers of the calcareous rocks in New Ashford and Lanesborough, earthy incrustations of carbonate of lime are frequent. They sometimes form small elevations, or rise in stalactites half an inch lon Calcareous tufa, deposited from springs in Williamstown, and in quantity from thatof New Lebanon. The latter of- ten presents fine ‘ania and verrucose forms. tt has often been deposited about vegetables, which have eptinals decayed and left only their exact om: 7. Argentine. Sicenifol—Gonthampicn mine and Williamsburgh, just beyond the eastern limits of the map. See this Journal, Vol. VI, and VII. In Williamsburgh, it occurs in com- paratively large masses—decrepitates and phosphoresces on a hot iron, like that from Southampton. 8 Magnesian Carbonate of Lime. Associated especially with the west range of primitive limestone. Most of the limestone in Pittsfield, Lenox, and Stockbridge, is of this variety—coarse and fine granular, white and gray, with a foliated fracture. In Sheffield, it is often fetid, a new variety. Var. 1. Rhomb Spar. Bitter spar. In separate small crystals on gray limestone, Williams- town. In roundish masses in the steatite of Middlefield with green tale. Some of it is of a fine white, close grained, and so compact that the rhomboidal tendency is scarcely discernible ; other specimens differ only in the distinctness with which the fracture shows the multi- tude of rhombs which compose the mass. Lustre some- what pearly and shining. Other specimens are yellowish Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &¢, 35 brown, with a high pearl ape and translucent ;—the thombs are very distinct. It is a beautiful mineral. ‘Tt oc- curs also in the — part.of the town associated with tre- molite. EEmmon Var. 2. Dolomite. Sheffield, Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lae Pittsfield, Adams, &e. Generaily whitish ; in Stockbridge, near the meeting house, gray. In Middlefield, it occurs in mica- slate, dirty white, finely granular, phosphoresces by friction. Emmons. Ip New Marlborough, containing augite, as |as tremolite. Somerset, with iron ore. Var. 3. Magnesian Limestone. Abundant—the common variety—in large beds. In Bennington is a large mountain of it, lying directly north of the great bed of iron ore and manganese, and formerly used as a flux in reducing the ore. When burned, it resembles dolomite. As the vegetables have been destroyed by fires on this mountain, great quantities, even acres of. this lime- stone, are entirely exposed to view from the village of Ben- a and may also be seen from the summit of Saddle. ounta 9. Fetid Carbonate of Lime. White and coaree granular in Stockbridge—very abundant. Small specimens lose their fetid odour, after a little time,—at least, some of it is thus affected. In Wil- liamstown, dark coloured and fine grained, very fetid,—in loose fragments. Also, in Bennington—nearly black. In Alford, abundant, and very fetid, and not so coarsely gran- ular as that in Stockbridge. It has been supposed with- out the least reason to be plaster of Paris. 10. Ferruginous Carb. of Lime. Bennington. 36 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, gc. 11. Marl. : Var. 1. Earthy Calcareous. In beds in Pittsfield and Lenox—seems to be chiefly car- bonate of lime, often containing icine decayed snail shells. A large bed in Sand Lake. Eato Var. 2. Earthy Argillaccous. It ee at Hudson—has the appearance of clay, effer- vesces rapidly with acids, and is said to contain Sulphate of Magnesia. Schistose marl or argillaceous limestone, containing _ ae cent of lime, and Seintagmnting on exposure, is found at chaghticoke. Eato 4, PHOSPHATE OF LIME. In Chester, disseminated in granite; also, the var. apa- tite in yellowish green crystals, and granular masses— phosphoresces on hot iron with a pale yellow light. Also in mica-slate, in roundish masses ; its powder digested in ' Water aes i en blue to green; its colour is green- ishe Emm 5. SULPHATE OF LIME. In the hard waters that issue all along the range of limestone. In small crystals near Hudson in clay? 6, SULPHATE OF ALUMINE AND POTASH, Alum. Effloresces on the aluminous slate at Pownal. Found in abundance at New Lebanon, in the same slate. Eaton. Geology and Mineralogy of 4 part of Massachusetts, §-c. 37 : CLASS I. 1. Quartz. 1. Common Quartz. Var. 1. Limpid. Hexaedral prisms terminated at one extremity by a six sided pyramid—two sides often wider than the others—at Lenox, Williamstown, Lee, and Lansingburgh. Also in Chatham. Eaton. In Middlefield, in minute Pyne in cavities of serpentine lined with quartz. Emmon Quartz with dendritic forms, Southampton mine. Beinsoail Var. 2. Smoky. Often occurs in granite. In hexaedral prisms in Stock- bridge. On Monument. Mountain a crystal was found nearly a foot long, and some inches in diameter, and must have weighed several pounds. It was broken by the dis- coverer, and I have only a large fragment of it. It is very beautiful. — in rolled specimens, onthe banks of streams. Emmon Var. 3. Rose Red. Williamstown, only a specimen. In Chester, it is found in granite. Emmons Var. 4. Irised. In rolled masses—beautiful—in Middlefield. Emmons. Plainfield. Porter. Var. 5. Greasy. Williamstown, New Ashford, Lenox, and Middlefield. Var. 6. Tabular. . Middlefield. Emmons. 38 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachuselts, ye. Var. 7. Granular. In vast quantity. See Geol. Sketch. More or less is found in all the towns. Var. 8. Sand. This mineral, so abundant in Cheshire, should form a va- riety. See the Geol. Sketch. Var. 9. Blue Quartz. Cummington. Porter. Grayish blue, differs but litle from the smoky. Var. 10. Laminated. New var. found in Chester by Dr. Emmons. It is dis- — tinctly laminated, the folia separate by a blow, like these of laminated calcareous spar. It is partially translucent, though the faces of the lamina have not a perfect crystalline smoothness, and marked with oblique strie. 2. Amethyst. In the trap rocks at W. Springfield. Emmons. 3. Ferruginous Quartz. In Middlefield, Var. Yellow and Red. Forma considerable rock, in Pittsfield, composed almost entirely of small crystals. Also in Bennington. Eaton. 4, Fetid Quartz. Abounds in Williamstown, New Ashford, Middlefield and the towns about it, It is often the greasy variety. 5. Chalcedony. In Serpentine, in Middlefield, and in Hinsdale. Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &e. 39 6. Cacholong. On hornstone, and chalcedony in Hinsdale. | 7. Siliceous Sinter. Hyalite. Occurs in serpentine in Middlefield. Emmons. It sometimes is nearly stalactitical, Porter, and isofa dirty brown colour. 8. Opal. s found in Hinsdale. Ferruginous opal in Middlefield. *eanche conchoidal, smooth —texture com- pact—colour reddish brown with whitish spots—lustre re- sinous and shining—fragments splintery—resembles and differs from ferruginous quartz. Emmons 9. Hornstone. Dark coloured in Williamstown. Dark blue in Ser- pentine at Middlefield. Emmons. Yellowish and cover- ed with cacholong, at Hinsdale. I have received a speci- men from N. Carolina, which exactly resembles this. 10. Burhstone. Washington. See Geol. Sketch. 11. Jasper. Red, striped, bluish, in small rolled masses through this Section, Green jasper, at Troy. Eaton. 12, Agate. Found in Middlefield and Chester, not very abundant. It consists of a ground of yellow jasper, with bands of blue- ish white chalcedony. One specimen weighed almost two hundred pounds. Emmons. It seems to be one vast agate, composed of a multitude of small ones. Some of these have been broken out, of a spheroidal shape. Sec- 40 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, §. tionsof it, polished, aren be very beautiful. This may be agate jasper. Jameso The crystals of qullagia in the mine at Southampton often project froma base of agate. The bands are zigzag, like those in fortification agate, and seem to be quartz of different colours, or quartz passing into chalcedony, often beautiful. 2. FIBROLITE ? Beket. This mineral is in minute fibres, harder than quartz, dark coloured, infusible. Occurs only in small — quantities, and is nearer Fibrolite 7 aa I can find. | aides . 3 CYANITE. hy [In mica-slate in Chester, quite | common. A darker _variety than the common is in da mica-slate, generally in single prisms. Emmons. Also in Blanford and Granville. This mineral is sbGhdanti in this section. ge a it is disintegrating, and is recogningll hae atigy 4, srapaoripit 5 ee Very common in the towns about Middlefield. Prisms sometimes three inches long; and with Cyanite and Gar- net, it constitutes the. greater part in some mica-slate. Em- mons. Also in Sheffield, Salisbury, &c. 5. TOPAZ? In Middlefield, connected with serpentine are very y small _ crystals or fragments, some of them prismatic, and tetrae- dral, of a yellow colour, brittle, and harder than rock erys Unless they are an uncommonly hard variety of 2 4 quartz, they are topaz, which they much resemble . They , =e in an earthy ground of some diseetae 4 rals, Z| + ne ee pe: i F E” Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 41 Subsp. Pyenite! In Chester in detached pieces of gneiss; colour bluish green,—six-sided prisms, terminated by planes, with the an- gles truncated—imperfectly foliated perpendicularly to the axis, lustre of lateral planes vitreous—infusible, sp. gr. to- wards 4,.0—less hard than Beryl which it resembles—larg- est crystals an inch and a half long, and half an inch in di- ameter,—several prisms sometimes united parallel to each other. Emmons. ia 6» SILICEOUS SLATE. ie : In rolled masses in Berkshire county. In beds in trans- ition argillite, Troy, Hudson, &c. Var. Basanite. In Williamstown —rolled pieces. o * poe mei oom Of various colours, along the eastern range of mountains. Sometimes green at Cummington. Porter. Var. 2. Prismatic. y orthington. The fibres are often “as delicate as those of anthus.” This mineral, found also in Saratoga coun- sfore rare, has now become plenty, Var. Plumose. This name which has often been applied to some varieties of mica, is intended as descriptive of the mineral. The fi- bres are not easily separable, like the prismatic, and diverg- Vou. VIII. No. 1. 6 42 Geology and Mineralogy of apart of Massachusetts, Oo 1 ing upon each side of the line—they have a truly plumose appearance. It occurs in masses which have a relatively _ close or compact appearance, but the fracture of which — shows the feathery structure. It is found in Williamsburgh 8. SCHORL. Var. 1 . Common. Small six sided prisms in ‘mica-slate, Williamstown. In i some of its forms it is a ay: common mineral in the prim- itive rocks. In the of granite found in the mica-slate iddlefield, Chester, and the town east of it, Norwich, schorl occurs in nine sit with triedral termina- 1 2s, one of which is sometimes by six faces. i * Var. 9 Tourmaline. Indicolite and green tourmaline, are found in a vein of granite in mica-siate, with siliceous feldspar, beryl, prismat- ic miea, saree green feldspar, and rose red quartz. These kinds of tourmaline are the same as those found in Ches- terfield. One crystal of the green has been found there, twoinches in diameter. The locality is two miles south of the meeting house in Chester. It is well known that the rubellite of Chesterfield i is often contained in prisms of green tourmaline; the contained mineral, however, is sometimes nearly white t is it the white tourmaline 2 or white rubellite? The large crystal of green tourmaline at Chester, contained one of indicolite. Emmons am ed 9. FELDSPAR. ‘Var. 1. Common. Abundant in the granite, often decomposing. Often crystals in andar t and Chester, forming -oiphvei granite. = shu Geology and Nar er of @ part of Massachusetts, §-c. 43 Green Fe Idsp «This rare sub-variety” is found in Chesterfield. alo abundant in the granite at Chester. Emmons. Rather pale green, colour not uniform, struc- ture palinied less mere than the ota varieties, Bluish white, lantinng oda —— of a * stellular form’”—a wl en [ti ite. The oe As} hesterfield passes into a granular va st exactly resembling the al- bite of Sweden. In Cheste, itis fine and coarse granular. Vate = ‘Sacht ‘ j- Goadrangular prisms in granite, ar nt at Chester. Var. 4. Cota: Found sometimes withthe preceding. __ e, 10. sapz. ; > Wabtp. Nephrite. ee Found on Westfield river. Very temeaitias, scratches quartz, pale green, oily aspects spline fragments, and fracture dull—rare. Emmo .) » BERYL. Six sided prisms and amorphous, of ne delicate green —sometimes five inches in diameter, in anite at Chester and Norwich. Emmons. Also, in similar and large crys- tals in Worthington—sometimes whitish. t 44 Geology and Mineralogy of apart of Massachusetts, &c. 12. scAPOLITE. Gray and white, lustre somewhat pearly, scratches glass, sometimes a four sided prism——prisms generally irregular, compressed, deeply striated longitudinally, often intersect- ing variously —melts into a porous, yellowish white glass or enamel with ease. Chester, with hornblende, augite, &c. Emmons. This mineral differs from tremolite, which it much resembles. The product of fusion does not exactly agree with the description in Cleaveland’s Min 13. GARNET. The localities which abound with this mineral have been mentioned in the Geol. Sketch. Very large crystals are found in Hawley, in S~ mars slate. un garnet is found in Florida. The common form is he dodecaedron with rhombic faces. About * Middlefield, " ge also the form of the trapezoedron, and the dodecaedron truncated on its solid angles so as to form long hexedral faces. Emmons. The principal var. is the common garnet, 4 Var. Melanite. In hornblende in Chester. 14, EPIDOTE. foe hornblende rocks, in Worthington, Middlefield, and Chester—color, some shade of green. Sometimes al- so in grains. Var. Zoisite. Gray, flattened prisms, striated. Chester. 15. IDOCRASE. Hyacinth red,—lustre vitreous—fracture uneven. Em- mons. Occurs i in imperfect crystals, sometimes nearly Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 45 a quarter of an inch in diameter. It oe into a yellowish glass, which is translucent. There is little reason for doubt about this mineral, though so rare in our country. The form seems to be a prism terminated by low pyramids Found in Chester associated with actynolite, epidote chlorite, &c. ; and also in age Emmons. 16. PREHNITE. In the secondary _. at West Springfield, in ra- diated masses. 17. STILBITE. White, lustre sical exfoliates on hot coals, melts with intumescence; occurs in four sided prisms, whose b are parallelograms, as nearly a rhomb, and in failinfed filesh-colored or reddish masses. Sometimes a row of crys- tals extend side by side for several inches. Found a mile . of the meeting-house in Chester, and in other places i in fissures of the mica-slate and hornblende rok mmon s. v2 18. ZEOLITE, ig Associated with the preceding mineral, are sometimes found fibrous masses, which exactly resemble fibrous zeo- lite. 19. CHABASIE, White and yellowish, often translucent, scratches glass, crystals nearly cubes, and sometimes nearly half an inch in diameter. ogg sbi — and carb. of lime in mica- slate. —Ches Em There are beautiful cots of this mineral. 46 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c 20. Nacritre? On the mica-slate of Chester, is found a mineral, incrust- ing the rock, which may be nacrite. ‘I have not been able to examine it minutely, and merely mention it. Easily fu- sed. It may be a new variety of stilbite, occurring as an incrustation—its colour is a dirty yellowish white. 21. TREMOLITE. Var. 1. Common. In flattened or bladed crystals in Great-Barrington, Sheffield, and New Marlborough in dolomite. At the last Md the dolomite resembles that at Kingsbridge, N. ¥., and also contains augite. Though the dolomite of Great Barrington containing the bladed crystals is generally very friable, I have found a large rock, which is very hard, and contains the same kind of crystals with au- gite. They are found sparingly also in Pittsfield. In Mid- dlefield in large masses of aggregated flattened crystals — with rhomb. spar. Emmons. These crystals often pass off into a perfectly granular tremolite. ‘This is a new an _ very distinct variety, and greatly resembles the white cocco- lite of Phillipstown, N. Y. opposite to Newburgh and a few miles from the river; but the product of fusion proves our mineral to be granular tremolite. ‘The constituents of coc- colite and tremolite are nearly the same, and the two min- erals seem to be nearly related. The locality, at which the bladed crystals are abundant, is in Muddy Brook in Great Barrington, three miles from the plain in Stock- bridge, and on the left of the road leading to New Marl- borough. In this friable dolomite I have found oblique four sided prisms of tremolite, which were friable, but har- dened somewhat, like the dolomite, on exposure to the alt. They are probably the primitive form of tremolite, Var. 2. Fibrous. In Lee, Sheffield, Salisbury, and Canaan, Con. e masses, whose fibres are sometimes more than two feet long, contain parallelopipeds of sulphuret of iron. ~ Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 47 Var. 3. Baikalite ? On the dolomite of Sheffield, I found radiated and fasci- cled Tremolite, yellowish white, and justre silky. The fascicled was bluish white. . ASBESTOS. Amianthus. In very strong and flexible fibres in steatite, Middlefield. Emmons. Windsor—Porter. Var. 2. Mountain Cork. In fine specimens at Benington. Var. 3. Common. With the Biren: Phos te in Windsor——dark grays and with stiff fibres. Porte Var. 4. Ligniform. White and yellowish white, fibres stiff and brittle; tra- versing serpentine in veins at Middlefield. Emmons. Var. 5. Compact. In Middlefield with serpentine. It is often so near both these minerals, as to render it difficult to determine to which it belongs. 23. AUGITE. In magnesian limestone at Muddy Brook in Great Bar- rington and in New Marlborough. It oceurs often in four sided prisms, rather flat, yellowish white, and like that at Kingsbridge, N.Y. These prisms are sometimes canes ted on their edges. Also in six sided prisms. Som the flattened prisms so much resemble those of eoeectls, v 48 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, Yc. with which it occurs, that it is difficult to ascertain what they are without seeing the action of the blowpipe. Also in Hinsdale with plumbago, resembling a similar mixture from Ticonderoga; and also at Chester, greenish, gray, brown, yellowish, tending to crystalline forms. is a beautiful white augite, finely granular or compact, structure foliated with considerable lustre. The green also occurs in large aggregated grains, resembling the green coccolite of the Highlands,N. ¥. The minerals from both these localities want the peculiar lustre of the green coccolite, from Essex Co. N. Y., but seems to be the same variety. Augite occurs in mica-slate, and has actynolite, scapolite, &c., often associated with it. Augite is an abun- dant mineral among our primitive rocks. . 24, HORNBLENDE. dig” Subsp. 2. Common Hornblende. Very abundant in the eastern part of this section—ot various colors—sometimes in distinct crystals, and often in crystalline masses. The lamellar, fibrous, and slaty varie- ties, are common, especially the first and last. Also, the aggregate described by Cleaveland, “‘ composed of chan- nelled, cylindrical or very minute prisms, either parallel or diverging, and sometimes intersecting each other.” These channelled prisms are often long and beautifully diverging, and form the fasciculite of Mr. Hitchcock. Subsp. 2. Actynolite. The common varieties, as massive, acicular, fibrous, and sometimes nearly glassy, and in crystals more or less regu- lar, light to dark green, occur in Middlefield, Chester, &c- and are found associated with tale in a line which extends far into Vermont. It is an abundant and beautiful mineral. It is sometimes so diffused in minute crystals through au- gite and other minerals, that it is not easy to determine what the specimen is, unless we are able to trace its con- nexion with other more characteristi¢ specimens. Sap ner eres Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, $e. 49 25. AMIANTHOIDE ? minute fibres, associated with actynolite, idocrase, and hornblende——fusible into a dark dull enamel. Emmons. 1 mention this mineral to _— attention to it. It may be fibrous actynolite, and it may be amianthoide. The two seem to be closely related, se do not differ very greatly in their composition. 26. DIALLAGE? In Diallage rock? Chester. It resembles metalloidal diallage. It differs so much from hornblende in its gene- ral appearance, that I suspect it to be diallage. In the serpentine of Middlefield is a foliated mineral in small quantity, which seems to be metalloidal diallage, though it is rather finer grained than the European which I seen. 27. SERPENTINE. In immense quantities in a bed two miles bog in Mid- diefield, two miles south of the meeting-house. [1 often ms ledges from 50 or 80 feet in height, and is of various colors, light and a green, and dark reddish brown . specimens from England. In a neighboring brook, it white and cream'colored, sometimes spotted, traadhdeeit, and beautiful. Both precious and common serpentine are found here. The green and brown are acted upon by the weather, and the surface becomes of a reddish yellow color, and they sometimes disintegrate into a reddish earth. The rocks break into angular fragments, with an obvious tendency in many cases to prismatic forms. In Russell, a little east of south from this place, it occurs in large beds, of avery dark green, nearly black, and has been polished (See A steatite. * Serpeine is ond also in the N. W. part of Vor. VII? Mo. Bot.Garden, 1901, 50 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachuseits, &c. Windsor, in Worthington, on Plainfield, and in the towns in the same direction in Vermont. In Florida, some of it is very hard, comes crystals of sulphuret of iron, and is exactly like specimens from Zoblitz in Saxony. With the serpentine is often found magnetic oxide of iron, hyalite, chalcedony, tale, asbestus, &c. 28. TALC. Var. 1. Common. White, greevish white, and deep green ; often in large folia with rhomb spar in the bed of steatite in Middlefield— beautiful. In masses of small scales with spinolte. In Chester, brown talc forms veins in mica-slate-—Emmons. In Savoy is a narrow stratum of brownish or dark gray talc, which exfoliates, even in the fame of a condlits much more than this mineral usually does. A very thin leaf will often divide in this way into fifty folia, swelling into a large mass and winding about in a curious manner. It contains ten per cent. of water, to which this great exfolia- tion is probably owing, as this is a much larger quantity than is given in any analysis of the mineral. This talc is doubtless the same as that mentioned in this Journal, Vol. VII. p.55. Ifa new name be paneshery for this variety, ean it be Vermiculite with propriety? For this is an estab- lished name of certain organic remains found as petrifac- tions. Remark.--This tale fuses into a dark colored enamel, The books say that the enamel of tale is white. The lighter colored varieties do indeed melt into a white enamel; but the darker give a dark enamel, without exception, so far as I have examined; and I bate tried several from different places which did a exfoliate in the remarkable manner just mentioned. Fibrous Talc. The lamina sometimes divide so as to present this sub- variety. Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 51 ‘Var 2. Indurated Talc. - near Williams College, from half an e inches thick——brown or gray. Subsp. Steatite. Var. Common Steatite and Potstone. These two varieties are associated in a large bed at Middlefield, two miles east of the meeting-house. It has been extensively quarried for building, and transported to Boston and other places under the name of freestone. It resists the action of fire, when applied against the sides of the lamina. Occurs in layers a few feet in thickness, which were sawed into convenient blocks for transporta- tion. It has been removed from one place for some rods in length, and from a few to fifteen or twenty feet in depth. The potstone is only a finer variety, and generally darker colored. Both varieties were common in the fireplaces in Boston. In Windsor is a tend of fine steatite. It was formerly wrought into inkstands, ai the Shakers now pie ek same article from | a s e material. In orthington a ; An oe intién of the seatte shows the bag 3 : making it a subsp. of talc,—-it is so closely composed of scales of talc, closely compacted, when compared with fo- liated talc of the common variety. In Lee, a part of an Indian pot, formed of Steatite, was found a few years since, having upon it one of the ears which supported it. ‘Some of the steatite is fibrous. Crystallized Steatite. In Middlefield two miles S. of the meeting-house be- tween layers of the Par See Am. Journ. Vol. V. p- 289, Vol. VI. p. 334. This isarare mineral. The crys- tals project into a layer of fibrous tale or ligniform asbes- tus, which lies down closely upon the mass on which they are formed 52 Geology and Mineralogy of apart of Massachusetts, &c. 29. CHLORITE. eep a distinctly foliated. Middlefield and Chester, in small m sses, and also mica-slate. Emmons. Among the older Srisices rocks, chlorite seems to be composed of more distinct folia. Also, in the vallies on both sides of the Taconick ae of mountains, e com- mon var. is very abundant in , associated with quartz. Itis found along the Hudson also. Chiorite Slate. Abundant in Williamstown and oa burgh. Also in Pownal, Great Barrington, and in various places i in -Pepssolacr and Columbia Counties. 30. GIBBSITE.* 4 Discovered by Dr. E, Emmons in an iron mine in Rich- mond. It occurs in incrustations and stalactical and ma- millary forms, partially crystallized. In Lenox, small mammillary bodies upon brown hematite. Most of it seems to be com hs, of radiating fibres. It is also diffused through disintegrating quartz. Besides these forms, it is found compact and earthy, eee an indurated clay, in the same mine in Richmon 31. ARGILLACEOUS SLATE. [See the preceding Geol, Sketch. | The var. A/uminous Slate occurs in Pownal in argillite. Also in New Lebanon and Troy ; Eaton. -Grapinc Slate, in small quantity with argillite in Lanes- borough and Williamstown. Abundant at Bennington in a hill of argillite. See the Geol. Sketch. When this mine- ral is thrown into melted nitre, carbonic acid is rapidly ex- tricated, as from charcoal or plumbago in a similar situa- 4 n. + Glazed Slate. Troy, &c. Eaton.—See the preceding Geology. not those minerals, which are composed of the nearly pure earths, with patie be arranged in a separate class. i i ees | a nen Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 53 32. CLAY. : a4 1. Porcelain Clay. In Savoy, in a bed three feet deep and of unknown ex- tent, several feet below the surface. iscovered in dig- ging for ore, connected with mica slate. It resembles the porcelain clay of Monkton, Vt. It forms a very cohesive paste, white, and crucibles moulded from it and burned in a common fire were sonorous when struck. It contains coarse Reig = of quartz, but when sifted, forms a very fine Similar clay of a finer quality has been hae ~~ ty 7 said to be found in large quantity in Canaan am 2 gama with the locality. hes in "Plainfield; orter. 2. Potters’ Clay. Abundant generally. . 3. Lithomarge ? A clay, much resembling Lithomarge, is found in the iron ore in the W. part of Bennington. I saw none of it at the great orebed. 4, Yellow Earth. When washed, a yellow ochre is deposited from the wa- ter. Williamstown. CLASS III. 1. SULPHURETTED HYDROGEN GAS. fn the hepatic waters mentioned in the Geol. Sketch. 2. SULPHUR. Hinsdale, in cavities of a mica slate rock, consisting” chiefly of quartz. It is a brown powder, from ‘its mixture, 54 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. bably | ferith oxillc offijien. Alco. in Middlefield and Bhester ; Emmons. It is a fine powder, and not very abundant in the rock; enough however to cover it with flame when thrown on the fire. The mica in this rock is a very bright green, and has sometimes been considered as oxide of chrome. Pulverulent sulphur is found also in Tyringham, i in mi- Vt. ca slate, and in ilmington, » Also i in Bogert oi in the singular mineral discovered by Dr. P 3. PETROLEUM, Rises in small a on the surface of rather ap waters, in many pla 4. GRAPHITE. Foliated and granular with augite at Hinsdale. Some- times it is nearly slaty, and in considerable quantity. Also in New Marlborough. The foliated variety is often found along the eastern part of this section, diffused through augite, granite, and va- rious minerals. It is often called sulphuret of molybdena, as Rost of is not supposed to be so distinctly foliated. at of i - however, is certainly graphite. Also in Cum- 5.- PEAT. A bed of vegetable matter, approaching this substance, under the bed of mar! in Pittsfield. In Canaan, N. Y. arnes. CLASS IV. 1. SULPHURET OF IRON, Too common to mention localities,—associated with most rocks and minerals. In Chatham, N. Y. in flattened Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 55 or spheroidal masses, with radiations from the centre, and the masses often divide by a natural seam into equal por- tions. It is sometimes capilla Hepatic su\phuret of iron in mica slate, Williamstown. In Chester, this mineral yields shanna ig? i Hancock the water in iene ing, with th d gen, which was suddenly Ss or gore would an ac- count for the fact. Mey we not in this way account for burnt vegetables or scorched them, near where it issued. The place, abounds in sulpburet of iron. Much money has formerly been expended in digging for imaginary sil- ver ore, in Williamstown, Adams, and Savoy, where noth- ing but sulphuret of iron occurred or was to be expected. 2, MAGNETIC OXIDE OF IRON, In mica slate and chlorite slate, and in serpentine, gene- rally of the primitive form. It is sometimes massive, weigh- ee some pounds. Emmons. Re. at Somerset, with do- omite. 3. SPECULAR OXIDE OF IRON, In large folia, cemented with serpentine. The micaceous oxide, abundant and beautiful, at Hawley. = ee 4. BROWN OXIDE OF IRON. This is the principal ore of iron at the several beds men- ned in the preceding Geol. Sketch. The varieties are the Hematitic in all its various forms; the Compact ; and the 56 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, $e: hry brown. The formation of the cylindrical and sta- lactical hematite seems to be involved in perfect darkness. They are sometimes equally solid throughout, and the fibres radiate from the axis; at other times, they contain a less perfectly crystallized cylinder along the axis; and in other specimens, the central cylinder is mere yellow oxide of iron, upon which the process of crystallization has not even commenced. Some of the cylinders, formed of ra- diating a as before, are hollow, or may be easily made sO are often formed on the inside of hollow sphe- roidal masses of the ore, and their terminations are always downwards. But it is not easily conceived how the action of fire should melt and thus crystallize the ore on the in- side, while the outside of these metallic geodes, often not half an inch thick, is entirely without any appearance of fusion or tendency towards crystallization: neither how the action of either fire or water should form the cylinders with the central part such as it often presents. The smooth surfaces of the ore are often beautifully crise Iron ore is also found at Middlefield, but not of a quality for manufacture. Emmons, 5. ARGILLACEOUS OXIDE OF IRON, The granular and compact varieties are found in Ben- nington and Salisbury. og iron ore is found occasionally in the low grounds. In Sheffield, in some quantity. 6, SULPHATE OF IRON, Effioresces on the rocks near the S. village in Adams. Also in a loose earth, near the Shaker village in Tyringham. 7. CHROMATE OF IRON. In Cummington with steatite, ‘Porter. It much re- sembles that from a and. é gg foo PION Geology and Miner log sy of a part of Massachusetts, br 57 8. SULPHURET OF LEAD. Specimens of common galena have been ye SS to me. from Adams. A bed ef the ore is said to be e E. side of Saddle Mt. In Wi oe ib in seit Hans In Livingston, near Hudson, in a oa 9. ZINC. . e form of zinc exists in the iron ore at Salisbury. A Hage quantity of the artificial laminated mineral, Cadnua, described in this Journal Vol. VI. p. 180, has been found in the chimnies of the furnaces. 10. OXIDE OF MANGANESE. Var. 1. Radiated. In distinct short four sided prisms on the compact variety—~ as a fine lustre—in a loose mass of several pounds found in Pittsfield. Var. 2. Compact. PBvimingvon—ebuudant. It occurs in small quantity at the other ore beds. nome Sheffield, West Stockbridge, Ad- ams, and Cummington Var. 3. Earthy. Colour brown and brownish black, fracture and texture Gin ver a Bennington. Also at Richmond with ibbsite ; Boa Var. 4. Siliceous Owide of. tet et In small q Vor. ven 58 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. ll. SULPHURKET OF MOLYBDENA. In beautiful plates or nine ae brilliant lead colour, and less dark than foliated plumbago have some regu- lar hexaedral plates, which were closely united, forming a six sided prism, in quartz. Chesterfield. 12. RED OXIDE OF TITANIUM. In small prisms in quartz associated with Dolomite ia Pittsfield—rare. Also in flat plates in quartz in Middlefield ; Emmons. gets 13. FERRUGINOUS OXIDE OF TITANIUM. It has some resemblance to schorl; but is infusible—oc- curs in smallish long ao. nearly black prisms in gran- ite—rare. Chester; Emmon 14. sILICO-CALCAREOUS OXIDE OF TITANIUM. In Middlefield in imperfect prisms, rather lighter colored, but much resembling that of Brattleborough, Vt. MINERALS OMITTED. Anthracite: This mineral is found in small quantity in gray wacke slate, especially at Schuyler’s quarry, Troy; Eaton. Vert Antique ? This is a magnesian mineral found in a bed in gneiss on the river in. Becket, and colored greenish by serpentine. It may, as Dr. Emmons supposes, be a serpentine marble. It is a tough mineral, and takes a fine polish. In some Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 59 specimens, the quantity of serpentine is very small, and the colour yellowish sf pe In other specimens the ser- pentine is distinctly to be seen. The mineral efferyesces with acids, and the seygalinn structure of the eget or of the magnesian limestone, is obvious. I have supposed ita magnesite ; but its characters would place it ae the general description of Vert Antique. Cummingtonite. I have given this name to a mineral found by Dr. J. Por- ter in Cummington. It appears to be a variety of epidote. Its colour is gray, sometimes with a faint reddish tinge, un- less when acted on by the weather, when its colour is yel- Jowish. It is in indistinct prisms, with oblique seams like zoisite, and in radiated or fascicled masses, which are com- posed of slender og Lustre somewhat shining or pearly. It is nearly as hard as quartz, and sometimes makes a slight i famprceeiath upon rock crystal. Before the blowpipe it blackens, and a small portion melts, when the heat is very great, into a black slag, which is attracted by the magnet. Its point of fusion seems to be about the same as that of see. After allowing for some absorption, the sp. gr. may be taken as about 3.42. It is so peculiar a mineral, that it deserves, even as a varicty, a particular name With quartz — garnet, it forms a large mass in Cum- mington. The cavities in the rock contain pulverulent sulphur of a ainy: greenish colour; and minute crystals of Magnetic oxide of iron are also Touts 3 in it. Yenite. _ This mineral is found at a Con. Itis foliated i in which ] te seen from Europe. It is dark green, opaque, lack globule. From a partial analysis, it seems to nave the composition of t he pe pean yenite, and the silex and iron are nearly in the peoportsts given by analysis. Sp. gr. 3.83. When melted, the globule is like that of the European yenite, at- iracted by the magnet. It is also in the form of flattene 60 4 list of Minerals and Organic Remains. imperfect prisms. The composition of this mineral, ac- cording to authors, is variable, and a small portion of found in it. In the mineral from Chatham, is a little alumine and manganese, and it appears to contain lesslime, and more silex and iron than the European specimens. To the eye it resembles hornblende. But its specific grav- ity and composition seem to prove it to be yenite. Sulphate of Magnesia, Effloresces on clay in the bank of the Hudson, three miles above the village of Lansingburgh. Eaton. It is said to be found also in the argillaceous marl about the Hud- son. Galena. Livingston, Columbia county, N. ¥Y. The mine I have not visited ; but the ore is said to be very abundant. Nephrite. Salisbury, Con. found by Mr, C. A. Lee. It is somewhat lamellar, and exhibits imperfect prisms by fracture, and is less bluish white than that of Rhode-Island. Its hardness, toughness and fusion, prove it to-be the same mineral, Caleareous Tufa. At the Falls in Sgr Con. It is finely characterised, nd but is morec ct and hard than it commonly is. Fou by Mr. Lee. ART. Il. —A List of Minerals and organic Remains, occur- ring in the Canadas. By Joun Brassy, M. D. F. L. S. and M. G. S. Lond TO PROFESSOR SILLIMAN, a ‘respectfully solicit a place in the heketiian Journal of Science for a list of minerals and organic remains occur- nine A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. 61 ving in the Canadas, which has been read before the Lyce- um of Natural History of New-York. From this list | have scrupulously rejected all minerals of doubtful character, and have never adverted to locali- ties which have been already announced; without some purpose evident in the context. With respect to fossils, I wish this communication to be considered as a transient notice, to assist temporarily in the study of the secondary formations of North-America. All the substances here mentioned, have been examin- ed by the geologists of this country, and of Europe, and are to be found in their cabinets. _ n the plurality of cases, for obvious reasons, I shall avoid a detail of mineral characters, and confine myself to rapid sketches of geological relations. Beryl.—Rainy Lake, two hundred and thirty miles north from Lake Superior. I found only two specimens, the largest of which is one quarter of an inch long, and one sixteenth of an inch broad, in a well characterized six sided prism, translucent, pale green; imbedded in porphyritic granite, in which a brown feldspar is predominant, the mica being black and scanty. It occurs on the east side of the lake, subordinate to vast tracts of gneiss, which runs . N. E. and changes in places, by insensible degrees, into mica-slate, chloritic and greenstone slate, and sienite. This lake is two hundred and ninety-four miles round, as measured by circumnayigating it from point to point only, : ofthe successive bays. Schorl.—In the Lake of the Thousand Islands, below Kingston, in Upper Canada; north-east coast of Lake Huron, in two distant places; Cape Tourment, thirty miles below Quebec, Malbay, &c. Lower Canada: velvet black, opaque—in six and nine sided prisms, usually small, but rarely ten inches in length, and one and an half inches in breadth—-sometimes curved. It abounds in fragments in the puddingstone of the Thousand Islands, interposed between gneiss and horizontal limestone. he most remarkable deposit with which I am acquaint- ed, is on Yeo’s Island, one of the Thousand Islands, near the upper end of 'I'ar Island, and on the south side of the English channel. Yeo’s Island (about three hundred yards o 62 A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. long,) is divided by a ravine into two unequal parts, on the south-western of which, and on the face of a shelving mound of bleached, close-grained granite, is situated the bed of schorl. Itis twelve paces in diameter, and is near- ly circular. It does not consist of schor] only, but is a con- fused aggregate of white translucent quartz, of opaque, cream ¢olored feldspar, of greenish yellow mica, and the schorl, intermixed in shapeless masses of from one to three feet in diameter. The quartz and feldspar are in their usual forms. The mica is brass yellow, with a delicate tinge of green. It is in flakes an inch square, grouped con- fusedly, and so tough that, although it is in masses a yard in diameter, small fragments are procured only with diffi- eulty. The schorl occurs as a very close lateral accretion of large crystals, with broken terminations, cemented by a film of mica, and dipping into the rock southerly, at an an- gle of 70°, They have here no determinate number of sides; but resemble a fascis, composed of unequal rods. From this, the principal deposit, several ramifications pass off to the sides of the island, wanting only the mica. Schorl is met with in other parts of the island, in six sided prisms, of four and eight inches in length, imbedded in veins of quartz and feldspar, coarsely mixed. The con- taining rock is gneiss, fine grained, of a south-west direc- tion, and south-east dip; but often passing into granite. Epidote.—In the trap of Montreal ; in druses of acicular maycan,) the outlet of Lake Lacroix, a large body of water north-west of the Grand Portage on Lake Superior, and a a 1 Last of Minerals and Organic Remains. 63 in long. 92°20’. In Rainy Lake, these crystals are ex- tremely small; in very oblique four sided, and in{six sided prisms, and in twin crystals. In both localities they are numerous, and imbedded in the same gneiss, which, with frequent transitions into mica-slate, greenstone, &c. here overspreads a great extent of country. : n the river Lacroix, the staurotide occurs in the second portage from the lake, and is frequently an inch long, and two thirds of aninch broad; and in excellent condition. Amethyst.— Lake Superior. Found also by Major De- lafield; (a remark which extends to all the minerals found in Lakes Superior and Huron.) It presents itself in six sided prisms of good color, in druses and geodes of amygdaloid. This rock occurs in great quantities, on the north shore of this lake, and in the adjacent islands. It is intimately connected with the old red sandstone formation, is adja- cent to, and passes into clay porphyry, which graduates into the sandstone. Limestone, with orthoceratites, tri- lobites, encrinites, and other fossils, characteristic of the cavities of the limestone of Quebec, in extraordinary quan- tities, and of great brilliance. They are generally ae imposed laterally, or terminally, seldom imbedded. The form is the six sided prism, “with the ordinary pyramidal acumination. They are often much flattened, seldom equi-angular, and frequently the prism disappears, leaving a dodecahedron. The crystals are single or agglutinated ; being in the latter case, full of rents, and of brown earthy matter ; and in rare instances, eontain a drop of pale bitu- —— liquid. They are either colorless, or dark smoke rown. Radiated Quartz.—Point Marmoaze, Lake Superior, in amygdaloid, nearly filling a geode with imperfect crystals. radiating in a stellular form from three centres. ky Quartz.—In the outlet of Lake Ontario, four miles below Kingston, this species of quartz exists in large strata, subordinate and conformable to gneiss, and in the calcareous puddingstone covering it. 64 A List of Minerals and Organtc Remains. Chalcedony.—Near Gravel Point, (Lake Superior,) in clay porphyry, in veins. At Points Gargantua and Mar- moaze, and in the district of the ee in that lake, as ioe coatings to druses in amy. oi Carnelian.—District of Gaspé, four fide and fifty miles below Quebec, in rolled masses, white, red, yellow, brown; color uniform or in clouds ; transparency and lus- — tre excellent. In the amygdaloid, and its accompanying conglomerate, of Lake Superior. Its usual color is deli- cate red. Fortification Agate.—Lake Huron, ee in rolled masses of amygdaloid. Gaspé, in pebbles on the sea-shore. In the porphyry of Lake Superior, and Blentifal, “large and fine, in the amygdaloid of cay latter lake. Striped Jasper .—North-west of Lake Hoeven, as nodules in transition quartz 2 amare n fine, color good, red, "ou brown, yellow, green, white, black. Onthe north shore of Gun-flint Lake, and in the East Lake of the Height of Land, between Lake Superior and Hudson’s Bay, both about seventy miles from the Grand Portage of Lake Su- periers ® pe considerable deposits, in trap, of jasper; in the first mentioned place red, with rusty brown spots, and, in the East 5 eh marbled in a beautiful manner with green and red. Common eo present with the striped variety of Lake Hur Pitohstone .—In Michipicoton Bay of Lake eaperior; I found large rolled masses, rendered p orphyritic in parts by glassy feldspar. It is jet black. The fixed rock of the locality is greenstone; but those of the opposite opie shore of the Bay are amygdaloid and sandsto Fibrous Prehnite.x—At Peint Marmoaze, in Sakis Supe- rior, as small mammillary coatings on druses, and in amor- hous masses. Major Delafield found this mineral in the ay Plat of this lake. The color is fine, and the other characters distinct. Radiatal Zeolite—Gargantua. Point Marmoaze, in amygdaloid. At the former place, brownish red, and esh red, and at the latter, green also. The brown- ish red variety is imbedded in the trap, without the inter- vention of any other mineral; the other in masses of cale. 4 List of Minerals and Organic Remains. 65 spar; the radiating fibres passing * the circumference in- sensibly into calc. spar. It is very handsome, and is almost identical with the Italian zeolite. White fibrous zeolite is not uncommon in the druses of the Trap Mountain of siento, associated with tables of feldspar, pyrites and abasie. Stilbite.—In the amygdaloid of the north shore of Lake aokincn It is red, pecpey crystallized, encrusting nodules of cale. sj d lining druses. It occurs likewise in the conglomera erstratified with the amygdaloid. h aie | Mountain, ina druse with zeolite; form well i n jor perhaps originally greyish white. onder this name, ies been also recognized by Dr. Troust _ andothers, of Philadelphia. It is a pale flesh-red feld- spar, largely crystallized, and rc part of a vein of a porphyritic granite of great size, traversing gneiss. It is al- most every where full of brilliant. golden points, whichspar- kle with increased force, if held in particular lights. ‘This porphyritic granite prevails greatly in large contempora- heous masses, and wandering veins, in all the sienitic (or rather granitic,) districts of Lake Superior; but is most abundant in the gneiss of Lake Huron, and of Lakes La- croix and Laplarie, in 92° 20’ and 93° west longitude, and north from Lake Superior. This gneiss is of imperfect or sores stratification; full of hornblende in beds, lamina, also disseminated. It seems to belong to the transition, or are the younger of the primitive roc ocks ; judging from its constant Proximiby to red sandstoae, the oldest organic limestone, and to ere the he eaeee occurs, the gneiss is atraiaed in large « bold curves, which often run into knots of con- centric layers, many yards broad; but its Rases. course is N. W., N. N. W. of N. by W. with a corresponding eas- terly dip. Very frequently it passes into a granite. eagy Feldspar.