188 Account of the Geology, Mineralogy, Scenery, &c. 
tains faintly appear to the southwest. The Haverstraw 
mountain is near you, with its camel’s back summit running 
westwardly ; to the South the Palisadoes are seen. In the 
immense valley embraced by these mountain ranges, the 
hills and plains, the cultivated and wood-clad tracts, the 
lakes and streams are viewed upon the uneven map of na- 
ture ; the greater part of this valley appeared in a good 
state of cultivation. To the southwest of Tappan sea in 
the direction of Hackensack and Pyramus, the country is 
in general very level and inclining to sand, and well adapt- 
ed for the use of gypsum, but this valuable manure is sel- 
dom used by the farmers of this district ; sandstone pre- 
dominates in'that tract. To the West of Kedidica Hook the 
surface is more uneven and hills of considerable elevation 
are seen adjacent to the Highlands mostly under cultiva- 
tion. The Hudson at your feet with its expanse of waters 
and numerous bays, is seen for a great distance ; its prim- 
itive eastern bank rising gradually to mountain elevations 
is thickly settled and most of the summits cleared. Fro 
Haverstraw to Stoney-Point, a distance of five miles, and 
from Haverstraw bay to the Highlands, in a northwest direc- 
tion the country is in general level, the soil inclining to sand 
is in many places underlaid by red sandstone. Good whet- 
stones have been recently quarried in this part of the coun- 
~The summit of Stoney-Point, once a distinguished mili- 
tary post, exhibits in place rocks composed of green feld- 
spar mottled with black mica, the feldspar however predom- 
inating; a slight effervescence is produced by acids. On 
the North side of this eminence a mineral is found which 
appears to be composed of iron, alumine, silex and some 
magnesia ; it occupies the mountain’s side and large blocks 
detached are observed on the shore—it has the aspect of 
an ore of iron. “This ferruginous rock embraces in veins 4 
mineral containing much magnesia ; it is translucent at the 
edges, the lustre waxy, the fracture splintery with a dar 
green, unctuous surface, answering pretty well to the de- 
scription of splintery serpentine ; its surface is dissolved 
by diluted sulphuric acid, and epsom salts formed in pume-* 
rous crystals ; this effect is not produced upon any other de- 
scription of serpentine that I have elsewhere met with. The 
peninsular situation and difficult ascent of Stoney-Point ren- 
