350 Desciption of the Bare Hills. 



The district in question, lies upon the northern slope of a range of 

 irregular hills, running a little north of east, and south of west. This 

 northern slope is composed, principally, of serpentine rocks, and is in 

 extent from east to west, about one mile, and from north to south, or 

 from the summit to the base of the hills, nearly half a mile. 



The Falls turnpike road, running north from Baltimore* passes 

 directly over the ridge, dividing the district into two nearly equal 



parts. 



The approach to the Bare Hills, from Baltimore, is by a gentle 

 ascent up the southern slope of the hill, which commences a few rods 

 north of the passage of the Susquehannah rail road across the Falls 

 turnpike road, six miles from Baltimore. In ascending the hill, the 

 surface presents but little to interest the mineralogist or geologist, 

 beside the view of the surrounding country; this, with the exception 

 of the narrow inter-vale upon the borders of Jones's falls, is composed 

 chiefly of high, bold, and -picturesque hills, which, at certain seasons 

 are covered with a luxuriant vegetation. The hill under consideration, 

 is not, however, without interest to the mineralogist. The first ap- 

 pearance of a rock-formation is on the left hand, in rising the hill, and 

 this was first exposed to view in making the turnpike road. It is of 

 mica slate (or what some would call gneissoid) miming in a N. W. 

 direction (contrary to most of the leading ridges) and having a dip to 

 the south west. The extent of this formation to the north west is 

 not exactly known ; it has, however, been traced several miles, al- 

 though it seldom appears above the surface. 



The grounds, on the right hand, descend into a valley in which 

 runs a small stream of water, supplied by springs which flow at the 

 head of the valley. At, and in the neighborhood of this point, and 

 on the slope of the hill upon the east side of the valley, we ob- 

 serve the first appearances of the magnesian formation, viz. steatite 

 variously modified. Arriving at the summit, we see on the right 

 hand, the commencement of the serpentine formation, which extends 

 northwardly to the base of the hills. On the descent, which is grad- 

 ual, the entire district opens to view, both to the right and to the 

 left, presenting to the eye, a series of hills of regular and pretty uni- 

 form surfaces, but upon which sterility seems to have established its 

 uniform and unyielding sway ; for, with the exception of a few stint- 

 ed shrub oaks, which have taken root and derive a scanty nourish- 

 ment from a thinly scattered soil, that in time has been formed in a 

 few of the low depressed places, scarcely a shrub or bush of any 