—Lake Superior, in pitchstone porphy- In Lake Huron, and Gun-flint Lake, in greenstone porphyry. In Lakes Superior and Huron, they are splen- dent, transparent imbedded four sided prisms, of a pale wine-yellow color, Jo Gun-flint Lake, they arein six sided Pris dan halfinches OUI thas be Vou. VIL—-No. 9 66 4 Last of Minerals and Organic Remains. long, and cneinchin diameter. ‘They are greyish white; and although transparent in the fresh fracture, become opaque by weathering. The rock in which they occur is ah of a trap formation which occupies the north shore of Lake Superior, from Iong. 87° 20’ to 91° 40’; and most probably farther west. I have only seen the greenstone porphyry of Lake Huron, as a bowlder. It differs from that of Gunflint Lake, in its crystals being confluent Labrador F: ldspar. —A fur-trading se tibhraent of M. Bourassa is placed in a district of this mineral. On the north-east coast of Lake Huron, sixty miles west from Pen- etanguishine, a British naval station, and ninety miles east from the French River. It occurs here in rock masses, constituting the islands and main of this intricate country. ith re spect to its ex- tent, I can only say it is five miles across, in the canoe route along the north shore. On its western confines it is divided from the great gneiss formation, stretching to the French River by an interval of water and woods, two miles broad; but on the east I clearly perceived it to graduate into the gneiss of the locality. My opportunities for this examination were remarkably good, from our having wan- dered thereabouts for several hours, in search-af the true route, which we had lost. The gneiss in which it occurs — is the same as that affording the aventurine, except that its stratification is better a Rae and that each of the ingredi~ however, here, are north-east and north; but with great divergencies; rendered more numerous, and even inex- plicable, by the broken nature of the ground, and by the sweeping cycloidal curvatures common to the gneiss of this part of Lake Huron—each bend being from 50 to 100 yards long. Entering the district of Labrador feldspar from the east, we first perceive the feldspar to bave a remarkable lus- tre and aod nagar to increase in quantity, poh in the size of i its facets. Soon, stratification becomes ure—— at. length is indiscernible + the feldspar constituting ‘whole mass. It always contains slender strin, _* e1 ish hornblende® without any particular Firectile, a ie i saa A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. 67 and some small but brilliant garnets. I noticed a vein of massive garnet, one foot thick, in an isle three miles east rom Bourassa’s House. I found a loose mass, two hun- dred and fifty pounds weight, eleven miles east of the French River, of sienite, composed of black hornblende and gray feldspar, having a very strong purple iridescence. The hornblende must, therefore, occasionally be abundant in this rock. The Labrador feldspar is of greenish bluish, and bya- line gray, in facets, usually about half an inch in diameter ; but often much larger. ‘Fhe iridescence is purple, green, and rarely flame colored, and is only observed in a few soli- tary spots until dipped in water, or polished, when it over- spreads nearly the whole mass. Judging from the extensive range of country over which bowlders of Labrador feldspar are scattered, the fixed rocks consisting of this mineral with which I met in Lake Huron, are only the southern portion of a large deposit situated in the unexplored forests included between Lakes Simcoe, Huron, Nipissing and the Ottawa or Grand River. From the French River, eastwards, the Labrador feldspar over- spreads the northern parts of Lake Huron in vast quanti- ties, seldom however very iridescent. “ars sandy Hills* h d of the east shore of that lake,* an ke Simcoe are loaded with it ;—and it is traced, rapidly diminishing in quantity, across Lake Simcoe to Ontario, lying upo great beds of clay and sand which occupy this interval. — Even as far down the north shore of Lake Ontario as Kings- ton, solitary masses may be observed. The small bowlders of blue Labrador feldspar found by my friend Dr, Lyons in the Island of St. Helen, opposite to Montreal, I scarcely believe to belong to this formation as it forms part of a micaceous aggregate, is whiter, and can be referred to a nearer origin, Lake Champlain. Mica.--Ottawa River at the portage of the Grand Ca- lumet, 200 miles from Montreal, in what I suppose to be Dolomite, subordinate to primitive white marble. It is in Unequiangular six sided tables. ‘ * Containing horizontal layers of alasmadonta, cyclades, planorbis, &c, and frequently several miles inland from the present shore of the La ee er 68 A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. Yellow mica in small spangles is plentifully intermixed with the alluvial sand of the valley of the River St. Charles near Quebec. It is in plates a foot in diameter in porphyritic granite at Cap Tourment; and on the north east shore of Lake Hu- ron, 50 miles east of the French River: and at the Grand Calumet Portage on the River Ottawa. Chlorite. Earth—Lake of the woods; Rainy Lake, Lakes Superior and Huron. 3 This is a plentiful mineral. In the Lake of the woods it is a conformable vein in Greenstone running E. by N. dipping northerly. It is from 9 to 12 inches thick——its tex- ture is coarse earthy, soft fissile, slightly slaty-—and con- tains octohedral crystals of iron ore and cubic tron pyrites, In Rainy Lake, Lake Superior, and near the Sagamuc River in Lake Huron it under similar ci t it is found in gneiss 3 miles North from the Giants’ Tomb n the last named Lake, on a barren islet. Green Earth.—Lake Superior. In Amygdaloid in coat- ings, and disseminated. Common Serpentine.—Lakes Huron and Simcoe—rol- led. At Greenville on the Ottawa, 65 miles north west from Montreal, and at Gananoque 20 miles below Kings- ton, U. C. it-occurs in large and small irregular masses in a calcareous cement—subordinate to gneiss in the latter case. | am not disposed to regard this rock asa breccia. Ligneous Ashestus.—-North west coast of Lake Huron in veins traversing transition Greenstone. Basaltic Hornblende—Lake Huron—Montreal Moun- tain—Banks of theRichelieu near Chambly, L. C. In all imstances, in a compact trap.—In the rock of Mon- treal the terminations project and display the four trape- zoidal faces, corresponding to four of the lateral planes, as is common in this mineral. Common Actynolite—Crow Lake, 30 miles north of Lake Ontario, in the township of Marmora. I have seen a fine specimen from this locality, in possession of the late Mr. Spilsbury, surgeon in the Royal Navy, Kingston, U. C. Glassy Actynolite -—York, U. C. In a rolled aggregate of petalite, quartz, tremolite, and calc. spar. It is a very handsome groupe of crystals, ‘‘ of a fine green colour, ce-' mented together by lamellar carbonate of lime. They A List of Minerals and Organic Remain: 69 are nearly transparent, almost cylindrical, with the excep- tion of a few, which belong to the a and tri-uni- we of Baily. The same form is found at Franklin, New- aan 1% oa i oe =. Glassy tremolite.—York, U. C. In white, glassy, short and indistinct diverging fibres, dispersed among the peta- lite, minutely, and in large masses. e Petalite.—This rare mineral, not hitherto found on this continent, occurs on the north shore of Lake Ontario on the &. ita % and has much glassy tremolite interspersed, and two large veins of irregular shape, of an aggregate of actynolite and calc. spar. Close to this bowlder lies a still larger of the ophiealcic family} from Grenville or Gananoque, and strewn around are loose greenstones, sienites and some Labrador feldspar. ‘ The town of York is situated on clayey alluvion, con- taining in spots, many crystalline quartz nodules; the an- cient banks of the Lake are about a mile in the rear ; but at the distance of several miles east and west, they form its immediate shores in the slopes of the “ Burlington Heights” the very picturesque cliffs of the “ York Highlands” three hundred feet high, and consisting of grey and blue clay, which now and then alternate with horizontal bands of ferruginous sand. fe te t York the alluvion overlies a brown horizontal lime- stone, abounding in trilobites, orthoceratites, and other fossils of the older secondary formations, and abutting horthwardly, forty miles from Lake Ontario, on gneiss and slenitic rocks. Anthophyllite.—Fort Wellington, U. C. In a large rol- led aggregate of crystallized quartz, calc, spar and apatite. A remarkably well characterized example, recognized by Dr. Hyde Wollaston, and Mr. Lowry of London. [had con- sidered it zoisite. * Dr. Troust, Journal of the Academy of Nataral Science, of Philadel- Phia, Vol. 3. p.234. * A term used by the French Geologists to designate a rock composed of marble and serpentine. iy 4 70 A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. sahlite. —-Hawksbury, Ottawa. A very large rolled mass intermixed with quartz and containing imbedded sphene Common Augite.—Imbedded in the trap of Montreal mountain. Professor Silliman first detected this mineral in the above locality. It occurs in acicular crystals in the trap around the village of La Prairie, L. C. Coccoitte.—Fort Wellington, U. C. Montreal, on the shores of the St. Lawrence—green, in rounded grains in white calc. spar—rolled. Calc. spar.—Is found at the Grand Calumet on the Otta- wa, in primitive marble, in sky-blue transparent masses, with strie indicative of a cleavage parallel to the diagonal of its rhomb. White calc. spar occurs in veins in the gneiss of Cap Tourment, L. C. and very largely in the sienite and greenstone of Lake Superior. Marble.— West Branch of the Ottawa, leading towards Lake Nipissing four hundred and fifty miles north west from Montreal. Lake Chat, on the Ottawa, and the parts of that river about the Portages de la Montagne and Grand Calumet—in all these instances subordinate to gneiss. It occurs also in the neighbourhood of Berthier, forty miles north east from Montreal; and is frequent in the state of bowlders along the north shore of Lake Ontario, derived perhaps from the body of this rock existing at Mar- mora, up the river Trent. It is every where white, highly crystalline, and often contains galena minutely dissemina- e °. Satin Spar. In the Amygdaloid of Lake Superior at Point Marmoaze, and in the Pay Plat according to Major Delafield, who also found it in the trap of the Outard Cliff, overlooking the lake of that name, in longitude 90° 5’ north of Lake Superior. At Point Marmoaze it is in veins from a quarter of an inch to one inch thick, vertical, running obliquely to the stratification, several in company, nearly parallel, and ram- ifying rectangularly. These veins consist of two tables, separated by a rift in the middle. The fibres are usually perpendicular to the axis of the vein; rarely oblique. The mineral is white, with a slight tinge of red, occasionally. Fibrous Arragonite.—In compact secondary limestone at La Chine, eight miles west of Montreal, presented to me by Dr. Lyons. In veins one inch thick composed A Last of Minerals and Organic Remains. 71 of two tables, one of which is white, and slightly translucen the other is white, hyaline, with high translucency. limestone forms a horizontal girdle around the trap moun- tain of Montreal, whence, as from a centre, large veins or dykes of trap radiate into the adjacent limestone, to the dis- tance of two miles, in some cases, to my own knowledge, and even to La Chine, according to information received from M. Burnet, chief engineer to the La Chine canal. Th limestone in its upper strata is brown and crystalline; but black, compact and slaty below. It contains in immense quantities the organic remains peculiar to the mountain limestone of England and Ireland. Common Apatite. —Fort Wellington, U. C. Ina rolled aggregate of quartz, anthophyllite and cale. spar. In six si- ded prisms from one sixth to one fourth of an inch in di- ameter, usually short, sometimes long, confusedly aggrega- ted, sometimes in great numbers ; they are often equiangu- nd % is terminal edges, now and then so much as to produce four and five sided prisms. They are opaque—the colour be- ing greenish white, green and light blue, 1 have one fine crystal in which these colours blend in clouds. ‘ibrous Gypsum.—In limestone on the river Ouse, which enters Lake Erie on the north shore. Indians have brought this mineral from near Cabot’s Head in Lake Hu- ron; that from St. Martin’s Islands near Michilimacinac has been long known. Racer ics Selenite has been found on the Great Manitouline in the horizontal limestone of Hudson’s bay. I have seen it from thence in transparent masses of very large size. Fluor.—At the bay of St. Pauls, sixty miles below Que- bec, in the ravine of the stream which turns the seignioral mill, disseminated plentifully in green crystalline masses, in white marble which is a thin layer in compact blue lime- stone, alternating with gneiss. ; _ Itis found in the transition limestone of Cape Diamond, n'a druse superimposed on white calc. spar. If any erys~ 72 A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. talline forms existed in this specimen, they were destroy- ed in detaching the mass. Nothing now remains buta fragmented crystalline purple mass. ‘The specimen wasgiv- en to me in 1819 by Lieut. Skene, superintending engineer of Quebec. My friend Dr. McEwen of Philadelphia, has also met with fluor in this locality. : It is present in the secondary limestone of Montreal, fil- ling fissures in the calcareo-quartzose veins common at the foot of the mountain. It is purple and massive. {t is plentiful in the sienite of the north mainland of Lake Superior, opposite Peck Island, and likewise six miles east of the Written Rocks, filling fissures—it is purple, translu- cent, crystalline, and separated from the sides of the cleft by a film of white calc. spar—in amygdaloidal trap, oncale. spar, three miles east of Point Gargantua—purple and green— (Major Delafield.) It is abundant, lining fissures, together with sulphate of Barytes, in the porphyry of the large and lofty island, three miles east of Gravelly Point, and sixty three miles east from Fort William. It is here green, and highly translucent—a specimen from this locality present- ed to me by Lieut. Bayfield, Royal Navy, (employed by the British Government in a naval survey of Lake Superi- or,) possesses a numerous groupe of well defined octohe- dral crystals, the largest of which are one quarter of an inch in diameter. This porphyry isa partof that before allu- ded to, as in intimate connexion with amygdaloid and red sandstone. Barytes.—_Large tabular fragments of this mineral ac- company the green fluor of the porphyry of Lake Superi- or. it appears to be the gray, straight, lamellar sulphate. Strontian.—F oliated sulphate of strontian exists in roun- ded imbedded masses, from one to six miles in diameter, in horizontal azoophitic limestone, (resting occasionally direct- ly on gneiss,) two miles N. EK, from Kingston, on the shore of Lake Ontario. It is white, faintly translucent, and is in large crystalline facets—never (as fas*as I am aware) in prismatic forms. It is plentiful. t occurs in a very similar limestone on the right bank of the Ottawa, near the head of the Long Sault, sixty miles from Montreal; but here it is in small oblique four sided prisms, superimposed on white calc. spar, sky blue, trans- parent, and with broken acuminations, eis Siete A Last of Minerals and Organic Remains. 73 closely compacted ; but now and then having angular in- The same fibre or prism is sometimes four and six inch- - es long, but commonly much less. In June 18191 discovered a small druse of this mineral in the limestone of the chasm of the Falls of Niagara. A few weeks afterwards, Dr. Morton of Philadelphia, met with another in the same place. I have detected two druses of this species of strontian in the brown fine grained limestone of the narrows of Lake Simcoe, towards the river Severn, which discharges into Lake Huron. It is insmall groupes of diverging slender fibres resting on white calc. spar and quartz crystals. This limestone is horizontal, and is crowded with organic re- mains, especially terebratul, orthoceratites and asaph trilo- ites,—it is close to the olderrocks. Exactly this form of the. fibrous variety occurs in the nodular masses of the Grand Manitouline, containing selenite. } oda.—Springs of this salt have been dis- covered along the whole north shore of Lake Ontario. The first intimation of their existence is usually given by cattle, They are tolerably copious, and although very weak at the surface, are more concentrated below; where they are no longer diluted by rains and infiltrations from marshes, They occur in swamps based on horizontal limestone, containing producta, orthoceratites and others of the mor ancient fossils. : The following is the situation on this lake, of the springs with which I am aquainted, but I confess not to have made sufficient inquiries on the subject hitherto. Besides many smaller salt licks, in the front of lot No. 10 in Concession Bay of the townsbip of Murray, one mile and a half or two miles north west from Quinte Carrying place, there isa saline spring which discharges as much as a common pump. Vou. VINE. No. 1. 10 74 A Last of Minerals and Orgame Remains. It has been penetrated for sixteen feet, and yields about a peck of salt for every seventy gallons of water; but it is supposed to be weakened at present by the brackish, stagnant water, which surrounds the spring in patches for one quarter of a mile square. There are several salt springs in the township of Percy county, Northumberland, at which much salt was made during the late war between Great Britain and the United States. There are several also in the town- shipof Whitby, East Riding of the county of York, issuing from clay and increasing in strength with the depth from which itis raised. Others are at Chinkecushé on the river Credit, in the township of ‘Toronto, another in the seventh concession of Esquising, and many about Burlington Bay and St. Catharines ;——-some of which are worked. Indians report that on the south shore of Muddy Lake, a part of Lake Huron, there are brackish marshes. Sulphur —in yellow and in tufts of minute capillary crystals, coats the moist calcareous shale at the foot of the horse-shoe fall of Niagara, and within the curtain of falling water. Bitumen.—Mr. Bird, late Astronomer to the boundar commission under the 6th and 7th articles of the Treaty of Ghent, showed me masses of fetid pale brown limestone from the south shore of Lake Erie, which when held be- fore a fire for a few moments shine and become viscous from a thin coating of bitumen which then becomes appa- rent by liquefaction. Major Delafield has limestone from the north west of Lake Huron holding this substance in still oie’ quantities. -—Minute seams of coal, jet black, shining, very light at and brittle, have been found | in the cliffs of the rjc Battery of Quebec, and in Cape Diamond ;—in both ¢ ses, in black transition limestone. Scaly Graphite.—In large bowlders oe translucent _— on the Ottawa, in the township of owl- ders of white feldspar at the fort of Ca; e “santa nes both instances disseminated in small crusts or scales.—The granular form of this mineral has been brought in consid- erable quantities from a creek 3miles east of Kingston, U. C. Variegated Copper Pyrites—occurs in abundance among the beds of magnetic iron ore of Crow Lake, in the town- ship of Marmora. It has a purple tarnish. ” A Last of Minerals and Organic Remains. 75 Copper Pyrites—occurs in amorphous masses in various parts of Lake Huron. It is disseminated in gneiss on the north east coast, and imbedded in a veinof quartz travers- ing greenstone at the foot of the narrows of Pelletau inthe . north west of that lake. In Lake Superior, itis not uncom- mon, (but always in small quantity) in the druses of preh- nite, Zeolite and calc. spar so common in the amygdaloid of the north shore. Point Perquaquia, on the north side of Michipicoton Bay, has long been celebrated for its copper. was there in the summer of 1823, for a few minutes, but could only discover yellow and green coatings on a large vein of quartz in greenstone, with copper pyrites sparingly interspersed. Iron Pyrites.—-I have an octohedral crystal of this ore nearly two inches in diameter, from the township of Yonge, U.C. Iwas there shown a vein of iron pyrites 1: feet thick, of parallel sides, and visible for abouta yard. It is in primitive quartz, at the bottom of a round cavity about 12 feet in diameter, in a mound of quartz, evidently the ef fect of an explosion. It is in the woods half a mile north from the high road from Montreal to Kingston, and 10 miles above Brockville. The sides of the cavity are studded with iron pyrites, and profusely invested by a yellow and white efflorescence, and by acicular crystals of what I bave only ascertained to be an aluminous salt, but of what pre- cise kind I cannot say. Fifteen years ago a man was seek- ing some stray cattle in this neighborhood, and on a sudden heard a loud explosion. Having approached the spot, he found it enveloped in a sulphureous smoke, which soon passing away disclosed the appearances above described.* Tron Sand.—Granular ; in great quantities at Batiscan in wer Canada. ag Magnetic Oxide of Iron.—The compact, or rather the fine granular form, often contaminated with sulphur abounds in the primitive region about the Crow Lake, miles north of Lake Ontario The specimens I have seen were in quartz rock, and had a specific gravity of 4.62. I have Seen it from thence in groupes of large octohedrons. Gran- ular masses occur in the gneiss of the bay of St. Paul, L.C. and it abounds near the falls of the Chaudiere on the Ottawa. It occurs in the trap of the Montreal mountain ; but on- ly in smal] quantity. * See the note at the end of this article 76 A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. Specular Tron Ore.—-At Fort Wellington, U. C. and Hawksbury, on the Ottawa, coating granitic bowlders in amorphous masses——and on the north east shore of Lake Huron imbedded plentifully in granite. It has a purple tarnish, and from the quantity [ have -_ with rolled, there- abouts, i is most probably in place not Meadow Iron Ore.—At Three Rivers and Batiscan strewn on the ground in marshes and woods. Bog Iron Ore.—-At Batiscan, Three Rivers, Bay of St. Paul, Carrying-place of the Bay of Quinte, &c. &c, &e. Black and Brown Hematite.—In very small quantities lining fissures of transition quartz, at ete Douce in Lake George, below the Falls of St. Sphene.—At Hawksbury, on the e Orava in a rolled ag- lique tetrahedral prisms opaque, chesnut brown, usually small, but sometimes ? of an inch long. Recog nized by Dr. Hyde Wollaston. Foliated Galena.—In large rolled lumps in the alluvion or diluvion of Fort Wellington, imbedded in the transition quartz of La Cloche, on the north shore oi i Lake Huron, in thready veins in the transition greenstone of the north-west main of that Lake. It is abundant in the gneiss and gra- nite in the rear of Kingston, U. C. occurs sparingly in the limestone of the Falls of Sigirns ; but more plentifully in- that of the river Ouse of the north shore of Lake Erie. Yellow Blende.—In imbedded crystalline masses in the shell limestone of the Falls of Montmorenci, in that of Montreal, and of the Falls of Niagara; where it is of great beauty, aed in nodules, each weighing some ounces. In all these three localities it is coated with white quartz. At Niagara it occurs in the common er — forms, usually small, but rarely, almost as large as a To the catalogue of the organic remains occurring in Canada, I beg to premise a few summary observations on the limestone ' which furnishes them heir relation to the subjacent rocks and uniform similari- ty in structure and contents, mineral as well as organic, seem to indicate that the beds of limestone extending with few or no interruptions from Cape Tourment, below Que- bec, to near the Falls of St. Mary, are the effects of a con- A Last of Minerals and Organic Remains. 77 temporaneous deposition; and further, that they are the representatives of the mountain or carboniferous limestone of England. I] make these statements with extreme diffidence ; being, in some degree, aware of the difficulties of the discussion, of the existence of contradictory facts, few but weighty, an of the defective state of our information respecting the vast calcareous formations of North America. he The universality of its debris, crowded with the appro- priate fossils, on the north shore of Lake Superior, argues a continuation of this rock from Lake Huron; but it has not et been discovered in situ. [| also anticipate that further research will assign the same date to the limestones of Mal- bay, Anticosta, and Gaspe, on the east; and on the north- west to those of the Lakes Winnepeg, of the Woods, Bour- bon, Cedar, La Crosse, and Beaver, and of the Rivers Mississippi, Saskatchawine, Red River, Brochet and Vo- leurs; all, excepting Voleurs, (if I recollect aright) dis- charging into Hudson’s Bay. The horizontal limestone of the Canadas first mentioned is placed on the northern limits of the Basin, occupying the valley of the Mississippi, and the western parts of the state of New-York; and rests upon the primitive and trausition ridge which separates the waters of the St. Lawrence from those of Hudson’s Bay. From the mouth of the St. Law- rence, upwards, these more ancient rocks border the river closely. They form its north bank as far westward as Cape Tourment, and receding there, leave a stripe a few miles broad up to Montreal, when retreating to the Falls of the Chat, on the Ottawa, they allow to the horizontal lime- stone an interval sixty miles broad between themselves and the river St. Lawrence, which, at the outlet of Lake Onta- tio, they again approach and cross, by a spur sixty miles in breadth, extending, mingled with occasional terraces of sandstone and limestone, from Kingston to Brockville. A line drawn W. N. W. from Kingston to Penctanguishene on the north-east coast of Lake Huron, and cutting the north shore of Lake Simcoe will trace the junction of the horizontal calcareous rocks with the inclined formations. © conchiferous limestone occurs on the northern shores of kes Huron and Superior ; but it ranges within from three to six miles of that of Lake Huron, and thence is continu- 78 A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. ous, sg an over the peninsula included by Lakes Erie, tario, Simcoe and Huron, although buried under deep alluvion ied over Ohio, Michigan, &c. to the Gulf of The secondary limestone of the St. Lawrence and its lakes, is of various colors, chiefly dark and pale blue and brown, the latter being sometimes green, and at others passing into a straw yellow, while the former inna into black. Its texture is granular, varying in fineness from coarse to extremely compact, and then having a faint lus- tre. The fracture is conchoidal, although, in certain states, obscurely. It is always SRST ny very rarely and in minute mares as at Jacques ier, L. C. and at Point Henry, U. C. s divided into ona which are usually one or two feet thick, but frequently at ten or fifteen feet. It is quite common foe the same stratum to subdivide dif- ferently in contiguous places. Pitpendindiar cleavages every where show themselves, separating sets of layers into rhombic or squared masses. The floor and roof of each layer is extremely rough, and coated with a thin black glaze, perhaps of clay, which scales off; red clay is fre- quently interposed in this manner, as is common in moun- tain limestone. The limestone is usually most massive in the upper portions, the lower being slaty, and even shaly, black, comparatively free from organic remains, and some- times altogether so. The upper strata are also often so crowded with sparry casts of fossils, as to become quite crystalline. Where these are more or less chertzy, the currents, leaving the casts in high relief. In this form, the limestone of Lake Huron, &c. can scarcely be distinguish- men or sulphur. The limestone now described, abuts on one of the older rocks directly, or with the interposition of another horizontal stratum ; and by far the most commonly on gneiss, which I have strong grounds for believing to be of the same age and general characters throughout the whist. of the districts under consideration. [tis incumbent ss on gneiss in the bed of the river St. Anne, near its upper Falls, in the seigniory of St. Feriole, L. C.; at Montmorenci, not far from the “ the natural steps ;” but ‘ A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. 79 only seen in time of low water; at and near Point Henry, close to Kingston, U. C.; and in many places on the north coast o ke Huron. [In the last named locality it rests directly, in several instances, on a beautiful snow- white transition quartz, which occupies the main shore in steep hills, four hundred and five hundred feet high, from near the French River to the River Le Serpent, (70—80 miles.) The immediately subjacent rock, at La Cloche, and on the isles north of the Manitoulines, in the same lake, is sometimes a highly inclined greenstone. Near Montreal, it overlies, directly, crystalline trap, containing augite, zeolite, mica, feldspar, &c. ut ordinarily, a sandstone, grey wacke, or a conglome- rate of quartzose, or calcareous materials is interposed ; also, in horizontal layers. It is to be remarked, (en passant,) that much the greater part of the grey wacke of Lower Can- ada does not belong to this deposition; but is conformable to the mica-slate, gneiss, &c. ranging along the north shore of the St. Lawrence, between Quebec and the river Sa- gu ton, where the inclined rock is milky quartz, subordinate to gneiss. Here the nodules are milky quartz, very large, asuilly with blunted angles, intermixed with fragments of the schorl so abundant in the gneiss, and imbedded in green and grey pulverulent calcareous matter, which grad- ually becomes compact, upwards, and free from nodules. It is also exemplified on the west side of the river Montmo- diameter ; the cement being calcareous and powdery. In Lake Huron, the same fact occurs on an extensive scale wan the crystalline snow white quartz rock before allu- ed to, . In numerous and widely prevailing examples, this stra- tum receives its materials from distant sources, which are hot to be traced, or only with a certain degree of probabil- ity. Frequently the cement is wanting, or is argillaceous. he sandstone, which is beneath the limestone from near Kingston, U. C. to St. Anne’s, twenty-six miles north-west ? 80 A List of Minerals and Organic Remains of Montreal, (one hundred and seventy-four miles,) is white, bat with ferruginous spots and clonds, hard, fine-grained, without cement, and contains thick layers of large and small nodules of crystalline quartz, jogs in horizontal Jines. It forms cliffs an hundred feet high i the Thousand Islands, which rest on the rae ee grain- ed gneiss (often a granite,) which abounds so in the north and north-east, and passes largely and frequently into primitive white quartz rock; thus disclosing a possible souire of the sandstone and quartz nodules. Where clay s the cement ‘an argillaceous sandstone or gray wacke is finished. The former of these I have never seen in contact er me inelined roeks. It occurs very distinctly in the iagara, the lower strata of which, (and partic- Seely shee on which Queenston stands,) are ‘almost ferru- decks — The nearest they is on the north shore of Lake Simcoe, ninety miles _ From the nature of the poe reinains, and other eee of the limestones cov- ering this sandstone, I am inclined to believe the latter to e the old red; which is often thus intermixed with argil- laceous matters. At Dunkirk, on the south side of Lake Erie, Mr. Hulbert has bored through these rocks to the depth of 682 feet, (117 feet below the surface of the At- lantic,) and without meeting with salt. The above obser- vations apply to the fine sections in the bed of the Genesee river; but [ have not sufticiently examined the fossils in the limestone of that locality. Its sandstone has large but indistinct casts of what I suppose to be encrinites; but which may be vegetable; but in either case resembling the old red sandstone. .It may be added that it is on the same level with, and not very far from the sandstone of the vicinity of Kingston ; but similarity i in level, taken by itself, is not an unerring test of similarity i in age. In one part of a district or lake, grani 2, gneiss, Kc. ~~ attain a given el- covered with gray wacke only; not distant place these rocks lay not rise to. -withia some thousand feet of that height; buried under all the succeeding strata up to the x above the London Clay. stone of Lake Huron, the Falls of St. Mary and is parti-coloured, ferruginous, arenaceous, or consisti very small quartz nodules. {t is usually A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. 81 soft; but often very hard, and imperfectly crystalline. At fia Cloche and elsewhere in Lake uron, and in Lake George it most probably rests on transition quartz and transition greenstone. I have seen it within a few yards ) them in actual contact. In Lake Superior, near Gros Cap . it abuts on gneiss, and greenstone. he gray wacke above noticed, underlies the limestone from Montmorenci to Cape Tourment, a distance of twen- ty miles, in horizontal layers, varying from fine granular slaty, (used for grindstones,) to a coarse conglomerate of quartz pebbles. It is surrounded by the older rocks, ex- Cept on the south west. A conglomerate wholly calcareous occurs in situ near © the foot of the Long Sault of the River Ottawa, and at the Coteau du lac, three miles below Lake St. Francis, com- posed of angular and rolled masses, sometimes very large, of fine granular limestone, light brown and blue, imbedded ina dark brown paste. - A similar rock occurs with the limestone about Poughkeepsie in the state of New-York, and at Aubiginy opposite Quebec interleaved with clay-siate and gray wacke, highly inclined, and having a south-west di- rection, Having now sketched the mineral and geological charac- ters of this limestone, I proceed to notice its contents, Its communications. o these are to be added fibrous arra-~ £0 it . o tee ; Spar, quartz crystals, and bitumen. Coal bas been found onthe Flint River, a branch of the Ri Huron, in some quantities, and in a dis believe, above the contiguous lake. and white ashes. : ‘ 2 f= Chertz, which is always a prominent substance in moun- tain limestone, is in large quantities in that of Lakes Erie, (north-east end,) Huron, Superior, and of the Woods, in iay- ers, straight or contorted, in masses, and forming fossil casts. Von. VIL__No. r, 1 82 A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. The plentiful occurrence of gypsum, and muriate of soda, is a chief objection to the associating of this limestone with the mountain or carboniferous of England. Gypsum only occurs in large quantities on the north of the lakes, along the river Ouse, fake Erie, and on the St. Martin Islands, near Michilimackinac ; whose limestone cliffs can scarcely be classed with the English rock in question. They are a confu- — sed aggregate of brecciated and vesicular masses, mixed u here and there, with fragments of white calcareous strata, and broken ihe of a blue color, They contain few or n organic remain The muriate of soda occurs only on the north shore of Lake O : mie north of the other great lakes. Ihave sist veil the gs affording it; but the one near the Quinté Portage is Slnest on the same level with, and adjacent to, limestone similar to the carboniferous, in char- acter and contents. I have to confess that my information respecting the saline formations of the United States, is slender and inexact. Itisto be desired, that Dr. Van Rens- selaer would add to his late very valuable treatise a minute investigation of the geological peculiarities of the muriatif- erous rocks of the State of New-York. | am aware of the presence of colite and fossil echini, in their neighborhood. y observations, in every part of this paper, refer only to the Canadas This limestone is particularly rich in the number, novel- ty and beauty of its organic remains. In addition to many which are unknown elsewhere, it abounds es goe its vast extent, with those fossils which are supposed to racterize the carboniferous limestone; and the snalogies which are most important are also the most numerous, Gaspé, in longitude 64° opposite to Newfoundland, the Lake of the Woods, and all the intermediate calcareous regions, afford the same genera and very often, the same species. The following enumeration of these substances is brief, from the majority of them having been described at length with the assistance of forty-five engraved figures, in the sixth volume, part the second, of the transactions of the Geologi- cal Society of London. Some of them I shall omit, not having in my possession a copy of the work. I have only by me at present a few notes and the sketches in Indian Ink which 1 usually make soon after the discovery of a fossil. A Last of Minerals and Organic Remains. 83 No impressions of fish nor of vegetables have hitherto been discovered in the Canadas. - Trilobite——This family is universal, astonishingly nu- merous, and very diversified in its forms. It is always in fragments ; but which, however, not unfrequently, are the greater part of the fossil, and with the remainder close by. ave not seen the genus Calymena of Brongniart onthe north side of the St. Lawrence. ‘The genus asaphus is the most general and the most perfect. The A. caudatus and laticaudatus are met with in most situations (rolled on north shore of Lake Superior, Rainy River, Lake of the Woods, &e.) Many of this genus differ from those of the above author, in the number of articulations: an asaph from Gas- Be in my collection, given me by my friend Mr. Buchanan of ontreal, has fifteen, instead of from eight to twelve artic- ulations, the extremes allowed to this genus: the end of the cauda in this specimen is bent backwards. Others are distinguished by a double g d edging 1theabd (Lake Erie.) Many asaphi from Montreal, Lakes Simcoe and Ontario have a smooth coatof limestone, granular or spar- ry, which conceals the abdominal joints and lobes and ex- hibits only the relieved outline of the cast; but in a few, their structure is still discernible ; as is well exemplified in a superb specimen in the possession of Dr. James of Alba- ny ; in which, in fact, the greater part of this covering has disappeared. The largest American asaph which I have seen is that of Dr. James’. I have the greater part of one from Gaspé three inches long by three and a quarter at the broadest part. They are nearly of this size at Mon- treal, much smaller at lake Simcoe, and although often of the common size (one to one anda half inch in diameter,) in the Lake of the Woods, are almost a both there and inthe Bay of Quinte, Lake Ontario. They occupy indis- eriminately limestone of every colour, but are most nume- rous in the brown crystalline. They are composed of the limestone in which they happen to be imbedded. _ Dr. Mitchell, of New York, has an asaph from Anticosta, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The calcareous rocks of the north shore of Lakes Hu- ron and Simcoe, besides the asaph, are full, in patches of the debris of very large trilobites ;—but too small to allow of the determination of the genus. Ihave, however, met with 84 A Last of Minerals and Organic Remains. some fragments, which I believe to be the pointed lateral pro- longations of the “ bouclier” of the ogygia genus. Brong- niart has figured some imperfect trilobites which Mr. Charles Stokes, M. G. S. London, sent him from Llandeilo in Wales. These are in great abundance in Lake Cham- plain, (M. Leseur) around Montreal, at the falls of Mont- morenci, throughout Lake Ontario, etd’ in One instance in Lake Simcoe. In these places likewise they are mutilated; but are in a larger and better defined form, than those of Wales. I beg to refer to three figures ‘of large unknown tri- lobites, published last year in the Geological Transactions of London I have by me at present a fine but imperfect i impression from an undescribed trilobite from the isles on the northshore of Lake Huron. It is a pretty exact oval, rather exceeding five inches in length, and two and an hal in breadth. The total length appears to have been six inch- es. It is not clear which end represents the ‘‘ bouclier ;”’ except we judge from the position of the articulations, which are eleven in number, each one fifta of an inch broad, the upper one being an inch and a half from the summit of thesupposed bouclier. - Of the three lobes, the middle one is much the largest, that on each side being only five eights of an inch broad, and being not quite so protuberant as “the first mentioned lobe, whieh itself has a moderate and gradual convexit All parts of this remain are full of small transverse curv- ed tracings, more or less parallel to each other. Ammonite—Casts of ammonites are plentiful at the east end of Drummond’s Island; but are in less number on the isles of the north shore of ‘Lake Huron, They occur in Lakes Simcoe and Ontario, abound in the brown ma near Fort Wellington, U. C. at the head of Lake ran- cis, and at Montmorenci, L. C. Those are scone oval and spherical casts of granular limestone, and are about the same in size and general appearance. At the last place there is avery small kind (one half, to one and a half inches in di- ameter,) deeply striated, and invested with nacre or spa- those substance. Orthoceratites. Tliese exist every where in immense quantities,—in all places, occosionally large :—in Lake A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. 85 Huron, sometimes five feet long; but in the Lake of the Woods and Lake Simcoe little more than an inch in length, Besides several of the ordinary forms, eight kinds from Lake Huron, have been described in the Geol. Transac- tions of London, differing in the shape and position of the siphuncle, in the position of the chambersand their inequal- ity of dimension in the same individual; and in external configurations, indicative of peculiar structure in the cham- bers. Major Delafield’s collection contains a flattened or- thoceratite from Lake Huron, seven inches long, nearly two inches broad at one end; and one inch and a quarter at the other. One face of the fossil presents the usual cellular divisions ; but the reverse exhibits the appearances in the accompanying diagram. (See the plate at the end of this No.) At the larger end of this specimen, the siphuncle is of great magnitude ; but at the smaller, it is not much more than a quarter of an inch in diameter. Its chambers are very unequal. The isles on the north of Lake Huron possess a curious and complicated chambered shell which approaches near- est to an orthoceratite. There are at least three varieties.* At the Portage of Notawasaga, on Lake Simcoe, I found two curved orthoceratites. The one now before me is two inches long by half an inch broad, and bent into a semi- circle. It has thirty-four chambers in the lower two thirds of its length, those near the bottom being very small. Conularia.—During a short search below the bridge, at the Falls of Montmorenci, | found three specimens of the rare organic remain, the conularia quadrisulcata; exclu- sively, I think, belonging to carboniferous limestone. I met with another at the portage of the bay of Quinté, in Lake Ontario, and a small fragment of this family, both at Mon- treal and on Lake Simcoe; but in neither case could I de- termine the species. Among the univalves without chambers, I have only met with the euomphalus, trochus and turbo, in Lake Huron; but the second, only at Montreal, the trochus and turbo on the north shore of Lakes Ontario and Simcoe, and the last plentifully in the Lake of the Woods. Terebratule abound every where, chiefly of two kinds: * Geol. Trans. for 1823. 86 4 List of Minerals and Organic Remains: the bicarinata of Leseur, and the subrotunda. Those of Lake Simcoe are almost spherical, very small, and always invested with nacre. The bicarinate of Lake Erie are remarkable for their great size. 2 Producte.—No locality of any extent is without produc- te of various forms. In the Lake of the Woods, I have found them in deep straw yelluw limestone, nearly two and an half inches long, with a remarkably broad base. In the same lake, they are also ovate ; and in Lake Huron, and in the district of Gaspé. They are often of chertz. _ Tam not aware that the spirifer has yet been discovered in America. Encrinis.—The encrinis, prominens, verrucosa, and levis, under different modifications, together with penta- crinital columns, are plentiful every where, but rarely with ramifications or stomach. The former has been found in the isles fronting Thunder Bay, on the south of Lake Hu- ron by Lieutenant Bayfield, R. N. They abound at Mon- trea], as well as the stomachs or cups of the stag’s horn encrinite, imbedded in shaly black limestone. I found there a beautiful and large example of the column and stomach of the encrinis moniliformis of Miller, in May, 1823. My friend Mr. Lee, late of the thirty-seventh reg- iment of British Infantry, met with, in the same place, what appears to M. Leseur and myself to be the lower part and base of the stomach of an encrinite, resembling the pear encrinite. I discovered another at Notawasaga, in Lake imcoe. Caryophyllia have been found in great numbers in the south of Lake Erie, by M. Leseur. I have seen them only in limestone very similar to that of Lake Erie, at the Little Detroit of La Cloche, at the east end of the great traverse of Forét des Bois; where they are grouped with product, encrinites, orthoceratites, &c. and attached by a pedicle. én Turbinolia.—This species of madrepore, abounds in the Lake of the Woods, Rainy River and the great lakes, but is more rare at Montreal and about Quebec. It is of various sizes and shapes, common in the United States. In Lake Huron it often has extremely thick transverse ruge, perhaps indicative of age. An individual from that lake is-figured in the Geol. Transactions with tubular arms in the upper A List of Minerals and Organic Remains. 87 part of the fossil; a fact by no means uncommon there; but quite new. Astrea.—The A. basaltiformis, (lithostrotron of Germa- ny, and of Lloyd,) was presented to me by Major Dela- field, and I believe from the limestone of the River De- troit. A new and elegant Astrea from Drummond’s Island in Lake Huron is engraved in the transactions before refer- red to: and also another, very similar to the one repre- sented in fig. 3, tab. 47, of Lamoureux, “ Sur les Polypes Flexibles,” &c. but the compartments of his are rounder. and often pentagonal, while-those of mine are irregular in the number and size of their sides. Vertical sections of this fossil frequently present interesting views of its mode of increase. Cellular and chain Madrepores, Tubipa strues and ra- mosa, retepores, and flustra are in great abundance every Nine varieties of a new genus of madrepores from the Manitoulines of Lake Huron have been described in the transactions frequently alluded to. They were first sent to Quebev, in 1818, by Mr. White the medical officer of the British Military station on Drummond’s Island. was immediately struck with their singular form, which is that of a vertebral column, sometimes two feet long: and in. the following summer I visited the spot. A general search for fossils then commenced, which has been attended by very gratifying results. Some remarkable facts respecting € remains were brought to light in May, 1823: but I am not yet prepared for their publication. For a description, illustrated by drawings of several oth- €r new organic remains from Lake Huron, I beg to refer to the transactions of the London Geological Society. The following shells are known only in the more recent formations. The delicate bivalve, the lingula (Crag, Lond trilobites and orthoceratites of Lake Simcoe; and in well er longer than half an inci. They are casts which fre- quently retain the original shell of a glossy hair brown col- our. : _ Mr. Say, of Philadelphia, (to whom I am under many ob- ligations,) pronounced with great hesitation, on account of SS Notice of new localities of Sahlite, Coccolite, &c. accidental defects or the concealment. of the hinge upon what he supposed to be the clypeaceous univalve, calyp- north-east coast of Lake Huron; gryphza, (lias.) from Lakes superior and Simcoe,—arca, (lias,) Lake Simcoe, and Sanguinolaria. River Humber. L. Ontario. Note.