Obfervat'ions during a Tour in America 



[Jan. Ij 



dertnoft ftrata or beds to be argillaceous 

 and micaceous fliiftus, and covered by a 

 very thick flratum of granite. The dip 

 of the ftratiim is about thirty degrees ; 

 the bearing veiy nearly tiorth and Ibuth. 

 The face of the rock riling to the wert, 

 that fide of the mountain is the molt ah 

 Tupt. The hill at Harper's-ferry, which 

 rifes from the confluence of the rivers, is 

 compoftd of argillaceous fhiftiis, in large 

 maffes, with perpendicular fiffurts. It is 

 eafily cut. -The ftratum rifes to the weft 

 or fouthweft; the dip about thirty degrees 

 to the north-eaft. 



'• Gn this hill is JefFerfon's-rock, noted 

 for the fingularity rf its appearance and 

 fitiiation. It dcferves a vifit from tlie cu- 

 rious, 



" A Captain Henry, of the late army, 

 rendered his tederalifm and his zeal roto- 

 rious, while the troops lay there, by 

 throwing down the large ftone or reck 

 which hny poi(cd on the (op. It bore the 

 name of the prelent Prefident of the Unit- 

 ed States, and was fuppofed to be the 

 place from which tlie writer of that pic- 

 turefque delcription viewed the fublime 

 fcenery it affords. It ftands near the Aim- 

 mitofthe hill on the welt fide of the She- 

 randoah. An enormous rock, in fome 

 convtilfion of nature, feerrs to have been 

 thrown from the higher ground upon the 

 mafs beneath, with fuch lorce as to ffepa- 

 rale the rock info three huge fragnicts, 

 now at a dift;mce of many feet from each 

 other. The angles of the difruptured 

 pirts agree fo exaftly, that not a doubt 

 can exift of the lafl: to thofe who view it. 

 One of thefe fragments has fnd down the 

 fide of the mountain for leveral ysiiis— 

 The flone which appears to have cauied 

 this extraordinary movement lay poifed on 

 the higheft part of the rock, ar,d, until 

 the greateft part of it was thrown down 

 by the Gothic zeal of the federal captain, 

 it prefented a natural curiofity equal to 

 the famous rocking ftone, and Stonehenge 

 in England. Tiiis rock is feveral hun- 

 dred feet above the plain below, and the 

 afcent nearly perpendicular. 



*' The United States have at this place 

 an arfenal and maniifaftory of fmall-arms, 

 in which they employ about fifty hands. 

 They avail themfelves of the fall of water 

 atforded here by the Potomak for the 

 movement oi the machinery; and the ci- 

 tizcns-of the United States may here con- 

 template the advantiiges of labour-faving 



machines and the divifion of labour in one 

 of their own eftjblifhments. 



" Thepublic-buildinp' belonging tofhis 

 eftablifiu ent are : — i , A fmall forge and 

 tilt-hammer. Here thr lough o'gingfor 

 bayorets, and the b^rs or plates out of 

 which 'he mufket-bariel> aie turned, is 

 done. The ! ellows and hamrnei arc mov- 

 ed hy two fmall water-wheels.— The next 

 building i a fmih's fhop, of biick, and of 

 confiderable length. In it the barrels are 

 turned on mandrels and welded, the bay- 

 onets fliaped, and ail the forging and 

 blackfmith-work completed. It contains 

 ten fires > r hearthi. — The third building 

 is al'o of brick, two liories high. The 

 lower (lory contains the grinding and cut- 

 lery department, with a vdy apprcf.riare 

 difpofition of machinery tor the v.oik. 

 Thefecond ftcry is occupied bythewhite- 

 fmiths, lock-m,akers, and ftockeis, and 

 has about forty pairs of vice and the ne- 

 cellary benches for this part of the manu- 

 fafluie. 



'•' The fuperintendant of this manufac- 

 tory of arm: is w filing to inticduce an 

 improvement in the flocking and mount- 

 ing of mufkets, as alfo in their conftruc- 

 tion, adapting the rifle-fights to the 

 fmoGth bore ard bayonet, furnifhsd mtif- 

 kef. I i'aw one on this conftru6tion, faid 

 to flioot remaikably accurate. The arms 

 inanufaflured here are certainly equal in 

 point of woikmanfhip with any which the 

 European artifts produce. It is iuppofed 

 they make and finifh about two ihoufand 

 Hands annually. The principal building 

 is the arfenal, cr depofitory of arms. It 

 is of brick, and ftands on the level near 

 the confluence of the Shenandoah with 

 the Pot'omak. That fubdivifion of labour 

 and application of machinery which forms 

 the balis of modern improvement, is here 

 well attended to j and the whole is carried 

 on in a -manner hij.hly creditable to thofe 

 concerned. All the workmen are com- 

 Ibitably lodged, and thofe who have fa- 

 milies occupy convenient houfes. 



." Higher up the Potomak, by about 

 two miles, is the public furnace and iron- 

 mine. At the I'erry, on the lands referved 

 by the former proprierors, are feveral 

 houfes, a ftore, and a tavern." 



Having made this long extract, I fhall 

 conckule with the afiluaoce of the efteera 

 of, Sir, your obedient fervant, 



Alexandria, R, DiNMORE. 



ziji Aiigujl, 1805. 



fur 



