by E. Cornelius, “IS 
can Natural History, I shall be gratified, and rejoice to have 
made even this small remuneration for your unwearied efforts, 
to impart to one, formerly your pupil, a love for Natural Science. 
The Author's Route. 
My route was in a line. nearly direct from Boston to New- 
Orleans ; passing through the principal cities to Washington ; 
thence, diagonally, through Virginia, East ‘Tennessee, and the 
northwestern angle of Georgia; in a western course through the 
north division of the Territory of Alabama, to the northeastern ~ 
boundary of the State of Mississippi; and thence ina line near- 
lysouthwest to Natchez. From this last place I descended the. 
tiver Mississippi to New-Orleans. On my retarn I frequent! 
varied from this course, and had increased opportunities for sur- 
veying the country. Jn both instances I passed through the 
Countries belonging to the Cherokee, Chickesaw, and Choc- 
faw tribes of Indians, and travelled among them, in all, about 
one thousand miles. 
. Geology of Virginia. 
As others have described more minutely and accurately than 
lean, the country north of Virginia, I shall begin with a few 
remarks on the geological character of that state. It is there 
that the traveller, in passing from the Atlantic to the interior, 
Crosses successively the most important formations of the earth, 
from the most recent alluvial to the oldest primitive. Fora 
Considerable distance from the coast, the country is alluvial. It 
then assumes an older secondary formation*—and sandstone and 
Puddingstone are frequent. This is the character of the Dis- 
trict of Columbia, and indeed of a great part of the valley of 
the Potomac ' 
Sandstone of the Capitol, &c. ae 
{n this valley, and adjacent to the river, is found the sand- 
“tone of which the President’s house, and the Capitol are con- 
*Or, according to the Wernerian Geologists, Transition? Editor. 
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