—-The explosion described by Dr. Bigsby in the preceding article p. 75 seems analagous to the natural fires mentioned by Prof. Dewey. p. 55. An intelligent farmer of Dover, Dutchess Co. N. Y. informed me that ithi ears he had several times seen a flame, many yards i ven. sulphureous smell continued several days at the place. Ma ve Wi is oceurrence, which a the more superstitious has ced no little alarm, This occurrence has, in every instance, be - La : Se ST: rently aluminous, in cavities of the roc Art. Jl. Notice of new localities of Sahlite—Augite—Cey- lanite, §&c.—( Read before the Newstrex Lyceum, Feb. 11, 1824. Last November, the Rev. I. Johnston, Baron Rederer and myself, visited, on a new geological excursion, a place called Greenwood Furnace, in Munroe, and about 18 or chinery of the works, we found large rocks of a very beau- tiful green coccolite and sahlite. The former varied in the size of its grains from that of a small shot to that of a filbert—they being uniformly of a laminated and highly crystalline structure, and easily, submitting to mechanical division. On separating the grains, they generally pre- sented faces of crystals, more or less irregular, and indent- ed, except on the faces of the lamina, which were uni- formly plane. The appearance of the mass was much as we might suppose it would be, if it had been formed by shak- ” Ee. Notice of New Localities ¢.. Sahlite, Coccolite, Ye. 89 ing violently together soft crystals of various sizes, and then suffering the mass to harden. The lamine were highly translucent, and this joined to the richness of their colour, and the splendent lustre of their surfaces, many of which are from three to five eighths of an inch in diameter, make it one of the most beautiful specimens of that mineral, which I have seen. The sablite and coccolite pass into each other, and are manifestly oa same mineral, dilerine only in form, the former sie quite compact, and having very large lamine. It may be observed in confirmation of this, that on the a a masses are found occasional- ly small clusters of perfect — about a line in diameter and exhibiting the primitive fo In examining a small eacuian which had been made in searching for iron ore, we found crystals of green augite which merit more particular notice. ‘The excavation was in the bank of a ravine through which ran the stream spo- ken of above. The roof and sides of the pit were princi- pally composed of green augite rock, having natural fissures, so that the fragments which were of irregular shape and size, could be easily separated with a pickaxe. The soil was strongly impregnated with oxide of iron, and probably, car- bonate of lime. The crystals were generally found on the edges and surfaces of these fragments, but not always, for many specimens were found, in which the crystals were im- bedded in a mass of carbonate of lime, or protruded from it. On breaking some of these masses, the litnestone was found to be full of them. The general appearance indica- ted that the carb. lime had formed round the crystals. The crystals so found were usually of a deeper green than those found on the augite rock, apparently from having been de- fended from the oxide of iron which covered the latter, and occasionally adhering so closely as to demand the use of a hard instrument for its removal, though usually yielding to water and a brush. A vein of green mica about one foot in breadth and sev- eral feet in depth passed through the rocks. It was ain in six sided tables, sometimes in triangular pyramids. vary- ing considerably in size, though commonly about half the size of the hand, and half and three fourths of an inch thick, On the borders or this vein were found nearly all the erys- tals. They are evidently augite, or rather I think that Vou. VIIT.—No. 1. 12 90 Notice of New Localities of Sahlite, Coccolite, &c. variety of it called sahlite, being: etaagee canrer of laminz parallel to the base, t thickne which can be came entirely firm. hey can yet be divided homete r with facility not only parallel to the base but to the sides of the primitive prism. They are all eight sided prisms, sometimes the truncations on the edges of the primitin are so slight, that without close inspection they appear to be truly four sided, and occasionally from one truncation being very deep, they look like triangular prisms, but both these instances occur relatively in few instances. ne of them are tabular. Their summits cane of from four to eight faces, varying in magnitude, though most aavsmnaly the faces on two contiguous sides of the primitive prism much larger than the others, and not unfrequently a oe arising from the truncated edge between the two above mentioned sides, equals and even far exceeds the two ad- joining ones. The angles and edges are defined with un- usual precision, being as sharp and smooth as those of quartz. ‘The surfates are smooth and have a briltiant lus- tre. They exhibit no longitudinal strie; but frequently parallel to the base and corresponding to the lamine are deep depressions resembling a flight of steps, as if the la- min had been slipped a little. ‘Their size varies from that of extreme minuteness, to that of five or six inches in cir- cumference. Their length may be said to vary in general from three fourths of an inch to three inches; but some are both longer and larger. I have one which is nearly six inches long, and ten inches in circumference with a very flat sum- mit of four faces, one of them covering nearly the whole end of the crystal. This crystal is somewhat flattened. Boron Lederer, bas one which, though but three inches long, is fourteen inches in circumference. Itis a fragment without a summit, and was probably a good deal longer be- fore it was dug out; but it was broken before discovered. These two, and one other nearly the size of the latter were found by Mr. E. C. Benedict a few feet from the place Notice of New Localities of Sahlite, Coccolite, &c. 91 where the clusters were, and apparently were not attached to any rock. [t was not uncommon to find, on breaking the larger crystals, small lumps of oxide of iron and specks of mica within them, and in some cases six sided erystals of mica enter the sides of the augite crystals Of the number of these no estimation can be formed. There are thousands about the size of the finger and myriads of those which are smaller. The positions of the clusters are very variable. as been remarked, some are on the corners, some on the edges, and some on the surfaces of the fragments. hers lie in nests like geodes within the surface, and oth- ers fill the sides and bottom of deep channels, passing quite round the mass to which they adhere, and in some cases they cover it so thickly in little groups as to render it diffi- cult to handle the specimens without breaking off small ones. Inthe cavities just spoken of, frequently lie lumps of carb. lime fastened in by crystals which enter them in various directions. The crystals are grouped together in numberless fantastic modes, intersecting, lying on and passing through each other at all angles, usually without producing any alteration in their respective forms. When, however, one passes across the truncated edge of another, an alteration in the depth of the truncation is often the consequence. From a iithiler cause,and sometimes without any apparent one, a very different and singular appearance is exhibited—reenter- ing angles. These appear sometimes instead of a truncation and sometimes in the middle of one. In both these instances the faces containing the reentering angle are parallel to the sides of the primitive parallelopiped. Occasionally such an angle very obtuse, is produced by a truncation’s passing only part of the way across the edge, when of course the angle is contained by one face of the primitive and the face forming the partial truncation. It is not often that more than one of these angles is found on a crystal; occasionally two, which are generally on opposite edges of the primitive, though I have found one or two where they occurred on adjacent ones. A perfect notion of all these cases will be conveyed by sections parallel to the base. See figures, (1.) (2.) (3.) (4.) (5.) See plate II. Crystals of the form indi- cated by fig. 2, occur more frequently than the others. It has eleven faces. Fig. 3, shows one with fourteen. The terminations of these crystals are like those which are eight 92 Notice of New Localities of Sahlite, Coccolite, &c. sided, and from an inspection of the lamine which are dis- tinctly visible, they seem to be single crystals. 1am aware that writers on crystallography do not admit ws _— of reentering angles in single crystals: but I m inability to detect any signs of those, which “toneert “of being double. There are also some instances of peculiarity in the forms of summits, which it may be worth while to notice. I can think of no better way to give a just notion of that to which I refer than the following. Suppose a person to be form- ing a crystal by placing lamine of the proper form upon ch other, till he had cominnented forming the summit by higher in a conn milar to the lower part, and after having done so for perhaps half an inch, should then finish with a summit. In some cases the appearance is as if this process had been repeated the second time before the last summit was formed. The partial summits are sometimes like the ultimate ones, sometimes unlike. It is im possible howeve er, within the limits of this paper to notice all the interesting appearances exhibited on these crystals. Of themselves they might form a copious volume for the crystallographer to stu About four miles from Greenwood in the direction of Fort Montgomery, I found a rich locality of the ceylanite, ° or black spinelle. It was accompanied by brucite, both tying | in bene me The ceylanite was mostly in octae- a runcated, sometimes in hermitrope “Micke on ‘ed: Tht boids. The crystals were very small, rarely larger than a pigeon shot, and most of them much smaller, but quite perfect. Some were larger, but imper- fect. They were so thick and in such numbers as to form large black stripes several inches in breadth, and feet in length, inthe limestone. The latter formed ledges of considerable extent. I believe that Dr. Mead, of Philadelphia, found the ceylanite in a similar connexion last summer at Forest 0 Dean, some miles distant from the locality to which I refer. n who guided me through the wood, brought me ahervids from the vicinity of the furnace, some speci- mens containing larger crystals; but very defective. I did not visit the locality myself. Caricography. 93 BOTANY. Olt inued from. Vol. jceum of at, Tail, Ps the ‘ommunieated to t a oo Medical lacie 12. Carex curta. Gooden. h =e _éanescens, L. Flor. Suec. secundum Wahl. and Agardh. **C, canescens : spiculis basi masculis sub-approximatis _ qguinis, squamis subequantibus, capsulis subrotundo-ova- tis acutiusculis convexo-subconvexiusculis subobtus-angu- lis ore bidentato.” Wahl. No. 49. 8. spiculis superioribus aggregatis, Se ong patentibus acutis Fatih eee subacutangu Wahl. m 16—24 inches high, triangular sie scabrous at the deo fin —lelees subradical, narrow, carinate, nearly the length of the culm—spikelets 4—6, ‘sub-cylindric, alternate, remotish ; stamens chiefly at the bas et a3 Py agly and a bristleform scabrous bract coms at the base of the lowest spikelet—fruit ovate Bese: ea Meses Brite and sub-acuminate, sub-scabrous, slightly two-toothed, convex on the upper and nearly flat on the lower side—scale Ovate, white, with a green keel, almost hyaline, varying from two thirds to the full length of the fruit and the longer scales more acute. The whole plant is sometimes of a green colour, and at others, especially when it grows in ver Wet places, of a pale ash-colour; and when mature, easil distinguished by its silvery spikelets. Flowers in May— found in wet places about woods in cespitose clusters. Stigm mas 2, AY his is a variable species, and the several descriptions differ in aslight degree from each other. Gooden. suppos- ed that his C. curta differed from C. canescens, i Both spectes, however, are considered the same by Wahl. and Agardh. If Linneus applied his name to different plants, 94 Caricography. it seems that the plants now called C. canescens on the con- tinent is the C. curta of Goodenough. The writer in Rees’ Cyc. considers the two as different species, and describes them under these two names, though he admits their great similarity and the great resemblance of Loesel’s fig of C. - curta to both. He points out no essential difference be- tween them, though he mentions their different general ap- pearance to the eye. e two plants found in this section of the country are said to agree with C. curta from differ- ent parts of Europe, and though their general appearance is upper spikelets appears pe age ference in the scales and fru is both varieties. The lighter col the popular descri the C. curtain Re . Yet all these authors, except Rees’ Cyc. consider - both plants to be one species. The description would be simplified by the — following character of one variety, viz. mature spikelets sil- very whate. 3. C. scoparia. Schk. Mub. Pursh, Eaton and Pers, Schk. ee Axx. fig..175. C. leporina? Mx. Spiculis alternis ovis sessilibus superne foemineis quinis, infima bracteata, bractea decidua; capsula lanceolata nervo- sa peer erecta, ‘squama lanceolata acuminata longior. m 18—24 inches high, leafy, and scabrous above ; teabes fiobar narrow, shorter than the culm; spikelets 5—10, generally 5—7, approximate, sometimes very much aggre- gated into a club-form head, the lowest with a leafy bract sometimes longer than the culm and deciduous, and the three lower spikes often with short bracts also; fruit Jan- ceolate, slightly ovate at the base, about 9. nerved, mar- gined, scabrous on the upper half, and two toothed, slightly tawney and whitish on the edges, a little te than the ane es eipioste ote scale. Stigma n May—grows in moist and wet Si, and is readily distinguished in July by its tawney spikelets. From C. straminea, it differs materially in the shape of its fruit and the general appearance of the spikelets. scennentdt dete teeta hice meniemettaataatncnecettite Ta Caricography. 95 This species is very accurately figured in Schk. but it is not easily distinguished from its allied spetiethy any de- scription, except that given by Muh. That it is related to C. ovalis or leporina is remarked by Muh. and indeed it was formerly considered by him as the same species and thus named, as I learn from the Rev. Mr. Schweinitz. It is however very different from C. ovalis or leporinain the shape of its fruit and scale and spikelets. Pursh asks whether C. viridula, Mx. may not be C, scoparia. This cannot be, as C. viridula appears to have about three spikelets and is very nearly related to C. scirpoides, Schk. It is far more probable that the plant Jescribed by Mx. as C. leporina, L. is the same as C. sco scoparia. For, although Mx. states that the plant is destitute of bracts, this is often the appearance of C. scoparia, as its bracts are deciduous. An additional reason is that the C. leporina of Wahl. and Agardh has a sub-leafy bract under the lowest spikelet. . It is remarked also by Mx. that the spikelets are greenish or yellowish, a char- acter particularly to be observed in C. scoparia, as well as ‘the locality assigned by Mx. viz. from Carolina to Canada. 14. C. lagopodioides. Schk. Muh. Pursh. Pers. and Eaton. Schk.tab. Yyy. fig. 177. Cc; — Wahl. secundum Mules C. Richar C. stitial spiculis bea masculis Eonfertis: numerosis, squamis sub-parvis, capsulis ovali-oblongis subconvexius- culo-planis acuminatis ee, membranaceo-marginatis ore bidentato. ulm scabrous above, he sided, leafy, often exceeding two feet in height; leaves sheathing at the base, longer than - culm, Keeicdlguaorerest: spikelets 8—20. cylindric- vate ted into a head ; a 2 ie bract under te pee spikelet, often longer than the culm, deciduous; fruit erect, lanceolate, nerved, slight- ly margined, bicuspidate, distinctly seabtous or ciliate-ser- ‘rate on the margin; scale ovate-lanceolate, a little more than half the length of the fruit with a green keel. The Whole plant has a faint Aven oes Flowers in May— found in wet places. Stigma This species is related oa C. ovalis and C. scoparia. From both, however, it is readily distinguished by the pre- 96 Caricography. ceding characters. The authors, except Muh. have given few characters to distinguish it very easily from its re- lated species. By Schk. it is finely figured, and is clearly a very a species. 15. C. festucacea. Schk. — Pursh, Eaton and Pers. tab. Www, fig. Spiculis sdialibes alternis, ovatis approximatis 5—8, apice feemineis, bracteatis; capsulis subrotundo-ovatis ros- tratis alatis striatis bidentatis margine ~ oie ae squa- ma ovato-lanceolata nuncronata major Culm 15—30 inches high, aac, leafy, glabrous; leaves sheathing, linear, shorter than the culm ; spikelets ther near, cylindric-ovate and at length globose, with os seh fruit ovate, or roundish ovate, beaked, -- erging compressed, ciliate-serrate ; pistillate scale th inate: the ees of the fruit, green on the keel, r nate. The mucronate point is short and often disappears in the mature state of the fruit. 2. Flowers in May—grows in cultivated fields and drier — This species is nearly allied to C. straminea; but may readily ra distinguished from it by its shorter, more round, and less widely winged fruit, and , its scale, which is ovate-lanceolate and mucronate. e scale of C. strami- nea is lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, and its fruit less di- verging than that of this species. From C. scoparia and Cc. ~~ it is readily distinguished by the eharac- ters already given . C. scirpoides. Schk. Mub. Ph. Eaton, and Pers. Scbk. tab. Zzz. fig. 180. ©. triceps. Mz. Spicis quaternis sessilibus ovatis obtusis inferne masculis, infima bracteata; fructibus ovatis cordatis compressis ros- tratis margine scabris, ane ovata acuta longioribus.* *Thi ; td ibed by Wahl. or in Rees? Cre Tn the ped the Sree description are generally ex- callants but the article was written before the k of Schk. was _. Pp Schk. ion got oa to be aken from the work of Wahl. = ia Caricography. 97 Culm 6—12 inches high, scabrous above, leafy towards the base; leaves linear, shorter below, upper ones long as the culm, glaucous and scabrous; spikelets 3—5, alternate, the lowest supported by a scabrous bract longer than the or with a longer beak; staminate scale ovate obtuse; pis-~ - tillate scale ovate, shortly acute, sometimes quite obtuse in maturity, yellowish white with a green keel, and about half the length of the fruit. The fruit is diverging and often nearly horizontal when mature. The spikelets before ma-~ turity much resemble those of some species of scirpus,— whence the specific name. Stigmas 2. In wet places in woods it is often very small, and very difficult to be ascertained, when it is in flower. Flowers in May,—found in wet situations. _ This species greatly resembles C. stellulata, Schreb. as figured by Schk. tab. C. fig. 14. and Muh. asks whether it is sufficiently distinct from it. By Schk. and others, they are considered different species. ‘The capsules of C. sied- ulata, are not cordate at the base, are nearly entire at the beak, acuminate, and more diverging. C. scirpoides is very distinct from other American species, unless it be C. viri- i Mx. which, it is hoped, will ere long be better his description however I have hot seen. . C. gracillima. Schw Spicis longis cnn distantibus tule lngstione quaternis ibu us exserte iy =a hog Ta tian ge inferne mascula, omni bracteatis; fructib on I Hare on the Galvanic Deflagrator. 99 sub-bilobo, q! 24 g ah : to m 1] Culm 15--24 inches high, reddish at base, leafy and sub- scale oblong, obtuse, white with a green keel; pistillate scale oblong or sub-ob-ovate, obtuse, with a short awn, white on the edges, and green on the keel, and about half the length of the fruit. The whole plant is glabrous and light green. “Flowers in May—grows in moist meadows—common. This plant is clearly distinct from the preceding species, and there is no figure corresponding to itin Schk. e two preceding new species belong in the same sec- tion with C. virescens in Ph.—the caption of the section being corrected as mentioned, Vol. VII, p. 274. It was thus corrected in the Manual of Botany, 3d Ed. PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, MECHANICS AND. MATHEMATICS, Ant. V.—Leiter from Rost. Harr, M. D. Professor of Chemistry in the University of Pennsylvania, to B, Srutt- MAN, Professor of Chemistry in Yale College, on some um- proved forms of the Galvanic Deflagrator; on the supe- nority of its deflagrating power; also an account of an improved Single Leaf Electrometer ; of the combustion of Tron by a jet of Sulphur, in vapour ; and of an easy mode of imitating native Chalybeate Waters.— eprinted with corrections and additions, from Silliman’s Journal, No. 1. 1. VII, After I had discovered that the deflagrating power of a series of galvanic pairs was surprisingly increased, by their 100 Hare on the Galvanic Deflagrator. simultaneous exposure, after due repose, to the acid, va- rious modes suggested themselves of accomplishing this ob- ject. In the apparatus which I sent you, the coils, being all suspended to two beams, could be lowered into troughs containing the —— In another apparatus, of which I after- wards gave you an account, with an engraving for your Journal, the iroieehh containing the acid, were made to rise, so that all the plates might be immersed at once. A better mode has since occurred to me. ‘Two troughs are joined lengthwise, edge to edge, so that when the sides of the one are vertical, those of the other must be horizontal. Hence, by a partial revolution of the two troughs, thus united, upon pivots: which support them at at the ends, any fluid d which ma one trough, must flow into the other, and revers- ing the motion must flow back again. The Galvanic Se- ries being placed in one of the troughs the acid in the from it. The pivots are made of iron, coated with brass or copper, as less liable to oxidizement. A weulic’ communi- cation is made between the coating of the pivots, and the galvanic series within. In order to produce a connexion between one recipient of this description, and another, it is only necessary to allow a pivot of each trough to revolve on pieces of sheet copper, severally soldered to the different ends of a rod of metal. To connect with the termination of the series, the leaden rods, (to which are soldered the vices, or spring forceps, tor holding the substances to be exposed to the deflagrating power,) one end of each of the lead rods, is soldered to a piece of sheet copper. The pieces of copper, thus soldered to the lead rods, are then to be duly placed under the pivots, which are of course to be connect- ed with the terminations of the series, The last mentioned connexion is conveniently made by means of straps of cop- per, severally soldered to the pivots, and the poles of the series, _ screwed together by a hand=vice Fig. 1. pl. 5. represents an apparatus consisting of two troughs, each ten feet long, constructed in the manner which | have described, Each trough is deaigti6t to con- tain 150 galvanic pairs. The galvanic series in the uppet * For the plate see Vol. VII, No. 2, of this Journal. enema Hare on the Galvanic Deflagrator. 101 trough is situated as when not subjected to the acid. In the representation of the lower trough, the galvanic series is omitted, in order that the interior may be better understood. The series belonging to this trough, may be observed be- low it, in three boxes, each containing 50 pairs, fig. 2. In placing these boxes in the trough, some space is left be- tween them and that side of the trough on which the acid prevented from touching it by grooved strips of wood. Each plate of zinc is soldered to the next case of copper, on one side. is may be understood from the diagram, fig. 3. It must be observed, that the copper cases are open only at the bottom and top. They are separated from each other by very thin veneers of wood. Fig. 4. represents a smaller trough, differing from the others only in length. This I made, with a view to some experiments on the comparative power of the galvanic pairs of the form of copper cases, with zinc plates, above describ- ed, and those made on Cruickshank’s plan, or of the form used by Sir H. Davy, in the porcelain troughs. epresents a box, containing 100 Cruickshank fig. 4, ig. 6. represents a box, anniaiing 200 Cruickshank plates. This differs from the common Cruickshank trough, only, in having the interstices as narrow as those between 102 Hare on the Galvanic Deflagrator. the copper and zinc surfaces of the deflagrator pairs, repre- sented bv fig. 2, and in the mode in which the acid is thrown off, or on, the whole series, which does not differ, materially, from that described in the instance of On contrasting the series of 50, (fig. 4.) with “Cruick- shank’s plates in the box, (fig. 5. ) the deflagrating power of the latter was found comparatively feeble ; ~ see even when compared with the Cruickshank trough, (fig. 6.) in igniting metals, or carbon, the 50 pairs (fig. 4.) were found greatly superior." The shock from the Cruickshank trough was more severe. You must recollect, that in former ex- pees I found that galvanic plates, with their edges ex- osed es y are in the porcelain troughs, used by Sir Davy, were almost inefficient, when used with- out sentient, as are the pairs of the deflagrator. This de- monstrates, that an unaccountable difference is producible in galvanic apparatus, by changes of form or- position. Being accustomed to associate the idea of the zinc pole, ina Voltaic series, with the end terminated by zine. and the copper pole, with the end terminated by copper, I was sur- prised to find that, in decomposing water, the oxygen was attracted by the wire connected with the copper end of my deflagrator, while the hydrogen went to the wire connected with the zine end. Subsequently, however, it occurred to me, that, in the deflagrator the zinc pole is terminated by copper, the copper pole by zinc; and hence the apparent anomaly, that oxygen appears. to = attracted by copper, and bydrogen to be attracted by zi The projection from the tintin gone between the poles, takes place at the negative pole of the pile, and not at the positive pole, as you have alleged; and thus your ob- servation, that the current of igneous matter is from the opine to the zinc, may be reconciled with the Franklinian theory The observations, which are the subject of this commu- nication, combined with those which you have made, of the a recty of the deflagrator, and Voltaic series in the usual rm, to act, when in combination with each other; must justify us, in considering the former, as a galvanic instru- ment, eine great and peculiar powers. Since the above was written, I have tried my series of 300 pairs: The projectile power, and the shock, were OO _ Hare’s Single Leaf Electrometer. 103 nieinieeil great, but the deflagrating power was not increased in proportion. The light was so intense, that falling upon some adjacent buildings, it had the appearance of sunshine. Having had another series of 300 pairs made for Dr. Macnevin of New-York, on trying it. I connected it with mine, both collaterally, and consecutively, so as to make in the one case a series of six hundred,—in the other a series, half that in number, but equal in extent of sur- faces. The shock of the two, consecutively, was apparent- ly doubly as severe, as the shock produced by one; but the other eee seemed to me pearly equally bril- liant, in either The white amine which you atticed: were formed copi- ously on the ignited plumbago, especially in vacuo. I have not had leisure to test them, being arduously occupied, in my course of Lectures, and in some efforts to improve the means of eayesisnbntal illustration. Account of an Electrometer, with a single leaf, by which the electricity excited by the touch of heterogeneous metals, is rendered obvious, after a single contact. Fig. 7. represents an pp ee se a single leaf sus- pended from a disk of zinc, six ine n diameter, which constitutes the top of the instrument. “Op wosite to this sin- gle leaf, isa ball, supported on a wire, which may be made to approach the leafs or recede from it, by means ofa screw. Above the instrument, is seen a disk of copper, with a glass handle.* _The electricity produced by the contact of cop- and then lift this disk from the zinc. As soon as the sepa- ration is effected, the gold leaf will strike see ball usually, if the one be not more than ;3; of an inch, apart from the * For the > experiment with this electrometer a metallic rosie’ wos an- pas Its b comp in- ed, with that obtained by a condenser. 104 Hare on the Combustion of Iron. other.* Tencontacts of the same disks of copper and zinc the leaves of the Condensing Electrometer. That the phe- nomenon arises from the dissimilarity of the metals, is easi- ly shown, by repeating the experiment with a zinc disk, in lieu of a disk of copper. The separation of the homogen- eous disks wil] not be found to produce any contact between the leaf and ball. I believe no mode has been heretofore contrived, by which the electrical excitement resulting from the contact of heterogeneous metals, may be detected by an Electroscope, without the aid of a condenser. It is proba- ble, that the sensibility of this instrument, is dependent on that property of electricity, which causes any surcharge of it, which may be created in a conducting surface, to seek an exit at the most projecting termination, or point, connect- _ed with the surface. This disposition is no doubt rendered greater, by the proximity of ae ball, which increases the capacity of the gold leaf to receive the surcharge, in the same manner, as the uninsulated disk of a condenser influ- ences the electrical capacity of the insulated disk, in its neighbourhood. It must not be expected, that the phe- n ces, I have produced it, y means of a smaller Electrome- ter, of which the disks are only 2} inches in diameter.t The construction, as serpects the mon and the ball, regu- lated by the micrometer screw, remaining the same; the cap of the condensing x Lia and its disks, may be substituted for the zinc disk. On the Combustion of Iron, by a jet of Sulphur in Vapour If a gun barrel be heated red hot, at the but end, and a piece of sulphur be thrown into it ; on closing the ‘mouth with a cork, or blowing into it, a jet of ignited sulphurous vapour will proceed from the touch- hole. Exposed to *Thave seen it strike at nearly double this distance. +1 think [ have seen an effect from a disk only an inch in diameter, oF from a zinc disk, having a copper socket to its handle. Analyses of the Chrysoberyls from Haddam and Brazil. 105 this, a bunch of iron wire will burn, as if ignited in oxygen gas, and will fall down in the form of fused globules in the state of proto-sulphuret. Hydrate of potash, exposed to the jet, fuses into a sulphuret of a fine red color. An easy mode of impregnating Water with Iron. f a few pieces of silver coin be alternated with pieces of sheet iron, on placing the pile in water, it soon acquires a chalybeate taste, and a yellowish hue, and in 24 hours, ocks of oxide of iron appear. Hence by replenishing with water, a vessel, in which sucha pile is placed, after each draught, we may have a competent substitute for a chalybeate spring. lean copper plates, alternating with iron, would an- swer; or a clean copper wire entwined on an iron rod; but as the copper when oxidated yields an oxide, it is safer to empioy silver. Art. VI.—Analyses of the Chrysoberyls from Haddam and Brazil. By Henry Seyvert.* Read 5th March, 1824. In the summer of 1823, I visited Haddam, in the state of Connecticut. Among the various substances there collected, was the Chrysoberyl, a mineral much esteeme on account of its rarity. It occurs disseminated in a coarse grained granite, in which the predominant ingredi- bite.t It is also associated with greyish quartz, mangane- sian garnet of a fine blood red color, and a yellow granu- lar substance, which some mineralogists supposed to be a * This paper will appear in a volume of the transactions of the Ameri- can Philosophical Society, now in the course of publication at Philadel- phia. In the mean time it has been, by permission, transmitted by the au- thor, for insertion in this Journal. ¥ Essai de’ ? Emploi da Chalumeau, p. 243. Vou. nt) 14 106 Analyses of the Chrysoberyls from Haddam and Brazit. variety of the cymophane; but from its inferior hardness: and general chemical composition, | recognized it to be common beryl. For the earliest chemical information concerning the chrysoberyl, we are indebted to Professor Klaproth. He published his analysis of it in 1795,* and gave the follow- ing constituents of it, viz. alumina, 74.50; lime, 6. ; oxide of iron, 1.50; silica, 18.; loss, 3. erzelius presented us with a formula founded on this composition ;f but from his experiments with the blowpipe he was led to conclude that it contained no lime, and that it was a subsilicate of alumina.t In this he was apparently confirmed by Pro- fessor Thomson.§ who quotes Klaproth’s analysis, and states that he examined the mineral some years ago, but having accidentally lost his results, he was unable to pub- lish them. He observes, however, that the only constit- uents he found were alumina, silica, and oxide of iron. When I was about to prepare the communication which I have now the honor to lay before the Society, a more re- cent analysis of the chrysoberyl of Brazil, by M. Augustus Arfwedson, was observed, by me, in Tilloch’s Philosophi- cal Magazine.|| He confirmed the results of Professor Thomson and considered the chemical composition of this substance to be—silica, 18.73; and alumina, 81.43, with a trace of oxide of iron. The cymophane, from Haddam, was sent to M. Hauy by the late Dr. Bruce, in 1810, to have his opinion con- cerning its nature.** Previous to that period, the mine- ralogists in the United States supposed it to be corundum. The late celebrated crystallographer observes, ‘“‘La cy- mophane des Etats Unis a d’ abord eté prisé pour une va- rieté de corindon. Effectivement elle se rapproche de ce: * Beitrage, vol. i. p. 97. t Systeme de Mineralogie, p,219,—C4S+18A48S. } Essai de’ 1’ Emploi du Chalumeau, p. 325. $ Thomson’s Chemistry, vol. iii. p. 213. || No. for November, 1823, p. 357. ** Annales du Museum d’ Histoire Naturelle, tome xviii. p. 57- dr - Analyses of the Chrysoberyls from Haddam and Brazil. 107 mineral par sa dureté, par sa pesanteur specifique, et méme par le resultat de son Analyse, qui a donné environ 72 parties d’ alumine sur 100, avec 18 de silice, et 6 de chaux.”* Iwas anxious to examine the cymophane found nd. Three grammes of the mineral were examined under the impression that Professor Klaproth’s analysis was ae- curately made. It was decomposed in the usual manner with four parts of caustic potash, and subsequently treated with diluted muriatic acid ; but the solution was imperfect. The insoluble matter was collected on a filter, and it amounted to 25 or 30 per 100. It was repeatedly acted on in the same way, and each time it diminished in quan- tity, until the fourth experiment. It then weighed about een-hundredths, and thereafter resisted all further efforts to render it soluble by these means. This residue was then boiled in coneentrated sulphuric and muriatic acids, but neither of them dissolved more than one-third of it. These solutions were tested by different re-agents, and greatly to my surprise, the addition of subcarbonate of ammonia oc- casioned a floculent precipitate, which entirely re-dissolved in an excess of the alkaline subcarbonate. I immediately suspected the presence of Glucina, but was much at a loss to explain its insolubility, until I observed Berzelius’s analy- sis of the Euclase,t in which he met with a com und of glucina and oxide of tin that obstinately resisted acids. He also met with refractory combinations of this earth and * Traité de Mineralogie, 2me Edition, vol. ii. p. 309. + Nouveau Systeme de Mineralogie, p. 2€9. 108 Analyses of the Chrysoberyls from Haddam and Brazil. the oxides of manganese and cerium. I next endeavoured to dissolve the compound by the acid sulphate of potash ; but this method did not succeed. 1 was not more success- ful with the nitric and nitromuriatic acids ; nor could it be dissolved by means of boric acid. Berzelius having dis- covered columbium in the gangue of the cymophane from Haddam, the insoluble residue was tested for the oxide of that metal, but all my attempts were fruitless. At length, i supposed, that as barytes could be brought into contact with this substance more conveniently than potash at a high sommne alas it might decompose it. With this view, a portion of the insoluble matter was exposed to a strong heat, Pegi one a with six parts of nitrate of barytes ina platina crucible. The calcined mass was - ia in ni- tric acid. In this way nearly two-thirds o: th could not be entirely attacked in any } solved. The same treatment wa the whole of it was taken up, whic’ fourth calcination. It was then no fa : : After making numerous experiments © mat resisted nitrate of barytes and nitric acid, I ascertained, that it was not acted on by alkalies nor acids when used separately. but after having been previously calcined with caustic potash, it readily dissolved in muriatic acid, yield- ing a solution of a pale yellow colour, which gave a red- dish precipitate with an infusion of galls, a deep green pre- cipitate with the hydrosulphate of potash, and a white pre- cipitate with alkalies. Hence it was oxide of titanium. ter the barytes was separated with sulphuric acid, the nitric solutions were united, and treated with an excess of subcarbonate of ammonia. An abundant precipitate ensu- ed, which entirely re-dissolved in the excess of subcarbo- nate. By ebullition it was again precipitated, and when calcined, it was in the form of a light white powder, pos- scaring all the properties that characterise Glucina. Wit the sulphuric and muriatic acids it formed very sweet as- tringent deliquescent salts. By caustic potash it was pre- eo from its solutions, and the precipitate re-dissolv- in the excess of the a Ikali. Klaproth and Arfwedson, in their analyses of the Chrysobery! from Brazil, consider- ed the insoluble matter remaining after they had treated Analyses of the Chrysoberyls from Haddam and Brazil. 109 the mineral with potash and muriatic acid, to be silica. This will explain why their results differ so essentially from ne. After having thus satisfied myself of the composition of the residue above mentioned, | resumed my preliminary experiments, and proceeded to examine the muriatic solu- tion obtained from the treatment of the mineral with pot- ash and muriatic acid. From this solution some silica was separated. A portion of the liquid was treated with caus- tic ammonia, and then tested for /tme with oxalate of pot- ash, but ndne of it could be detected. ‘To the remaining liquor a considerable excess of subcarbonate of ammonia was added, and the precipitated matter was digested twen- ty-four hours. It was then separated by filtration, and the fluid was boiled till all the ammonia was expelled. No glucina was thus precipitated. Hence we conclude, that the very small portion of titanium above mentioned, ren- dered the whole of the glucina so refractory. ‘The alumi- na precipitated by the subcarbonate of ammonia was mix- ed with a small quantity of oxide of iron. It was soluble in caustic potash, and with this alkali and sulphuric acid it ave regular octedral crystals ofalum. The liquor, when tested with phosphate of soda and ammonia, was found to contain no Magnesia. After the preliminary experiments, I commenced the following ANALYSIS OF THE CHRYSOBERYL FROM HADDAM. Al. Five grammes of the mineral, reduced to small frag- ments in an iron mortar, were carefully pulverized in one of agate, from which it acquired the additional weight of 0.13 grammes. The 5.13 grammes were then exposed to a red heat, and thereby suffered a diminution of 0.40 per 100. B. The calcined mineral (4) was heated, during one hour, in tne silver crucible, with caustic potash, and the product was treated with diluted muriatic acid ; the solu- tion was of a lemon yellow colour. here remained a white insoluble residue, which after calcination weighed 1.47 grammes. It was repeatedly calcined with caustic 110 Analyses of the Chrysoberyls from Haddam and Brazil. potash, and treated with diluted muriatic acid, with the fol- s lowing results : After the 2d experiment, it weighed 0.97 grammes. 3d 0.89 By the fifth treatment it was not diminished, and then presented itself in the form of a light white powder, re- sembling pure silica in appearance. C. The residue (B) was repeatedly strongly calcined with six parts of nitrate of barytes, and subsequently boil- ed with nitric acid. After the Ist treatment, there remained 0.43 grammes. 2d 0.15 3d 0.06 And by the 4th operation only 0.01 gramme was dissolved. The remaining 0.05 grammes were essayed in the man- ner related in the preliminary experiments, and thus proved to be oxide of titanium. Hence we have 1. per 100 of that oxide. D. The nitric solutions were united and evaporated to dryness, to expel the excess of the acid. The saline mass was dissolved in water, and after the barytes was separated with sulphuric acid, an excess of subcarbonate of ammonia was added to the solution. An abundant precipitate ap- peared, which entirely re-dissolved. The Glucina was precipitated by ebullition. After edulcoration and calci- nation, it weighed 0.79 grammes, or 15.80 per 100. E. The several muriatic solutions (B) were united and evaporated to a dry mass, which was treated with muriati¢ acid, and there remained 0.33 grammes of silica, from which deduct 0.13 grammes acquired from the agate mor- tar ; and there will be 0.20 grammes, or 4. per 100 as 4 constituent of the mineral. F. After the silica was separated from the liquid (E;) the alumina and oxide of iron, were precipitated by means ofa great excess of subcarbonate of ammonia. After twen- ty-four hours, the liquor was separated from the yellowish precipitate, and was boiled, but no glucina was precip! Analyses of the Chrysoberyls from Haddam and Brazil. 11] tated from it. The matter precipitated by the subcarbonate of ammonia consisted of 3.68 grammes of alumina, or 73. 60 per 100., and 0.19 grammes of peroxide of iron, which, on account of the colour of the mineral, must be estimat- ed as protoxide. The 0.19 grammes of peroxide are equivalent to 0.169 of protoxide, or 3.38 per 100. THE CONSTITUENTS OF THIS CHRYSOBERYL THEREFORE ARE (Per 100 parts) A. Moisture 0.40 C. Oxide of titanium 1.00 D. Glucina 15.80 E. Silica 4.00 F. Alumina 73.60 F. Protoxide of iron 3.38 98.18 100.00 locality, 1.5 grammes were analysed, in the manner above mentioned, and the following results were obtained :— (Per 100 parts) Water 0.666 Oxide of titanium 2.666 Glucina 16.000 Silica 5.999 Alumina 68.666 — Protoxide of iron 4.733 98.730 100.000 Loss 1.270 112 Method of preserving the colour of the Purple Cabbage. In estimating these constituents according to the elec- tro-chemical theory, I believe that the oxide of titanium, notwithstanding its important agency in the analytical ex- periments, must be regarded as an accidental ingredient, as well as the oxide of iron, which in some measure may have been derived from the iron mortar. As the cymo- hane of Brazil appears to be constituted more conforma- bly to the hypothesis of chemical proportions than that of addam, the following calculation may be made, founded on its composition, which gives for the essential constitu- ents of Chrysobery], (Per 100 parts) Silica 661 containing Oxygen 3.32 Alumina | 75.75 35.38 Glucina 17.64 5.49 and very nearly corresponds with the following mineralo- gical formula, A*S+2GA‘. Art. VII.—.Method of preserving the color of the pur cabbage. Extract of a letter to the Editor, from Geor T. Bowen. substances, the cabbage liquor is superior to litmus, for it is not only like litmus reddened by acids, but is also color by means of an alkali; and the delicacy of the test is in this manner impaired. I find that this test may be Description and Analysis of the Sillimanite. 113 prepared so as not only to keep for many months, but also so as to retain its original color and delicacy. hen the Jeaves of the cabbage are digested in warm alcohol, the coloring matter is entirely dissolved, and we obtain a tincture of a reddish color, but which, on exposure to the air, becomes blue. ter having distilled off a portion of the alcohol, the remainder should be evaporat- ed, at a very gentle heat, until there results a mass of the consistence of a thick syrup. The extract obtained in this manner, when put up in closely stopped bottles, may be preserved for years. In order to use it, it is only ne- cessary to add a small portion of it to water, in which it is readily soluble, when the addition of an acid or an alkali will produce its peculiar effect. When we wish to em- ploy this test to discover small quantities of carbonic acid it is necessary to render it slightly green by the addition of a diluted alkali. The carbonic acid will then restore the blue color, by saturating the alkah. Test papers may also be prepared by means of the alcoholic tincture of the cabbage, which, when rendered green by immersion in a diluted alkaline solution, may be used in all those cases ich litmus papers are commonly employed. _ Arr. VIII. Description and Analysis of the Sillimanite, a new mineral, By Grorce T. Bowen, of Providence. Read before the Academy of Natural Sciences, of Philadelphia, on the 6th of April, 1824, Introductory Remarks. On receiving the following article, I was impres- quested me to consent to its republication here. ad the name, originally proposed for it, at Vew-Haven, or any Vou. VIII. No. 1. 