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quitted England for America, carrying with him that indefatigable ardour in the 

 promotion of scientific objects which, being united to the happiest qualifications 

 for the services on which he was engaged, could hardly fail to rouse a spirit of 

 philosophical research among those into whose society he might be thrown. The 

 name of Featherstonehaugh is as well known for his enthusiasm in the cause of 

 science, as for the possession of talents which enable him to exert that enthusiasm 

 so powerfully in her behalf. He has been one of those most actively engaged in 

 geological surveys in several of the States, and the result of some portion of his 

 labours has been laid before the public at the express desire of the American 

 government. The following passage is from the pen of Mr. F. He is describing 

 the travertin deposited by the waters in the valley of Sweet Springs, Alleghany 

 county, Virginia, and proceeds to relate a highly interesting phenomenon connect- 

 ed with them : — 



" I was one day returning to my cabin with some specimens of this travertin, 

 when I met Mr. Rogers, the landlord of the establishment at the Sweet Springs, 

 an old inhabitant of this part of the country and a very intelligent and worthy 

 person. He assured me that, some years ago, when hunting deer in the hills, he 

 had seen some rocks exactly resembling them. As he is a man of very good 

 judgment, I proposed to him to accompany me there, and he cheerfully consented. 

 Mounting his horse and accompanied by myself on foot, we went about six miles 

 in a north direction ; but so many years had elapsed since he had casually ob- 

 served the place, and the deep dells and hills, clothed with their everlasting woods, 

 resembled each other so much, that we passed an entire morning wandering about, 

 climbing one hill and descending another, till I began to think he had been mis- 

 taken, and told him so ; but he proposed trying another hill side called Snake 

 Run Mountain, and there I followed him. Being in advance of me, I heard him 

 holloa, and I immediately knew that the game was found. He approached me 

 holding in his hand a piece of very ancient travertin, which I recognized at once ; 

 and leading me to the brow of a hill, at least three hundred and fifty feet above 

 the level of the Sweet Spring, I saw, to my great surprise, a huge mural escarpe- 

 ment of travertin, skirting the brow of the hill, with the weather-worn remains of 

 old stalactites ; whilst the body of the rock resembled, in every particular, the 

 recent one at the cascade, abounding in large pipes of calcareous matter, which 

 had formerly enclosed logs and branches of wood. The pendant stalactites con- 

 sisted of concentric circles ; and there was the complete evidence that a stream of 

 mineral water of great breadth, containing carbonate of lime, had, for a great 

 length of time, passed over this brow, and formed the rock. The surface of the 

 rock, in many parts, was interspersed with what are vulgarly called pot-holes, 

 being circular perforations made in rocks by pieces of rock and gravel, kept 

 whirling in them by streams of water similar to those which I have seen at the 

 summit of the lofty hills of Lake George, in the State of New York. This Snake 



