SOURCE OF ST. PETER S RIVER. 197 



rather refer it, with Messrs. Conybeare and Phillips, to 

 the newer magnesian or conglomerate limestone of Eng- 

 land ; to this, we think, it has the strongest analogy. 

 It is probably connected, as we have already intimated, 

 with the limestone situated above the coal fields of Wheeling 

 and Zanesville ; it extends over those parts of Ohio and Indi- 

 ana, where salt has been found ; it is observed cellular, 

 cavernous, &c. on the banks of the Wassemon ; it is con- 

 nected with real calcareous ashes on the Mississippi. The 

 presence of the oolite which was observed here in a single 

 spot, does not militate against the position which we have 

 taken, as we find it stated, by Conybeare and Phillips, 

 (page 302,) on the authority of Mr. Wynch, that the mag- 

 nesian limestone is occasionally oolitic. It presents in many 

 of its points, the characters of the rauchwacke, and espe- 

 cially the cellular or cavernous structure ; it is seldom found 

 very abundantly strewed with organic remains ; its colour 

 is the pale buff passing to the ash-gray. In fine, the more 

 attentively we examine it, the more closely do we find it 

 to connect itself with the formations of Thuringen, and 

 with those which cover so extensive a part of England, 

 and more particularly with that observed in Yorkshire by 

 Professor Buckland ; offering thus, as it appears to us, a 

 beautiful confirmation of the analogy established between 

 the various kinds of this limestone, observed in divers parts 

 of Europe, There is an experiment which would, as we 

 conceive, place the matter beyond a doubt ; this would be 

 an analysis of the limestone with a view to ascertain the 

 quantity of magnesia which it contains, and we regret much 

 that the loss of our specimens has deprived us of the op- 

 portunity of making this analysis. But we think the case 

 sufficiently strong to justify us in considering this as the 

 formation corresponding to the magnesian limestone of 