15 114 Description and Analysis of the Sillimanite. other than the one which it now bears, been given to it, I could have had no objection to its appearance in this Jour- nal, and as the present name was bestowed, entirely with out my privity, and was already placed beyond my con- trol, before I was informed of the design, I have reluctant- ly yielded to Mr. Bowen’s request, supposing that a refusal under such circumstances, would bear less the appearance - of a proper feeling, than of an over scrupulous — Y. C. May, 1824. The mineral which is the subject of the following obser- vations, was discovered in the town of Saybrook, Connec- ticut, during the summer of the year 1817, at which time several specimens were brought from that locality, and de- posited in the cabinet of Yale College, by Dr. McClellan of Philadelphia. | oes At the time of its discovery, some doubts existed as to the true nature of this substance ; several specimens, how- ever, having been shewn to the different mineralogists of this country, they pronounced it to be Anthophyllite, and it is mentioned as Anthophyllite in the last edition of Professor Cleaveland’s Mineralogy. A number of specimens of this substance, have also, at different times, been sent to the mineralogists of Europe, who have expressed the same opinion respecting it. ; I first became acquainted with this mineral during the winter of the year 1921, while engaged in the laboratory of Professor Silliman, and at his request, I then commenced an examination of it. 1 was, however, under the necessity of leaving New Haven before the analysis was completed, and have never had an opportunity, until lately, of resuming the _ It is proper that I should here mention, that about the time when the examination of this substance was commen ced, a descripition of its external characters was drawn up y Dr. T. D. Porter of New-Haven, who suspected it to bea new mineral, but as its external aspect was observed to correspond very nearly with that of the anthophyllite, and as Dr. Porter’s description was not accompanied an analysis, there still remained a doubt as to its true a~ ture. Hence the description was not published. neces Description and Analysis of the Sillimanite. 115 Having thus given a brief history of this mineral, I shall now proceed to state the results of its examination, and shall then offer my reasons for considering it a new species. Description. The color of this mineral is dark gray, passing into clove brown It occurs crystallized in rhomboidal prisms, whose angles are about 106° 30’ and 73° 70’; the inclination of the base to the axis of the prism being 113°. It has but one cleay- age which is parallel to the longer diagonal of the prism. The sides and angles of the crystals are frequently round- ed Its hardness is greater than that of quartz; even the to- may be scratched by some of the specimens. It is trans- lucent on the edges, and in small fragments ; is brittle and may easily be reduced to powder. Its fracture in the direction of the longer diagonal is lam- ellar, and displays a brilliant lustre; the cross fracture is uneven and splintery. It does not become electric either by heat or friction, nor does it give any indicationsof magnetism even when tested by the method proposed by M. Haiiy. Its specific gravity is 3.410. Before the blow pipe it is infusible per se, and also when heated with borax. , The nitric, muriatic and sulphuric acids do not act on its powder, even when digested upon it with the assistance of heat. This mineral occurs in a veirof a quartz, penetrating gneiss inthe town of Saybrook, Connecticut, where, f am informed, it is found in considerable quantities. = aan ie eke ANALYSIS. A. Three grammes of the mineral reduced to an impal- pable powder were exposed, during half an hour, to a red heat, in a platina crucible. The colour of the powder was not altered by ignition, after which it weighed 2.985 gram- 216 Description and Analysis of the Sillimanite. mes. The loss of — oi a calcination was, therefore, .015 grammes, or 0.50 B. The calcined mine al was then treated with three times its weight of caustic potash, and the mixture ie to a red heat, during one hour, in a silver crucible. contents of the crucible after exposure to heat, were of'e a light brown colour. The fused mass was treated with mu- riatic acid in excess, and the fluid evaporated to dryness. Water acidulated with muriatic acid was then added, and the whole thrown upon a filter. The silex separated in this manner when age and calcined amounted to 1.293 grammes, or 43 per C. The muriatic sotidon (B) was then decomposed ata bling heat, by sub-carbonate of ammonia, and the precipi- tate which was produced, having been well washed, was muriatic acid, and then treated with sub-carbonate of am- monia in excess. The alumine which was precipitated, amounted when washed and calcined to 1.626 grammes, or 54.310 per ceni. D. That portion of the mineral which remained after the action of the potash, was of a browncolor. It was dis- solved in muriatic acid, the excess of acid neutralized by potash and hydro-sulphuret of potash then added, which caused a black precipitate. This precipitate after being heated to ay the sulphur, was treated with a little nitric acid and calcined. It weighed tg grammes or 2 per cent, and was pure peroxide of iro - The liquor (D) from which the iron had been pre- cipitated by an hydrosulphuret, was then tested with oxa- late of ammonia, and with phosphate of soda and ammonia, _ Agu no indications of the presence of either lime or whe | Foaolk of this analysis gives as the constituents of this ineral, Description and Analysis of the Sillimantte. 21% Per 100 Parts. A. Water, . 00.510 containing oxygen, B. oe 43.000 tt + 21.629 C. e, 54.210 « a“ 25.315 D. Pontnid cat Tron, 02.000 99.720 100.000 .280 Loss. In order to verify the above results this analysis was va- ried as follows, viz. After having ascertained the loss by cal- cination, and Separ ated the silex 7 “in the usual wae the healu- mine and iron then precipitated by hydro-sulphuret of hori These two substances were afterwards separated by the ac- tion of caustic potash. The solution to which the hydro- sulphuret had been added, was then tested, and was thus ound to contain neither lime nor magnesia. Three analy- ses which were made of this mineral, coincide almost ex- actly in their results, and give, as a mean, its composition as follows. Per 100 Parts. Water, 00.510 containing oxygen, Silica, 42.666 21.460 Alumine, 54.111 “ “f 25.270 Oxide of Iron, 01.999 <« ¢ 99.286 100.000 714 Loss. It is therefore a silicate of alumine, with an accidental portion of oxide of Sse: and its mineralogical formula will be CS, he mineral wh sembles in selena! bleh te is the eadeiy tie: “There is how- 118 Hydrate of Copper and Spodumene. ever, a difference in the aspect of the two minerals, and the results of the above mentioned analyses, prove them to be totally distinct.* Nepheline is the only mineral to which the subject of this paper is allied in chemical composition, but nepheline is much softer, is more fusible, and crystal- lizes differently, having for its primitive form a six sided prism, while the primitive form of the mineral in question is a rhomboidal prism. From the preceding experiments, therefore, the sub- stance which J have analyzed, must be considered as a new species in mineralogy, and I propose for it the name of — Sillimanite, in honour of Professor Silliman, of Yale Col- ege. Art. 1X.—Analysis of a Silicious Hydrate of Copper, from New-Jersey, with a notice of the discovery of two lo- calities of Spodumene in the United States. By Gronce . Bowen. fRead before the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, March 2d, 1824, from whose Journal it is copied.] 1. Of the Ore of Copper. This mineral is found at Shee re New-Jersey, in a copper mine belonging to Mr. 1. Camaans. It occurs as an perp aite on the ferruginous copper ore of that mine, *In order to ascertain the true composition of the onthe » an- alyzed a specimen of that mineral from Norway, and found my results to coincide, as to its constituent parts, with the analyses whieh are She quoted in mineralogical books. Hydrate of Copper and Spodumene. 119 blowpipe, it becomes black, but is infusible; with borax it fuses into a glass of a bright green colour, and when heated with sub-carbonate of soda, yields globules of metallic cop- er. When treated with nitric acid, it is partly dissolved without effervescence, and affords a ‘solution of a blue col- our. Analysis. A. 'Two grammes of the mineral, after being carefully — separated from the accompanying carbonate of copper, were reduced to an impalpable powder, and exposed dur- ing half an hour to a red heat in a platina crucible. The eines after igifition was of a black colour, and weighed 1.660 grammes. The loss, by calcination, ory therefore, grammes in two grammes, or 17 per B. The calcined mineral was then fused with three times its weight of crystallized carbonate of potash, and the fused mass, which was of a black colour, was treated with mu- riatic acid in excess, and the solution evaporated to dry- ness; acidulated water. was then added, and the whole thrown upon a filter. The silex separated in this manner, when washed and calcined, amounted to 0.745 grammes, or 37.250 per 1 C. To the solution in muriatic acid, caustic potash was added in excess, and the fluid boiled. The precipitate which was formed after being washed and calcined, weigh- ed 0.903 crammes, and on examination proved to be pure peroxide of copper. ‘These 0.903 grammes in 2 grammes are equal to 45.175 per 100. n order to ascertain whether this mineral contained pliésphoric acid, I dissolved a portion of it in nitric acid, decomposed the nitric solution by means of caustic potash, and treated the alkaline fluid with acetic acid in excess. The acetous solution, when -_— by nitrate of lead, gave no indications of phosphoric he constituents of this eueth according to this analy- sis, are, per 100 parts, 120 Hydrate of Copper and Spodumene. A. os 17.000 colitaining oxygen 15.119 B. 37.250 18.736 - ect of copper, 45.175 % ad 9.011 100.000 és -576 loss. It is therefore a bisilicate of 8. with water; and its mineralogical formula will be CS *+ Aq. 2. Of the Spodumene.* In the mionth of November of the last year, a Nuttall brought to Philadelphia several minerals from Massachu- setts, among which was one which from its eacipe char- acters he suspected to be spodumene. On examining it chemically, I determined it to be that mineral, having ob- tained from it a portion of the new alkali, lithia, The spe- cimen submitted to examination was ofa white ol pauit was of a lamellar structure, of a pearly lustre, was F scratched glass, and was fusible before the blow- piper At yielded readily to mechanical division, and afforded a rhom- boidal prism whose angles were 100° 80’. In order to ob- tain the lithia from this mineral, a portion of it which had been previously pulverised was fused with an equal weight of caustic potash, and the fused mass dissolved in diluted muriatic acid. The muriatic solution was then evaporated to dryness, and the product digested for some time in warm alcohol. The alcohol on evaporation afforded a white de- liquescent salt of an acrid taste. That it contained neither lime nor potash was proved by its solution affording no ea either with oxalate of ammonia or witb muriate oe notice of the Spodumene was forwarded in February last, but 00 late _ publication in the last number of the Journal. An ac- count ae it has since been published in the Journal of the Academy of Nat- ural Sciences of Philadelphia. Professor Adams on the Theory of the Thermometer. 121 precipitate of the carbonate of lithia. This mineral was discovered by Mr. Nuttall, during the last summer, in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, on a farm belonging to Mr. utnam. Ashost time after having examined the above mention- - 1 1, I discovered several specimens of the spodu- mene among a small collection of minerals from the yicin- ay of ea Mass. The specimens from this last men- published analysis of spodumene, it was not thought ne- cessary to repeat the examination. Arr. X.—Remarks on the theory of the shen oo of the Thermometer, by Rev. J. Apams, Professor athe- matics and Natural Philosophy in Brown eeeds, Pr ovidence, Rhode Island. It is highly important, ne the theory of the ae! ay ofan instrument, so extensively useful as the ther t should be well settled and well understood. It is used of ten in physics and constantly in chemistry ; and to it we are indebted for the greatest part of our information on the interesting subject df heat. The astronomer consults it in is observations, i in all cases, where refraction is an element. y it, we determine the mean temperature of the earth, and of the different climates upon its surface. Any effort therefore, towards establishing a correct theory of the con- struction of this instrument, it is a will be viewed by public. with candour and indulge wit is well known, that the prentest par 2 physical i inquirers ich they attribute pre properties analagous to those whidl other material substances possess; such as elasticity, the power of enter- ing into combination with other substances, Nc. hese ig they ge to it on the ground of analogy ; Von. VIIL—No. , 122 Professor Adams on the Theory of the Thermometer. for as they can neither see, nor touch, nor weigh caloric, they are obliged to strip it, at least as far as our senses are concerned, of all the most apparent properties by which we are sesured of the existence of matter; such as extension, impenetrability, and gravity. This opinion, is supported by considerable eee though perhaps not sufficient to give entire satisfa ctio ty with the eee intensity of the heat. In fluids and i the particles are conceived to have a motion round eir own axes. Temperature, therefore, with them, will pepe with the velocity of the vibrations, and increase of capacity will be bac by the motion being performed rotary motion.* The most prec ae advocate of this hypothesis, of late years, is Sir H. Davy. A detailed ac- count of his views may be found in his ‘ Elements of Chemistry.” Since, in the exact sciences, the opinion of no man is better than the reasons which he gives for it; with perfect respect for the talents of this illustrious chem- ist, and with the greatest admiration of his splendid discoy- eries, it is probable, that his hypothesis will never be ex- tensively received. Indeed, the idea, that all the facts with which we are acquainted respecting heat, can be made to depend on motion of any kind, is perhaps scarcely less than inconceivable. It is difficult, to understand, how this of a reductio ad absurdum, has been constructed by Dr. Hare, and will doubtless be recollected by the readers of this journal. Another class of philosophers, attaching themselves to neither of these hypotheses, limit themselves to admitting the facts common to both, and consider the term caloric, as the name of a cause whose nature is not known any further than, that it gives us the sensation of heat, and pro- duces peculiar effects upon the substances around us. * Brande, Manual of Chem. 1. 248. tVol. IV, 142. eet Professor Adams on the Theory of the Thermometer. 123 The investigations connected with the ipotbesis, that caloric is a material substance, appear to” somewhat extensively among writers, to what, it is Silaved will be considered, upon examination, an erroneous view of the construction of the thermometer. What is intend- ed by this communication, may best be accomplished, by first making quotations from several writers, and by after- wards making such re emarks upon them, as the occasion renders necessary Dr. Henry et es thmexpetiments of De Luc have shown, that the ratio of expansion does not strictly keep pace with the actual increments of temperature ; - that the amount of the expansion increases with the temper- ature. Thus if a given quantity of mercury, in eo heated from 32° to 122°, the first half of the scale, be ex- panded 14 parts, in being raised from 122° to 212°, the higher half, it will be expanded 15 parts.” “From the inquiries of Mr. Dalton,” continues the same writer, it ‘‘ appears to follow, that the irregularity of the expansion of mercury is considerably greater than has been stated by De Luc.” Again, “ making due correction for this circumstance,” that is, the expansion of the glass in the thermometer, “Mr. Dalton has been led to conclude from his experiments, that notwithstanding the apparent diversities of expansion in different fluids, they all actually expan nd according to the same law ; viz. that the quantity of expansion is as the square of the temperature from their respective upeRIDG points, or from their point of greatest density. If t thermometer be constructed, with degrees ecm a to this law, they will be found to differ very considerably from those of the common mercurial therem mometer, in which the Space between freezing and boiling is divided into 180 equal parts. In the appendix, will be found a table showing the correspondence between the old scale, and the new one constructed on Mr. Dalton’s principle.* r. Gorham says, Chem. I. 74, “the Hepmomieter as commonly constructed with equal divisions, is not e considered as perfectly correct in its indications of temper- ature, Liquids not only differ in their expansibilities, but * Chemistry, Vol. 1. Chap. II. Sect. II. 124 Professor Adams on the Theory of the Therimometer. the expansion of the same liquid is not uniform for the in- crease of heat. Mr. Dalton having found that the dilata- tions of water are nearly as the squares of the temperatures reckoning from 32°, or the maximum of condensation, in- fers that the law is equally applicable to all other homoge- neous liquids; and he conceives the slight deviation from this law dbperveds in water, arises from the unequal expan- sions in the mercury of the thermometer. If an instrument of this kind be so constructed as to accord with the unequal dilatations, the degrees will besmaller between 32° and 122°, than between 122° and 212°. : Dr. Ure says, “ if the body selected for indicating, by its increase of bulk, the increase of heat, suffered equal ex- pansions by equal increments of the calorific power, then er any substance, solid, liquid or aeriform, preserves this equable we oes between ‘its increase of volume and in- ease 0 ; Again scdabinkiti 7 ih ehly p bable, that y species of matter, both solid and lend follows an increasing rate in its enlargement by caloric. Each portion that enters into a body, must weaken the antagonist force, cohesion, and must therefore render more efficacious vad ta fer of the next portion that is introduced. Let 1000 represent the cohe- sive attraction at the vonlescemtas then, after receiving one increment of caloric, it will become 1000—1=999. Since the next unit of that divellent agent will have to com- bat only this diminished cohesive force, it will a ecuas an effect greater than the first, in the proportion of 1000 t 999, and so on in continued progression... That the increas ing ratio is, however, greatly less than Mr- Dalton main- tains, may, I think, be etonnl? demonstrated.” Dr. Ure also says, that “ by means of two admirable mi- crometer microscopes of Mr. Troughton’s construction, at- tached to a peculiar pyrometer, I found, that between the temperatures of melting ice, and the 540° Fahr. the apparent elongations of rods of fine copper and iron, corresponded part passu with the indications of two mercurial thermome- ters of singular nicety, made by Mr. Crighton of Glasgow, one of which cost three guineas, and the other two, and they were compared with a‘ very fine one of Mr. Trough- Professor Adams on the Theory of the Thermometer. 125 ton’s. I consider the above results and others contained in that same paper, as decisive against Mr. Dalton’s hypo- thetical graduation of thermometers The same writer} defines a “ thermometer to be an in- strument for measuring heat, founded on the principle, that the expansions of matter are proportional to the augmenta- tions of temperature, With regard to aeriform bodies, this principle is probable founded; and hence our common thermometers may be rendered just, by reducing their in- dications to asia of an air thermometer. Solids, and still more liquids, expand some ae = by equal increments of heat, or intervals of temperatur Messrs. Dulong and Petit remark, “that Mr. Dalton, considering this question from a point of view much more elevated, has endeavoured to sable general laws appli- cable tothe measurement of all temperatures. ‘These laws, it must be acknowledged, form an imposing whole by their regularity and simplicity. Unfortunately, this skilful phi- losopher proceeded with too much rapidity to generalize his very ingenious notions, but which depended on uncer- tain data. The consequence is, that there is scarcely one of his assertions but what is contradicted by the result of the Tesearches, which we are now going to make known.” gain, the well known uniformity in the principal phys- ical properties of all the gases, and particularly the — identity in the laws of their dilatation, render it very prob- able, that in this class of bodies, the disturbing cao to which 1 have adverted in my paper, have not the same in: fluence as in solids and liquids; and that consequently the changes in volume produced by the action of heat upon air and gases, are more immediately dependent upon the force which produces them. It is therefore very probable that the greatest number of the phenomena relating to heat will present themselves under a more simple form, if we meas- ure the temperatures by an air thermometer M3 “It seems probable” says Sir H. Davy, “that the capa- city (for heat) of solids and fluids is increased by expansion * Ure’s Dict. Art. Caloric. + Art. Thermometer. t Quoted by Dr. Ure, Dict. Art. Caloric. 126 Professor Adams on the Theory of the Thermometer. and diminished by condensation, and if tiis is the case, the additions of equa! quantities of heat will give smaller incre- ments of teniperature at high than at low degrees, which must to a certain extent render the thermometer inaccurate in higher degrees, though probably only to a very small extent, of little importance as to ail practical purposes; and this cause of inaccuracy appears to be counteracted by another, that fluids seem to be more expansible by heat in proportion as their temperature is higher.*” {any other similar quotations might be made from the most distinguished late writers, were it deemed necessary. It is not my design to examine separately those which have been produced. The wide discordance of the results must be seen upon the shigbsest —— It is also sufficient- ly apparent, that there has been much loose = ae has neralization, and erroneous reasoning, a great departure from the cautious spirit of ie Baconian philosophy on this subject. “ Aliquando dormitat bonus Homerus.” If the thermometer is to be graduated ac- cording to any of the preceding conclusions, whose _— shall be preferred? But it is believed, it will appear fro the following remarks upon the preceding quotations, sat the construction of the thermometer has no connection with hypothetica! considerations, but that it is founded upon facts 1° + SRW in their nature, and ascertained without difficulty. First, then, the thermometer viewed as the measurer of temperature, is, like other standards of measurement, a an in- strument of a conventional nature; its construction always has been, and must be founded upon facts, and must in no degree be connected with hypothetical considerations. A different — of facts have, it is true, since the invention and by differences of ———* different degrees of en- ergy in the action of this cause. The thermometer in ifs indications, gives merely affereices of temperature. * Elements, p. 51. Professor Adams on the Theory of the Thermometer. 127 A mercurial thermometer, in the present improved state of thatinstrument, must be constructed according to the a9 lowing facts. Ist. The tube in which the mercury is range between its extreme points, must be divided into ak tions of equal capacity ; since the bore of no tube is equal in all its parts. Such a division may be most convenient- ly made by means of an instrument invented by M. Lussac.* 2d. It must be as free as possible from air and vapours, by being hermetically seated under the most fa- vourable circumstances. It is not de esigned here to enter into the details of the practical construction of the ther- mometer. 3d. When it is wished to render the instrument very sensible, the bulb should be cylindrical or ira otherwise, the bulb may be spherical. 4th. must be at least two fixed points; viz. that of meltin pies freez- ing water) and that of boiling water. 5th. The water used in determining the fixed points, must be distilled, and must be boiled in a metallic vessel.t 6th. The boiling point for water must be determined, when the barometer, after be- ing reduced to the level of the sea, and to the souepuieranes “4 melting ice, stands at the height of thirty inches. If, aft the reductions above mentioned are made, the bein: ter is not atthirty inches, the boiling — must be seer ed by making an allowance at the rate of 1° Fah. for a dif- ference of 0.589 of an inch of shied pressu e.* It admits of mathematical demonstration, that disdain: eters constructed with the ver eneg above specified, are strictly comparable with each othe tis said above, that the ecaalione viewed as a meas- urer of temperature, is, like other standards of measure- ment, an instrument of a conventional nature. The length of the English — was adjusted by the length of the arm of king Henry I . and the original metallic rod is preserved * Bict, Traité de Physique, Tom. I. 46—8, + Bict, I. 43. * The ex See = contraction of the glass in aoa ing is at least theoretically speaking, a cause of error in ‘their r sults. Butas this cause of error is common ie ll thermometers, and affec ts them all in very nearly 88 same degree, and is itself ——s a Lagpie v= effect will be scarcely dis- rnible. It would not be diffieu it of any use in practice, to give a farmula for the correctien of this ser ae, 128 — on the ee of the Thermometer. measure furnished by nature, sae upon the ¢5 445555 part of the length of the meridian, as thew standard, and this, by the name of metre, forms the basis of their regular and beau- tiful metrical system. The dollar, containing 371.26 grains of pure silver, and 44.75 grains of copper, is agreed upon in the United States, as the standard to which all other coins, as well as all monies of account, are to be referred The general agreement to consider these as standards of measure of their own kind, is what constitutes mem such standards. The case is the same with the thermometer. Until the late attempts to introduce hypothetical Se aothow into its construction, the dilatation of mercury was univers agreed upon as the standard for measuring the different de- grees of energy of caloric, i. e. as the standard for measur- ing temperature. The whole dilatation between the deter- minate points, is divided into a convenient number of equal parts; (50, 100 and 180 are the principal numbers which have been used,) and the scale which results from this graduation is conventionally used to measure all tempera- tures between its extreme points. It is with as much rea- son, that the thermometrie scale is equally divided into 180, or any other number of equal parts, as that the yard is divi- ded into 3, 36, &c, equal ae: Even if the hypothesis were, beyond question, true, that caloric is a material substance, and that the introduction of oe parts of agiven quantity of itinto the mercury of the thermometer should expand it from 32° to 122°, while nine parts should be sufficient to expand it from 122° to 212°; still the circumstance ought not to affect the graduation; because the thermometer is designed to measure the energy of the action of caloric, and not the quantity of it introduced or disengaged. It is one thing to measure the quantity of caloric received into @ dy, or removed from it, and another to measure the iv- tensity of j i action. These by no means necessarily cor- respond with each other. Professor Adams on the Theory of the Thermometer. 129 Again, wherever in the preeding quotations, a new grad- uation of the thermometer is suggested, the proposed grad- uation is not founded upon facts, but upon hypothesis. In the present state of our information, it is an hypothesis, and has not been proved to be a fact, that caloric is a material substance. When Dr. Ure says, ‘that solids and still more liquids expand unequally by equal increments of heat ;” the idea of its being a material substance and of its producing a mechanical effect is introduced. The same hypothesis is involved in the reasonings of all the writers which have been cited except the last: but in some, it is much more dexterously kept out of sight, by cautious lan- guage, than in others. Dr Ure thinks in one passage, that with regard to aeriform bodies, the expansions give just indications of temperature ; while in another, he . very doubtful, whether any substance solid, liquid or aeriform, can by the graduation, afford a true measure of temperature. His words have not been used, but his meaning has been given. When Dr. Ure says, that he considers an air thermometer as a just measure of tem- perature, he should have recollected, ‘* that between the limits of freezing (melting ice) and boiling water, a mer- curial and air thermometer did not present any sensible discordance.”* This is the result of M. Gay Lussac, wie accuracy as an experimenter, has perhaps never been exceeded. The same relation, which M. Gay mercurial thermometer and mo the solid metals. Les expériences de M. M. Lavoisseur et LAPIS sur la dilatation des corps solides, nous ont a qu’ entre les appris teunes de la glace fondante et de Peau bouillante, la dila- tation des metaux solides est sensiblement proportionnelle acelle du mercure. La meme proportionnalité subsiste encore dans ces limites entre a dilatations du mercure et celles des gasees. Ce resultat important a été _parfaite- ment établi par les expériences que M. Gay Lussac a faites dans ce dessein sur la dilatation des gaz.t— These * Dict. art. Caloric. ' ve Traité de physique, &c. I, 18% Lt. VIL.—No. I. 17 130 Professor Adams on the Theory of the Thermometer. results lead to the conclusion, that air, mercury, and the so- lid metals, generally, may be employed without daoger of error as thermometric substances. Ur. Ure himself says, that rods of pure copper and iron corresponded in their dilata- tions pari passu with two of the best mercurial thermome- ters, through the extended range between melting ice, and 540°. Fahrenheit. He also admits that a mercurial, adjust- ed by an air thermometer, gives correct indications of tem- perature. And as the expansion of air, mercury, &c al kcep pace without any sensible discordance, thermometers constructed with them, will all be strictly comparable with each other. In selecting substances for constructing thermometers, four appear to be sufficient in every case for which the in- strument can be wished. These are air, alcohol, mercury, and a combination of platinum and copper. The state of the first will remain unchanged, as far as we know, through any range of temperature, but the practical management of it, except within the limits of a moderate range, is so diffi- cult, that it will probably never be entensively employed. second substance is best adapted for the measurement of temperatures below the point of the congelation of mer- cury. The third is extremely well fitted for common use, since among other advantages, it remains unchanged in form, - through a very long range of temperature. In trigonometrical surveying. the base for a series of tri- cy. and to do this, the temperature must be constantly known. For the French surveys, the celebrated Borda prepared a platinum rod, of twelve feet in length for the measuring rod, to which was fastened at one end a rod of copper, a little shorter than itself, which could slide freely ment varies. the rods are unequally expanded, and the grad- uation previously adjusted by the points of melting ice and boiling water, gives the temperature of the instrument.” * Biot, Traite de physique, J. 163. Remarks on Several Subjects. 131 This arrangement seems preferable to the glass rods used in the great English trigonometrical surveys. Brown University. March 20th 1824. Arr. XI.—Remarks on several papers published in former volumes of this Journal, (Communicated by the Author to the Edtior.) 1. Remarks on the “New Algebraical Series,” given by Prorrssor imac 9 in page 278 of this Journal for the month of February, 1824. These series can hardly be called new. since they are noth- ing more than the usual expansion of the binominal quan- b a tity 1—kz to the negative fractional power — k ee arum Imperialis Pisbionauna” about fifty years since: Mr, Wallace supposes, fa=1-+-a. —+a(a+h). <5 +a(a-+k) (a+2k). =t+ &c. and as the series in the second number of this equation is equal to(1—‘z) — 3 expanded into a series by the binominal theorem, if we for brevity: put F=(1—éz) * it will become riley to F+, whence =F +5), which is ie Tie ato theorem of Mr. Wallace, Yotind by the actual multiplication of the series corresponding to those functions. In like manner his formulas I], Ul, IV, become respectively, 132 Remarks on Several Subjects. (F*)"= Fr (IL.) F« ati pak (1IL.) v =F> (IV.) which are the usual formulas for the powers, quotients and roots of quantities. The symbols used by La Croix, are almost identical with those of Mr. Wallace, using m, n, p, &c. instead of a, 5, ¢ &c. Thus La Croix’s equation corresponding to (I.) of Mr. Wallace, given above is . tim) Xf(r)=fm-+n.) B. Boston, April 16, 1824. Para aim _ 2, Remarks on the paper “On the Precession of the Equi- noxes” published in page 323 of the Journal for February 1824. . That the subject of the Precession of the Equinoxes had _ not been sufficiently examined by the author of that paper is evident from his suggestion, that if the precession was pro- duced by the attraction of the equatorial ring, or spheroidal part of the earth, it might arise “ from a diminution of the angle of the equator and ecliptic,’ when it is wel] known that the whole motion is merely a change of direction in the line o intersection of the Equator and Ecliptic, or as he calls it (in page 324.) “the line of the Equatorial Nodes.” He also says, “that it is difficult if not impossible to. see any method in which a regular and successive variation of t the line of the nodes should be effected.”’ And in speaking of the parallel case of the revolution of the nodes of the lu- nar orbit, he goes so far as to assert that he can see no ra- tional method of accounting for it, except the ecrentricity of the (moon’s) orbit, and that “if the Earth was in the cen- tre of the Moon’s orbit, there would be a motion of the nodes backwards and forwards but no revolution.” Now there is vo foundation for this assertion, since it has been proved by several writers on the Junar theory, that the ex- centricity of the orbit has but little effect in the motion of the Moon’s nodes, and the time of their revolution would be nearly the same, even if the moon’s orbit were to become i ae = Remarks on Several Subjects. 133 a perfect circle, as may easily be perceived from what is roved in Lib. 3. Prop. 30—33. of Newiton’s /r ne pia. oreover the method he has proposed, to account forthe Pre- cession. is liable to the objection, that it would cause an ap- parent relative motion among the fixed stars, by which they would appear to approach to, or recede from, each other, or otherwise vary their apparent places in the heavens; but the Precession produces no such effect, it leaves the rela- tive positions of the fixed stars wholly unchanged, but alters the point of the ecliptic, or rather the cirele of latitude from which. the longitudes are counted, giving to that circle a small annual motion; it being more convenient to begin the computation:of the longitude upon the ecliptic, from the moveable line: of intersection of the equator and ecliptic, than from any fied point, which in fact could not easily be obtained. since all the fixed stars, as they are usually called, are supposed to have a proper motion; and it is highly probable that the solar system partakes of a similar motion. Other objections might be made, but what bas already been said, will suffice to point out the chief defects of this theory. ton, April 16, 1824. B. 3. Remarks on the paper on the Maxima.and Minima of functions of two variable quantities, published in Vol. 5, of this Journal, by the late Proressor Fisuex. By means of a particular theorem, Professor Fisher bas solved a number of problems relative to the maxima and minima of functions of two variable quantities, with much ease and elegance ; but it will appear, upon examination, that all these problems depend on functions usually called homogeneous, and by the substitutions generally made for the reduction of such functions, we may obtain the same solu- tions, by a more general method, embracing amuch greater number of cases, using merely the common forms of substi- tution and reduction of algebraic quantities, without the in- tervention of any new geometrical principle or theorem. The problems treated of by Professor Fisher are of this ind. % and v are supposed to be functions of the variable 134 Remarks on Several Subjects. quantities x and y, and so doponta* on each other, that # is to be a maximum or minimum when v isa given quantity. The most natural way to vali such problems, is to find the value of one of the unknown quantities, as for exainple, y, in terms of «x, by means of the given quantity v. tuting this in the function u, it becomes a function of the other variable quantity x (independent of y ;) and its differ- ential being taken relative to 2 and put =o, will give the maximum or ininimum of u, according to well known prin- ciples. The same result would be obtained, if we find from v in terms of y, and substitute it in u, by which means it will become a function of the single variable quantity y, (independant of «) whose differential relative to y put =0, will also give the maximum or minimum of u. As either of these methods will answer, it will be in aur power to use that which leads to the most simple results ; but some- times the function v is of so complicated a form, that it is difficult to determine the value of x or y, and some anal- ytical artifice must be used to obtain the required solution. of these artifices consists in the introduction of a new variable quantity ¢ instead of cory. Thus if the function u is a homogeneous expression in x and y of the order m, or such that the sum of the exponents of x andy in every term of u ts exactly equal to m, we may, by the substitution of y= =y". T”, we get m=2 n=3, T=1/1 ere, T’=1«t, and if we neglect the constant factors in ‘2 = it becomes 136 Remarks on Several Subjecis. . ihe . tne = V¥1+tt whence T?=¢ +0, whose differential put =0 gives t=/9, whence c=yt=y/9. : Probiem 2. Givenu=1ty?x to be a maximum, when v= ay (o/yy+xrr+y) is constant. Putting cyt, we get u=1 4. 3, t, pany? (/1 +tt+-1) whence m=3, n=2, and, (neglecting the constant re Pimet: T’=4/1 +t Pee erin ea r faite ase (1+ + 1)3 =f/t%+1% +f ? whose differential put=o and reduced, gives for the maximum of u, t=2,/2, whence c=y. 2/2. — 3 Problem 8. Suppose eat eae Ct (p? + 4px)? — ~* t, _p being the parameter o a parabola, whose equa- quation is pr=yy (p bein ng Salted a by Professor Fisher. ) Then v being given itis required to find ua maximum. Putting r=pl, we getuxF. p?s t%) od, wept. J (1+ 4t) Fy f: [p taking the place of the unknown quantity x ory in the forms treated of above.] Hence m=3, nai and neglecting the constant factors T/=¢? ; T’”=(1 +40)? 2 t iS —1, whence Ten, = 3 35 whenceT* a rv (1449? —1 ; i ss he — grew : =e 3(1-441) 2 3, whose differential put =o, and reduced gives 4t¢—15t+12=o0 whence tat oe a ae as , and v=z, hence m=Q, ' am n=1. T (+ iid o7f - hyp. log. it Bat hose : ke ota +4it,) 1a whence we may find ¢t and then a, a, z. This may be re- duced to the same form as page oso solution, by 2 differential put =o & reduced giveshyp. ie ye putting s=! — which gives log. <— =a: te Jog. Qt! 2 log. ae and the wnsiiaes expression may be put under the form > —! hyp. log. “Fh =4, as in his solu- tio ‘ We shall add the i problem, not embraced in Professor Fisher’s ru Problem. Sepia idea y acy and *=2'y, a being a given numerical coefficient, and let it be required to find the value of ua maximum, when v is a constant quantity. The value of u is not homogeneus in z, ¥, but it may be made so by substituting Y* for y and then proceeding as above, or we ene at once put y=x7t, by which means we get u=x5(1+at), v=ax't, whence m=3, n=6, a Batt tba ye whose differential put =o ae nl 1 t=~_, whence y=2?t= 2, on c=V7 gy ay’ a Vou. VIII.—No. 1. 1s 138 Remarks on Several Subjects. I have solved this problem as an example of the general method, but it is very evident that a simple solution might be obtained by substituting y=— in u, by which it becomes u =x +av, co , whose differential putting du=o, dv=o, gives c=V ay. But this simpkcity could not be obtained if v had been of a more complicated form, as, for example, if u=x*-+azxy, as above, and1=2*y?+3x7y5. This does not come under Professor Fsher’s form, but the substitu- tion of y=a7t makes u=2° sep ae v= '2(t? +3), whence m=3,n= 12,2", T=— SABE , whose dif- ~ (4 38*)2 ferential “auld ie fy mA thence x Various Substitutions may be made hesidas those we have used; as for example, y=x?t, y?=x%t, y=a? t+ ex*t,&e. Andif by ary of these, or other similar substi- tatiana: we can reduce u and v to the forms u=U. T’, v=V. T”, U and V being fonctions of one of fl the unknown quantities, (as for example 2) and T’, T” functions of t, we may from the last, Y= find x equal to a func- tion of >" Substituting this in U, we get u equal toa : 2 function of Tr putting du=o and do=o, we obtain the value of t, and by this means, in many cases, we may solve the problems, ina very simple manner. itis unnecessary to enter into any greater de: ee hams we hive said will explain the principles of the B. andé, or ofv and ¢, Taking the differential, eth oe April 18, 1824. Remark by the Editor. The above papers, originally intended for the Boston Journal of Plilosophy and the Arts—have been throngh the candour of the Editors of that Journal, and with the oe of the author, transmitted for insertion in this wo On the Precession of the Equinoces. 139 Ant. XII.—On the Precession of the Equinoxes. To the Editor of the American Journal of Science. a SI dorum,” and that the Precession of the Equinoxes is owing to the advance of the system in this orbit, while the earth re- volves in the Ecliptic. I refer the reader to that article, for further particulars. I beg permission to say a few words relative to the writer’s objections to the old theory, and also to mention some objections that arise in my mind to his “recently discovered” theory. 1. He says “that different astronomers with equal con- fidence, form different conclusions relative to the size and shape”’ of the Equatorial ring, “and until these are posi- tively known, no rational or conclusive demonstration can be made of the nature and power of its attraction.” _ It has been satisfactorily proved by the Trigonometrical Surveys, and by the vibration of the pendulum that the Equatorial diameter of the earth, exceeds the Polar at least thirty-four miles, and consequently it is proved that a protuberant ring of matter surrounds the earth seventeen miles in thickness : o ‘ ; wise been calculated that the influence of the sun upon the equatorial ring to turn it about its centre is equal to the in- uence it would exert upon a ring of moons placed at the : - 140 On the Precession of the Equinoxes. ~ equator, Sg a 1 of its quantity of matter. (Vince's Astron. Vol. 2. p. 114—15, and old Encyclop. Art. Preces- sion.) With these agree the calculations of Frisius, Brad- _ ley, D’Alembert and Euler. But it is said that these things are not “ positively known.” ir they are not, it is true that conclusions drawn from these data ‘correspond with fact, be | consider a strong argument in their favor. lt is said that “the case is pot exactly parallel wat that of the Lunar motions,” for the ring surrounds the equator, and the centre of the equator ans h centre of the ring is the centre of the attraction,” and consequently “fall the effect the sun can have in con- sequence of the ring arises merely from the different dis- tances” of its perihelion and aphelion. Perhaps the case ‘is not exactly parallel with that of the Lunar motions. But their analogy 1s such that one may fitly be used to illus- trate the other. Ifthe writer means by ‘centre of attrac- tion,’ ares centre of gravity in relation to the sun, then I say that the centre of attraction and the centre of the ring, (fieadiing the the centre of matter in the ring) cannot coin- cide. For the different distances of the perannem and aphelion of the ring, which the writer considers too small to produce any effect, will manifestly prevent such a coin- cidence. In fig. 1 Plate I. Let PRP be the earth, RR’ a ring of matter about the equator. C the centre of revolue tion which [ call also the centre of matter in the protube- rant ring, and S the sun. Then if C be the centre of grav- ity towards the sun. the momentum of the half of the ring RC=R‘, the other half.. But the momentum is equal to the quantity of matter multiplied into the velocity. In this case the quantities of matter are by supposition equal. The momenta of the parts of the ring will vary then as their velocities 1. e. as the attraction of the sun upon the parts R and R’. Now the attraction of the sun diminishes as the square of the distance increases. Its attraction then upon RK: its attraction upon BR: Iys55 ¢ 1 nearly. Wherefore © the centre of motion cannot be ‘the centre of gravity of the ring towards the sun. It must be at som point between R and C; say p Wherefore it is evident that the greater attraction for R the part of the equatorial ring nearest the sun will have the same effect upon the mo- tion of the earth as though the earth was a sphere with @ x On the Precession of the Equinoxes. 141 solitary moon continually situated on the side nearest the — fs ‘ assumed as true that the motion of the nodes of a rigid ring of moons is just equal to the motion of the nodes of a soli- tary moon. Frisius demonstrated that the motion of the nodes of a rigid ring of moons must be double that of a soli- tary moon. Consequently taking Newton’s data he proved that the sun alone might cause a precession of 181’. Vince mers all agree that the sun alone may cause an annual pre- cession from 18’ to 21". The mean annnal precession of the equinoxes is 501”, It is calculated that the moon alone will produce a mean annual precession of about 30'.. The action of the moon upon the equatorial ring is not so uni- form as that of the sun, because its orbit is inclined to the equator 10° more at one time than at another. If the pre- cession is caused by the joint action of the sun and moon it should be variable. Facts prove that it does vary ac- cording to the inclination of the moon’s orbit, and accord- ing to its place in the orbit. The moon when in the most favorable situation will produce a precession of 35” nearly. The annual precession should vary, in order to agree with calculations, from about 45” to 55”, This agrees with fact. This calculation makes the influence of the sun about one half as great as that of the moon. This is as we should ex- pect, for in producing tides the sun exerts very near one half as much influence as the moon. — 3. Itis said that “the precession of the equinoxes if caused by the equatorial ring must arise” ‘‘ from a diminution of the angle of the equator with the ecliptic, or from a change in the direction of the line of the equatorial nodes.” The writer g0es on to state that we have no evidence of such a regular diminution of the angle, and immediately after says that the nutation of the earth’s poles is produced by the diminution of 142 On the Precession of the Equinoxes. the ecliptic angle caused principally by the moon’s attraction, Now Lask if the diminution of the angle to produce the nu a- tation of the poles will not necessarily prod p ionof the equinoxe ? Further, he says, it cannot arise from a dim- inution of the ecliptic angle, for that would produce a sen- sible effect upon the seasons, It would diminish the angle ut a few seconds, and consequently would have about as much effect upon the seasons, at any given place, as a person would experience by moving N. or S. 5 miles. Dr. Brad- ley, Vince and some others have calculated what the dim- inution of the angle should be, and find that the calcula- tions agree with fact. What is meant by saying, that the precession of the equi- noxes “must arise’—* from a change in the direction of the line of the nodes,” I am nat able to tell. Since calculations have been made relative to the power of the attraction of the sun and moon upon the equatorial ring, and since the calculated effects of the same corres- pond so precisely with facts, I must say that I am not able to see the validity of the writers objections to the old theory. . I think there are some insuperable objections to the new theory, two of which 1 will mention. 