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Geological Communications. 125 
. Extract from Judge Thompson’s letter. 
During my last visit at Troy, you strongly pressed me to commu- 
nicate the result of some observations, through the medium of the 
American Journal of Science. My reason for hesitating on this sub- 
ject is, that all my observations may have been anticipated. But at 
. Your request I will state, that for twenty years I have been forcibly 
struck with the following phenomena. Wherever the earth has been 
removed, leaving the horizontal graywacke bare, scratches and deep 
grooves are observed running a few degrees north of a due east 
course. I have observed this fact in more than fifty places, where 
the earth has been removed in the construction of turnpikes, com- 
mon roads, mill works, &c. But they scarcely ever appear on 
tocks which have been exposed to air, rain, &c. When these 
scratches first attracted my attention, I was almost a stranger to the 
Writings of geologists; but I could not resist the inference, that 
€y were made by heavy rocks or boulders, driven over the sur- 
face of the upper layers of graywacke by the waters of the del- 
uge. I was even inclined to infer, that the scratches indicated 
the direction of the oceanic waters. I did not venture on the opin- 
on, that the waters moved in precisely the same direction in all 
Plicess but that here, in Sullivan county, such was their direction. 
I Supposed that the general direction was every where the same; 
ut that the particular configuration of mountains, valleys, &c. might 
sve local variations to the course of the mighty movements of wa- 
tets many miles in depth. 
After ten or twelve years, I became acquainted with several geo- 
logical works which gave the waters of the deluge a direction from 
orth West to south east. Ihave only to say, that if these scratehes 
indicate this direction, such could not have been their course here. 
‘ If these facts, which I should be pleased to point out to Prof. Sil- 
man, or any other geologist travelling this way, (to whom I offer my 
i use for g home,) should be thought worthy of any consideration, 
nd Venture to present additional results of my observations, made 
ls place and its vicinity, during the last thirty years. 
Respectfully your friend, Wiiuiam A. THompson. 
Anos Eaton, Esq. 
