Morse.] 236 [January 6, 



The first land-slide of which we have any account, occurred on the 

 north bank of the Presumpscot River, above Pride's Bridge, on the 

 night of the fifth of May, 1831. 



There are two descriptions of this slide, one of which is contained in 

 a paper entitled "Geology of Portland and Vicinity," by Prof. Edward 

 Hitchcock, and published in the first volume of the Society's Journal. 

 The other account is contained in Dr. Charles T. Jackson's Report on 

 the Geology of Maine. We extract the following from Dr. Jackson's 

 Report. " The season is said to have been uncommonly wet, and the 

 clay, probably loosened by the frosts of winter, was rendered slippery, 

 so that when its hold was broken it glided forward into the river. 

 The waters of this stream were stopped in their course, and so 

 dammed up as to overflow their banks and alter the channel to the 

 southeastward. On examination we find no less than twelve winrows, 

 or long masses of clay which have been precipitated forward, and the 

 stumps of trees remaining all point toward the river. 



" One of the trees on the border of the stream stands inclined at an 

 angle of 40° from the perpendicular, and toward the stream. The 

 space left by this slide is one hundred and twenty yards in diameter, 

 and the clay banks exposed are elevated thirty feet above the river. 



" The lower bed of clay was of a dark blue, and very tenacious and 

 plastic, while the upper beds are more sandy, and of a light gray 

 color." Prof Hitchcock's account of this slide differs only in two 

 important particulars: that the trees on the ridges all inclined toward 

 the bank, and from the river, and that he was informed that the slide 

 occurred in time of drought. 



Prof Hitchcock is unquestionably right regarding the direction of the 

 trees, and judging from circumstances connected with the more recent 

 slides. Dr. Jackson had the best information regarding the character 

 of the season. This slide is designated on the map accompanying this 

 paper as the " Slide of 1831." 



On Tuesday, the fifth day of June, 1849, a land-slide occurred on 

 the southern bank of the Stroudwater River, a mile west of the vil- 

 lage of S., and about five miles from Portland. We extract the fol- 

 lowing account of its appearance from the " Portland Transcript " 

 of that time, a paper that has always contained thoroughly reliable 

 data of events of this nature. 



" The first view presented by this slide is a perpendicular descent 

 of over twenty feet, while immediately beneath, and in front, and 

 stretching along what was formerly the declivity of the ridge, is a 

 chaotic mass of blue clay, intermixed with some water and a little 