1. The diameter of the ‘“‘ orbis mundorum,” must be of very great length. The system must perform a revolution in 25920 years. If the orbit be circular the system must move uniformly, and consequently the annual precession of the equinoxes must be uniform. But if the “ orbis mun- dorum” be an ellipse, then the system either moves with ap accelerated or retarded velocity. Now the precession of the equinoxes is in fact quite irregular. How then I ask cap this irregular precession be produced by the regular mo- tion of the system about a distant centre. : 2. The attraction of the “ distant centre” must be im- mensely great, and probably would affect the motion of the earth in the ecliptic nearly as much as the sun affects the motion of the moon revolving about the earth. While the earth is passing from that part of the ecliptic the most re- mote from the * distant centre” to the part nearest, its MO tion would be accelerated, and in passing through the oth- er half of the ecliptic retarded. ‘To find accurately then the apparent place of the sun in the ecliptic for any give" ? Account of a New Air Pump. 143 time, an equation must be found shewing how much the mo- tion of the earth is affected by the attraction of the “ dis- tant centre.” But the apparent place of the sun is found without any such equation. It must be true then that the system does not move inany “orbis mundorum.” E. D. Williams College, March, 1824. Art. Kieshccount of a new Air Pump, in a letter to the aft, Editor from Joseph H. Patten. = Newport, R. I. Jan. 14th, 1824. Dear Sir, I enclose for vour inspection, the draught of a pneumatic pump, which I think, willin a considerable measure obviate the defects of those in common use. e construction is so simple that it will require but a small share of skill, or ingenuity to put it together, and it will be less liable to get out of repair than the pumps now in use. The valves which in other machines are a great source of difficulty, may be made larger and stronger, and the apertures, of course, will be more accurately closed, without at all affecting the de- gree of exhaustion. The vapour arising from the oil neces- sarily used in all pneumatic instruments, is in this complete- ly excluded from the receiver, and the vacuum in the ex- the brass work. The subjoined sketch, although not drawn by an adept in the art, will, | hope, give you an idea of it. Tt represents a vertical section of a table pump, supposed to be divided directly through the centre, with one half of the wood work, to which it is attached. . It is a number of months since I first thought of it; I then had one constructed with a barrel of sheet brass and the plate of the pump of tinned iron; it was very coarsely done, and the exhauster was filled with linseed oil, but not- Withstanding its roughness, it far exceeded my expecta- 144 Account of a New Air Pump. tions. I have never yet been able to get an iron barrel, as it cannot be procured here, and numerous avocations have prevented its being obtained elsewhere. . Figs. Ist and 2d correspond in their lettering. In fig. Ist. (see plate Il.) AB, CD, EF, represent a ver- tical section of the instrument. G is a barrel of cast iron or glass. screwed firmly to the table EF, in it is the solid pis- ton H moved by the rack work I. K isa glass globe rest- ing upon the table CD, of a little less capacity than the barrel G with which it communicates the glass tubes L and M firmly cemented into the peice N and into the bottom of the barrel G. To the top of the globe K is ce- mented the thick cap O, through which are made two ap- ertures, into one of which is screwed the stop-cock P com- municating with the plate of the pump R; over the other aperture rests the valve S opening nto the atmosphere, eect is seen in fig. 2d.) Jo the globe K isa stiff > ascending into the cock P a short distance, and on it is screwed the valve T; the other end descends into the tube L, and to it is attached the wooden or cork ball U. e will now suppose the piston H withdrawn, and the barrel G filled with quicksilver; the tubes L and M being open will be filled to the height of the dotted line. Put the piston carefully in so that no air shall be between it and the mer- cury As the piston descends, the mercury rises, and when it reaches the ball U it floats it, and by means of the wire forces the valve T against the aperture that communicates with the receiver R, and as the mercury continues to rise, the air driven before it has no way of escaping but through the valve S. The piston is now at the bottom of the barrel, and the globe is full of mereury,—if the piston be now drawn up, a vacuum would be formed in the barred, but the mercury in the globe must descend as it is above the level of the piston the whole height T, and the vacuum in the globe K would be Torricellian were there not a communication be- tween it and the receiver R. When the mercury again as- cends into the globe, it expels every particle of air provided the mercury rises into the aperture at S; and to ensure tbis the cap O is formed into a rim so as always to supply the contraction or waste, and it is admitted towards the end of the exhaustion by raising the valve S with the finger. The air is admitted through a hole a in the cock P, a section 1S” Electro-Magnetic and Galvanic Experiments. 145 shewn fig. 3d. The cap O should be strong and if brass should be coated with the cement used in attaching it to the glass, (that used for nautical machines is best,) the gage may be attached to the cap, or enclosed in the receiver. The stiff wire, with the valve T and the ball U, may be entirely removed; and for it may be substituted a glass tube open at both ends cemented into the cock P, and G, as ont The weig Art. XIII.—4 brief account of some Electro-magnetic and Galvanic Experiments. By Rosert Hare, M. D. Pro- fessor of Chemistry in the University of Pennsylvania. Seven hundred feet of copper wire, nearly as thick as a knitting needle, were made to encircle the columns of the etnre Room. One end of the wire was connected with one end of a large calorimotor—the other, terminated in a cup of mercury—into this, a wire proceeding from the other pole of the calorimotor was introduced. Under these circumstances, a magnetic needle placed near the middle of the circuit, was powerfully affected—and when the circuit was first interrupted, and then re-established by removing the wire from the cup, and introducing it again, the influ- ence appeared to reach the needle as quickly as if the cir- cuit had not exceeded seven inches in extent. The needle being allowed to become stationary in the meridian, while the circuit was interrupted, and the end of the wire being then returned into the mercury, the deviation of the needle, and. the contact of the wire with the metal, appeared per- Vou. VIL. No, 1. 19 7. 146 = Electro-Magnetic and Galoanie Experiments. A wire was made to circulate with great rapidity, by means of two wheels about which it passed like a band. The wheels being metallic, and severally connected with the different poles of a colorimotor, it was found that the motion neither accelerated nor retarded the galvanic influ- ence—and it made no difference whether the needle was placed near the portion of the wire which moved from the positive pole to the negative, or the portion which moved in the opposite direction. Ifa jet of eercury, in communication with one pole of a imotor, is made to fallon the poles of a horse- et communicating with the other, the metallic stream will be curved outwards or inwards, accordingly as one or the other side of the magnet may be exposed to the shoe magnets, mounted ieee in bets usual way, the stream will be bent in the direction of the interstice, and inwards or outwards, accordingly as the sides of the magnet, or the communication with the galvanic poles, may be exchanged. This result is analogous to those obtained by Messrs, far low and bi with wires, or wheels. It is well known that a galvanic pair, which will, on im- mersion in an acid, intensely ignite a wire, connecting the zinc and copper surfaces, will cease to do so after the acid has acted on the pair for some moments—and that ignition cannot be reproduced by the same apparatus, without a temporary removal from the exciting fluid. I have ascertained that this recovery of igniting power does not take place—if, during the removal from the acid, the galvanic surfaces be surrounded either by hydrogen gas, nitric oxide gas, or carbonic acid gas. When sur- rounded by chlorine, or by oxygen gas, the surfaces regain their igniting nae in nearly the same time as when posed to the air The magnetic arab is, nevertheless, much more pow- erfully affected by the galvanic circuit, when the plates have been allowed repose, whether it take place in the alr or in any of the gases above mentione I have not yet had time, agreeably to “2 intention, to examine the effect of other gases, or of a va Remarks upon Fused Charcoal. 147 Art. XIV.—Remarks upon Prof. Vanuxem’s paper on fused ' charcoal, published in Vol. IV. p. 371, of the Journal of the Acad. of Nat. Scr. at Philadelphia. Pror. Vanuxem has examined, or a portion of matter obtained from charcoal, r. Macneven, by the use of Dr. Hare’s Deflagrator, and finds it composed, (as toa litile more than one half,) of iron and silex. ls weight was Only 0.385 of a grain or less than four tenth: and on even this small portion there was a Os one half. ee Mr. Venue has. not done me the honour to mention e, orm eriments, but as no other person (within my Tpeadiee). ae published any thing on the fusion of char- coal, [ am obliged, however reluctantly, to appropriate his remarks, and to consider them as intended to invalidate some part of the resuits which | have published. The substance upon which Mr. Vanuxem operated, is, ev- idently, from his description of its properties, a different thin ng, in most respects, from the greater part of the fused masses which I obtained, he if he will take the troub!e at- tentively to peruse my several papers, in the fifth and sixth volumes of this Journal. he will observe that there was much bebe in the products, and that | was myself not unaware, earthy, alkaline, or other foreign matter might have ceeitbinel to, at least, some of the results. am not disposed to question, that the silex and iron, dbisine d by Professor Vanuxem, existed in the matter transmitted by Prof. Macneven, but, when this matter is of 2.50 we are surprised that no means were taken, to Collect the gaseous products, and to ascertain whether car- Onic acid was not formed? .No means to consume and Waste the carbon, could be better devised than those em- ployed by Mr. Vanuxem. If we contrast the nega- tive fact that he obtained no evidence of the existence of | Carbon, when it is obvious that in the way in which he proceeded, it was oe he should discover it, even if lt existed in large propor n—if we contrast thie pro- cedure, with the positive nae. obtained by myself, when 148 Remarks upon Fused Charcoal. I consumed, the fused carbon in pure oxigen gas, by means of the solar focus, and obtained a\decided product of car- bonic acid, it will probably not be thought extraordinary if I regard Mr. Vanuxem’s couclusion as premature, and not fully justified, even by his own statement, in regard to the particular specimen which he examined. d t is very possible that some of the globules obtained in my experiments, may have consisted in part of foreign mat~ ter, although the proportion of such matter in charcoal pre- red in the manner in which mine was, is extremely small; and it will be recollected that Messrs. Allen and Pepys, in their famous experiments on the combustion of carbon, con~ sidered such charcoal, as so nearly pure, that little or no al- lowance was necessary to be made for any foreign matter in estimating the quantity of oxygen, requisite for the com- bustion, and the quantity of carbonic acid actually pro- uced. In my experiments on the fusion of charcoal, nearly the whole of that part of it, which was exposed to the action of the voltaic current, was rapidly converted, into melted matter, and there was so little waste of the charcoal! point, that it was impossible to doubt, (nor have I now the smallest doubt,) thatthe carbon underwent a true usion. I will not now advert to the many novel and interesting phenomena, (at least as they appeared to me,) which at- tended these experiments; but it would be very easy to State many circumstances, which are entirely irreconcilea- ble with the supposition that there was no fusion of any thing except foreign matter. As I have been unexpectedly called upon to make these remarks, I must be allowed to add, that at the time my eX~ periments were performed. and the reports of them drawn up, my health was so rapidly declining, that it was with the utmost difficulty I finished my experiments, by opera- ting, (at last) only for a few minutes, at a time, and by em- ploying others, to put upon paper what I had observed. labour was at last left unfinished, and many things omitted which I intended to perform. I have never been able to enter the laboratory since, for the purpose of re- Suming these or any other labours. This is the sole rea- son, why I have not prosecuted the subject, and investiga~ téd the numerous branches of enquiry, which were sug- Remarks upon Fused Charcoal. 149 gested by results and phenomena so unexpected ; particu- larly, I have been very anxious to examine, by the obvious and decisive means which chemistry affords, aé/ the varie- ties of melted matter which I obtained, and I have been desirous that my experiments should be repeated in their full exient by others; of course, I can have no objection to a fair examination of any part of the subject, and [ am glad to see Prof Vanuxem or any other man of science en- gaged inthe inquiry. His results are in point, as to the particular specimen, which he examined, except that he omitted the precautions necessary to ascertain whether carbon was present. 1! must be allowed to say however, that the conclusions he has drawn, and the opinions he has expressed, appear to me too broad, for the basis upon which they are erected, and although he had succeeded in proving that the specimen, which he examined contained no fused carbon, it by no means follows that other speci- mens might not have consisted principally or wholly of this substance, and it would have seemed to me on every ground, more desirable, to have made more extended and varied experiments, and to have foreborne to decide, from the examination of. one very minute portion, that a conc.usion founded on hundreds of experiments, was erroneous. My own opinion is, that among the fused substances which I obtained, some were composed principally of for- eign matter, and others of carbon in a state of as great pu- rity, as it could be afforded by the substance under exam~ ination, nor shall I consider these opinions as disproved, until a course of experiments, as extensive as my own, is in- stituted and all the varieties of melted matter rigorously examined. ' , : In the present state of my health, it is impossible to say when I shall be able to resume the inquiry. B. SILLIMAN. 150 Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. MISCELLANEOUS. . — ee Ant. XV.—.Notice and Review of the “ ReiiquiazE Ditu- viaNAE; or Observations on: the Organic Remains con- tained in Caves, Fissures, and Diluvial Gravel, and on other Geological Phenomena, attesting the action of an Universal Deluge. By the Rev. Wittiam Buck- Lanp, B. D., F. R. 8., F.L. S., Member of the Geol. Soc. London, Hon. Memb. Amer. Geol. Soc. &c. &e., and Professor of Mineralogy and Geology in the Uni- versity of Oxford. Quarto, pp. 303—27 plates. Lon- don, 1823. A rew years ago, the editor of a journal of science, who should admit into his pages an analysis of a new work on they are to be mounted on the Alborak*® of Burnet, or Whiston, or Hutchinson. But we can assure such persons tha’ these fears are entirely groundless ; and, although a considerable part of the argument of this book is derived from such unpromising topics as bones and caverns, wé think that the author has succeeded in drawing from them both the most convincing conclusions, and the most inter- esting and entertaining descriptions. The friends of revelation may also be anxious to know the bearing this book has upon the Mosaic history ; and we can assure them likewise, and we do it with pleasures that we have never met with a work on natural history merely, which corroborates that narrative so much as this. [t is unfortunate for geology, that during the dark ages of the science, so many and such ridiculous speculations should have been mingled with it. A prejudice has thus been excited against the science, which remains to this ay; and very many men of ability and learning 12 other sciences, who are ignorant of the details of mod ern geology, associate with the very name of the sc * The horse on which Mahomet performed his celebrated night journey to heaven. RNG tiie Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. 151 ence, the ideas of hypothesis and extravagance. Yet the wanderings of their predecessors, “ damned to ever- lasting fame,” serve as beacons to warn modern geologists of their danger; and the fate of these theorists does exert a salutary influence upon them. We do not fear to hazard the assertion, that as a body, no class of philosophers are more cautious of mere hypothesis, than the respectable ge- ologists of the present day. To amass facts, is the object they pursue with unremitted ardor. We appeal to the transactions of the European geological societies, to the public scientific journals, and to such works as those of MacCullock, Conybeare, Phillips, Greenough, Cuvier, Brongniart, and Maclure, in proof of these declarations. It is important, however, since all men are prone to in- dulge in wild hypotheses, that the extravagancies of for- referring to former speculations upon the deluge, we think it will exhibit to greater advantage the cautious spi- rit, and severe inductive logic, of the treatise we have un- dertaken to examine. The name of Burnet is “ familiar as household words,” and caused the waters tooverflow and drown the inhabitants. r. Plot, in 1677, having taken it for granted that the Noachian deluge was the cause of all the organic remains ound in the earth, and perceiving this to be totally inade- quate to produce such effects, extricated himself from the dilemma, by saying that “the great question now so much Controverted in the world is, whether the stones we find in the form of shell fish, be lapides sui generts naturally pro- uced by some extraordinary plastic virtue, latent in the earth, in quarries where they are found ; or whether they 182 Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. rather owe their form and figure to the shells of the fishes they represent: and he gravely sustains, by numerous reasons, the former of these opinions. match on fire, and ere long will be blown up with a dread- ful explosion, Robinson, a clergyman of the English established church, gave, in 1694, an anatomical description of the earth, in which he undertook to prove “ that matter at first consisted of innumerable particles, of divers figures, and different qualities, running a ree} in dark confusion till the world, by the infusion of a vital spirit, became a great ant mat, having skin, flesh, blood, &c.” In the eighth chap- ter of his “* Anatomy of the Earth,” he treats of *‘the bel- ly of the earth.” “He thinks it undeniably certain, that the centre of the earth contains a vast cavity of a multan- gular figure, “filled up with a crude and indigested matter, endued with several different and contrary qualities, which are in a continued struggle and contention among themselves.” hen the airy particles prevail, they break through the crust or skin of the earth in hurricanes; when the fiery particles triumph, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are the consequence; and these are some- times so violent that “the very ribs of the earth” are broken ; “‘and these convulsions are as natural to the pressed into a prolate spheroid, just as a lemon is squeeZ” . See some suggestion to elucidate this subject, in. the notice of Hay- den’s Geological Essays, Vol. IU. p. 52, &c. of this Jogrnal.—Ep. Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. 155 ed in the hand for extracting the juice. This would deluge the depressed zone ; but how the elongated or ele- vated extremities were inundated, he does not inform us. Dr. Woodward supposes, that during the deluge, all the most solid bodies, as stones, metals, minerals and fossils, were totally dissolved and finally subsided again and formed rocks ; the water encompassing the whole. After- wards an agent, seated within the earth, broke up these strata, forming mountains and vallies. continents, islands, nd seas. He does not tell us what Moses meant by the mountains, above which the waters of the deluge rose fif- teen cubits. From the days of the Lydian Xanthus to Granville Penn, great use has been made of earthquakes and sub- terranean fires, in accounting for the phenomena of the crust of the globe ; and it has been a favorite opinion, entertained even by some of the most respectable natu- ralists of the present day, that the sea and land changed places during the last diluvial catastrophe that happened to the globe. But we think Professor Buckland, as will proved that no such change has taken place. Hutchinson, the founder of a sort of visionary school, he was seduced by the extravagances of hypothesis, and Inserted in his work a plate exhibiting “the internal readers to make themselves well acquainted with this, as rendering plain and clear the philosophical explanations of Vor. VII.--No. 1. 20 154 Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. the flood. In explaining this plate, he remarks “ that the opinion of the ancients concerning the earth’s resembling an egg, has great propriety in it; for the center nucleus, by its innermost situation and shape, may well represent the yolk; the abyss of water, which surrounds it, and is ina middle position, may stand for the ‘clear finial of the white; the crust of the earth (allowing only for its breaks and cracks.) by its roundness, hardness, uppermost situa- tion, and little inequalities on its surface, is justly ana gons to the shell.” The celebrated theory of Whiston, et a hee the deluge to the shock or attraction of a . has had as many supporters, as any other; anda ‘ate ible geological © writer, after sweeping away every other hypothesis, suf- fers this to remain as perhaps better than none. propose ipieen it is with the premonition that they are - little importance, and not entitled to much confi- en The recent ** Comparative Estimate of the Mineral and Mosaical Geologies,” by Granville Penn, Esq. we feel obliged reluctantly to notice, as an exception to this re- mark. We know nothing of this gentleman, except what we learn from this book ; and this exhibits him im the character of a good scholar, who is well versed in philolo- gy, and who has read most of the modern treatises on ge- ology: but really we do not fear to hazard the assertion, that he has not seen much of rocks in their native beds. Yet he has made a vehement attack upon modern geology. He assumes in the first place, that the mineral and Mosa- ical geologies are ee ll to each other, and ab- solutely irreconcileable ; so that if the one be true, the other is false. He then endeavors to extract the “ root Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. 155 ing was known of geology.* In this discussion, he brings forward not a single fact in proof of his position, and noti- ces but few of the facts which geologists adduce to support the contrary ; but relies on abstract reasoning. He ob- jects against ** maintaining tant skirmish with cavillers and sophists, whose policy it is to challenge a perpetual warfare on the road, that it might not be travelled to the end.” These cavillers and sophists are none other than that geologists are banded together against revealed reli- gion ; and he even tells us, “ it is manifest, that the min- eral geology, considered as a science, can do as well with- out God, (though in a question concerning the origin of the earth,) as Lucretius did.” We know not but Mr. Penn may have met with infidel or atheistical geologists. But we can assure him, that there are very many among them, both in Europe and this country, who do not merely give their assent to the truth of revelation, but whose whole hope rests upon it; whose attachment to it is stronger than death, and who count it their chief giory and happiness, to defend and enforce its glorious truths :—men, who rejoice to see in every rock formation the marks of a creating and upholding God ; and are they to be counted atheists, be- cause they happen to differ from Mr. Penn in regard to the mode in which creating energy was exerted? We sincerely protest against any such efforts to divorce sci- euce from religion. What “God hath joined together, et no man put asunder.” F : Although Mr. Penn appears to have studied geological writers attentively, we are persuaded he does not fully un- derstand them in regard to the original creation and sub- Sequent arrangement of rock strata. He quotes from Ba- * And not much more of Chemistry’ Ed. +See Evangelical Witness, March 1824, p. 374. 156 Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. copa passage, as if in opposition to geology, wherein it is stated, that ‘* there is nothing in the History of the Crea- tion, to invalidate the fact, that the mass of the earth was created—confusa—confusedly or undistinguishably, in one moment of time ; but that six days were assigned for dis- posing and adjusting it :—so that the matter itself seems to have been, as it were, a work off hand; but the intro- duction of its form, bears the style of a law or a decree.” Now we believe this is in perfect accordance with the views of most geologists. They suppose that all the ma- terials of the globe were brought into existence in a mo- ment, by ‘‘ the creative fiat of Almighty God,” and that six days were employed in the arrangement of this mass, which some denominate chaotic : and because some understand these six days to be longer than six literal days, are they, therefore, to be considered atheists or even infidels ? But what if Mr. Penn has succeeded in tearing away We do long as the root of geology remains: so long as the leading facis, in regard to the relative position, disruption, inclina- tion and imbedded fossils of rocks, remain untouched. — We think, indeed, that any one who will examine rocks, not merely in books, but in their native beds, will inevita- bly conclude that they must once have been in a state uidity. But he might reject such a supposition and still not be an outcast from the science, nor forfeit the com- munion of the brotherhood. Alarmed as this writer is, when geologists demand time for the formation of the primitive rocks, he is not afraid to altow the period from the creation to the deluge for the deposition of the secondary rocks. Much as he cries out against hypothesis, he contends that the earth was origin- ally a perfect sphere, covered over with water, and that its shell was broken up, or grooved, ‘“ by the violent ac- tion of mechanical agencies,” so as to form the sea and the dry land ; and that, at the deluge, these hollows were elevated and the continents sunk, by the operation of earth- ee %y Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. 157 quakes and other violent agencies. This supp the sea and land changed places at the del ee been a favorite opinion of naturalists, even spe and recent as Cuvier; and it forms the key y stone of Mr. Penn’s system. But it happens, that the discovery of some brok en hyzna’s bones an a cave at Kirkdale and ; Bes jong Professor Buckland, completely refutes this notion, proves that the antediluvian continents were the same our present continents. M. Cuvier has had, the candor, since the publication of Mr. Buckland’s book, to acknowl- edge the incorrectness of his opinion. (Ossemens fossiles, 2d Edit. vol. 4, pp. 224-486.) Mr. Penn has had—(we think our readers, when they shall learn the facts, will call it) the obstinacy—to persist in his opinion, and to publisha ‘4 Supplement” of criticisms on the Kirkdale evidence. But more of this hereafter. Mr. Penn contends for the most exact adherence to the ier < of the scripture. Yet he does not hesitate, to answer n purposes, to adopt that very questionable rule of ibencenies advanced by Rosenmuller, that ‘ Moses speaks according to optical, not physical truth.” He main- tains too, that the sun and moon were created on the first demiurgic day, although Moses expressly declares they were created onthe fourth. He believes too, and attempts to abe that only a part of the various species of animals , were saved in the ark, in direct contradiction to Sissies of Moses, that God commanded Noah “ of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort, shall thou brin o the ark.” We state these things, not because we have any serious objection te such views, but merely to show, that this writer, when occasion demands, can use a8 great liberties with the language of scripture as other men But we will detain ~ readers no longer from the work of Professor Bucklan he object of this ae as the title page evinces, is to exhibit all se important geological evidences of the last ont diluvial catastrophe to which our planet has been sub- mas ‘or, as it has been recently stated in * foreign Re- , to give us the “ geology of the deluge.” (Ed. Rey Oct, 18 823.) Much error has existed on this subject, mt Cause writers on the deluge have resorted to the seconda . 158 Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. aot have been lodged there by the deluge : “ the phe- nomena in question (as a late European writer observes,) being now universally regarded as of antediluvial produc- tion.” We must, therefore, look for proofs of the Noa- chian deluge in those loose deposites of loam and gravel, confusedly mingled together, and spread over every coun- try on the globe ; which mantle is appropriately denomi- nated diluvium, and must carefully be distinguished from alluvium, which is the result of causes, now in operation. It is in this diluvium, that the principal geological eviden- ces of the deluge occur. The present work exhibits in two parts and an appendix, three general divisions of the argument. The proofs of the deluge are : 1. The phenomena of caves and fissures in rocks. 2. The beds of diluvium spread over every part of the s earth and containing the bones of animals. 3. The excavation of vallies by diluvial action. The first class of proofs occupies the largest portion of Prof. Buckland’s work, and is chiefly original. As the cave at Kirkdale, in Yorkshire, was first discovered and explored, and is most fertile in curious facts, we shall not hesitate to give its history, somewhat in detail, although this has already been done more or less in various period- ical works, but we apprehend that these interesting facts are still unknown to many of our American readers. It is well known to geologists, that the compact limestone dis tricts of England, Ireland, Carniola, and the United States, are remarkable for the number and extent of the caverns and fissures which they contain. No less than twenty-eight of these, and as many fissures, are enumerated in England; and the cave at Kirkdale adds another to the number. This was not known to exist, till the summer of 1821, when it was discovered by working a large quarry along the slope ofa hill. The original entrance of the cave was extreme ly small, and was closed by rubbish. Its length is not far from 245 feet, varying much in diameter, but never €X- ceeding seven feet in breadth and fourteen in height. The roof was covered with pendent stalactites, and the floor partially with an inerustation of stalagmite. Upon this, Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianac. 159 jay a coat of soft mud, or loam, “ covering entirely its whole bottom, to the average depth of about a foot, and concealing the subjacent rock, or actual floor of the ca- n.”? This mud is an argillaceous and slightly mica- ceous loam, composed of such particles as would easily be suspended in water, and is mixed with much citar matter. Above this mud, was a second crust, or plate of pos shooting over its surface, like ice upon water, rcream ona pan of milk. It did not extend, however, over the whole surface of the mud. In this mud, whic contained no pebbles, and in the stalagmite beneath it, ere found a large quantity of the bones of various ani- mals, mixed confusedly together, and, almost without ex- of their original gelatine being preserved. ose, how- ever, that lay at the bottom, and had probably been in the cave a long time previous to the introduction of the mud, were in various stages of decomposition. Not a fragment of the bones had the appearance of being worn by the ac- tion of water. The genera of animals, identified in the Kirkdale cave, are twenty three : viz. the Hyaena, Ti Fox, Weasel, Elephant, Rhinoceros, Hip Ox, Deer, (3 species) Hare, Rabbit, Raven, Pigeon, Lark, — and Partridge. Most ofthese belong to extinct spec Professor Buckland’s ation tbe was drawn to this sub- ject by observing, that some of the "dese bones, pre- sented to him from this cave, were worn down in a very peculiar manner, very differently bes the effect which would have been produced by water. He immediately conjectured that these bones came from a den of those ani mals, and that the wear and polish they exhibited, had been produced by the repeated tread of living hyaenas over them; and if so, that this animal, confined at present to warm chanalen: must once have bees an inhabitant of Yorkshire. Invited by such interesting motives he has-, . tened to Kirkdale to examine the cave and not only did he find, in the local circumstances, abundant confirmation of this. Opinion, but also many striking evidences of the Noa- chian deluge. If we fail in giving an abstract of the facts 160 Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae, and reasonings that led to these highly important results, we can assure our readers that they will find the chain com- plete in Professor Buckland’s wo As already observed, all the larger bones found in the Kirkdale cave are splintered, broken and gnawed, so “that there is no hope of obtaining materials for the construction of a single limb, and still less of an entire skeleton.” ‘The teeth and solid bones of the tarsus and earpus, however, are not usually*fractured, and their number is twenty times greater than could have been supplied by the individuals whose bones are found in the cave. One collector alone obtained more than 300 canine teeth of the hyaena ; which must have belonged to 75 individuals; and it is certain, that 200, or 300, of these animals, must have died in the cave. Let us hear the author’s conclusions from such acts. “ It must already appear probable, from the facts above described, particularly from the comminuted state and ap- Bees gnawed condition of the bones, that the cave at irkdale was, during a long succession of years, inhabited as a den by hyznas, and that they dragged intoits recesses the other animal bodies, whose remains are mixed indis- criminately with their own: this conjecture is rendered al- most certain by the discovery I made, of many small balls of the solid calcareous excrement of an animal that ha fed on bones, resembling the substance known in the old Materia Medica by the name of Album Graecum : its ex- ternal form is that of a sphere, irregularly compressed, as in the feces of sheep, and varying from half an inch, to an inch and an half in diameter. It was at first sight recogni- sed by the keeper of the Menagerie at Exeter Change, as resembling both in form and appearance, the feces of the spotted or Cape hyaena, which he stated to be greedy of bones beyond all other beasts under his care.” p. 19. This album graecum was analysed by Dr. Wollaston, andfoundto consist, as might be expected, of fecal matter, derived from bones, of phosphate of lime, carbonate of lime and @ small proportion of the of the triple phosphate of ammonia and magnesia. Since the publication of Mr. Buckland’s - work, the album greecum has been found at the cave Jn much greater quantities than was at first supposed. (Ed. Rev. Oct. 1823, p. 208.) me Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. 161 _ The hyenas’ bones were as much fractured as hose of other animals, and many of the splinters bore the marks of teeth of the size and form of those belonging to the hyz- na. The teeth and bones of this animal were usually found to have belonged to individuals very old, or very young ; while the bones and teeth of the other animals, did not in- dicate age, but appeared to have belonged to animals that perished in the vigour of life and by violence. These cir- cumstances lead to the conclusion, that the hyenas not on- ly dragged into the cave and devoured the bones of the other animals, but also occasionally made a prey of their young, to satisfy the cravings of hunger since the number of the teeth of the young byznas, is much too great to be attributed to those individuals that might die by acci- the broken fragments of the bones around their retreats. The power of their jaws is enormous, and when they at- tack the dog, they “ begin by biting off his leg at a single snap.” They are extremely greedy of bones, and after Mr. Buckland’s work was written, he by accident saw an experiment performed, that lends strong confirmation to his suppositions concerning the Kirkdale remains. Let it be given in his own words. “ Since this paper was first published, I have had an op- pertanity of seeing a Cape hyana at Oxford, in the travel- ing collection of Mr. Wormbell, the keeper of which con- firmed in every particular, the evidence given to Dr. Wol- lasten by the keeper at Exeter Change. 1 was enabled and swallowed ff. On his reach- ing the medullary cavity, the bone split into angular frag 21 162 Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. ments, many of which he caught up greedily and swallow- ed entire : he went on cracking it till he had extracted all the marrow, licking out the lowest portion of it with his tongue: this done, he left untouched the lower condyle, which contains no marrow and is very hard. The state those of similar bones at Kirkdale: the marks of teeth on it are very few, as the bone usually gave off a splinter be- fore the large conical teeth had forced a hole through it ; these few, however, entirely resemble the impressions we find on the bones at Kirkdale ; the small splinters also in form and size, and manner of fracture, are not distinguish- able from the fossil ones. I preserved all the fragments and the gnawed portions of this bone, for the sake of com- parison by the side of those | have from the antediluvian den in Yorkshire: there is absolutely no difference be- tween them, exceptin point of age. The animal left un- touched the solid bones of the tarsus and carpus, and such at of the cylindrical bones, as we find untouched at Kirk- ale, and devoured only the parts analogous to those which are there deficient. The keeper pursuing this experiment to its final result ; presented me the next morning with a large quantity of album graecum, disposed in balls that agree entirely in size, shape, and substance with those that were _ found in the den at Kirkdale. 1 gave the animal succes- sively three shin bones of a sheep ; he snapped them asun- der in a moment, dividing each into two parts only, whic he swallowed entire, without the smallest mastication. On the keeper putting a spar of wood, two inches in diameter, into his den, he cracked it in pieces as if it had been touch- wood, and in a minute the whole was reduced to a mass of splinters. The power of his jaws far exceeded any an- imal force of the kind I ever saw exerted, and reminded me of nothing so much as of a miner’s crushing mill, or the scissors with which they cut off bars of iron and copper in the metal founderies.” p, 37. The plates accompanying Mr. Buckland’s work exhibit the various fragments of bone mentioned above, as broken by the living hyzena and those found in the Kirkdale cave ¢ and really, an inspection of them removes every doubt concerning the identity of the cause that produced them. e have already spoken of the partial wearing aways Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluvianae. 163 and polishing of some of the bones in this antediluyian den. is appears on one side only, and therefore could not have been the result of the agency of water. ‘The fre- quent tread and’ rubbing of the hyzna’s upon them, is the only probable cause of this phenomenon. The author for- tifies this position, by stating in a note, that he has * been informed by an officer in India, that passing by a tiger’s den, in the absence of the tiger, he examined the interior and found in the middle of it a large portion of stone, on which the tiger reposed, to be worn smooth and polished by the friction of his body. The same thing may be seen on marble steps and altars, and even metallic statues in places of worship that are favorite objects of pilgrimage : they are often deeply worn and polished by the knees, and even lips of pilgrims, to a degree that, without experience of the fact, we could scarcely have anticipated.” Travel- lerstinform us, that a stone, similar to that mentioned above, occurs in a cave in Franconia, and that a bronze statue of St. Peter at Rome, has lost a part of the great toe in this manner. . The most abundant, perhaps, of all the bones in this cave, were those of the water rat. The cave is situated, at present, about eighty feet above a small stream, that falls into the vale of Pickering, and therefore above the highest floods. The nature of the adjacent country, how- ever, induces our author to conclude, that the valley of Pickering, previous to the last great diluvian catastrophe, formed the bottom of a lake, and this den of hyenas being on the margin, its proprietors obtained from thence an oc- Casional su pply of ducks and water rats. In confirmation of € supposition that hyenas may, at least occasionally, eat Rater rats, Mr. Buckland, after quoting from Parry and enquires, “If bears eat mice, why should not hyznas eat rats??? After the gigantic animals upon which the hyena Seinen fed, these diminutive ones might even prove a alnty, uminating animals form the ordinary food of beasts of elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, and birds, it is prob- i able they were dragged thither by the hywuas, by piece- 164 Notice and Review of the Reliquiae Diluviunae. meal, from individual carcases, which they found in the adjacent country, : Z % The evidence derived from all these facts, and others of minor importance, which we have not room to state, appears then to be direct and conclusive to prove that the Kirkdale cave was inhabited by successive generations of hyanas. No other supposition wil] stand the test of examination a moment. If it be said that the various animals entere this cavern spontaneously, to die there, or had fled thither to escape some approaching catastrophe, it may be repli- ed, that the cave was not large enough to admit the larger animals, and no circumstances can be imagined that would collect together spontaneously, animals of so dissimilar habits as hyznas, tigers, bears, wolves, foxes, horses, oxen, deer, rabbits, weasles, water-rats, mice and birds. If it be supposed that these bones were drifted into the cavern by ai: od, it remains to be shown how the larger animals could have entered, why the bones are so broken, an why there is such a disproportion between the number of teeth and the bones. We give the third supposition in the author’s own words. : “The third and only remaining hypothesis that occurs to me is, that they were dragged in for food by the hya- nas, who caught their prey in the immediate vicinity of their den; and as they could not have dragged it home from any very great distances, it follows, that the animals they fed on all lived and died not far from the spot where eir remains are found.”—p. 40. “The accumulation of these bones,’ then, appears to have been a long process, going on during a succession of years, whilst all the animals in question were natives of this country. The general dispersion of bones of the same animals through the diluvian gravel of high latitudes, over a great part of the northern hemisphere, shows that the period in which they inhabited these regions, was that 1m- mediately preceding the formation of this gravel, and that they perished by the same waters which produced it. ™- Cuvier has, moreover, ascertained, that the fossil elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, and hyena, belong to species now unknown; and as there is no evidence that they have, at any time, subsequent to the formation of diluvium, existed in these regions, we may conclude that the pert jae Diluvianae. 165 od at which the bones of these exti r duced into the cave at Kirkdale, Notice and Review of the Reti ples were intro- antediluvian.— othesis with many naturalists, that the remains of extinct genera and species of the larger animals, such as the mammoth and megatherium, were drifted by the waters of the deluge from the southern cli- mates, where they lived; ‘* but the facts developed in this charnel-house of the antediluvian forests of Yorkshire, demonstrate that there was a long succession of years in which the elephant, rhinoceros and hippopotamus had been the prey of the hywnas, which, like themselves, in- habited England in the period immediately preceding the formation of the dijuvian pravel; and if they inhabited this country, it follows as a corollary, that they also inhab- ited all those other regions of the northern hemisphere, in which similar bones have been found, under precisely the same circumstances, not mineralized, but simply in the -4i, It has been a favorite hypothes peat bogs. all conspire to show, that the period of their commencement was subsequent to that at which the dilu- Vium was formed.”’