Eruption qfLo7ig Lake and Mud Lake, in Vermont. 149 



The lake was supplied with water by a small rivulet, which still 

 continues to flow in on its western side. At the southern ex- 

 tremity, over ground scarcely descending, and through a chan- 

 nel of probably not more than a yard in width, the water of the 

 lake flowed out in a dull streamlet toward the south-west, and 

 between trees, shrubs, and rocks, worked out for itself a slug- 

 gish passage. This was the original outlet of the lake, and the 

 remotest head-water of the river La Moelle, a tributary of Lake 

 Champlain. The northern shore was generally low, rising not 

 more than five or six feet above the surface of the lake, and 

 consisted of a narrow belt of sand, succeeded by a bank of light 

 sandy earth. The country all around the lake, as well as along 

 its outlet at the southern extremity, was one unbroken forest. 



The distance from the northern end of Long Lake to the south- 

 ern end of Mud Lake, was about 200 rods. There was no original 

 communication between them ; the waters of the former, as we 

 have already seen, having been discharged towards the south, 

 and those of the latter towards the north. The ground between 

 the two was covered with a thick forest, and formed a very ra- 

 pid declivity from Long Lake towards Mud Lake. The low 

 bank of sandy earth which formed the northern boundary of 

 Long Lake, continued of an uniform height for about five rods 

 from the shore, where, becoming more firm and solid, it descend- 

 ed so rapidly towards Mud Lake, that the perpendicular de- 

 scent between the two, in the distance of 200 rods^ was at least 

 200 feet. 



The bottom of Long Lake, near the western shore, was rocky ; 

 at the southern extremity, beneath the shoal water, it was a 

 mound of sandy earth, and throughout the great body of the 

 lake was either sand or mud. The mud was black, light and 

 loose ; when wet, flowing like water, and when dry,*of a blue co- 

 lour, and light as a cork. The descent, at the northern shore, was 

 bold and rapid ; and on the bottom, near the shore, was spread out 

 a calcareous petrifaction, or deposit, called by one of the work- 

 men a hard-pan, of the thickness generally of two or three inches, 

 though occasionally of six or eight. I saw numerous fragments 

 of it ; and one, which I brought home, was an inch and a half 

 thick, and had the solidity and hardness of limestone. Its up- 

 per surface was of a light yellowish-brown colour, and had the 



