jMlncralogical Journey. 291 



i 



permitted, however, to notice tlie granite, which here offers the aspect 

 of immense beds frequently divided by fissm-es in iwo opposite di- 

 rections, one of which is vertical, while the other is parallel to the 

 plane of the horizon, — the cuhoidal or prismatic masses being piled 

 upon each other, after the manner of rude masonry. Two or three 

 miles after having passed the narrow defile, \\hich is more strictly 

 denominated " the Notch," and at no great distance from the Willey 

 house, we began to notice by the road side, large fragments of a dark 

 grey rock, composed of an intimate mixture of compact feldspar 

 quartz and mica j and which in some instances, presented the char- 

 acters of micaceous or even argillaceous schist, of a black and 

 somewhat carbonaceous aspect. This last variety contained an abun- 

 dance of Made, though the crystals in general are rather ob- 

 scure and imperfect. These masses appeared to us to have been 

 brought down, by recent slides, fiom the heights above ; where, in- 

 deed, we imagined we could observe them insiUtj alternating in beds 

 with the granite : and we were led to conclude, that the specimens 



of crystallized hrown Q 



^ 



taining imbedded octahedral green Fluor , which are often found among 

 the slides of the Notch, must have had their original repository in the 



veins of this rock. 



The notices we had received concerning the geology of these 

 mountains niade the appearance of any other rock than granite, quite 

 unexpected j and our surprise was not a little heightened on being pre- 

 sented by Mr. Cook of Fryeburg (Me.) with specimens of a decided- 

 ly brecciated, or recomposed argillaceous slate, which he assured us, 

 covered, to a considerable height, the flanks of the Kearsarge moun- , 

 tain, — an elevation of nearly four thousand feet, and which must be 

 considered as a part of the White Mountain range. I am dispO' 

 sed to believe, that whenever these mountains shall be more close- 

 ly studied than they hitherto appear to have been, a much less de- 

 gree of uniformity will be found to exist in their composition than 

 has generally been supposed j though I am far from supposing that 

 granite is not the principal rock, and that it does not constitute the 

 summits of their most considerable elevations. 



8. Fryeburg Beryls. 



We are indebted to Mr. Cook, the Preceptor of the Fryeburg 

 Academy, for a knowledge of the interesting deposit of Beryh tliat 



