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which the raaniifacturers will be enabled to furnish this article. And 

 though the whole matter may be said to be in an incipient state, there 

 is every reason to feel satisfied with the prospect, which so fair a begin- 

 ning holds out to the State, for obtaining a result so very desirable, as that 

 of supplying her citizens with this important article, from the product 

 of her own manufacture. 



SUMMARY COMPRISING GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE ECONOMICAL 



RESULTS OF THE SURVEY. 



From the view we have now taken of the rock strata, which com- 

 pose the lower half of the southern Peninsula of Michigan, it will be 

 seen, that the geology is of an exceedingly simple character, while it is, 

 at the same time, richest in the mineral wealth most important to an 

 agricultural community. 



Michigan occupies a portion of the great Valley of the Mississippi; 

 the richest in the world — and which is wholly occupied by a broad ex- 

 tent of the rocks classed by geologists in the transition and secondary 

 formations. Of these, the great limestone formation, (of which that of 

 the west end of Lake Erie is a p<irtion, and which concluded our view 

 of the several geological groups which make up the organized portion 

 of the State,) occupies the lowest place, and is the lowest and oldest of 

 the rocks found on the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The LTpper Pe- 

 ninsula of our State, as will be seen by the Report of the State Geolo- 

 gist, is constituted of lower and still oliler rocks, and presents, in conse- 

 quence, a very different aspect^ as well as a different mineral character, . 

 from the Lower Peninsula. 



The most important of the minerals usually associated with the rocks 

 of those formations which compose lower, or Michigan proper, are iron 

 and lead ores, coal, salt, gypsum and marls. There are no indications 

 which would warrant the supposition that lead, in any valuable quantity, 

 exists on the lower Peninsula. At least, it may be positively assumed 

 that no ores of lead will be found throughout any of the present or- 

 ganized counties of the State. All the other minerals mentioned, ex- 

 ist, and some of them, as has been shown, in great abundance. The 

 results of the examinations into the economical geology of the State, 

 as regards the most important of its minerals, I shall here briefly reca- 

 pitulate. 



