120 Mineralogy and Geology of the White Mountains. 
Dike at the Notch. 
On the east side of the Notch, in the face of the cliff, quite ele- 
vated above the road, there is a dike four or five feet wide, that 
may be seen at a considerable distance, crossing several furrows 
in the cliff, and strongly contrasted in color with the rock. 
Mount Washington. 
This eminent peak, which is still generally acknowledged to 
be the highest point of land east of the Rocky Mountains, is one 
of very great interest to the geologist ; and here, possibly, many 
points in meteorology, affecting materially the history of that 
branch of science in our country, are to be decided. 
Brackett and Weeks gave a rather extended, though general, 
notice of the White mountain range, in the “ Historical and 
Miscellaneous Collections,’ Concord, April, 1823, and took levels, 
in 1820, from the Connecticut river, at Lancaster, to E. A. Craw- 
ford’s (now Fabyan’s) Mountain house, eighteen miles, and found 
it 1000. feet higher than the river; then to the top of Mount 
Was , and found it 5,850 feet dove tha river. The facts 
in this acbotnt are interesting, and it would form a very convenient 
guide-book to any who should wish to examine the range. The 
only particular to which I wish at present to invite attention, is 
the nature of the rock crowning the summit of Mount Washige 
ton. The visitor, on the west side, has to encounter much less 
difficulty in ascending the mountain than formerly, as he can ride 
on horseback seven and a half miles; then commences his jour- 
ney on foot through the woods, from which he occasionally 
catches a glimpse of the mountain tops, and when he emerges 
from the woods, where his vision is unobstructed, the various 
views are very beautiful; but the object of his pursuit appears still 
a mile distant. The peak he sees capped with a rocky covering, 
destitute of vegetation, broken up into huge masses, which, as he 
passes from rock to rock, seem as disjecta membra in the wildest 
confusion ; but when he has once surmounted the peak, and re- 
covered raae the mingled emotions of surprise, pleasure and sub- 
limity which fills his mind, and given his attention to nearer 
and minuter objects, his satisfaction, if he be a geologist, will 
than when viewing the more distant and impo- 
