50 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



are occasioned by the granite ledge, so often mentioned, 

 which runs along the eastern coast of North America 

 for the most of its extent, and gives rise to most of the 

 falls, to those at least found near the ocean. This gran- 

 ite line runs from north-east to south-west, a-slant the 

 bed of the river flowing from west to east. The rock- 

 mass is chiefly a true granite, made up in divers pro- 

 portions of feldspar, quartz, and mica ; but quite as fre- 

 quently there are found large unmixed masses of these 

 single constituents. Especially, there occur now and 

 again great fragments consisting entirely of a beautiful 

 rose-colored feldspar which comes off in rhombs over 

 an inch in length. In the rock protruding from the 

 water very many giant-pots, or cavities, are to be seen, 

 of various diameters and depths, these hollow places are 

 within quite smooth and most of them larger below 

 than at the opening. Kalm and Bartram explain their 

 origin, in a very probable way, by the grinding of little 

 stones (almost always found inside) moved about cir- 

 cularly by the whirls of the current. Besides granite, 

 properly the rock species here, one finds also specimens 

 of all the more remote species, brought down by the 

 current, ground, and deposited. 



The James River, up from its mouth in the Bay, is 

 one of the greatest and most beautiful of American 

 streams, and on account of the profitable tobacco-trade 

 which it facilitates and furthers, one of the richest. 

 It is navigable for large merchantmen as far up as three 

 miles below Richmond, that is, below the falls. The 

 tide comes up to the falls. From Westham on beyond 

 the falls only flat-boats and canoes may be navigated, 

 and that no farther than to another falls in the South 



