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Show 150 the atn1osphere: On digging where the slope of the hill was precipitous, they found the second stratum to be a reddish clay, resembling that fout~d on the conical hill, east of the catnp. At two-t~Jrds d.own the hill, the rock was a hard freestone, mtenntxed w·ith fragn1ents of flint, which had probably roll~d from above. Still lower was found a blue sclustus, 111 a state tending to decomposition where exposed to the atmosphere, but hard and resembling coarse slate in the interior. Many stones had the al?P~arance of Turkey oil stones: at the foot of the hill It expands into good farming lands. . . Dr. Hunter, upon exammmg the waters of the hot springs, obtained the following results: . It differed nothing from the hot w~ter In smell or taste, but caused a slight eructatiOn shortly after drinking it. . . . Its specific gravity is equal t~ rain or distilled water. It gave to litamus paper, a shght d~gre~ of redness, . evincing the presence of the carbomc acid, or fix~d air sulphuric, and threw down a few detach.e~ particles. Oxylat of ammoniac caqsed ~ deposition ~nd white cloud, shewing the presence ot a stnal~ portiOn of lime. Prusiat of potash produced ~ sll~ht and scarcely perceptible ting~ of ~lue, deSJgnatmg the presence of a small quantity of Iron. Sixteen pounds of water evaporated to drynes~ left ten grains of a grey powder, which prove.d .t~ be hme. The myrtle wax tree grows in the VICmtty of the springs. At the season in \vhich the voyagers were there the wax was no longer green,. but had changed its c;lour to a greyish-white, from 1ts l?ng exposu~~ to the weather, rfhe berry when exammed by a microscope, is less than the smallest garden pea, ~~- roaching to an oval in fonn. Th~ nuclu~, or Ieal ;eed, is the size of the seed of a rad1sh, and IS cov.er~d with a number of kidney shaped glands, of a bl o:' n color and sweet taste; these glands secret~ the "ax which cmnpletely cnrclopes them, and, at this season, 151 gives to the \\·hole the appearance of an imperfectly white berry. 'rhis is a valuable plant and merits attention: its filVorite position is a dry soil, rather poor, and looking down upon the water. It is well adapted to ornament the margins of canals, lakes, or rivulets. T'he cassina yapon, is equally beautiful, and proper for the san1e purpose: it grows here along the banks of this stony creek, intermingled with the myrtle, aud bears a beautiful little red berry, very much re~embling the red currant. The rock through which the hot springs either pass or trickle over, appears undennined by the waters of the creek. The hot water is continually depositing calcarious, and, perhnps, some silicious matter, form. ing new rocks, always augmenting and projecting their promontories over the running water of the creek, which prevents its formation below the surface. \Vherever ·this calc.1ri9us crust is seen spreading over the bank and 1nargin of the creek, there, most certainly, the hot water will be found, either running over the surface, or through some channel, perhaps below the new rock, or dripping from the edges of the overhanging precipice. T'he progress of nature in the fonnation of this new rock is curious, and worthy the attention of the mineralogist. When the hot water issues frmn the fountain, it frequently spreads over a superficies of some extent; so far as it reaches, on either hand, there is a deposition of, or growth of green matter. Several lamina of this green matter will be found lying over each other, and im1nediately under, and in contact \Vith the inferior lamina, whic~ is not thicker than paper, is found a whitish substance resembling a coagulum; when viewed with a microscope, this last is also found to consist of several, sometimes a good number of lamina, of nhich that next the green is the finest and thinnest, being the last f~rmed; those below increasing in thickness and tenaCity until the last terminates in a soft earthy matter, which reposeC) in the more solid rock. Each lnmina |