—p. 42. the question which here so naturally presents it- self, as to what might have been the climate of the north- 166 Notice and Review of the Reliquae Diluviunae, ern hemisphere, when peopled with genera of animals which are now confined to the warmer regions of the earth, it is not essential to the point before me, to find a solution; my object is to establish the fact, that the ani- mals lived and died in the regions where their remains are now found, and were not drifted thither by the diluvi- an waters from other latitudes. The state of the climate in which these extinct species may have lived antecedently to the great inundation by which they were extirpated, is a distinct matter of enquiry, on which the highest authori- ties are by no means agreed. It is the opinion of Cuvier, on the one hand, that, as some of the fossil animals differ from existing species of the genera to which they belong, it is probable they bad a constitution adapted to endure the rigours of a northern winter; and this opinion derives support from the Siberian elephant’s carcass, discovered wilh all its flesh entire, in the ice of Tungusia, and its skin partially covered by long hair and wool; and from the hairy rhinoceros found in 1771, in the same country, in the rozen gravel of Vilhoui, having its flesh and skin still perfect, and of which the head and feet are now preserved at Petersburg, together with the skeleton of the elephant above alluded to, and a large quantity of its wool, to which Cuvier adds the further fact, that there are genera of ex- isting animals, e. ¢. the fox tribe, which have species adapted to the extremes both of polar aad tropical cli- mates.” ** On the other hand, it is contended that the abundant occurrence of fossil crocodiles and tortoises, and of vege- tables and shells, (¢. ¢. the nautilus.) nearly allied in struc- ture and character to those which are now peculiar to hot climates, in the secondary strata, as well as in the dilavium of high north latitudes, renders it more probable that the climate was warm in which these plants and animals lived and died, than that a change of constitution and habit should have taken place in so many animal and vegetable genera, the existing members of which are rarely found except in the warmer regions of the present earth, 4° this argument, | would add a still greater objection, aft’ sing from the difficulty of maintaining such animals as those we are considering, amid the rigours of a polar winter ; and this difficulty cannot be solved by supposing them te Notice and Review of the Religquiae Diluvianae. 167 see not how even these were to be obtained in the frozen regions of Siberia, which at present produce little more than moss and lichens, which, during a great part of the year, are buried under impenetrable ice and snow; yet it is in these regions of extreme cold, on the utmost verge of the now habitable world, that the bones of elephants are found occasionally crowded in heaps along the shores of the icy sea, from Archangel to Behring’s Straits, forming whole islands composed of bones and mad, at the mouth e Lena, and encased in icebergs, from which they are melted out by the solar heat of their short summer, along the coast of Tungusia, in sufficient numbers to form an important article of commerce.”—pp. 44, 45, 46. The chronological inferences deducible from the phe- nomena of the Kirkdale cavern, are briefly these : Ist. there was a period, apparently of no great length, during which this cavern existed in its present state, but was not - inhabited by hyenas. During this period the stalagmite that covers a part of the floor beneath the mud, was de- posited, which contains no bones. The second period was that in which the cave was inhabited by hyznas, and the stalactite and stalagmite ‘were still forming. Accord- ingly, the bones are found imbedded in the stalagmite of this period, forming an osseous breccia. It might be ex- pected, that the ingress and egress of these animals, im so Ow a cave, would strike off from the roof portions of the stalactites; and Mr. Buckland found among the breccia, stalactitic tubes, evidently thus broken from the roof. While this stalagmite containing the bones was forming, no mud was introduced; since itis entirely wanting in the breccia. The third period is that in which the mud was introduced, and the animals extirpated; viz. the period of the deluge. It must all have been. deposited by a single 168 Paint of the Declaration of Independence. inundation, since there is no alternation of the mud with the stalactite. Whether this was the Noachian deluge, we think would not be quite demonstrably proved, from the Kirkdale cavern alone; although rendered probable. But, as we shall see hereafter, there is a striking coinci- 4 yes ee a ae a = 21.3 Jj thar caves which Mr. Buckland subsequently visited, forming al- together a body of proof too stron lated. {38 The fourth period is that during which the stalagmite was de- osited, which invests the upper surface of the mud.”’— his must have been the longest of the periods, since the quantity of stalagmite formed is much the greatest. No other process appears to have been going on at this time, except the formation of stalactitic and stalagmitic infiltra- tions ; nor did any creatures enter the cavern, except per- haps a few mice, rats, weasels, rabbits and foxes. Every one will see how exactly these periods corres- pond to the history of the world, as given in the scriptures, and handed down by tradition. The first and second pe- riod clearly point us to the antediluvian age of the world, the third, to the Noachian deluge, and the fourth, to the state of the world since that catastrophe. Nor does the Kirkdale cavern stand alone in furnishing this curious evi- dence; but the phenomena of many others speak the same language, as we shall see in pursuing our analysis of Mr. Buckland’s work. (To be continued.) Art. XV1I.—Notice of.the Print of Col. Trumbull’s Picture of the Declaration of Independence. In the first volume of this Journal, p. 200, we noticed the picture of the Declaration of Independence, painted by Col. John Trambull, by order of the Government of the United States. This picture, it is well known, is the first of a series of four, which have now been executed by the same distinguished artist, to adora the walls of the Capitol, at Washington, and to instruct and gratify poster ity, by a graphical exhibition of some of the grand events to which the American revolution gave birth. : ' i Print of the Declaration of Independence. 169 Col. Trumbull—himself an actor, (in no inferior situa- tion,) in the great scenes which terminated in the esta lishment of American independence, very early conceived the design of preserving the portraits of some of the most distinguished men of that period, and of transmitting them to posterity, (grouped in strict accordance with historic truth) in situations, in which they were real actors. With this view, he began to collect materials, while the events were still recent, and before death had removed many of the illustrious men, who had deliberated in the Senate, or contended in the field. In prosecution of his purpose, he travelled extensively both in his own country, and in Eu- rope, to copy, from the life, the features of the individuals, who, while the struggle lasted, were united in council an in action, but whom the return of peace had finally sepa- rated, and blended with their families, or with the mass of society, in countries, remote from each other. If we should not ultimately be gratified, by the entire completion of this great original design; and if all the portraits that were obtained, and all the interesting scenes in which it was intended to combine them, are not to be finally exhibited, still, the American people have much reason to congratulate themselves, that their government has secured for them, and for posterity, pictorial repre- sentations of. four of the most momentous scen revolution, and these (if only four were to be selected) are certainly chosen with great good judgment. It is scarcely necessary to say, that they are he Declaration of Independence ; The surrender of Gen. Burgoyne and his army ; The surrender of Lord Cornwallis and his army; and The resignation of Gen. Washington. The first and the last are peaceful scenes,—the calm and dignified exhibition of assembled senators, at the com- mencement, and at the close of one of the grandest dra- mas, ever exhibited on this globe. The two middle scenes, Which distinguished their respective nations. Perhaps, Vou. VIII. No. 1. 22 170 Print of the Declaration of Independence. this is as near an approximation to the horrid realities of actual conflict, as the mild and peaceful genius of the present period will desire ;—but, since such things have been.—since our soil was, often, deeply imbued with the most "generous blood of its valiant sons ;-—-since thousands have bled whose names perished with them, and hundreds more have died, whose individual deeds are registered in his- tory, it is certaiily very desirable, that every authentic ves- tige of their features, or of their actions, should be presery- ed,and that thus posterity should be made to realize the mag- nitude of the price which was paid, and of the efforts which were made, to secure the liberties of this country. We deem it,therefore, not presumptuous to indulge the hope, that the government and the country will secure, while it is in their power, all the materials, for historical pictures of the rev- olution, which Col. Trumbull’s zeal and patriotism haye* accumulated ; and that, while his life and faculties (ma- ture in abundant experience and fame, without abatement f energy) are continued, these great works may be fin- ished by the only artist living, who possesses the materials and the personal knowledge, combined with the talents and experience, which are necessary tothe accomplish- ment of this great national work. Should the government not continue to patronize the design, we cannot doubt, that the artist himself would hazard little in executing the remainder of the series on his own account—especially as the sister-art of engraving has; in this country, attained to a high degree of excel- lence. Our first historic painter has no reason to be dis- satisfied with the copy which has been recently made, by Mr. Durand, of his great Picture of the Declaration of In- dependence, his print we contemplate with much satis~ faction, both because it is, at once, a correct and spirite representation of the original, and because it is a speci- f the progress and state of the art of engraving 19 this country, which does us much honor, and encourages the fairest hopes for the future. As to the fidelity, both of the painter in copying, and of the engraver in preserv- ing the portraits of the members of the congress, which declared the independence of these States, no testimony can be more decisive, or gratifying, than that of the illus trious friend of this country, and of Washington, the Mar- Print of the Declaration of Independence. i71 which, although not relating immediately to the subject before us, have still a very important bearing on the in- terests and honor of this country. : Extract of a Letter from the Marquis La Fayette to Col. John Trumbull. - ; : tre ey Paris, Jan. 4, 1824, My Dear Sits, :< ae Words cannot sufficiently express how happy you have Se pail I received it in my usual family retirement at friendly acquaintance with the painter had: a very great share. | at once recognized all the portraits, and think you have been remarkably fortunate in hitting not only the features, but the manners and deportments of the principle characters. It is so much the case, that -my children, who, George excepted, were very young when they had a peep at John Adams, pointed out the father, from their later acquaintance with the son. Hancock, Charles Thompson, Franklin, Roger Sherman, &c. &c. suddenly appeared to me in that grand act which has be- gun the era of rational freedom and self-government. | hailed the banner under which I enlisted in my youth, and shall die in old age; and | thanked the great artist, the good fellow-citizen and soldier, to whom | was obliged for so many lively, affectionate, and patriotic sensations. It is to me also an inexpressible gratification to think your admirable pencil has fixed me on the grand central Pt. copy of Col. Trumbull’s new print of the Declaratien of Indepen- nce, 172 Notice of the White Mountains. successful close of the Virginia campaign. 1 cannot promise you my actual features would do justice to your portrait at that time; but the heart is the same. The account you give of the great Water Communica- tion through those countries which I saw, for the great art, a wilderness, while I acted as Commander in. the orthern Department, is truly enchanting. In those wonders of virtuous freedom, national sense, and unshack- led industry, my mind seeks a refuge from too many dis- quiets and disappointments on this side of the Atlantic.” the m ngraving adopted, as we believe, by all the distinguished artists of this age, when they put forth their powers on works of dignity and importance, (who* was advantageously known before as our best engraver of portraits) has produced a print, which delights the eye and the mind, at the hundredth inspection, and which will prove a pleasing and instructive substitute, in the case of those persons who have never seen, and may never be able to see the original picture. We are grati- fied to learn, that, although the sale of this print has, hith- erto, been by no means so extensive as its merits deserve, still so many copies have been sold as to justify the design of engraving the other pictures. he entire collection of these prints must form a very interesting exhibition in the family circles of the present day, and will be regarded by posterity as an invaluable treasure, Art. XVII.—Notice of an excursion among the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and to the summit of Mount Washington, in June, 1823, with miscellaneous re- marks, by James Pierce. Tur White Mountains present the most elevated ground in the United States, and form a part of a primitive range; that diverges from the highlands separating New-England from Canada, and passes in a south-west direction through ‘ Natice of the White Mountains. if New-Hampshire. Local names are given to different sections. ‘Uhe most interesting pass of this chain is by the Portland and Lancaster road. After travelling a con- At a eastern base of thes c inddaieid a wide and rich alluvial valley is observed, in which a considerable lake, and the pleasant village of Fryburgh are situated. For several miles the road winds through an extensive fertile plain, watered by the serpentine Sacc. The course of this stream is marked by elms, many of them of uncommon altitude and beauty. Strikin ng views are often presented of the White and Franconia Mountains. The valley grad- ually became more narrow as it penetrated the mountains, and was in dense shade, while the retiring sun illuminated the summits, and tinged the clouds resting on them with purple and gold. For thirty miles, the road winds among —, eames groves are unaffected by these sources of destruc uous beds and ledges of granite, gneiss, aad Pas nspie sienite, extensively a the surface of mountains, Wrecks from the pineral an its banks, evince the power of his stream in its spring shorn of its foam, it feebly murmured by, pre- senting fow rapids, and no falls of consequence. 174 Notice of the White Mountains, The mountain vallies are heavily timbered, with trees of annual verdure, mostly hard maple, beech, and birch. The soil is rich, well irrigated, and adapted for grazing, but is too stoney and cold for advantageous tillage. Only one occupied dwelling meets the eye in twenty miles. Many of the summits, adjacent 10 the ravine, are divested of trees, but a few towering peaks raise their evergreen banners to the skies. As we approached the notch or narrowest pass, the lofty ridge to the right exhibited but little veraure; its steep or precipitous surface is covered with bare loose rocks, and elevated mural ledges, over which torrents in spring form beautiful cascades. The road in the vicinity of the notch is steep, and the river boisterous. We crossed a sm stream, auxiliary to the Saco, which descends from a great elevation by a succession of falls, Me The pass at the notch was originally occupied by the river. and practicable only for footmen. The present road wasjeonstructed by breaking down the adjacent clifis—leav- ing walls of rock at the mountain’s base of considerable al- titude. The road, a short distance from the notch, attains its greatest height, which is probably about five hundred feet above the vale of Fry burgh. he Saco and a branch of the Amonoosuc have their source in a swamp adjacent. We left the ravine at this place on the 2ist of June, and ascended the most elevated part of the White Mountains. The base and lower region was clothed with large timber, principally birch, maple, beech, hemlock. spruce, balsam fir, and wild cherry ; moun- tain ash and the moose bush were observed. The ascent, though in some places steep, was seldom difficult. We were much annoyed by musquitoes and black flies. These insects are said to disappear from this region in August. Black flies are numerous and very troublesome to caitle dur:ng the day, but are quiet at night. As we ascend, the trees diminish in size, and the ground shaded by groves of perennial verdure, is carpeted with beautiful green moss. About four thousand feet above the level of the sé@: irch, spruce, and balsam fir, though mature in years, and with bodies half a foot in diameter, were only three feet height. Firm branches, spreading horizontally, form 2 em Notice of the White Mountains 175 forest, stepping from tree to tree. ese groves at a ater elevation diminish to the altitude of a few inches, and are blended with moss and lichens. e ranged several miles in a northern direction on the summit of the ridge, gradually ascending, and passed over a:succession of eminences,that rise a few hundred feet above the general level, forming a waving profile. One of. these heights called mount Prospect, presents a smooth surface entangled thicket, enabling the ag to pass over the h iron in decomposing rocks, tourmaiines, garnets, and in one place delicate rose quartz. : n most parts of the summit, bare rocks alternated with light colored moss, lichens, tufts ef grass, beautiful white and purple flowers, dwarf cranberry and whortleberry bush es, and shrubs only four inches high. Cranberries were abundant, and pleasant flavored, being deprived of much of their acid’by frost. In the autumn, berries are uncommon- ly acid on this high ground. ot far from the southern base of Mount Washington, and five thousand feet above the ocean, there is a pond cov- ering nearly an acre. It is a source of two streams which tun in opposite directions. One descending west, is th head of the Amonoosuc, a branch of the Connecticut. Th other connects itself with waters flowing into the Atlantic through Maine. The pond is deep, and was partially envi- roned by banks of ice, with beds of flowers adjacent. We encamped at the foot of Mount Washington, on a Sheltered spot of the steep eastern side of the ridge, about a mile above the sea. Branches of a lilliputian grove of firs, and dry moss, formed our place of rest. We raised e € ar = 176 Notice of the White Mountains. a Sener fire with materials from a dry forest of dwarf , odies — time, and resembled the horns of moose, or coral provedr Within a few feet of our station, there was a bank of snow six feet in thickness, and several rods square. Though in the valley it was remarked as the warmest night in ‘the season, we experienced much inconvenience from cold on our bleak elevation. The moon and stars moved through a cloudless dark blue sky, and shone in> es is spur atmos- phere with uncommon oe he. \ white rocks and banks of snow very conspi We ascended Mount Washington, the ne highest point of the range, at an early morning hour. rise was at first gradual and easy—grass and moss were hela with rocks —but the sides of the cone soon became steep, and entire- ly divested of verdure—we were above the region of vege- tation. Rocks in situ were rarely seen, but the surface was covered with detached stones, generally in tabular forms, and — firmly. Our progress, though toilsome, was safe. attained the summit about sunrise—its ele- vation above the sea, as calculated by Captain Partridge, is six thousand two hundred and thirty-four feet. The sun rose in aclear sky, and shed a yellow light on the bald is and soon illuminated the rocky ravines. w from Mount Washington, in extent and gran- deur, m its surpasses the prospects exhibited from the Catskill, Highland, Taconic, and Holyoke mountains, and differs from them greatly in the objects presented.— From those elevated ranges, a large portion of the country in view appears like an immense plain under high cultiva- tion, adorned with cities, villages, and navigable streams. . From Mount Washington, the region distinctly seen, with few exceptions, is a wilderness. On all sides, moun- tains rise above mountains, crowned by numerous peaks, resembling the lofty broken waves of a tempestuous ocean. he adjacent elevations present short ridges, waving with prominent eminences, and separated by deep ravines. — ome of these ridges, for a considerable distance, exhibit bare rocks resembling banks of snow. The ravines and sides of the mountains are generally covered with forests that often have well defined limits, passing at once from a Notice of the White Mountains. 177 dense low copse, to a surface dressed with grass and moss. In a few remote places, the efforts of pioneers were mark- ed by curling smoke, but in the distance of near twenty miles, but two farms were in view, and from the altitude and rocky surface of the White Mountain range, it will probably always continue in a state of nature. Nor does the distant landscape present many extensively cleared or apparently level districts. In most directions, as far a: vision can reach, wood clad mountains, hills and valleys are seen. ranconia oose peaks, in al- titude nearly | to the White Hills, tower in the south- est. The en Mountains of Vermont, ridge rising above ridge, range along the western horizon for one hun- dred miles. Prominent parts of the distant highlands, bordering on Canada, forming a continuation of the Green Mountains, were in view—they forma geological as well as territorial boundary. Much of the northern part of New England is elevated and rocky; frequently marshy, and of a for- bidding aspect for tillage. Its rocks, with the exception of a few small transition limestone tracts, are primitive. On the Canada side of the dividing head lands, a transi- tion, secondary and alluvial region, containing about twen- ty millions of acres, is situated ; it lies between the Uni- ted States, a mountain range north of the St. Lawrence, and Upper Canada. It is nearly level, but little elevated A tract in Maine, situated between the rivérs Andros- coggin and Penobscot, and extending one hundred miles from the rocky seaboard, nearly of the extent of Massachu- setts, and rivalling it in fertility, is much of it embraced in he landscape; its clearingsare too remote to be distin- guished. he inhabitants of this district have generally relinquished the business of obtaining lumber, for regular agricultare ; and are characterised by intelligence, enter- — steady industry, and hospitality. Many of the vil- es contain an unusual proportion of residents, of respect- Vox. VIII.—No. 1. 23 178 Notice of the White Mountains. able attainments in literature and science. Settlements to the east, and the ocean seventy miles distant, are dis- tinguishable ina very clear day. The cultivated tracts distinctly seen, are most extensive in a western direction, comprising the beautiful valley, of Lancaster, improve- ments in the towns of Bethlehem and Littleton,.and con- siderable clearings on the hills of Vermont. A large pro- portion of these primitive hills, though very elevated, pos- sess a strong soil, and their sides, and fertile intervening vallies are under good cultivation, A diameter of near two hundred miles is embraced in the landscape. The streams and lakes presented on the map of nature, are numerous and interesting: eastwardly the Andros- coggin winds its way through a pine-clad valley. At its head appears an extensive crooked Jake, called Umbagog. Other wood environed waters are located in this quarter. There are no settlements within a great distance of these lakes. The wild animals of this wilderness, being rarely molested by man, are numerous. The moose ranges fear- lessiy—the carabo and common deer are abundant. The lynx, bear, wolverine, loup cervie, and sometimes the panther, are encountered by the hunters. Wolves very rarely occur in New-Hampshire and Maine; rabbits are found in droves; otters are plenty, and beavers linger about the Umbagog, Moose-Head Lake, and other remote waters. Wild geese and ducks abound in the season of their migration, and salmon-trout are large and numerous in the lakes. Several ponds situated in Maine, and various rts of New-Hampshire, were in view. The Sebago ke, near Portland, and Lovewell’s Pond, adjacent to Fryburg, gleamed conspicuously in the morning sun. the south, the extensive sheet of water called Winipisioge Lake, embracing numerous islands, and diversified b numerous promontories and deep bays, was distinctly seen, together with Squam Lake adjacent, a large and beautiful body of water, and other ponds of minor importance. The Saco tothe south, and the Amonoosuc to the west, appear for many miles winding through woody vales. The Connecticut shews itself in a few places—small ponds are noticed in the valleys leading to Lancaster and Bethlehem- We descended the White Mountains in the afternoon, and entered the vale of the Amonoosuc.. I noticed Notice of the White Mountains. 179 - several places, granite rocks in a decomposing state, and in a few instances, beds of kaolin. The Rosebrook farm, occupied by EK. A. Crawford, a good guide to the White Hills, is the only considerable clearing in the mountain section of the valley forten miles. ‘The soil of this region is well adapted to grass, summer wheat, Nu oats, and po- tatoes, but is too cold for Indian corn. he trees of this valley are of the species predominating in northern lati- tudes. There are no walnut, chesnut and butternut trees in Maine, or most parts of New-Hampshire and Vermont. eaver and moose, though formerly in abundance, have disappeared from the valleys of the White Mountains, but e other animals, common in the wilds of New-Hamp- shire and Maine, are occasionally seen. Venomous snakes are rarely found in New-Hampshire, and in no part of Maine except its western border. Adjacent to the Amonoosuc, I noticed a mineral spring, containing sulphur andiron. Waters of this character oc- cur in Bethehem and Littleton. In the last mentioned town, manganese and quarries of variegated marble have been recently discovered. An interesting morning view of the White and Franco- nia mountains was presented, from an elevation adjacent to the valley of Connecticut river. It was a summer and winter scene. The weather was mild and fair. Refresh- ed by rain the preceding night, the luxuriant plants of the valley, and the variegated verdure of the dense groves at the base, and sweeping down the mountains’ sides, were contrasted with the lowering summits, covered with snow, and hoary with frost from the recent storm. Fleecy clouds assuming a variety of shapes, lightly brushed the moun- tains, and sailing away soon melted into air. Mount Wash- ington was partially shrouded by white vapor of a silvery lustre, condensed on its snow-clad surface. rom their elevation and latitude, the grazing lands situated in the northern part of New-England, are best adapted forsheep. The great consumption of fodder in- cident to long winters, so objectionable to the raising of cattle, is more than compensated to the merino sheep pro- ‘Prietor, by an improvement in the quantity and quality of ri _ Wool, which is much affected by climate. In tropical Countries, sheep are dressed with hair—in more temperate, 180 Notice of the White Mountains. the wool is generally short and coarse, but longer and finer in cold regions. In Spain, two and a half pounds of wool is the average product of their merinos, and of a quality inferior to ours; in the middle States, and valley of the Hudson, the same; on the elevated groand in the western part of Connecticut and Massachusetts, three, and in some flocks, four pounds. In the southern and middle part of Vermont, from four to four and an half. In Maine, the average is five, and, in a few choice flocks, six pounds the sheep. The best merino wool of Europe, is from the bleak mountains of Saxony. The quantity and quality of wool is also considerably affected by the food, management, and selection of flocks—as nature bountifully provides a dress for all animals according to their wants. Furs a found to be good, and the staple long, in proportion to coldness of climate. me _ The northern part of the United States and Canada, in addition to climate, have, for the raising of wool, an im- portant advantage over England, and the south of Europe, in cheapness of soil, much land being required for the sup- port of sheep.. The fee simple of good sheep farms in America, can be procured with the amount of the annual rent and taxes of the same quality of ground in England, Posteript to the above, - Returning from the White Mountains, I visited the Franconia iron works. They are not in a very prosper- ous condition ; the ore is two hundred feet below the sur- face, and the veins lessen. [ passed a day at the copperas works, in Strafford, Vermont. Eleven men are employed, who calculated to make, per ann, four hundred hogsheads of copperas, of fifteen hundred weight each. The sulphu- ret of iron is no way essentially different from that at the mineral spring at Litchfield, and that forming extensive beds in. Morris county. New-Jersey, which | visited in company with Colonel Gibbs. The manufacture of cop- peras in New-Jersey was rendered unproductive by the erroneous course adopted. They spread the ore ground fine, in thin layers on an inclined plane, over which watet Was passed, and oxygen was slowly absorbed without sen- sible heat. At Strattord, the ore is broken to the size © Gas lights. 1gi a hens egg and placed in piles of thirty tons upon which water is thrown ; a spontaneous Combustion takes place— sulphuric acid is readily formed, which takes hold of the iron—the piles continue hot until the mass is pulverized when it cools and is lixiviated. When the pieces of ore are large or the pile small, the sulphate of iron does not readily form. Boston is the principal market for the cop- peras. INTELLIGENCE AND MISCELLANIES. ——_——_——— I. Foreren. Extracted and translated by Prof. Griscom. 1. Crystallization of sub-carbonate of potash.—Fabronta chemist of Tuscany, states in the Annales de Chimie on cooling, all the foreign salts are precipitated. The hi- quor is then decanted and evaporated to the 55°. It is, at this point, slightly green, and has a penetrating alcaline odour. It is poured into a deep vessel, and crystals are soon formed in long rhomboidal plates, parallel and verti- cal, resting on the bottom of the vessel, while the upper ends are attached to a saline crust which covers the sur- face. Fresh crops may be successively formed by concen- trating the mother water to 55°, until the whole of the sub-carbonate is crystallized. By this means, he conceives a sub-carbonate of potash, quite pure, and of uniform pro- Perties may be obtained. ‘ 182 Piercing of hot Iron by Sulphur. bouring pipes of two distinct manufactories in London, the one of coal gas, and the other of oil gas. _ Specific gravity, Coal gas, - - .4069 Oil gas, - - - .9395 When the flames were rendered equally luminous, the consumption, per hour, was, of Coal gas, ° - 4.85 cubic feet, Oil gas, - - - do. A gallon of clarified whale oil was found to produce more than 100 cubic feet of gas. ; Results, agreeing very nearly with the foregoing, were obtained by Phillips & Faraday. In two experiments wi gas taken from different establishments, they found the spec. grav. and illuminating power as follows. Coal gas. Oil gas, ist Spec. gravity, -4291 -9637 Z Illuminating power, = 1. 3.567 Coal gas. Oil a4 Spec. grav. -4069 93 4 ig i lilum. power, 1. 3.541 tie, 3. Piercing of hot Iron by Sulphur —Colonel Evasin, director of the Arsenal of Metz, in a letter to Gay Lussac, states the following experiments. : | placed a bar of wrought iron, about 16 millimetres 1D thickness, (,%; inch) into a common forge, fed by {oss! coal, and when it was welding hot | drew it out, and ap- plied to the surface a stick of sulphur 6, of an inch in di- ameter. In 14 seconds the sulphur had pierced a hole through the iron, perfectly circular. Another bar of iron 2 inches thick was pierced in 15 seconds. The holes had the exact form of the sticks of sulphur employed, whether cylindrical or prismatic. They were, however, more reg ular on the side at which the sulphur came out, than of that to which it was applied. Ee Organization of Wurtemberg University. 183 Steel bars, formed of old files welded together, were pierced more quickly than iron, and presented the same phenomena. Z Cast iron. heated nearly to the me't'ng point, underwent no alteration, by the application o! -ulphurto its surface. The sulphur did not even leave a mark. I took a piece of this cast iron and fashioned it into a crucible, and put into it some sulphur and iron. On heating the crucible the iro’ and sulphur were quick.y melted, but the erucible underwent no change.—An. de Chimie, Jan. 1824. 4. * The naturalists 6.16 _. Protoxide of Iron, 10.50 Alumine, 1.84 ime, 12.04 Water, 1% [Loss, 1.41 parts. 4. Prof. Hall’s Catalogue of Minerals. _A ‘Catalogue of Minerals found in the State of Ver- mont and in the adjacent States, together with their locali- ties{ an Svo. pamphiet of 44 pages, has recently been published: by» Prof. Hall of Middlebury College. ‘The author has designed this work principally to aid those who attend his mineralogical lectures in making collections of minera!s ; and it would seem desirable that every lecturer On mineralogy shouid follow the example of Prof. Hall, by placing in the bands of his pupils a convenient index to the principal neighboring localities. This little work, however, is not a mere catalogue of minerals and lo- calities; but generally the most prominent characters of the minerals, and in some instances minute descriptions are given, ‘To the students of the author, and to persons travelling in the section to which the work 1s particularly adapted, this manual must be an important guide ; and we think it cannot be entirely uninteresting to any lover of the science. A work of this nature admits of continued improvement ; and it is presumed that future editions will be rendered still more interesting than the present. 5. Philadelphia Water Works. By the last annual report of the Watering Committee of the City of Philadelphia, it appears that the success of the plan recently adopted for supplying that city with good ou" VIII.—No. 1. 95 194 Molybdena. water continues to exceed the,most sanguine expectations. The reader is referred to Vol. VI. p. 375 of this Journal, for a notice of the magnificent water works at Fair Mount, two miles* above the city, at the falls of the Schuylkill. The water power here created, by the natural fall of the river, and by an artificial dam, is made to raise by acting on three large wheels, nearly four millions of gallons of water in twenty-four hours—a quantity about three times the ordinary demand of the city. ‘The supply of water is not only more abundant, but much Jess expensive, than vas formerly afforded by steam engines. The annual ex- pense for raising 3,750,000 gallons of water daily, includ- ing current daily expenses, interest on the money expend- ed in constructing the new works, damages, &c. is estima- at $25,690; “but,” says the report, “if the same quantity were required to be raised by additional steam engines, the annual expense would be at least $75,000”—*‘ exclu- sive of the first cost of the steam engines? _It is calculated ‘‘ that with the expenditure of not more than $50.600 for five new wheels and pumps, the quantity can be increased to 10,000,000 of gallons in twenty-four hours, the water power being sufficient to raise even more if required.” A trial of the dam took place last winter from a severe freshet, but * not the slightest injury was sustained; no accident has occurred to any part of the works during the last year, during which they have performed in the most satisfactory manner; the same observation may be made as to the iron pipes in the streets, of which there are about nine miles laid without the occurrence of a leak.”’ 6. Molybdena.f Molybdena is found, about half a mile to the east of the turnpike, leading from Saybrook to Middletown, on the first road on the right hand, above the turnpike gate, near the house of the widow Pratt. It is not far from Pettipaug meeting house, in a northern direction. a “ = the notice referred to, this distance was incorrectly stated as five es, + Locality commanicated by Dr. Timothy Dwight Porter. oy Geological Survey, 195 7. Sillimanite.* On the same turnpike, not far from two and a half miles beyond this, in the parish of Chester, on the left hand of the path, ina flat rock, which is chiefly mica-slate, I be- lieve lying a few rods south of the Post Office, is se above mineral, crystallized in veins of quartz. The Pos fice is kept in a room of Denison’s Tavern, near ay small stream punmibg into the Connecticut. sae ee 3. Poe of the Geoloyical Survey on the Grand Canal. For the Journal of Science. To ay SILLIMAN. You having given notice of Mr. Van Rensselaer’s in- tended geological survey of the Erie canal line ;--a short account of the progress already mallee may not be muinteee esting to those who read that notice The first part, which comprises a description of the rocks is printed. It formsa thin octavo volume of 163 pages. But the engravings will not be completed until about the middle of April. One of the plates exhibits a ie ps se profile extending from the Atlantic, at Boston, It is four anda half feet long, embracing nine degrees of longitude, and running near the 43d de- gree of north latitude. It is engraved by excellent ar- tists, Messrs. Rawdon and Clarke, at the expense of $530. The other presents a profile of rocks from the western part of Massachusetts to Boston, drawn ay the Rev. Ed- ward seneons, at the request of Mr. V. R. concise view of the nomenelatune adopted i in the descugtions of the rocks, precedes the descriptions. A concise enumeration of facts s, with scarcely a sentence of hypothesis or theorizing, constitutes the whole body _* Communicated by Dr. T. D. Porter. 196 Geological Survey. of the work. Mr. Van Rensselaer insisted upon the to- tal exclusion of every thing which savours of any theory.* As soon as the engravings are completed you will re- ceive acopy. 1 will here subjoin a few localities of mine- rals which | saw in the rocks adjoining the canal; begin- ning at the Hudson River, and proceeding we sterly In iransition sand rock. Anthracite, igtoul of lead, sulphuret of zi.c, green carbonate of copper, lamellar sul- phate of barytes, quartz crystals with pyramids on each end, brown spar, brown hornstone and pearly hornstone, large masses of coarse agate, stalactitic quartz, chalcedo- ny, and atte’ This rock crosses the canal in Flori- da, ten miles west of Schenectady; also in Canajoharie, and west of the litle falls in Herkimer county. Itfugs in north-east and south-west direction. In transition limestone. Numerous petrifactions. Biioug others, three distinct kinds of the trilobite, which M. Brongniart seems inclined to place among eepucess ani- mals. One of my assistants, Dr. J. Eights, found a speci- men which manifestly exhibits aE pesjacting stripes which once supported the eyes, if M Brongniart is cor- rect in his opinion. This rock nade Ja accompanies the before mentioned transition sand r In millstone grit. Sulphuret of ledd and sulpburet of zine, in a quarry in the north-west corner of Westmore- land, three miles south ed the canal at Rome ; also one mile east of Vernon villa In saliferous rock, or Leédlittsap red sandstone and red clay slate. Salt springs at frequent intervals from Vernon, to thirty miles west of Niagara River; a distance of about two hundred and thirty miles. But gypsum is no where associated with the salt formation in the state of ew- York, nor in Upper Canada, according to the received opinion. In ferriferous slate and sand pothes Argillaceous iron ore in ap uninterrupted stratum or layer, extending from near Little Falls to thirty miles beyond Niagara River. Or in other words, I feel authorized to report, “that there is a din- gle unbroken specimen (stratwn or bed? Ed.) of argilla- ceous iron ore, two hundred and fifty miles long, and from r. V. R. has consented to ps putting this report into the hands of booksellers, to be retailed at $1 50. All the money paid for it soe 2 plied to improvements in agriculture = Geological Survey. 497 twenty to thirty miles broad. It is generally from twelve to twenty inches thick. In aslate rock, which may be called secondary gray- wacke, or calciferous slate. Numerous beds of gypsum of vast extent. It is found in no other situation in beds; but New-York. It is found in geodes, however, in swinestone, &c. In this slate we find shell limestone, water limestone, epsom salts, copperas, and alum, in numerous localities. This rock underlies all the country over which the stage road passes from Oneida Creek to near Genesee River; parallel to the canal, and from half a mile to twenty miles south of it. In swinestone, or it may be called geodiferous lime rock. This rock abounds in geodes, which contain beautiful erystals of sulphate of stroutian, limpid cubic crystals of fluor spar, transparent waxy zinc blende, immense quanti- ties of dog-tooth spar and pearl spar, selenite and snowy distance west of Niagara River. It forms most of Niagara Falls. The canal at Lock Port is cut thirty feet deep into it for two miles. East of Genesee River it is cut through this rock about half a mile. In pyritous shale of English Geologists; or it may be called pyritiferous rock, as it is not always slaty. ‘Chin _ It may be proper to mention, that the sulphuretted hy- drogen gas which issues through water at the foot of the bank a mile above Niagara Falls, and near the head of squago Creek, in Herkimer county, manifestly proceeds from pyritous shale. The gas burns with a flame equal in €Xtent to that of half a dozen candles, at both places, But 198 New Locality of Cobalt. the carburetted hydrogen gas, which issues from the foot of a hill near the stage road, one mile west of Vernon vil- lage, undoubtedly proceeds from crevices in the red rock which forms the floor of the salt springs. It burns brill iantly, and is considered as strongly indicating the exist- ence of coal beneath the red rock. The few facts here enumerated I give from personal examination, made since I have been in the employment of the Hon. Stephen Van Rensselaer. AMOS EATON. Troy, N. Y.. March 20, 1824. 9. Isnition of Platinum. To the Editor. Dartmouth College, April 29, 1824. Dean Sir, I have been engaged in repeating the experiments of Doberciner and others on the ignition of finely divided pla- inum. ‘ I find that when the vapour of ether or of alcohol is made to pass on to platinum sponge, in a manner similar to that in which a jet of hydrogen is thrown upon it, that the platinum becomes brilliantly ignited; but it requires for this effect a slightly elevated temperature, yet, so ow that the platina sponge may be held with great ease in the hand, before exposure to the vapour. I have not noticed 1B any journal that this effect has been observed with the vepour of fluids thrown upon spongy platina.* 10. New Locality of Cobalt. Beautiful crystals of arsenical cobalt in octahedra, deeply truncated, have been found at Franconia, N. H. 1 have some specimens already packed with other minerals which T shall forward to you very soon. With great esteem yours, Ss. F. DANA. * T have seen none later than No. 32 of Brande. a New Locality of Amethyst. ie* . New Locality of hsreak ge age by Pro- ssor J. Apa Amethysts have lately been found at Bristol, Rhode Is]- and. ‘Ihe Jocality is on the shore of Mount Hope Bay, a branch of Narragansett Bay. A Hiieeé number of speci- mens has been found, some of which are peed | crystalli- zed. A few are large and beautiful. ‘Two or three have been wrought into elegant personal arava: Many of the specimens have been procured from among the sand and gravel, at and near low water mark. ‘This sand is formed by the constant decomposition of an immense n discovered by digging into the rock, especially that part of it which contains quartz. Most of the mass of rock in question, is feldspar nearly pure. Very minute specks ot mica are scattered through it, but they are extremely rare. Phe mass is occasionally traversed by thin strata of quartz, nearly in a vertical situatio At this locality of cha yited found also, two specimens of micaceous iron, and upon the shore near ¢ place, a great number of crystals of iron. (Sulphuret of iron.) Many of them ure very large, crystallized in cubes, whose sides are froma half to three quarters of an inch square in their dimensions. They are imbedded in a hard, light coloured clay slate. This locality of amethysts is about two miles from Bristol village, and near the ferry Which leads from Bristol to Rhode Islan The e region in which these minerals are > found, is a part of the transition formation which extends from Narragan- sett to Massachusetts Bay. This traasition formation rests pon a primitive foundation, and does not appear to be very thick ; 3 since in sinking walls, we sometimes penetrate into the primitive rocks, and in some places, the primitive rises upwards through the incumbent transition formation. This is the case with the summit of Mount Hope, which is granite, and with the mass of rocks which form the locality of amethysts above mentione . 200 Correction. 12. Acid Fumigations. Dr Lyman Foot, of the United States’ Army, mentions, in a letter to the Editor, the frequent use of fumigations of — muriatic acid gas, among the troops sick at Plattsburgh in the latter part of the year 1819. The disease, which was termed fyphus icterodes, was of a malignant type; and, from the facts stated, the fumigations appear to have had a remarkably salutary effect in correcting the vitiated air in the wards, and in preventing the extension of the di: ease. . | on, of Providence, R. I, has pre lalogue of American Minerals, - districts of each State ar- vor such communications he will postpone the publica- tion until the Ist of July next. _ All authorities from ve any assistance, will be respectfully ace 2 knowledged in the work, > Correction. : ; Lei a3 Dr. Jeremiah Van Rensselaer, in a letter to the Editor, | states, that in September last he visited Prospect Hill, one mile east of the City of Hudson. and found that the “ circle of memorial,” mentioned by Mr. Finch, in his paper. 