OCR Text |
Show 146 primitive rock of this hill, above the base, is principally silicious, some part of it being of the h~u·dcst flint, others a freestone extremely compact and solid and of various colours. 1'he base of the hill, and fo~· a considerable extent, is composed of a blackish blue schistus, which divides into perpendicular lamina like blue slate. The water of the hot springs is, therefore, delivered from the silicious rock, generally invisible nt the surface, from the mass of calcarious matter with which it is incrusted, or rather buried, and which is perpetually precipitating fron1 the \Yater of the springs: a stnall proportion of iron, in the form of a red calx, is also deposited; the colour of which is frequently distinguishable in the lime. In ascending the hill several patch s of rich black earth are found, which appear to be formed by the decomposition of the calcarious matter: in other situations the superficial earth is penetrated, or encrusted, by limestone, with fine lamina, or tninute fragments of iron ore. The water of the hot springs n1ust formerly have issued at a greater elevation in the hill, and run over the surface, having forroed a tnass of calcarious rock one hundred feet perpendicular, by its deposition. In this high situation they found a spring, whose temperature was 140°. of Farenheight's thermometer. A~le~ .passi~g the calcarious region they found the pnmitlve hill covered by a forest of not very large trees, consisting chiefly of oak, pine, cedar, holly, hawthorn, and others common to the climate, with a great variety of vines, some said to produce black, and others yellov.~ grapes, both excellent in their kinds. The soil is rocky, interspersed with gravel, sand, and fine vegetable mould .. On reaching the height of t\~o hundred feet perpendicular, a con~iderable change m th; ~oil was o~servable; it was stony and f,rravelly, With a superficml coat of black earth, but immediately ~nder. it lies a stratum of fat, tenacious, soapy, red clay, 1nchn1ng to the colour of bright Spani~h snufl~ homo· 147 geneous, with scarcely an ad . saline but tJ c Y mixture of sand no ' ra 1er a soft agreeable t ' diminishes, and the rocks I.IlC . . as.te: the timber · rl.., rcase 111 SIZe to th mlt. he whole height is estimated at t . e sum· feet above the lev <:I of the . II " lu ee hundred Q . . Vel C}. 11 exammmg the four rinc· 1 . which yield the oTeatest P . 1pa spnngs, or those h . 1 b ' quantity of wat 1g1est temperature No 1 er, or of the mercury to 150° N' · was found to raise the N . o. 2 to 154o. No 3 to 13 o o. 4 to 132 degrees of' F h . · 6 . and the last is on the west si(le ofarteln Cit's kthermometer: 11 b · . 1e cree - · N 3 · sma asm In which there . 'd · o. IS a f 0 • • IS a cons1 crable · o 0 recn matter, havma- much th quantity vegetable body, but de~avhecl fro e appearance of a connected with it by somet] . JI?k the bottom, yet · 1mo· 1 ,..e a t h' rests m calcarious matter. Th~:,bod • s em, w 1ch pseudo plants was frotn four to fiv . ) I of ~:me .of these the bottom a smooth film . f c me 1es _111 dmmeter; r. . e S0Ine tcnacitv d h upper sur lace chviclccl into nscendin fib J, a!1 t e three fourths of an inch lo . , g 1 . res of naif or fi h · ng, 1 csembh ng the 'll f a s ' In transverse rows. A lit 1 fi gi so another stnall muddy basin . ·It .e 1 ulrther on was warm to the fino-cr. I·n .t . ' m " 1tc 1 t 1e water was · b • 1 was a verme b h mch long, movino· with a . . s a out alf an motion. • It was i~variably s~Iyent~1e or vermicular matter forming on the stoneo serdve l' that the green st· t f s an caves cove d la um o calcarious earth so . . re a or brittle, at others soft 'd . metimes a httie hard, bottom of one f an . Imperfect. From the of gas was obs~rv~~le ~\~~~· :hnngsl a ft:equent ebu1ition collectin the ' 1C not lavmg the means of not inflm~'mabk,c~~~~~~~ :I1~~~sce~a;t~ \ts natu~e.: it was carbonic '1cid fro I 1S Il.t c ( oubt of tts being iron, held' In ~olttt'l~ tb1c ol1uanttty of lime, and the '"fl I 11 Y t 1e water. 1ey made the f ll · quantity of water dc~iv~~:~i'~~ roug·h es~imate of the are four priJ1CI. al . . y th~ spnngs. There· n·s m· g out of tl pc SJ)nngs ' t'.r O of In ['e n· or note. one and .1 . . le gravel, and a number of d . ' . c rammgs, all issuing fi·om the margJ·n o :tppmgs c , r ,rom un ... |