Peculiarities lately found in Iron-Jlone, 33 



thither, and found a pit newly opened which had a greater 

 refemblance to a quarry than an iron-mine. Some old pits, 

 of no great extent, one of which forms at prefent a fmall 

 hog, feemed to indicate that a mine had been here worked 

 formerly ; but never to any great extent, becaufe the ftrata 

 of iron- (lone, very compact, half a fathom in thicknefs, were 

 found at the depth of only half a fathom below the furface of 

 the earth. 



The whole furface of the furrounding diftricl: is covered 

 with huge irregular manes of balaltes, a prodigious quantity 

 of which forms in the neighbouring foreft a group of rocks 

 known under the name of lVolj'jhi>i, where large pieces of 

 hafaltes are heaped upon each other, as if by art, to the 

 height of nearly ten fathoms ; and, as this accumulation 

 occupies a circumference of fome hundred fathoms, this 

 mafs, in confequence of its gravity, and the prefTure thence 

 arifing, may have deviated from its perpendicular direction, 

 and produced thofe numerous apertures and flflures in the 

 neighbourhood. It forms a very awful appearance in the 

 dark foreft; which, however, is pretty much on a level, and 

 excites a well-grounded fear, that, in the courfe of time, con- 

 fiderable fragments of it may tumble down and crufh fome 

 of the inhabitants who ftray about in the neighbourhood, 

 and who often vifit this Wolfftein, which they confider as 

 the ruins of an antient cattle. 



About 200 fathoms to the eaft of the above iron-ftone 

 quarry lie the boundaries of the territory of Orange-Naffau ; 

 where the mountains evidently confift of ftrata, and where 

 bituminous wood may be found almoft everv where at a cer- 

 tain depth. T (hall abftain from all further description, as a 

 full account of this diftricl: may be feen in a fmall work on 

 this fubjecf., written a few years ago by Mr. Becher, coun- 

 fellor of mines at Dillenburg, and alfo in the third part of the 

 Mineralogical Defeription of the Country of NafTau-Orange. 

 I muft however obferve, that near the boundaries of Naflau 

 and Hachenburg the mountain changes, and the argillaceous 

 flate-mountains begin. The diftrict around the iron-ftone 

 pits of Hachenburg conflfts of argillaceous flate. The ilratum 

 itielf is compofed chiefly of brown hematite almoft without 

 variation, in which particles df red iron ochre, lithomarga, 

 and argil, occur. The hematite is pretty funble, and abun- 

 dant in metal, and produces good malleable iron. Accord- 

 ing to the account of the director of the works, who was 

 examined on the fubject, the above piece of native iron was 

 imbedded in a round cruft of fuch hematite: it was fome- 

 what grown on the one fide, and the iron-ftone on it was 



Vol. XIII. No. 49. C very 



