t52 Tour to the Caves in Virginia. 



lies about one mile further west, is also plainly distinguishable ; 

 the views in these directions are then closed by the Blue moun- 

 tains, forming a pleasing back ground to the picture : towards 

 the east and south, the horizon is extended to an immense distance, 

 and the eye is at length tired with tracing the faint outlines of 

 the tops of receding hills and mountains. Towards the south, in 

 Bedford county, Va., are observable two pyramids, at least 

 eighty miles distant ; they are known as " Otter's Peaks." 



On our return to Charlottesville, we again visited the univer- 

 sity. The numerous buildings attached to it, are constructed of 

 different orders of architecture, which, whilst they serve as 

 useful specimens of the art?, give variety and interest to the 

 scene. The library, situated in the Rotunda, is constructed on 

 a large scale, and already contains many very rare and valuable 

 works, in the various departments of literature and science, prin- 

 cipally selected by Mr. Jefferson. The cabinet contains but few 

 objects in "Natural History of much interest, with the exception 

 of a finely preserved head of the Argali, or " Big-horn," from 

 the Rocky mountains, brought by Lewis and Clark ; also some 

 bones of the Mastodon. The lower jaws of two of these have 

 the remains of the inferior tusks, which characterize several 

 species of this genus ; they are precisely similar to those describ- 

 ed from an individual skull in possession of Mr. Peale of N. York, 

 and which has been erroneously supposed to have belonged to a 

 distinct genus of extinct fossil quadrupeds. 



At 4 P. M. we took leave of ''our kind friends, and pursued 

 our way to Wyers Cave, by the ro^ to Port Republic, and slept 

 the same night at Coxe's, a good tavern sixteen miles from Char- 

 lottesville, close to the Blue mountain. 



Sunday, 22. Recommenced our journey at 7 A. M. and soon 

 reached the base of the Blue mountains, at Rock-fish Gap, and 

 gained the summit on foot, hammer in hand. The eastern slope 

 of this mountain at the above named Gap, developes the follow- 

 ing rocks. Red sandstone ; green-stone ; old red sandstone ; slate 

 rock ; and granite ; some of these rocks run into each other, and 

 occasion many peculiar varieties. '■ 



A fine clear view of the Alleghany mountains, is presented 

 from the summit of this ridge. We arrived at Wanesborough 

 at 10 A. M. This place is situated on the south branch of the 

 Shenandoah, at the head of navigation, three miles distant from 



