158 Miscellanies. 



A mile from the great lias quarry, under the direction of assistant 

 Prof. Sanford, they collected specimens of sulphate of barytes, 

 mostly crystallized, in what appears to be third graywacke. But it 



may be argillaceous lias. 



Sunday 1 1 . — Students attend publbic worship in Chiteningo. The 

 Rev- Dr. Yates, Principal of the schools, treats them with marked 



civility. 



Monday 12, 307 M.— In Manlius, two miles east of the village, 

 they visit Lake Sodom. It is but a few rods south of the canal and 

 scarcely the fourth of a mile in length. It is strongly charged with 

 sulphuretted hydrogen, perfectly limpid, with a beautiful green bot- 

 tom of disintegrated ferriferous slate, the sides very white shell 

 marie and tufa, and the brim black vegetable mould. Beautiful red 

 fish, and also a white variety of the genus CyprinusV are seen swim- 

 ming in it, which cannot be distinguished from the Chinese gold fish at 



distance 



ay 



be referred to the chemical action of the sulphuretted hydrogen in 

 the precipitation of the metallic coloring matter. 



At the little village, called Manlius Centre, a bank on the south 

 side of the canal presents a most excellent view of the lias and its 

 associates. Here it embraces beds of gypsum,, vermicular limestone, 

 agaric mineral, &c. Numerous pseudomorphous crystals, imitating 

 crystals of common salt, are found in a soft variety of the lias. 



Tuesday 13, 316 M.— Syracuse and Salina. The manufacture 

 of salt by boiling and by solar evaporation is very interesting. 

 Hopper-form crystals are sometimes found in the vats, which will 

 hold half a gill of water. The pseudomorphous crystals of the soft 

 variety of saliferous rock are found here (as well as in the lias oi 

 Manlius,) three and four inches in diameter. Conclusive evidence 

 is now deduced from a view of the surrounding rocks, their dip, fee- 

 that Mr. Byington's borings* did not extend through the saliferous 

 rock into the millstone grit; but that the conglomerate masses which 

 he brought up were similar to the beds of breccia or conglomerate 

 often seen in ledges of this rock. It must be at least two hundred 

 feet thick here — probably three hundred. Experience alone will 

 determine the depth of the strongest brine ; and also the question, 

 whether or not, solid rock salt may be found in this rock. I am not 

 in possession of any facts from which I can deduce a safe inference. 

 That specimens of this rock, also of the superimposed ferriferous 

 rocks and lias, when left m a damp cellar, do shoot out acicular crys- 



* See Mr. Forman's remarks p. 141.— JEd. 



