64 Tour to the Caves in Virginia. 



found on the surface, can only be accounted for, by supposing 

 powerful subterranean disturbances. On our return we visited 

 Madison's cave, about two hundred yards nearer the hotel. Un- 

 like the other, this cave has no artificial door at its entrance, to 

 prevent the ingress of strangers; the "old cave" as it is now 

 called, being considered as beneath notice, since the discovery of 

 the new one. The entrance of both is more than one hundred 

 feet above the level of the river ; the ascent to either is very 

 precipitous. The entrance to Madison's cave is capacious, the 

 surface of the floor is less rugged, and is also, for the most part, 

 destitute of stalagmite ; salt petre has been obtained from the 

 earth taken from the floor of this cave. From the appearance 

 of things we thought that the occurrence of fossil bones in this 

 locality not improbable, and we set our labourers to digging in 

 two of the lowest positions of the two first chambers. In the 

 deepest room, the floor consists of clay — then at three feet depth, 

 of red earth, or decomposed red sandstone, one foot in thickness, 

 which lies on the original floor of the cave, resembling a com- 

 pact red sandstone. Whilst the digging was going on, we follow- 

 ed our guide along a narrow high gallery, by a continuous descent 

 of some hundred feet, until further progress was interrupted by 

 a body of crystal water, which is said to be of immeasurable 

 depth, and beyond which no one has yet explored ; some terri- 

 ble tale of silent suction existing in this water, has become preva- 

 lent in this neighbourhood, and effectually paralizes the efforts 

 of the exploring Homo troglodytes. 



Our researches continued actively for five hours, when we re 

 turned to the hotel, fatigued, covered with mud, and disappoint- 

 ed in our expectations of obtaining fossil relics. We dined at 2 

 P. M. and immediately continued our journey, and after a ride 

 of fourteen miles arrived at Harrisonburg, via Port Republic, 

 over a road indescribably bad. The weather has been so cool 

 since our arrival in these mountainous regions, especially subse- 

 quent to the thunder storm, which we encountered north of 

 Charlottesville, that fires are kindled at all the hotels at which we 

 halt, and cloaks are an agreeable appendage during the day. 

 Contrary to theory, the season is less advanced on the south-west 

 limestone region of these mountains, or what is known as the 

 great valley of V^irginia, than it is on the more northern exposure ; 

 the leaves on many of the trees have been destroyed by the frost 