07 ~ “the Celtic antiquities of America,” (Vol. VII. p. 155 of - this Journal,) was nothing more than the foundation of aa ancient and demolished wind-mill ; “it consisted of abovt a dozen rolled niasses of quartz, formiog an irregular cl = cle, with stones placed in the centre.” eek ioe Bi cso eos oe + anaan ¢ - Ope ‘py iy Ens ‘ ae ee srt See oe : oe . > typ } egies anor awe caf aS ET “4 1 + ' Ei é | die Beds of Iron Ore i ae 3a) . PLATE; 2s Vic: PW.144-. VEW AIR PUMP gan Geter a ete Airgular feoviivon oh Granite: —_—_ me 7 ———— IL gz Z g eee mee a il, ‘Dowrs vies ic. Griscom’s Mechatics Rod vianufacture: re Miogenine,” See age 3 - @ 3, < Forcey’s crises —~New-Vork Lyceum, - 192 © 4,5. Prof. Hall's Catelogue of “Tinerale Philadelpia Waier We ram, 103 «~ Gs Molybdena, 94 7,8. Sillimanite Geological 8 Survey ee xe Gad Cavely é : 3. cca of Piathuua—-New apes Sohal. sid New Local ity Ot vat, ia = in the ‘arlicle Piece sa P $7}, line 10, ior. of a, C. relies > cy St wipaie C ue oe, ee repeater “scarcely th ug. pe aqucles “man dn the artic 2, » a hot seis mn top.) — ss, Tine (from top,” SHONNG NUH NNENENNNRSAaS aE THE AMERICANJOURNAL = fe PEs or #38 = SCIENCE AND ARTS, + . - CONDUCTED BY ea PROFESSOR SILLIMAN, 7 OF YALE COLLEGE, - ‘ : 18 PUBLISHED AT NEW-HAVES, FOR THF-EDITOR, BY LES SHERMAN CONVERSE, PRINTER AND AGENT. | HS az +. i ¥. Tr is issued in quarterly numbers, of which two make a S656 at: iB volume, Sdoalats to contain at least three hundred and twen- S24 GELB ty pages ; the seven volumes, already published, have avera- 4 S525 ced over four hundred pages, and have been very fully illus- #¥ aba p trated by engrav ings. ELS weH: oo Gm): a TERMS, q 5 oh & biG Three dollars.a volume in advance. An omission to remit fora 75g i Bg ig Hew volume is of course a Gisaoweniice: >. C5 fh 7 Term of credit to ee agents, 6 months, from the oubli 3 Sy hy éation of No. 1. of each volum sf ait. TO CORRESPONDENTS. : ered papers prepared for this number are unavoidably a e e Editor requests that all communications for the next $5@ Nusbes may be forwarded so as to be in hand, by the 20th 7pgg 7 | of June, or at farthest by the Ist of July. inde eal Sean mesumiperpesyeipetae Seemodt| Ra RA eins KA a r ae Beene Speke Beooae ACA RR ey he = ot Se eee AND ARTS. ONDUCTE BY BEN. AMIN SILLIMAN, NEW-HAVEN: SPRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY $ een SOLD BY THE PUBLISHER; BY E. LITTELE, PHILADELPHIA, AND TRENTON, N, J.}.AND By Howe & Spalding, New-Haven; Davis & Force, ‘targa (D. C.); Huntington & Ho op kins Hartfo oad f Hiars e Glazier Hailowel, Mai . T. Geedr hi to. Ne Caleb Atwater Circleville, Obio; Thomas & Ray; ——— Whipp! rehire ap > Mass.; Edward J. Coale, Baltimore; B. D. Pia Bester Providence, lumbia, S. C.; Miller Rt; @ “a ia fillia ah Savannah, Geo. : “ st ag Me. ; Professor D Ss. CONVERSE, FOR THE EDITOR. Sosy F i ceaseat ta Geolo, + aud Mi fe = from oaat arg Goma re nae : _F. Ferrara.” Translated and condensed by ese ap é Il. Analysis of M. A. “Broogniar' "Memoir, ae ae logiques des Formations,” &c. ; by J. G. Percival, a ae Il. Notice of bed Malleable Iron of Louisiana, ae ise! ar emer ies of 7 Minetaba, 5 antr ear Easton, ee by 5 Five ; ts, &e.; b ines "XII. Caricography ;(continaed trom p99 y Prof. IIL. = “a ee Rarer Plaats and meer a Foam 5 initz, ~ ENTOMOLOGY. -s AMERICAN = ws. ——— GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, — — i. Arr. if insti of the Geology and Mae te om a Work entitled *Storia Naturale della Sicilia. Cat 1813; del. 4b. F. Ferrara, Translated and condensed = ty Fawes G. Percivan. Tue Geology of Sicily Tie three very distinct for- mations, viz. the Primative formation of granite, gneiss, mica- ‘slate and argillite, a its centre in the mountains ty orus, and thence extending westward, on the N. of a » Bias, towards the ce ntre of the island— the Secondary Lime- ale of tl by rocks of the paaitive fein : tion, nor by ~ of voleanoes,—and, lastly, the Voleanic proce of £tna — and a line of extinct volcanoes extending S. through Val — _ di Noto to Cape Passaro. _ The Granite is confined to the mountains of Pelorus, a atiath extending N. by W. from Taormina, at the N. E. of tna, to Pai Milazzo, on 1 the N. coast ofthe ee It exactly to “the t ~ site side of GEE 1r0 5 vi se heo : that the Appenines there bend W. and after being inter~ rupted by the Faro, terminate at last in the mountains of * Received from the Author by the Editor Vor. vit. ~ No. 2 26 an an : 3 ek in the valleys and water c found at the base and sides of the chain, and forms secon- ae : Ges al __-merated Bader the rege of argillite, wacke, greenstone, gray-wacke, F. calls + granite, ( eomnion i in veins in gneiss and mica slate. - | a band of T: not abundant, fog beanty and friable to be wrought for mar: tio) fine grained, pe ee grey, often foliated 5 ‘at mpact, bounds? in pete sometimes contains im age: ) 202 Notices of the Geology and Mineralogy of Sicily. ' Pelorus. This granite is very compact; its feldspar is most _ | i abundant, and often porphyritie in rhomboids. 11 is abun- | dant in large blocks, at the Bere a i mountain, particu- neiss covers the granite on he See of the chain. It often contains nodules of earthy iron ore. Mica slate is : dary ridges extending far towards the centre of the island. Feldspar often constitutes large veins in the granite, and forms entire blocks in the debris of the mountains. There is a coarse eet pp vile easily disintegrating, which Prof. dai vite. Itis probably the coarse, friable of [ransition Rocks running along the a mountains of Bee pig en Ther vhole is the ranting hh An rned, Phistise and compact; ing gre e; Porphyries of many varieties, with a base o ibs Me or feldspar; serpentine and steatite in aterell masses at the base of Pelorus; and various aggregated rocks. ‘The nomenclature of the author is here rather an- tigquated: we would venture to class the rocks here enu- thaps the limestone alternating with te 1 may ‘be. cee to the shell limestone with in- sir ilar relation to the argillite in Duteh- * be imestone of Sicily 18 arranged. under the following ee Hj divisions : 1. Primitive in the veins of gneiss and mica ae a ee ble; dolomite is not uncommon: Transition, ( Calcari found in ebrodes, | and in the mountains pane Palermo, &e. : Becca's very fine g ssainelitinds hard as flin lime e;sometimes contains anomias, medus is: & C.: : ; 50 titut a organic remains ; generally occupying t ountains, and covered by a coarser shell limestone : : fine grained, often with a confused crystallization, & Notices of the Geology and da of Sicily. 203 fishes, particularly at Syracuse 5 when “sufficiently. hard is wrought as marble. The marbles of Sicily geal niapict na; the yellow, of pte thes of rie having almost every shade of colour; the red, the dendritic, &c. of Palermo; the Lumachella, o r snail marble ;_ Pte ‘i calcareous Rrétgiak of Catania, Coarse Sh ee stone forms a crust over the ial ‘of Sicily, wi f _ exceptions already pointed out; all the i slands between — and Africa, except the volcanic islet, Partellaria ; the co. ‘around Tunis, where it is completely horj- — is always stratiform, the strata from many feet ew inches in thickness ; i in the centre of the islands, “they are horizontal, in Valdemone turned towards the chain of Pelorus, and every where ish the coast dipping down- wards towards the sea, In the volcanic districts they are variously inclined, often alternating with beds of lava as Many as sixty times. It is almost entirely made up of shells, among which are ammonites, belemnites, gryphites, turbin- ites, chamites, &c. and immense quantities of epores and other corals. Oolites are abundant, particularly at Pedagaggi, near Catania. Calcareous pet Sonne 0 Masses of shells, barely cemented, are com ~The bills subordinate to the limestone fasattnns: and the — . woines consist of chalk, and calcareous breccias, and beds 0 marl and clay. The chalk is generally yellow or brown, and interspersed with beds of flints and quartz pebbles; _ sometimes there are large masses of uncemented shells, of- _ ten siliceous and of an enormous Size 5 i ( - ag similar to the pre beds of Geo pe) ani, and Taormina cnyetallied Ca Se honates is found in very fine and perfect Specimens, in the @ primitive rocks of Pelorus, and in the Cavities and pores of ancient Javas, whether buried or not Bis, 204 Notices of the Geology and Mineralogy of Sicily. under the calcareous stratum covering the island. It is found in these cavities in every state of sagan from a granular or laminated mass to the finest d points, shooting across or lining the cavity. It is sie ways white, except in decomposed lavas, where its surface is stained by oxide of iron. estan Carbonate in opaque masses studded with thomboids, in connexion with carbonate and sulphate of lime. Brown Spar, oo ‘stalactites with yellowish we sided pyramids. In minute rounded ee in the es of Spathic iron, at Fv thine di Nist Pi iemgats Carbonate, in masses of various sizes in ‘the ge” limestone, and.) in small pieces among the crystals of calcareous spar. The larger and harder masses ate se in She asa black marble. Sometimes it is so etroleum, as to be combustible; and — a liq Papices the petr ona Sctenitag® miner- thy carbonate se Balle, ee mixtur sul pitiean aes y famous as a panace pr ties of absorbents and sulphur. The earth is almost universally Marl. The marls of Val di Wittors are calcareous ; those of Valdemone, siliceous and ferrugi- nous; and in the volcanic districts of Val di Noto, highly argillaceous and ferruginous. Indurated Marl is very com- mon; some of it is wrought as marble; it often forms i im- mense masses, divided by Phe fissures into atic blocks. In the mountains of ae a, ic. are strata of i in- durated mail, containing petrolet 6 _ Sulphate of lime is found in ory Corner of Sicily, par- wealerly at Raddusa and Paterno, in the plain of Catania and at Taormina. It forms entire mountains, subordinate — to the limestone mountains. It is also imbedded in chalk and marl, and is found in veins in the alt Timestone. In all these cases itis secondary. Primitive G mis fo und in the granite of Pelorus, It unr eeapees the beds _ Of sulphur and salt so common in the islan @ remarlas _ ble instance of the sulphur imbedded in chalk, an on | sulphur, oeconat Raddusa. It is found in the forme gipsum, earthy and farinaceous gypsum, and selenite, or oe Byatalabad eiptnin, ota ite de of gypsum are found occupying the cavities of lavas in the o | Notices of the Geology and cares ed of Sicily. 205 rater of Etna. Great > ges of sypsum are used in stucco, particularly at Cat “ iy uor Spar is found in cecal pieces coufunsdly sf ; ne in the mountains of Judica and Torcisi; colour: ‘tine- i reous or violet; rare. Barytes, very common; in a'most all the sulphur mines, and as the matrix of he ores of copper, lead and set at the foot of the mounta ns of Pelorus. Carbonate rytes in the sulphur r tired of Asaro an . Sscatt yellowish. ‘ Sulphate of Barytes, very common, alone, or Ghited me- chanically. ee carbonate ial ee of lime; “Sabet in the sulj iesi, sometimes very hard and fine bined Porystallized in the sulphur mines on masses of compact variety, and of carbonate and sulphate of lime, clay, &c. At Raddusa they find masses incrusted with Siabued crystals, resembling stalagmites. Fetid sulphate lamine covered with shining black dendrites; _-Strontites. e sulphate is found in all the sulph ur confused crystals, on the masses of sulphur and ife oO phou $ masses, always associated with sulphur and gypsum. Carbonate of Strontian, in the sulphur mine of Asaro, in Amorphous masses, grey, with a brilliant scaly fracture. uartz, in veins in the granite, gneiss, argillite, &c. in “rolled pieces and fragments at the foot of the mountains of ‘elorus; also, in beds of rolled pieces and pebbles, in the chill wad limestone 2 ee 43 Sometimes traversed by veins of calcareous S| sed ofan Feezwiite of irregular prisms. | | ‘crystals of transparent quartz, in the Paste of the ead Taormina. Siliceous ‘Slates in the ‘Umestone m ountain aormina, in inclined strata, Haan, mpeueealy conchoidal fracture, colour smoky. cosas tolled pieces, In oe limestone moun- masses 5 in tegen ores at Foe Re i 2 inthe sulphur mines; some large laminar masses het the f lime; also, in yellowish white, fibrous, amor- — 206 Notices of the Geology, and Mineralogy of Sicily. tains, and in the chalk and clay strata, often forming entire bees the dark Jellon, most este emed for Ean ints. earliest periods. Petrified or agatized wood is found in Sicily ; also large agates with concentric layers which have been mekeg for the same. Jasper is very abundant, often in enormous stratiform masses ; also in rolled pebbles in the plains and valleys. Sometimes it is divided by fissures perpendicular to the strata into aid ed cubes. The Sicilian Emeralds are only Zeolite in the cavities of s dy in i hard piles ae ith stone ae tir abundant as to form a la give ith a brilliant glassy fracture. lining the sobs solitary or grouped, io a line to an inchin diameter. Sometimes in the fissures of the marl covering the ne Aluminous Sd Pusitenis schists are ebugdan ts in the trans- ition mountains of Nicorea, Fiume di Nisi, Bituminous Schists are found in scandens of ‘Taormina — c. Some are so highly impregnated as to be used for ws Took sometimes ea! are traversed by veins of quartz. abounds i in the chalk strata, and among . the Witaminais - schists. Fullers Earth is found in many _ places, particularly at Cantorbi. In some parts they for the same p purposes a mixture of chalk and clay. Porcelain Clay in large veins and in beds of white de- composed feldspar, in the mountains of Pelorus—also in large masses in excavations near Patania—Pie mer ) in wl richihowere found, and the rocks oe which they are ones _ calcareous or volcanic. On the sea f f f fi f , f I Notices of the Geology and Mineralogy of Sicily. 207 | coast near Messina, there is aconstant process of gerega tion going forward. The soil is calcareous and the mud of ihe shore hardens, with the sand, pebbles, &c. Ste a breccia. By drawing the outlines of any object, it may in no great time, be obtained in a solid state. In this way they form millstones me di Nisi and Nooke, with gale na and earthy iron; 3. Arseniated Silver in the mines near Bronte on quartz, and in minute superficial grains on green Carb. Copper; 4. Arseniated sulphuret, jaminated on quartz and cale. spar, at Limaria; 5. Antimoniated Sulphuret, near Francoril- la; 6. Red, brown, or lead-grey, composed of Silver, cop- per, sulphur and antimony, at Francorilla. ee : 1. Native Copper, on barytes and quertz, at F. di 2. grey granulated C, on quartz, at Noora; 3. Vitre- ous ‘.iridescent, at Noora; 4. Violet blue C. on quartz and in bituminous slate, at Ali ; ; 5. Steel grey, powder black, z common at Noora, composed of copper, silver, antimon ny, Uphur, &c. ; 6. Red oxide, at F. di ee 3 7. Bl ue e carb. pe or in earthy grains, also ing variot ste: atgillaceots and calcareous, a givir ng 3 ae the appearance of Lazulite, common at F. di Nits ; 8. Green. : id b, superficial on quartz, fibrous, with silver ‘and lead 8t oora ; 9. Green C. in stalactitic grains on barytes and — earthy i iron, at F. di Nisi; 10. Green C. granular with blue C. and silver on quartz at F. di Nisi; 11. Earthy green C. among the ores at F. di Nisi and in eee 12, — > and in the — Cc. Pyrites, abundant at Taomina, Noora, Streams descending from the mountains. ad: ous at Noora. Antimon : Arseniated Sulpburet, ‘forms mines in the Vicinity of S Savoca and Roccalumiera, formerly wrought. Molybdena, mixed with the quartz matrix ‘of the green per at F. di Nisi, and the galena at Noora ; ; also i in the led quartz pebbles in the valleys of Pelorus. : Aes at Noora and Limina, ls F at te Notices of the Geology and Mineralogy of Sicily. Iron, 1. Iron Pyrites, crystallized and amorphous ; and sometimes in rolled pieces, with a crystalline or gran- ular fracture, in stalactitic masses; very abundant in Si- cily, in the argillites around the chain of Pelorus, and in beds in the chalk and marl strata, associated with st oat geen 3 ay common salt. Sulphate of iron is found at Noora F. di Nisi formed from the decomposition of pyrites, ‘said to have been formerly wrought in the argil- lite mountains of Petralia 5 es waters are 2, nee 2. nu- pi manganese. | part of ae i fiettarl e masses are fou ticularly in low wet*places ; red a mountains o la, &c. ; eanhy om in glo F masses, in pieces with blue and green spots of carb, ‘copper ‘near Taormina, in balls with concentric strata, at Nicoria, &.; often mixed with decomposed pyrites; silicated oxid in lar masses in the streams from the mountains around : 2 Taormina, dark, gray, or earthy blue phosphate, in the vol- ‘canic tufas of V. di Noto, and in the cavities of decompo- laces of various earth bste -; in the low n argillite, and runs wider it in the direcuan? ats burns with ae, but keeps fire a long time: ra Pee ell for for al vicini vas in low marshy places ; also in the fissures, and on — pili ge Bei Seteeecibil et ee pas Notices of the Geology and Mineralogy of Sicily. 209 composing in the air, It is at a little distance from masses of granite alternating with limestone a and ail ‘Masses of gypsum. First discovered ab 1 ORs are many other Pane ihe of bituminous relia, paipieaty combustible to serve .as fuel, ly in tains of Patralia. The foliate ous earth of Hybla is of this class, yellowish in. ‘thin Pie burns suddenly. with a bright flaine and a strong odour. 5 Naphtha is found in large quantities in the Lago dei Pa- P lici, the waters of the lake are strongly impregnated with it, and it diffuses its odour to a great distance. In the Vieinity of Paterno there are lavas imbued with naphtha ; all the pores and cavities are filled with it, and it continu- ally drops from the fissures, and hardens into petroleum, Petrolewn, very abundant. In ancient times found in great quantities in the vicinity of Agi gentum; now only one fountain is remaining. (S. dena.) At Patralia is a f untain, (della Madonna “i Patralte) on the surface * which it collects and hardens around it i ula can. collect only two pounds a Near * sia other fountain yielding still less. Near "eas: dria is a rock of crystalline porous limestone imbued with naphte, itie and from which petroleum trickles. At all these loc olio,) and the fountains themselves are under ed residing there The oil is considered a remedy by su perstitious Catholi cs. There are a Many other fountain olet : isla. rge quantities at the inous limestone rock, near Ragusa in tenacious, and shining ike tar. ! haltum, in the argillites at Nissoria, neal ’ also at Capizzi and Lionforte, where it is called b am- 7 ber (ambra nera); also at Lago dei Palici- There are #V¥ox.; VHI.—No. 2. 97 f lukas is collected there are churches dedicated to the Virgin, (nada ae bus : same time that of Tillie fe Roman State. TI : 210 Notices of the Geology and Mineralogy of Sierly. enormous pieces in the cabinets of Prince Biscari, and the Benedictines at Catania. Amber i is very abundant under the Sere ee in gular pieces of various sizes. It d there, and alio i in scattered pieces in alluvial oe ibd on the sea shore. It is of various colours, transparent and opaque. Some specimens Contain insects perfectly preserved. Jet is found on the shores of Catania at the river Simetus. pang bituminized wood, found in chalk strata at icatia, and Seem, very hard and black, from the mountains of F. Fossil sad is found i in aes ferruginous soils ; ssepidens are brought from Mascaldi and Cefalu. _ Sulphur is abundant in almost every part of the island. Mines of sulphur are found in gr a —— around , and also around Girgenti. ed, t Se are indicated by he extend ina vwindiite deeces n in veins more than thirty feet thick, The middle of ‘the veins are pure sulphur—the sides are adulterated. TI ‘mines of Riesi, Milocca, Palma, and Raddusa furnish — im- mense. quautities. It is found massive and crystallized, of a great variety of colours, yellow, red, green, &c. Very little is opie 1 the-erater of Etna. None of the sulle and exported in such immense quantities, | is ob- 0 in that Yon 3 also in the Strate of ‘anal around snipe aes, tar] tusa and Palma ; ; also in efflores- er of Etna. The alum of Li- ies. In the fifteenth centu- extensively, and about es exer all the others. In the sixteen - sively oe fe along the coast fr ‘aormi ina at the foot of Pelorus, St cate “at “There are extensive remains of alum: 9 wo rors > “ ; ae _e Notices of the Geology and Mineralogy of Sicily. 211 at Roccalumiera. They are now wholly pebioned, and the island is supplied from Tolfa. Sulphate of Magnesia in many mineral ivaters =? “also i “minute incrustations in the rocks of Monte Albano. Muriate of Ammonia, found in immense quantities in the ures and cavities of the lavas of tna, after —— and before the rains have dissolved it. It forms a large part of the white smoke of the volcano. It is collected after erup- tions for sale. Carbonate of Soda, found also in the lavas after cooling ; also In cavities of the ancient lavas, where protected from rains. Collected in great abundance in the ancient lavas of Bronte. Great quantities of soda are manufactured in Sicily from the Salsola Kali. Muriate of Soda is extremely abundant in Sicily, associ- ated with sulphur and gypsum. ‘The mines of Castrogi- ovanni, Catholdea, Regalmuto, and Cammarata in the ter- ritory of Girgenti, are well known. It is wrought exten- sively at Sel near Catania. Its mineral associations are the same as those of sulphur. The mine of Castro- giovanni is eco like a quarry. The river Salso re- ceives the waters which flow from it,—whence its name. : ther mines extensively wrought at August ipa i, Palermo, &c. Around these mines are exte pa destitute of all vegetation. ‘The | are called Sal Gem, occhi di sala, &c. liant white, and not deliquescent. he volcanic products of Sicily are of two very digtiact periods—the ancient or those of the extinct volcanoes of Val di Noto, and the base of tna, and the modern, or those - of more recent eruptions of #tna.—The former are m- ple, the anttoe oo ae pace Sete lavas aimee fa Primiti ant vas of the rock of Motta near Catania are basaltic ; they form columns of long prisms and sound like bronze. The modern lavas of tna are all compound, i. e. they Consist of a paste stuck full of large and distinct crystals of bn. cel '% med, oor ‘Prof. F. of a fine grained passer | % ie a 1 ge De 212 Notices of the Geology and Mineralogy of Sicily. various minerals,which are ali derived from primitive rocks, se are ; 1. Feldspar, the most abundant, varying in size from minute threads and scales to distinct prism sand tables.—In some lavas of the middle age they form more than a third of the mass. 2. Black Pyrowene, equally abundant, entire, or in fragments. —3. Chrysolite (olivine) green or reddish ; the latter colour ee haha the more violent action of heat, as they are of a deep red in the porous Javas and scori#.—Abbe I", thinks they ought tone bat not of caval | ormation currents near Paterno, there are yellow and black seales of Mica, No Leucite is mentioned by Prof.F.as occurring in the lavas of AEtna. These crystals preserve their form and brilliance perfectly in the compact lavas but are more or less altered in the porous. The lavas of all ages are either compact or setae owing to the different degrees of heat to which they were exposed ; varying in this respect from the most empact trap- like lava to the lightest Poth and even passing from one to the other on the same yecimens. - Scorixe, sand, and ashes are all formed of the ’ paste with the most compact lavas, only altered by ; ter — of heat or mechanical violeace—Com- e easily compared with the analogous miner- 5 ey a by fire. The crystals in the Javas are looser, _ the feldspar in the porphyritic lavas is more distinct in its outlines, less brilliant and drier. The lavas are also more sonorous, fusible and magnetic. In the ancient lavas near , there are aastoney Black Glass; (Obsidian) M, dicx. Brongniart sur les caracieres Zoologigues, Sc. 213 lavas, such as the shining black lavas re Sepa white lates of feldspar, and a profusion of deep blac Bogs pyroxene, and those of Licatia inclfing the same nerals, and large greenish crystals of chrysolite rata -d by minute grains of the same, have nothing analogous in. any of = ——— rocks of Sicily—the Abbe F. suppo~ ses that e lavas of Sicily are derived from primitive rocks which ne from the mountains of Pelorus under tna and the extinct voleanoes; that the ancient lavas are formed from the prper om less 2 rasta strata of these rocks, and that th ‘ rought up from gr pieptie where” the rocks are more compound and stored with minerals which are not found in the upper strata.—The ancient lavas around the base of tna, such as the rocks of Molta and those of the cyclops are aS simple as those of the extinct volcanoes of Val di Noto, and were probably of the same period. Besides these minerals, which compose the paste of the lavas, there are others found in the fissures and cav-~ ities of the recent lavas deposited by the condensed va- pours. These are muriate of Ammonia, very abundant, collected as an article of commerce—several other muri- ates, A aera those of soda and iron ; carbonate of so- d Fer oligiste in brilliant scales, ane an the evitias and implanted in groups upon : lavas.—In the ancient lavas of Val di Noto and the base of tna, such as the mountains of Paterno, and the rocks of the c ‘clops—various minerals are found deposited in the cavities by infiltration, viz. carbonate of lime crystalli- zed, zeolite and analeime (cyclopite. Ferr.) ba , © Sur les Caracteres Zoo~ ee _ a ar Ann, le of A Se des Formations, uvec ‘application. de a3 ‘carac~ teres f /RAIE es @ la sctels, aie “ 6 pe = ins ar Alexandre Bron (Ann. des 1.) 6. Pikorsat. 2 oe Tar design of this Memoir is siaectatiials shdtelative Value of geological and mineralogical characters in deter- mining the contemporaniely of formations particularly in reference to certain formations of chalk. The particular 214 M. Alex. Brongniart sur les caracteres Zoologiques, &c. formations which M. B. refers to chalk, are found in very distant localities and with very different characters of con-_ sistence, stratification, colour, super-position, &ec.; ye from similarity or identity of the fiosils imbedded in them, he refers them all to the general head of the Chalk Formation. He divides this formation into 3 sub-forma- pare superior or White Chalk—the middle or Chalk Tufa—and the inferior or Green-sand, (Glauconie tn Br.), i.e. chalk mixed with green grains ascertained by M. Berthier, to be silicated hydrate of iron, and not chlo- rite, as had been s supposed. These 3 sub- formations inclose fossil —_ which are in part dif in each, and in com = cr first. cauadem the value f Zoological characters 1% . The species of abellae? zoophy tes, ae eres in forma- tions of different periods fer from e : ihe formations, as in pitdeton te:thes ieee ular dis- tance. This law nov well established, and its apparent exceptions have been in most cases accounted for by the particular circumstances attending them, and have thus been reduced to the general rule. It follows from this that the different formations, which overlie each other on the more ir a were formed at different and distant achat chemical Compositions, structure in mass, superposition, accompanying minerals, &c. ; but some- times these differences are in apparent opposition to the ils.— gota differences derived Pas imbedded fossi on to be answered then, is the following : & ein in two dimacie formations, the rocks are differe in mineralogical characters, whilst their organic ‘remains are analogous, ought we to regard them as of distinet for- or, On account of the general well a re- semblance of the fossils imbedded, to consider the same period of formation, when the order of ccbenpasiirn cod = Jk, diex. Brongniart sur les caracteres Loologiques, &c. 215 does evidently oppose it?” M. B. ade ots t pinion.—He first shews that rocks ver same a though very different in n character. On he : all the organic remains imbedded in them are analogous, and have the common character of the gene- es which cause changes i in the mineral — Not so with those, which alter the generations iving beings; their action is ex- tended through a long course of ages, and their influence _ is scarcely perceptible from one age to another. Plants ' and animals have scarcely varied their characters since the earliest periods of history. The geological characters erived from analogy of fossils are therefore more perma- bent, and of course of more value in determining the pe- riod of formation, than characters simply mineralogical. Of these, that from the nature of the rocks is the weakest —those from the relative height of the formation, the depth of its ravines, &c., and the — of — are nore important; but these may be pro by sudden na pg like the earthquakes of Calabriaswhich have changed the order and direction of strata, making hori- zontal perpendicular, and vice versa; and throwing recent fo tions apparently below the base of the more cient. The apparent relative height of formations is a delusive character, but their real relative height is essen-— tially important, se still less so, than that from analo- i of es There are some caus es of error, even in imate ies, and tain sper 7 olutions of globe, and have lived in different periods, and hence they are found in distinct formations—and species belonging to earlier formations, may by the abrasion of these formations have been mi ixed and imbedded in formations of a mueh hearer peri s S. ange gee Ae ae’ 216 M. Alew. Brongniart sur les caracteres Zoologiques, &e. After these general considerations M. B. proceeds to the consideration of several anomalous members of the chalk formation; all o —_ he refers to this formation —- the analogy of their fossi 1. Chalk of Rouen, Havre, cid Stonfleur. At the mill f St. Catharine, near uen, the white chalk is found overlying the chalk tufa or green sand. The two latter contain many fossils not found in the former. At Havre and Stonfleur, the white chalk is wanting. The inferior chalk is there exactly analogous to that at Beachy Head, and Dover, Eng. and at menenties W. of Calais; it is sepa- rated at the two last places from the white chalk or tufa, there present, by a bed of blue All these locali- ties of green sand and tufa are Wieitterined by precisely similar fossils, of which M. B. gives a catalogue . Chalk of oe ca Ns gelladesermsne Bayonn “The chalk © - of France terminates at the S. line — fete but its siralificationis is fase by beds of Flack hornstone, which divide it into numerous layers. _ It abounds in shells, some of them (ostrea vesicularis,) like the smaller specimens of Meudon. _ Passing south west, other rocks occur referable to the chalk foraation where it was not before suspected. Such is the hard gray sandy micaceous limestone, which forms he er of the soil around Bayonne, and particularly the cks of Biarite. It contains shells analogous to those of the chalk tufa near Paris, particularly the spatargus ob- natus. Its stratification can be ascertained only by | difference in the solidity of its parts. It is made up of alternate zones of a grayish, crumbling, nt aan oa sony a anda hard limestone, divided into a sé of irregular nodules, projecting from the esca the flints in white chalk. it abaewies in fragmenta. of thells particularly echinites, but no ammonites. Although mapy of these shells have specilic differences, yet their general character is that of the chalk formation __ 3. Chalk of Poland, from these localities—white chalk Tike that of Meudon, with black flints and. belemnites, stone of Paris, and sub-Apennine mountai M. Alex. Brongniart sur les caracteres Zoologiques, &c. 217 from Grodno and Keminiac—white chalk, full of flints and echinites from the castle of Cracow; in the neighbour- hood are found shells similar to those of be auae 4. Green Sand or Glauconie crayeuse (a a chloriteé) de La Perte du Rhone, near Bellegarde. There are here tw a very distinct formations. 1. The inferior, a fine, grey, yel- s Owish, compact limestone, in regular, nearly horizontal strata, ‘without any visible ‘petrilactions, It however con- tains between its stat as in Jura, b Fds.0 marl very differ- ent from the superior to be described, and — abounding in_ shell logous to those in the marl beds of Jura; g are also to shells in the marl beds near Havre. ‘ rior, a yellowish lime- stone often shaded it yellowish ochry veins, stratifica~ tion distinct, pee horizontal, with a slight dip S. E.; it seems to ae made up of an immense mass of lenticular stones, which are aeand to be little madrepores, (orbitolites lenticulata; Lam.) Above are alternate strata of marly lime- stone, and a sandy clay mixed with green grains, (green sand, upper formation abounds in shells strikingly analogous to those of the green sand formation, particularly from Ke saree and St. Catherine. The genera are the ; the species, some identical, and others distinguisha- ble o oly when laid side by side. There are no shells of e ancient or more recent rmetion than that of chalk. ides the analogy of fossils, this upper formation contains the green sand of the Glauconie, and rests upon a bed of aie = marl like the Glauconte at Honfleur and Tesworth, The lenticular rock is so ferruginous as to be called an rol n ore by Saussure; it is analogous to the ferruginous sand found below the green sand in “England and Norman- “be esination of the chalk ond. j in the chain of Testing on rocks of the transition period. T 1a ceeds from the summit of Buet, i in the Alps a of dark coloured summits, nearly pe ie: So one face, and sloping on the other, and very fty ; 8000 feet above the level of the sea.) On the top of one of these summits, (in pee) that of Fis in the valley of Servoz, is a rock which fs ‘o the chalk formation. The = strata of the mountain, ; Vou. VIII.—No. 2 . {about 218 * Notice “ the Malleable Iron of Louisiana. , inning a at the bottom, are as follows: 1. Gray wacke Siecavdetsched hillock. Thena sloping massof debris, — - Mica slate, (phyllade micacé,) blackish, very hard.—3. ‘ish gray limestone, full of numerous veins of. calcareous spar, alternating with 2. A second mass of debris.—4. Mica slate, very fissile and friable, traversed in every direc- tion by nodular beds of white calcareous spar, and veins of aa Psammite rt very compact, but very sile. A third mass of d ebris.—6. Very compact g rayish limestone, with veins” of steatite and chlorite, foie in some strata a coarse steatitic breccia; also veined with cal- ous spar iu te ee —7. Micaceous and oes a ee with mica ; ery delicate and chalk formation. It is a very ae compact limestone, coarse grained or sub- lamellar. blackish, and when dissoly- ed in nitric acid, leaving behind much carbonaceous mat- ter, full of dark green grains, insoluble (like the green sand) in nitri¢ acid; above, itis a granular, micaceous, whitish gray limestone, atiler to chalk tufa. The fossils i in these up- ata. , : per: ed lari They are a Folisone, an | bratulas, which are always rare in the inferior chalk well nites are found i in the — transition stra i hed a brief aor , ba. 1810 ‘Dr. Bases. pu on, from the south western part ‘shegreatiaiags of Malleable Ir mpact greyish limestone, alternating with and less de- tible than 2. Towards the upper part, a compact black- St nia AE FR eR wae meen * * Notice of the Malleable Iron of Louisiane. 219 of the United States—now the property of Cal. Gibbs, by whom it has been deposited in the collection of the New- York Historical Society. As little is generally known, con- Cervine this remarkable piece of metal, we shall repu' eects e of Dr. Bruce together with additional = “‘ There is at present in He ci lackish crust, is greatly ich it would appear that this mass had been in a soft state. On removing the crust, the iron, on exposure to moisture, soon becomes oxidated.—Specific “gravity, 7.400. ‘It appears to consist entirely of iron, which possesses a high degree of malleability ; experiments having been made without detecting nickel or any other metal. is enor- mous mass of iron is said to have been found near the Red River. We Tegret that we are unable to say much as to its geognostic situation or origin, whether native, meteoric, Or artificial. We hope, however, from the enquiries we have instituted, to have it in our power, shortly, t fore _our readers some satisfactory information respecting interesti “he aa additional facts are _ from = follow ; addressed in MS. to t : r from Judge Johuson, OF the § "Supreme Court of the eS, Wa 3 from Mr. William Darby, the well known, 2B Ate oe dos Dr, Sibley, Indian Agent at Natchi ae = manuscript journal Maley, an erratic adver bel was first mentioned to the Editor by Judge ee ag gb. Isaac F 'Philadelph Fockeantinnces ye a t. Gi ies fas #:” teforusation cg a ee lass and company. : eurnal of Capt. =F teandllr: Darby, and Dr. Sib- was so kind as to cat i and a piienieted B. “Say 10th, 1824. eae: * Bruce's Min, Journal, 1810. - on » territory of the Hietans, by one of the Pawnees. The mineral could not have been Tonagig ator long antecetay to tha natives entertained any ee opinions respecting its origin: they however, regarded it with much veneration, and ascribed to it singular Bowers in the cure of diseases. They informed him that they knew of two other smaller pieces, the one about oh the other. about fifty miles dis- tant.* This intellipenee announced on ate return of Captain Glass, excited no litle curiosity ; and confident hopes pre- vailedt that = — would td to be platina, or some- fib! associate The Nacogdoches party “9 errived at the place of des- tination; but, having in their hurry to anticipate the rival party, made no see anion for carrying away the metal, they hid it under a flat stone, and went oe to er wheels and dr ght-horse S. The N ‘ their prize 7 e Red River. They oniandl “the Brassos without ei "difficulty s ; but, a straggling party © of Indians having one night stolen all their horses, they wé detained until two of their party could go to Natchitoc for more horses. On arriving at the Red Rivet; some of *MS. lefoidea! ofa Tour from Nael cit ite ow awe! ve Louisiana pas. of Red een tee d pee z ra ween rst o 18 809, by Capt. ANTHO- ¥¥ Grass, of the Territory of ) . t It is scarcely soe 2 add, that th ‘persou, acquainted with miner- alogy, could have ex to be pty or any other gaa us metal. bs Pronounced cache all ‘ Aen... CR ge + Notice of the Matteable Tron of Louisiana. ciates up the Red River, witha try, trade with the Indians, and (if away the two pos masses of m of the r — muneration for then —— ed his tour wes the pieces of nara a ean quantity of merchandize ; to procure which he returned to Natchi- toches and proceeded to New-Orleans. On his second expedition up the Red River, in 1913, he and his associates, being robbed by a party of Osages of their merchandize and horses, were aor to return on foot pena 1g ie on Undoubtedly th masses at east of this metal still remain in that Reh pe time enrich some cabinet of na cise situation is not so well known as could be wished. The following hints are subjoined, as they may afford some to any who may hereafter explore those regions. — Some hundre ed miles above rae on th-w. ly — | ee “ We were informed by the Indians,” says Capt. G « ‘ofa remarkable piece of metal some days journey d [of the Pawnee oe on n the es er Bi sipeett” 2 . Notice of the Malleable Iron of Lowsiana. Lats ragga: speaks of proceeding south and west in going to the mass. ‘ The Indians informed me that ‘they knew of two other smaller pieces, the one about _ thirty, the other fifty miles ine ”°* [probably from the Pawnee village.] Capt. Glass gives no estimate of the whole distance from Natchitoches to the Pawnee village ; but, from intermediate distances mentioned, he seems to have e considered it about 400 miles Dr. Sibley frequently orersed “with Capt. Glass, and others of the parties which went in quest of this metal. He states the distance from Natchitoches to the place where the transporting party lost their horses, (which must be about the distance from Natchitoches to the Pawnee village,) as pode “no miles by land ; and the distance by , of embarkment to Natchitoches, as ete Cross ah the he he says, “ at the Pawvec village, we took a sc e se over bpsges: of diagentae, and extensive prairies. After a jour- _ ney of 3 days, we were conducted by the Indians to. this metal. It lay a few miles from the mountain which ap- peared to be the same that | have before described, as running parallel to the Red River.”’ He does not state whether he saw one piece or more, but he alae ip! ed fo ge awe According to Feealtention. he was informed by yer that “the pieces were found in the midst of an open ste- rile plain, lying near each other, and. appearing as if bre en and scattered i in the fall of one entire mass.’ [4007] place was described by Maley as about 200 m4 miles a little north of west pom atchitoches, on fol i. ef Gina’ MS Jovronl, Dr. Sibley ’s Letter. “Paes MS our Notice of the Malleable Tron of Louisiana. 223 a oe ene waters of the Red River and the 7% 0 - The readers of th ournal will recollect some “ Noti- ces ¢ of the Geology, ‘ie. of the regions phn — Missis- Sippt and its confluent waters,” by L. Bring = ae lisiana, who travelled in this region i — Mr, Schoolcraft, who states that the found about “ one hundred miles ab ae have been patients: Sere concer he following hints given by Mr. V travels thee are indebted for mation co western par ‘probably ae ; my can at present be o with one of "Melish’s Maps of. the United States in your hand, you run your eye up Red River, to the Paw- nee village, you will perceive a small creek entering Red River, a short distance below the village. This creek is called by the French hunters and traders s Bayon Bois d Are, Jt was at its mouth that the transporting party reached Red River with their prize. Continue your glance upon the ma south of west, to the head Waters of we abs ra Dios, and you will find the Words Hay Wand ‘bro rough e latter you will perceive a Smal cee represented fowibe south into the assos. From comparing the account of their - journey (rome: Red River and of their return to that stream iv 224 Notice of the Matleable fron of Lowsiana. . about N. latitude 32° 20’, and 20° W. longitude from upper streams of the Trinity in their expedition. That art of Mr. Melish’s map was constructed almost entirely rom my papers. When the manuscript Jent me by Dr. Sibley, * was i 1 my possession, | collated it as carefully as was in my power, with draughts of the country whic had previously coilected, and upon my map traced as nearly as possible the route which the party pursued. I cannot, it is se guarantee the accuracy of the delinea- tion; as I never was myself upon Red River above the limits of Lovisiadies but from the pains I took to arrive at correct results, | think that the es 6 ae may be depended upon with much confide eee by these directions eens a traveller might erience some difficulty in finding the masses now’ re- maining in that region : ee it will probably never be ‘tes fr difficult to obtain gu mong the hh A min- eral substance. so reinmalig hie poe eral y i he attention, and often their veneration. T s of iron, tha they were visited en, we notoriet “ane it is b means probable that their notoriety has diminished since adventurers have manifested such earnestness to obta tain them. Some interesting remarks upon the native iron of Lonisia- by Col. Gibbs, are published in Brace’s Jone p- 2 rind with a cone ise account of similar masses from other e ana. easonable doubt that the huge masses of malleable iron ifrom Louisiana are of meteoric origin 5 and thus their history is rendered extremely interesting. All who have seen them in situ agree that they appear to been deposited in consequence of some extraordinary nat- ural occurrence, antl that it is impossible they should be the Sm of art. a — pogo of the vari- EET gee _ 1, Serpe about a mile south-we » os oe at Pawtuxet. — Iti is found sbcaotiy aa ee ‘ Miscellaneous Localities of Minerals. 225 ous masses of malleable iron, which have been found in different parts of the world, on, or just beneath, the sur- face of the earth, affords almost decisive proof of their ‘Common origin. The experiments mentioned in the no-— tice quoted above from Dr. Bruce would pene that the large mass in New-York forms an excepti larity of composition, but experiments inetesd ale cently yee Silliman, and stated by Col. Gibbs j is the hotice a ready alluded to, = detected nickel in this mass. There is much reason to belie had a common ori } an _ Le Ana. IV. —Notice of Miscellaneous Localities of Minerals. 1. By Srevern Tapes. and Tuomas H, Wess. nttne, at Ne wport. Ieis situated on the Neck, urring in rocks the secondary formati on. The prevai ng low, yellowish green, and apis black. . Whe it exhibits a variegated and beautiful appearance of four or five acres is covered with these ore reason t dS. E, of the vill: fei. rillaceous” ‘shale, at a asses, on the shore ! ; Vegetable impres essions They are found in water-worn fragments along the oat , for the Moteoee of half a mile. + Sots ot the as, a Phe im- ‘sland. We find among them the Preris aquilina, the Comptonia ssplenifli, tiie Bellis perennis, Vou. VIIE.—No, 2. 29 Peis Miscellaneous Localities of Minerals. 16 ‘Yellow Quartz, at do. — . 6. Fetid Quartz, at do. and at Cr : 7. Arenaceous Quartz, at Johnson. g od Peat in large quantities, at Coibedaad: and oe - place 2. Besunsiee of. a very fine, quality, at Nempar. 10. Garnets in sienite, at Crans . 11. Sulphate of Iron, in the form os an eflorescence, of a show white and yellowish white colour, at one of the mine. holes on the west side of Tower Hill, in Companies 24 12, Cubic crystals. of " Sulphuret of. Tron, in chlorite slate, are Senieeens: a short distance from the shores ee ten. elongat iol -beie padalicienies ee rge, sand: all very beauuiful,. resenting bo nat eof Coppety af Bs Seale ‘blue e quarters mile N. E. of rs occa ally i eae : As 414, Earthy and. a iibeons ever to be met wi met | all quantities only. _ 15. Ochrey red | ide of Tron = be. sicedred near Dismoatt Hill, in Gurebeltend _ 16. A large piece of a rolled mass of Rock Cry pial was om here a number of years since. 7. Prase in good specimens at do. eryl; imperfect crystals of this have | Cumberland, North-Providence, and Fi sper, red, brown, mgrowa CA nd striped do. are d at Diamond e susceptible of a snieh polish, and form elegant cabinet s specimens. __ é . Tremolite at Tower. Hill i aa = ereen colour, dissemine ited t in ie direction : sou four miles S. ciehite 5 and. bros i m limestone, 2 at ‘Johnson, — of a in considerable quantities at a steatite quarry in the Prog : we localities that have been visi ‘M Mansville, is probably nce of compact carbonate. N. a grained limestone, which ata rs sembles loaf sugar. Ast is so near this p doubtedly be burnt to ee would ag ls interest themselves di a! “magneti i¢ oxide i that variety termed iat hall, occurs < 10 ne! bourhood of the limestone, mentioned above. Colour inty white, and green of various shades. Much of the steatite _ ppears to be passing into talc. Some of it contains but small quantities, some of it is s composed one half, or two thirds of talc, and other e the two so intimately blended that it is di ish other. Judgii wh: not suppose thatahiore 6 e e two minerals belonging to the same 2. Common ane with chlorite, nea , 80 far as it has been examin ra magnesian district, and abounds with such ; are asaally to be met with i in those districts. si si Amon ee seed whicls has. been observed ata majority © That which fal 228 Miscellaneous Localities of Minerals. 2. By Tuomas H. Wess. 1. Chlorite Tale is found in abundance at Foster, n the locality of cyanite mentioned in a former Nataber vol the Journal. It consists of narrow, elongated, compact a, or laming, of a dark green and greenish ‘black col- Associated with it we find, oe. Actynolite, compact and fibrous, of a dark green col- our, surface splendent, and longitudinally striated. It some- times runs —_ with the above, often passes at right an- rally occurs ines it irregularly. It is imbedded ina fine grained gran ommon Serpentine, in the hill upon which the Uni- versity stands, in 1 this town. Its colour is pir with a striped in some parts with pale black; ure is uneven, and it epnties; when moistened, an s — Der ; seston one, at Harris’ lime rocks, i in Smith- pas “The dente are <7 opera ig they mci abdes 3 ae inety are 6. White apis iy ried with yes and blue ani and spots. 7. Scaly Tale, colour pearly white, at Dexter's me rock, i in do. “By Porcelain Clay at do. ; observed while ggg a well Pale at do. eh. Crystals of Quartz, at Seekonk, Mass. Some ase some groups have been found here, consisting of regular formed erystals of the common shape, held together by the Agree of a small quantity of dirt o 2. Amethyst, at Westborough, Mass. The orystals: a : of the hexaedral form, and occur loose in the ground, fr which they are occasionally ploughed up. Many do no -. believe that they are natural productions, but suppose cha e to have been thus modelled by the inventive genius 0 of the the - original lords O f the . red man’s i So soil, and preseeve them as relies 13. ‘Ochrey. at Oxide of hin. at Scitu Miscellaneous Localities of Minerals. 298 tee ware Pla pike road. during ed ee war, purified, ae By many it was considered equal, if no ‘superior, to the Spanich Brown, and was much sae Substitute for i it. Itis ofa brownish red, and bloo a our, easily reduced to powder, and is so pure as to but little preparation previous to being employed.. : 14, Amethyst,* in small quantities, at »,00 t near the ferry. Many ahs the paenctnely el he lour is beautifu ts of rent shades, some k here is a coarse ‘contains hem 3 is arene + water, Prondence, RL, March 29, 1824. Additional Communication in a Letter to the Editor, da- ged: June i Great quantities 6 oe ue the in a few weeks | ice. sae in detached pieces, and also in large eg of tee traversing a granite rock in a state of decomposition. S is the prevailing rock at the locality, and all of the There i found in it, appear to be confined to quartz.t - here is but little doubt that this will prove an ipa pores : 3 i age * This his locality of Amethyst was. ne ationed in our last Nan Suthority of Professor We are Visited fae De Wolfe, but afterwards Mr. ‘pent a day in the research, and brought ae << hl __ t Professor Adams sa , Bere al Five 9 Ht re 1a of quarts;” but this is a mistake. et with in other parts g thers. have been dis- rosea ita the he roekeeapesally hat part tof it which contains aras ie ge to judge, it is confined to the quartz alto- ‘ atti fen mle as lige the a me thyst 230 Miascellancous Localities of Minerals. , if properly managed. Many specimens ns He been sent 14 to be cut and polished by Davis & Babbitt, lap- idaries, and to be set by Col. Baker, for es bles ear- in considerable quantities, is found at the locality of yenite, 3 epidote, &c. in Cumberland. We occasionally ‘meet with specimens of soiree ne quartz, contaaaee within them small crystals of yen Amethyst is found on the bodice of the Blackstone River, in Cumberland. We have not had an opportunity as yet of examining this locality, sufficiently to decide whether it will probably provetobeasimportantasthatatBristel. Very large crystals “$i sane of the common bean per! ect terminatior ness Hill. ve ? ibe dee BY THE EDITOR. Prof. wey, at p. 50 of our last ae eo ae ed the Aish pie oF applying the na icu r- of tale ibed 2, Xi 3, in vindication of the but we conceive it Bessy to oablich his remnant at large, because his reasons are sufficiently explained i in coe original Spa oad already alluded to. n confirmation of Mr. Webb’s observations as to the eu- us effec bok heat, we would add, that specimens brought ‘us, two or three years ago, from the same locality, by J D.S. 8. a H. Smith, of Sutton, exhibited under the ypipe the same hy ead which are so soohentely described by ion ad ebb. 3. By Dr. Samven Rosrnson. Prosiguiok R. I, March 25, 1924. aan, Gounskeaias Prase sandtaled with actynolite 1 ga . east of . Eee raw Beraaeda which is about 1 ci N Prividenis : ies : ive * Mowe ar Tal, or either itses oF then; will excange ip of other States. Miscellaneous Localities of Minerals. 931 la ce associated with calcareous rtz. > place — pane considerable ver> tical pee ico ie Ferrugi inous ren expo in closely int amids on siliceous stone, on ‘ Diamond Hill,” wi about 4 miles N. of E. from Smabecicad Meeting H and amo: orphous i in detached masses near C. M. H. — | Micaceous ae oe Tron, a mile N. Ni - ae C. M. - associated with Quartz al = pet HA0k Opp EP, 45 years ago. whonate of Copper, peaneciad with Magnetic Oxide of lion, 34 same place, also }.a mile N. of C. M. H. on magnetic Iron ore, where a shaft was yee sunk. Steatite a little distance south of the “ Mine Hole.” eat in abundance and of good qualit Lyon the borders of « Sneerchs Pond. ” Also’ oisite, in veins of Quartz distinct angular grains of trar r Quartz finely comminuted, of a me hornblende, half a mile Ne Wz of “TL Flac ns of Qua yee in detached masses of Granite without mica, S. of i Diamond Hill,” and in several other parts of the tee ea wanese. It appears at the foot of a hill which rises 30 or 40 feet, on the east side, of Blackstone _ River 23 miles N. of Pawtucket, i ina stratum of 6 to 18 ~ Inches thick, visible 20 to 30 age in length, ; ab pee water, in gravel, res ipon a s' : y brown Oxide of Iron of — extent with bes na isma agence, in his Lecture than a mile | he of C. M ; ches wide licing N. and S es itl to the west, raversing coarse sfeatite. 232 Miscellaneous Localities of Minerals. Indurated Talc, Chlorite oe Loam. Its Lamine are from 6 to 12 inches in length, of a al fege- _ locality isin the middle of the road, and few years since by the workmen in Septirick the eae at ace. I obtained from ten to twelve hundred weight. as. B. Halsey was the first mineralogist who ob- ed specimens at this place—(about two years ago.) _ usciculite of Mr. Hitchcock, on Mica Slate 1 mile N. E. of Woonsocket vill lage. Micaceous Oxide of sree in quartz—Blackstone loa: Ivy Jonnson 4 miles N. N. W. from ee Gran- ater Limestone,’ Steatite, Indurated aisles Rege oath k, and varieties of Tremolite. ae sie c " and ra nsocket Hill is about mah sillanes Smithfield. It ex- ttherly and southerly, and is a qualities pears on ¢ surface on various parts. of the ae “The i tariditaict = See = anes cliffs a omecttes aod al ote I N: stone is ale and some of it is easily quarried. ayes of it is easily pulverised and very white, other parts of it are hard to break and traversed by veins of compact artz. The Quartz ofthis rock is granular and of an- gular structure, alittle yellowish, and some of it is reageh ica is reddish and white. This stone has the property of withstanding the effects of heat, beyond any other, and has been transported in waggons 50 or 60 miles for furnace hearths for 40 or 50 years. It is called ‘ the furnace stone,” w with tallow, on what the mowers ar rifles, it answers extremely wll sharpen their scythes, and has long been used by iy eS ) It loses some of its sharpr 3 and strength by being po dimpsied | ina Neat. : Ba t 3 thousand dozen woul average, perhaps, for ten . . Nore.- . Robinson vail exclani the mi aoe Rhode-Island for those of other districts. Miscellaneous Localities of Minerals. 233 4. By Ticos Portex. Limpid See - _ ate prisms and well sayatal- lized, on Broad M n. we Laminated ulin cat "Combifiagton and Plainfield. — occurs both of the milky and smoky varieties, and : well characterize a nes th generally blue, on the margin of aire Worthing “seep mica abundant in eng at Williamsburg. lack tourm ie at Goshen. The crystals are gen- ermix of them are formed on granite, tei ab a coveuiiie of white < quartz more than an n thick. Sospolite, in the south-west part of Boahen, The talsare often several inches in length. Their surface is is very distinctly striated, the structure foliated. The lon- gitudinal fracture exhibits a shining and even metallic lus- tre, the color a lively are gray; the cross fracture is often splintery. In some specimens the ecage s are cur- ved, blended and curiously ints a laced. Som e of the ler crystals have a shining surface, and ai nearly lucent. The scapolite at this place, as ast Chest is ponils associated with white quartz, = ee. ingtonite of Prof. Dewey a Thee ock, that con- tains this mineral, has been known to the common people for several years, under the name of the Copperas Rock. Pieces of ithave been occasionally used in dyeing as a sub- stitute for the sulphate of iron. It lies by the road side in the east part of Cummington White augite, at the celebrated locality of indicolite, Goshen. Magnetic oxide of iron, in small cubic crystals, at Plain- _ field.” This variety occurs in arenaceous quartz. Black oxide of manganese, compact and earthy, at Cum- Mington. There are also two localities of the compact variety of this ore in the westerly part of Plainfield, at both of ey it occurs in great, abundance, apg of excellent qua Pl Plainfield a: Tesg 1924. 934. Miscellaneous Localities of Munerais. 5. By Martin Fret. TO THE re Chrysoprase and Pimelite. ok Dbeality of Chasers! and — has lately been discovered, by my son, at New Fane. They occur in veins, in soxpastines The chrysoprase is found amor- phous, and its fracture is a little splintery. Its specific gravity is 2.75. It is of an apple green colour, and trans-_ lucent. ‘The colour of the green earth or pimelite i is very e chrysoprase, which it accompanies, and which, in some asia it almost envelopes. The e is easily reduce dry ee der. These miner- s have been anions a Prof, ewey, and other expe- rinsioad mineralogists, who do not hesitate as to their na- ture. I have no information, that chrysoprase and | welt have before been discovered in this country. beautiful minerals, and I will improve the first spore ty, to send you specimens of them. At the same locality are found, precious serpentine, ste- atite, pot stone, chlorite, scaly talc, indurated tale, actyno- nes eee deny, calc. me bitter spar, diallage and asbes- “New Pune, July 16, 1824. 6. By Prof. J. F. Dana. ee carbonate of cad dt earthy * § Franconia,N. H.rare. Green ipa of are small needle shaped diverging | crystals. Littleton Green aha ae: of copper earthy 1 in mica slate. Hanover, PS ier eT CED a 1 a ce Galen Enfield, N. H. Miscetlaneous fotalities of Minerals. J 235 sot schorl in of k whit quarts, abun- Zoisit ee ’ Bidet or ae Hanover, N.H. ose ca blood-red Jerruginous quartz, ee. aeavaris rock, ones, quartz. ~ Schorl, in larg e masses, not regulary crystallized, but m, Mass. 7. By Cuanxes W. Surrarp. exhibit ga crystalline tendency, Pelh - Black mica, fine specimens, ‘on Green Hornblende ferioce Wabeston, oe resembles chalcedony. i u: tre, Its fracture is nearly even, soméiat splintery, and flat conchoidal. It breaks readily under the blow of the tammer, into large, indeterminate, sharp-edged fragments ; Sometimes exhibiting concretions. Its colour is leek-green, uniformly diffused, excepting, occasionally, small whitish ‘ots, which are distributed through the mass at nearly equal distances. It is translucent. Before the blowpipe, it loses its colour, and becomes white. Should it belong ~ to the sub-species chalcedony, it is the variety called Plas- ma, a mineral which has not, hitherto,been found in the Uni- ted States. It was discovered in digging a cellar, i ina rounded mass, upwards of two feet in span Native Alum, in mica slate, Ware, Mas Brown Spur, associated with amethyst found by Mr Alonzo Chapin, West-Springfield, , Amherst, Mass, March 31, 1824. 236 Geology of the Country near Easton, Penn. | 8. By Georce W. Carpenter. White Beryl. This beautiful Beryl is in well defined, regular, hexaedral prisms, (with occasional small modifi- cations,) which vary in size from one quarter to one inch in diameter, and from one to two inches in length, colour white, occasionally yellow and pale green, and several spe- eimens which I have collected possess a pure, uniform, and rich green; it occurs imbedded in granite, on the old York road, five miles from Philadelphia.—Rare. Radiated Steatite. This mineral is composed of little tufts, or more irregularly grouped. Each of these tufts is made up of acicular crystals, or fibres, diverging or radia- ting from a centre, exhibiting a silky lustre. It occurs on the Wisahi one mile above its confluence with on creek, Abundant. No, 294 Market-street. Art. V.—A ‘Sketch of the Geology of the Country near Easton, Penn.; with a Catalogue of the Minerals, and a Map. By J. Fincu, F. B.S. &e. Easton, in Pennsylvania, situated at the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware, is distinguished by the beauty of its scenery, and by the varied and extensive views which the surrounding country affords. It is also interesting in a geological point of view; the oldest range of rocks is probably the : tenite of Chesnut Hill, which is near four miles in ex- tent, in the immediate vicinity of the town. The central part of this ridge is composed of feldspar, quartz, and hornblende—but these minerals are variously combined. Sometimes the hornblende predominates, and the roc! passes into hornblende slate; in other parts the rock is aa of feldspar and quartz, coloured by epidote and orite. Sienite forms also a range called the Lehigh Hills, whieh run parallel with the Blue Mountains; in a south-east direc- tion they extend into Virginia, and terminate at Monticello, the residence of Mr. Jefferson. Large quantities of iron ag j bd a aa Geology of the Country near Easton, Penn. 237 contains a great variety of minerals. ae ransition Limestone abounds in the vicinity of Easton. Ithas a bluish gray colour; splintery fracture; and con-— tains veins of hornstone. Hitherto it has not been found to in any fossil remains. Its strata are inclined at differ- ent ang) m are sometimes curved. Caverns d in this formation; an interesting one may be seen urham, about nine miles from Easton, and in many places this rock presents isolated summits of the nassus, about four hundred yards south bridge, in the State of New-Jersey. This characterized, consisting of quartz, feldsp is inclined at an angle of 70°. Diluvial deb - ial debris surround it on every side, and thus its exact junction with the limestone cannot be perceived ; but it has the same inclination as that rock, and contains a vein of limestone. Transition Clay Slate extends from the foot of the Blue Mountains, nearly half way across the valley: there isa marked difference between the fertility of the farms situa- ted on this tract, and those of the transition limestone. Slate quarries have been opened on this formation near the banks of the De:aware, by a company of proprietors in Philadelphia; but the inferiority of the transition slate has rendered the shares not very productive. ee, Transition Sandstone—this name may be applied to a quartzose breccia, of which the Blue Mountains are com- Posed in this part of their range. They may be distin- Suished at a great distance by the shadowy tint of the for- ests by which they are covered, and by the even line with which they bound the horizon. Where the Lehigh river Passes through the mountain, the breccia exhibits polygo- 236 Geology of the Country near Easton, Penn. nal forms, with four and sometimes six regular sides. Phey resemble basaltic rocks. iluvial —many of the valleys and the shores of the riv- ers are partially covered by this formation, which consists of sand and clay, containing fragments of the older rocks. The following is a list of some of the minerals which are found near Easton. They were all discovered by Dr. Swift, who resides there, and who has been indefatigable i in his exertions to ascertain the minerals in his vicinity. The public are indebted to him alone for exploring this locality. In the Sienitie range of the Lehigh. -Hornblend and lamellar; two and a half miles daeence Sea “the old | Philadelphia road. Prase, at the same pla Chiorite, compact and aerealisend, do. Tourmaline, in imperfect crystals, Epidote, compact and crystallized. Sahlite, eight miles from Danan, by the side of the river road to Enis a, Magnet, es 5 mmon Magnetic Oxide of fron, noe Mientangs Oxide of Iron, 5 sc Compact, Scaly, and Ochrey Red Oxide, o "Bp - Hematitic pro Oxide of Iron, compact ra 38 and fi oe EReetecoons Oxide of Iron, E> = ‘Titaniferous Iron Sand is found on various parts sienitic hills, after heavy rains. 2. S m In the Sienite of Chesnut Hill. Sahlite, in small quantity. ourmaline, perfect, in veins with suerte Horn blende, compact, slaty. _ Epidote, compact and crystallized. Manganesian Epidote, in hexaedral prisms. -Chlorite. Micaceous Oxide of Tron. Red ot gi compact aot a Argillaceous Oxide. A ieee e rs RS Geology of the Country near Easton, Penn. 939 Chromate of Iron, in octaedral crystals. Sslico-Cale. Ox. Tita In the Steatite of Chesnut Hill. Calcareous Spar, flesh-coloured. — lagnesian Carbonate of Lime, compact and crystallized. Brucite, or Chondrodite, crystallized in carbonate of lime, about one hundred and fifty yards de Bae Wolfe’s quar- Ty, on the opposite shore of the Dela Zircon, eaecsed * in tale, in four sided prisms, termina- ted by a ed pyramid at each end; the crystals vary in length, from one sixth of an inch to two inches, and in breadth from one tenth to one half of an inch: colour, clove brown. These crystals have td found in three different localities, but are not very abun Mica, lamellar and crystallised i in ‘pris ms Nephrite, in large masses; colour ereenish white; frac- ture splintery and dull; translucent; very difficult to break. Saussurite, bluish green, translucent. Schaalstein, i in small prismatic concretions, When i im~ Mersed in nitric acid, it falls into gray ee ee Tremolite, common, glassy, and fibrous; very Amianthus ; compact and ligniform asbestos ae ' Augie, green, imbedded in flesh coloured t taibcaase of im Scapolite, i in four-sided prisms, truncated on the edges: 3 sate various shades of green. Hornble Actos glassy and fibro recious Serpentine, dark ci, various shades of yel- : ee ndant. a lov and green. ommon Serpentin Talc, ceyieslssed in n large masses, —* white, silvery White, common ; indurated, and sc Steatite. A quarry has been recat opened to obtain this mineral, which occurs in large quant Gra aphite, granular and foliated, iaahedded in tale and ‘ea in different parts of the range. en Carbonate and Red Oxide of Copper, in minute Cube and Dodecahedral Iron Pyrites. 240 Additional Remarks on the In Transition Limestone. Rock crystals. In some of the ploughed fields these Quartz crystal. ; crystals have been abundant. Dr. Swift has one crystal, a flat six sided prism very mueh compressed, in length half an inch, three eights of an inch in width, and one line in thickness; this crystal has eight- = facets : also prisms with a terminal pyramid at each "Caleaveon ei in B hexecirel prisms. Pearl Spar, in Brown Spa Agaric mineral and Fossil Farina occur “iindactly i in all the fissures of the limestone. Veined e. Astratum has been found four miles orth west from Easton, but the quantity is not yet ascer- taine Sioinstone; of various colors, generally black. In the Diluvial Formation. Jasper, Chaicedony, Lydian Stone, Hyalite, &c. _ No. 126, Broadway, New-York. Art, VI.—Additional remarks on the Geology of a part of Massachusetts, +o (See Vol. VIII. No. 1.) By Prof. Cnester Dewey Since the publication of the Geology of this section, I have made additional observations upon the southern pi and still farther south and west in the states of Connec- ticut and New-York. These observations will extend our knowledge of the geology of the country above the high and east of the Hudson, and continue the sec- tion ia the state of New-York considerably farther to the south, The alternations of mica-slate and granular limestone, mentioned Vol. VIII. p. 15. are more numerous than ° had before noticed. In passing across the direction of the strata in Sheffield, and in Salisbury, Conn., I observ the ig a: Se =r Se ee se ee nae Geology of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 241 eccurrence of these rocks nine times* in the distance of three miles, making four alternations of the two, and leaving the mica-slate on the west of the limestone. The county of Dutchess lies directly south of Columbia county, and extends to the state of Connecticut. Th e small county of Putnam, which contains the principal part of the highlands east of the Hudson, is on the south of Dutchess county. s The mica-slate of the Taconick mountain is continued penrarte ee the western rt of a ee and Sha- ing s ng 2008 east af it. t crossed it in two: 4 olaves » and fous d the mica-slate associated with primitive argillaceous slate upon both sides of it, as described in the above. geo Vol. VIII. p. 19, of this Journal. The e granular limestone is continued parallel with the range of mica-slate along the east side of Dutchess county, and, according to infor- mation, of Putnam county also. If is associated, as in rkshire county, with great quantities of dolomite, SO “ friable as to be continually falling me and and of com- Mon magnesian limestone. There can be no doubt of the continuation of the range or beds of onan limestone in ee direction from Berkshire county towards Long Island The rocks between this range of Pr ened and the highlands I was not able to examine. Although it is pag desirable to have the result of an examination of this se tion; the continuity of this range of mica-slate cannot ‘a affected by it. For, if this range of mica-slate should be distinctly connected with the gneiss of the highlands, it would only show the repetition of some of the older rocks on the west of the mica-slate, _ nearer to the transition rocks. If transition rocks are interposed be- tween the two, the highlands would fecby be more. sq horses separated from the _nacgpete woken of New-I * With respect to Salisbury this fact is mentioned, p. 211, Vol. Il. of this Jourtial, on the authority of the Editor. Voi. VI. No. 2 risk 242 Additional Remarks on the Between the range of mica-slate and the Hudson, the the same rocks are found, as have been already described in the counties of Columbia and Rensselaer, Vol. VIII. pp. 2i—24. After passing the range of mica-slate, we find transition limestone, transition argillite, gray wacke, and the argillite along the Hudson. In this part of Dutchess inty, the transition limestone presents generally s e characters as in the two counties north of it. masses, however, which contained many fragments of ar- gillite, aeienenrure: the age of the rock very clearly. The lies the west base of the highlands in the south part of this county. It appears to be associated with gneiss on the east; while on the west it is, as before stated, connected with transition argillite. It appears also in beds i in the argillite. _Gray-wacke appears to be less abundant in Dutchess co. than i oe Columbia co. It occurs however in masses over much of the western half of the county. In the town rat Washington is a huge ledge of it, composed evel of quartz cemented by an argillaceous substance. Speci- mens, similar to thee, are found in the gray-wacke, E. of Troy, but I had never seen such an extensive mass of this variety. Transition argillite is the principal rock in Dutchess co. west of the mica-slate. Although it sometimes contains limestone and gray-wacke, or alternates with them, it is es- sentially the same rock where it first appears and where it forms the banks of the Hudson—full of seams and easily broken into angular fragments. In the town of Fishkill, ! noticed several beds of gray-wacke so disposed in it as to show that the origin of the two rocks must have been co- temporaneous. The argillite and gray-wacke in New- burgh, —- to Fishkill, contain petrifactions of several kinds. Some masses of gray-wacke are compose wholly of Fecibiatalites while in others, there are e frag- ments of argillite, siliceous slate, &c., like those of the same rock at Troy. In Fishkill too I found petrifactions in siliceous slate, like those at Hudson, associated with ar- —— range of mica-slate, before mentioned, seems te have a small inclination to the direction of the sree themselves. The hills, which constitute the range, SS Geology of apart of Massachusetts, dc. 243 more nearly on the meridian and the strata themselves are nearly in the same line, while by the termination of one hill or mountain, and the origin of another farther west, and extending farther south than the preceding, the inclination of the whole line of. hills is more to the west. See plate II. at the end, on which NS is the me idian, ne , A, A, are separate hills, and the line AA their general irectio On the west side of the mica-slate and the transition limestone, the strata of argillite appear to be still more inclined to the west, while the general direction of the argillite is parallel to the range of mica-slate. This is represented on the same figure. The dotted space, BB, is the ‘niuation limestone, and the lines CC are the ar- gillite. The whole is represented from the appearance to the eye, as no angles of inclination were attempted to be measured. The following minerals or their localities, may be sub- joined to those published with the geology :—~ Native Alum Effi It is yellowish, white, and green, and is united with a small quantity of sulphate of iron. The rock is mica- Spodumene ? In small ee. in granite—Chester. By the action of the blowpipe it is first converted to scales or plates, which then melt into a glass. The mineral is brittle, scratches glass, yellowish or pale green. Tren Ore. Beds of this ore are found in Hillsdale, N. ¥. in the same range with that ulready mentioned in Amenia, N. Y. and several miles north of the latter place. 244 Notice of a singular Conglomerate, 4c. Chrysoprase. | have lately received from Gen. Field,* of New-Fane, Vt., specimens of this mineral found in that town associa~ ted with serpentine. It closely resembles the chrysoprase fom eager Silesia. Art. Vil.—Notice of a singular conglomerate, and of an tn locality of trap tuff or tufa, in a letter to the Editor sus Ticeavs brad rete years in My possession a specimen ofa very singular a rock, which |] found as a rolled mass on the banks of Deerfield river, and of which, T have never met witha Aeon It may be described, as a mica slate, in whichare imbedded numerous rounded peb- bles of limpid quartz. 'Uhese vary in diameter from one quarter of ap inch, to two inches ; and their colour is light gray, or milky, and, in some instances, especially in the smaller nodules, they have a strong resemblance to semi- opal. They are in general perfectly rounded, may be dis- engaged from their bed. and appear precisely Ake quartz oaies that are found along the banks of riv They constitute, in grees one half of the rock, Boa in no 1n- stance, (although I have recently seen numerous specimens,) have I discovered a pebble of any other sort. base of the rock has a schistose structure; but I have not no- ticed any thing like planes of stratification. The mica is abundant, though in small plates ; and the quartz is gran- ular, and may be merely comminuted portions of the im- bedded nodules, It was — act the peculiar composition of this con- glomerate tracted my attention ; but its locality also. Deertield A we in‘all its course before it reaches the spot where I found this rock, does not pass over, or n ear, aby secondary rocks. Its bed is entirely primitive, consisting * Seo Gen Pi014° at th * +1. } were | wa seeatindees ~ 9 Notice of a singular Conglomerate, &c. 245 of mica slate, hornblende slate and granite. The enquiry then arose, must not this conglomerate belong to a prim- itive series ? Bcies,! The present season I have discovered this rock in merous bowlders on the west side of Hoosack Mountain. ‘Hese are most numerous half a mile. or a mile, west of Windsor meeting-house, only two or three hundred feet below the top of the mountain, and, without doubt, many miles from any secondary region. The number and size of these loose masses (some of them 6 or 8 feet in diame- ter,) preclude the idea of their having been removed very far from their original bed. But 1 had no opportunity of searching for the rock in situ. The rock in the vicinity is gneiss and mica slate, succeeded, a few miles west, b granular limestone ; and [ have no doubt this conglomerate will be found associated, in some way or other, with this series, Isend a specimen of this singular rock with this notice, with the request, that if I have mistaken its character, or ifit is already described in any geological treatise, you will Not admit this communication into the Journal. I have not at this time an opportunity to consult all the most recent geological publications of Europeans. Flint ? I send also a specimen having the conchoidal fracture and grayish black colour of flint. I found it in bituminous shale of the coal formation, in West Springfield, on tae bank of Agawam river ; to which locality 1 was conducted by Mr. H. Herrick, of New-Haven. From appearances [ conjectured that this mineral had formed around a branching zoophyte. If it be not flint, itis a hornstone approaching very near to it. Trap .—In the 6 vol. of the Journal of Science, I have given some account of this rock, from a hasty exam- tation of it; and I am now able, from a re-examination, to Corroborate the suggestions there made, and to add a few More remarks. It exists on the east side of Mount Tom in easterly part of Northampton and East Hampton, in an extensive bed, between a red slaty rock of the coal forma- tion and greenstone. | traced it four or five miles, and towards its southern extremity, I had an opportunity of seeing distinctly the junction of the tuff with the slate; the latter mounting up on the back of the former at an angle nu- 246 Notice of a singular Conglomerate, &c. probably between 10° and 15°—I say probably ; for I had no clinometer with me. The tuff, near the junction, has a partial and imperfect stratification ; but farther from this line, the marks of stratification entirely disappear. In gen- eral, the rock is composed of rounded masses of greenstone (basalt ?) and sandstone, united by decomposed and com- minuted greenstone and wacke. Near its junction with the sandstone, I found a few pebbles of quartz and feldspar: but these are rare. The imbedded masses vary from the size of a pea, to one and even two feet in diameter. Most of these massessare compact, some are vesicular, and a ew, perhaps, are amygdaloidal. The base too is sometimes vesicular, like the slag of a furnace. Near the line of junction, I observed in some instances, what Dr. MacCul- loch calls “‘ a troubled mixture’’ of the two rocks, and nu- merous alternations a few inches in thickness. The bed appears to be very irregular in its width—or perhaps in some cases the tuff alternates with the greenstone. In some places I noticed the width of the tuff to be between a quarter and an half ofamile ; and on the side next the greenstone, the imbedded nodules appeared to be less numerous. | did not however find the actual junction of the tuff and the greenstone :—but perhaps some future ob- server may be more fortunate. The sandstone imbedded in the tuffis the same as that which lies above it. his fact, unconnected with others, come to the trap tuff, and going a little farther, you meet e om yi th “hus it appears that the greenstone contains at least one bed of the red Notice of the Ancram Lead Mine. 247 the tuff, the imbedded sandstone masses in that rock must have proceeded. And this is one of those cases in geology, _ in which it is demonstrable, that a long interval must have elapsed between the formation of differeut beds of the same rock. In this instance, it is certain, that the lower beds of -the slate and greenstone must have been first arranged and consolidated ; and then, some violent convulsion must have must have been reversed, and the tuff cemented and con- solidated ; and finally, the agents employed must have been brought to the same state as when the lower beds of slate were sited, in order to the production of the same slate above the tuff. Such a remarkable series of revolu- tions must have demanded a considerable length of time. Ihave no leisure, nor disposition, to discuss the bearing of these facts upon existing geological systems ; nor to point out their important relation to the first chapter of Genesis. I know of no facts in the geology of our country, that show 80 irrefragably, that long periods of time must have been ®ccupied in the formation of the secondary rocks, 2. oe o P. S. Upon further examination, | am inclined to refer the comglomerate rock described above, to the Conglom- erate Quartz Rock of MacCulloch, as described in his geology of the Western Isles, and in the London Geological Trans- &€tions, Vol. 1. p. 60. Second Series. f “a gi eos, Art, VILI.—WNotice of the Ancram Lead Mine, by Cuares A. Ler. To rHE Epiror. I uarexy visited the lead mine at Ancram, Columbia County, N. Y. and as | have seen no notice of this locality ' the Journal of Science and Arts, the following particulars May not perhaps be wholly uninteresting. : In passing from Salisbury to Ancram, we first meet will: ia alternations of Gran. T.imestone and Mica Slate and the 248 Notice of the Ancram Lead Mie. the argillite begins to disappear, and Limestone interme- : : : iate between the granular and compact takes its place. As we proceed west it becomes finer grained and 1s evi- Some of the slate is glazed like that at Troy, N. Y. and ituminous shale. It is often regularly good samples of roof-slate. This but a small part of the hill. As we netrate the rock it becomes of a grayish white color, has a conchoidal fracture, and effervesces in acids. The sh and Limestone appear to be passing into each other, and the lime and alumine are in very nearly equal proportions. It might perhaps be called an Argillo-Calcareous Slate. The vein of Galena intersects the rock nearly vertically. At the surface it was not very thick but increased as they descended. The mine was worked 4 or 5 years when if was abandoned about a year since, as it was said, on ac- count of the scarcity of the ore. Several excavations were make an angle of 60° with the principal seam by which the rock is divided.” The same remarks will apply to the argillite of this region, as well as that of Albany and Renselaer Cos, as noticed by Mr. Eaton in his Index to the Geology ofthe Northern States. p. 172. hii e . Notice of the Ancram Lead Mine. 249 as rich as any in the U. States. Its fracture presents broad Jaminez, which on breaking fall into cubes. It likewise Iron. In contains imbedded an abundance of clear Geslest quartz crystals, which by carefully breaking the ore can be detached aye In addition to Hig. Galena* the follow mg minerals oc . i: Mobybdete: a poe ? Occurs in aciall tabular cone of a pale orange yellow color, and distinctly foliated. ad are translucent and have a glistening lustre—yield easily to. the knife, ane. melt before the blow pipe into a dark colton tes ; of Banjieacs veins of considerable thickness in the mailine. and limestone. ‘Three varieties, the con ereted, granular and epnct In some places it forms a gangne for the Galena. 3. Sulphuret of Zinc. The brown variety is most abun- dant—the yellow not uncommon. Lustre highly splendent and metallic—generally SSO se quartz. } bun , of a brass yellow color, sometimes in small regular scutes It is sometimes of a bluish color, and would then Hinson Diy come under iat species, called black copper by Jamesor 5. Green carbonate of Copper. Combine Coslackite. is common associated with the galena. It is of a beautiful green color, and extensively tinges the quartz connected with i pty Putney: Perfect six sided crystals are contained in the galena. They are very abundant, sometimes with flattened sides, and their situation evidently shows that the = was: deposited round them, often in small geodes. evel Quartz. Associated with copper, Mendege “ily ita This variety includes ich of the * From the appearances | ye judge that the vein was of considerable pe "Dis cr that severa Eaietpes to disc over the:o re proved unsuc- essful ; but ¢ y were made m the direction Ofthe y Vein, edit in one nabioee a t near rly a rigbt angle sh it. Should it Pm be wb sooo a drift from the adjacent valle ey would much facilitate eCURnowm 5 ay: Saas VIH.—No. 2. 32 250 Granitic veins and beds in Chester, Muss. quartz found in the mine, and is often beautifully foes? with malachite in dendritic form Fetid Quariz, Forms a pet for the blende. 7. Puddingstone. Yn considerable masses, Wt: cae the argillite. ay. Ofa grayish color, produced by the decom- position of the slate 9, Sulphuret of Iron. In small cubes in the areuitey and also amorphous. & Salisbury, Jul 18, 1824, Art. 1X.—Notice De theGranitic veins and beds in Chester, Mass. by E, Emmons. Custer, Juty 8, 1824. in aie: about, Chester is hilly d mo DUS, I o abrupt. precipices of various: heights, from 10 to 50 or 80 feet in perpendicular elevation. The direction of the rock strata and hills is N. aud aud S. an inclination of only a few degrees to the E. or W in some places, as in deep vallies, the strata are verti The principal rock is mica-slate of fine and nearly compact structure. Jt breaks into rhombic fragments of various sizes, having sharp and well defined edges. Imbedded i the rock are garnets ofthe size of small shot, etanrot and cyanite. In many strata these minerals constitute b far the largest portion of the rock. Ir oa. face. of the. country the rocks of Chester, the attention of the geologist is at tracted to the number and variety of the granitic beds us veins. The granite is gray and of a coarse texture, Con- taining in many instances large blocks of feldspar’ and quartz. The plates or tables of mica are often beautiful and are portions of regular crystals. The quartz is always strongly fetid, while the feldspar in immediate contact is inodorous. The quartz is often beautifully pense y ; insulated tables of mica. There are several positions 18 which the granitic beds and veins are found. pai (see fig. T. pl: I.) which I shall notice, isa horizontal y Granitic veins and beds in Chester, Mass. 251 ‘supported on the vertical edges of the strata of mica-slate. An area of several square rods is exposed to examination, anconcealed by the soil. It is uniformly about four inches thick and fills the inequalities of the inferior rock. The Yein is not in one continued plane, but projects downwards into the mica-slate, and gives off narrower branches which terminate within a few feet of the principal vein. This vein appears three times in an area of twenty square rods, though not inan unbroken mass, yet they were evidently once connected. Another position in which granite occurs may be seen fig. 2. These veins and bed were discovered in Norwich. allel veins eight inches thick come up from below and unite with the bed. The bed is irregular in its shape, and gradually tapers each way, till it terminates in points. ‘ At these points, it is distinctly seen to rest on the edges of the strata and not to penet urate between them ; it once extended farther N. and S. at present, for masses of granite are still seen ampere he mica-slate for several tods, On the east side, the rock which Constitie the ‘walls j is entirely broken away, and exposes the w ‘to view. There are many other masses or beds or granite which are apparently in the situation of this last, though it cannot be determined whether they are connected with veins, yet it is probable they are. It is very certain that in many places the principal masses of granite do no tee deep, as they can be seen to become thinner as they Seseand between "hie eptrata of mita-slate, and a few which I have seen, actually terminate after “Penetrating a few inches downwards. | ig. 3. PI. JI. represents a section of a granitic bed*. It ‘against th -slate on the west, but on the east i It is four feet thick, and i is twisted and. prismatic mica. One crystal of blue tourmaline is to Neen thége, inghes J in diameter. One ofgreen has been *Lam ee wi vith he common definition of pee and veins. | should e: sy all the granite which occurs here, granitic some In- stances it js impossible to determine whether the ata isin bed or veins. 252 Geology and Mineralogy of Salisbury. detached measuring two inches, and enclosing one of blue. Fig. 4, represents a bed still more twisted. Veins of gran- ite are sometimes broken off and thrown out of their course, as in fig. n conclusion I would remark Ist. that where granite. occurs in horizontal veins as in fig. 1, it does not appear probable that they were deposited in this situation, but rather in perpendicular ones. For I believe there is suffi- cient evidence to prove that the mica-slate, was once de- posited in horizontal beds and that the present vertical position was caused by an — of force below suffi- cient to break and upturn the strat ‘here are veins which sipprdacti nearer to a perpen- dicular (teehee than the example given. In this case the” mica-slate is less vertical—so- that the relative position 1s is still preserved. 2nd. Granitic beds as fig. 3. were deposited in the same period as the mica-slate and were ‘elevated to their ae! sent position at the same ti ime. eng Art. X.—Sketrh of the Coens md Mineralogy of Sali bury, Con. ; by C. A. Lee. [Prepared for the Lyceum of Natural History in the Berkshire Medical Institution. | He Geological Remarks. A SINGLE township affords but little room for geological investigation. The inclination of the strata can be obser- ved, and the relative position. of the rocks; but it is only on the large scale that the science can be studied to ad- vantage. or any tae be formed which will rationally account for all the fac The principal nook in Salisbury are mica-slate and Fein a limestone. The former is most abundant and Orms all the highest hills, and the *Taconick range-— “This is written nbn ctenresnt in Pres. Dwight’s Travels,and as it is the nanraeas had perhaps better be retained. Taconiek is the popular og ciation, sis iia ali Geology and Mineralogy of Salisbury. 253 For the most part it is easily distinguished ; sometimes however, it might be mistaken for gneiss, and oceasionally from its soft texture it oo be called beri ‘slate, or talco-micaceous rock of Eaton. But su €2 es are rare. It is often fissile, and easily split pr tabular and thomboidal masses. Veins of fetid quartz several inches in thickness often intersect it perpendicularly to the strata. It contains iron ore, (of which the ‘brown oxide, hematitic and beet are most common, ) feldspar, | graphite, ma sulp ur, ,augite, be. The frequent alternations of granular limestone and mica-slate in this town, were noticed by Prof. Silliman in a former number of this Journal.* In examining them the geologist will be convinced of any thing sooner than of quartz ers mica nites ve it a pasties aggregate ah emarks, “of being named, and hardly worth the trouble of doing it.’ In the last number of this Festeval Prof. Dewey de- scribes a rock of mica-slate as resembling a pile of huge saddletrees ; the convex side uppermost, showing the ap- plication of some force from beneath. There is a rock of the same kind in this town, but the convexity is revers- ed. How any of the existing theories would account for ach appearances I know not. The strata are often un- dulating or of a zigzag form, the layers being distinctly parallel. There are manggpch. facts which confound the ea inquirer. We may suppose how such appear- neces may have been produeat but how they were may be aiitther thing. The imagination can picture an internal fire, heaving the massy granite above the incumbent rocks, ora plastic world slowly obeying the laws of affinity, and arranging its solvent materials as attraction mieten yet we might be as far from the fact as ever. t Vol. Il. pi 21. In many instances the slate 254 Geology and Mineralogy of Salisbury. Natur al dee-Houses. Chasms of scantherabies extent are met with in the mica- slate,* forming natural ice-houses, where the ice and snow remain most of the year. One of these in the east part of the town is perhaps worthy of a particular notice. The chasm is several hundred feet long, sixty feet deep, and about forty in width. The slate is of a very compact kind, and must have required a powerful convulsion to have einai it. The walls are ogee sd and corres- pond with much exactness. At the bottom there is @ spring of cold water, anda cave of some extent. As you enter the chasm, you are struck with the romantic beauty of the spot. Above it is peemriciely overreached with =] ines (pinus strobus) and hemlock (p. canadesis), to- ofty gether with stately walnuts he poreiua) and butter- nuts (juglans cinerea), &c. &c.; while below the ground is adorned with a great variety of plants, and the rocks with numerous species of mosses, lichens, and ferns. These, together with its. cool Iness and entire solitude, make it a very pleasant retreat in summer. It is cal ocd -Hollow from its formerly being a famous haunt for wolves. Granular Limestone. This i is a continuation of the western range of | Dewey, commencing in Vermont, and extending through Benning- ton, Williamstown, Lanesborough, West phar a ie: it It is SLIDERS stratibed, with apes in- clined stra ~ * Lat. about 43° N. Geology and Mineralogy of Salisbury. 255 do the south si of the town the limestone presents a curious appear: _In an abrupt hill of mica-slate seve- ral handred feet i in an it forms a regularsegment of acir- cle supporting the slate. The ledge where this i is seen. to best advantage is p lar, about seven ty feet high. The limestone risessity feet, and graceful ending forms the arch. The rocks are united so as A present the appearance of having come in contact when _ a state of partial solution. The hi mestone. is genes ee a, appears to form the nucleus of the hill. al The dolomite of this region is to a great extent exile, nd much resembles the magnesian limestone of § nd, Eng. Like that it ag le in acids as Fendt ‘a ure carbonate of lime. Its flexibility however does not pear to diminish by loss of moisture. Pieces of a small size which have lain on the surface of the ground for years. appear as flexible as when newly dug. In this respect ~¥ 80,1t resembles the Sunderland limestone, — flexibility Temains after the water has entirely esca - The surface of the limestone is often cachsbe by the de- composition of sulphuret of iron, besides whieh it Contains » sos Priel ens sis seas &ec. SEES | Altuvial. — “The alluvial deposit of this town is of collsidarable ex- tent. cas Eaton’s division e primary and icsecrmsk the banks 0 e *Hooe tons ore ea wash from the bank in sea a state of preserv Trees also are fear >, which have ae been hid for centuries.— vhen, Baposed to the atmosphere, soon, sae 4 us = Simple Masai £6 : bonat e of Line, abundant, icici Er ike ites cent, intersected with Calcareous Spar, both crystallized “See Pres. Dwight’s Travels. 256 Geology and Mineralogy of Sulisbury. and laminated ; crystals obtusely rhombic—somewhat,le = Limestone. See Geological Remarks. asta Saleh occurs in a stalactical form, under iimestone ro