352 Geology and Meteorology west of Rocky Mountains. 
bricks which surround the flues in a kiln. The basalt (greenstone 
trap) has the appearance of scorie or smith’s slag, at and near the 
base of basaltic columns. ‘These columns are mostly regular poly- 
hedra, often as perfectly pentahedral as those brought from the Giant’s 
Causeway in Ireland. 
The red sandstone often rises in peaks, like those on Glonsinee 
ticut River, between Northampton and Greenfield, several hundred 
feet in height ; while channels of rivers open the rocks at their bases 
to a great depth. The grey puddingstone, which often caps the high- 
est peaks, seems to defend it from the rapid disintegration to which 
the sandstone is subject. Many of these prominences are covered 
with eternal snow, never melting in the greatest heat of summer. 
_ Near the west side of the Rocky Mountains, and along the upper 
branches of the Colorado, which falls into the Gulf of California, and the 
Lewis river, which unites with the Oregon, Mr. Ball found first gray- _ 
wacke and sparry lime rock. But he soon entered upon the red sand- 
stone region; which continues, as the basis rock to the Pacific. After 
travelling about one hundred miles from the Rocky Mountains, the 
primitive boulders disappeared. The country is often very mountain- 
ous along the route to the Pacific; but the mountains are red sand- 
stone, grey puddingstone, or basalt. Such is the simplicity and uni- 
formity of the geology of the vast region west of the Rocky Mountains, 
that it can all be told in one sentence of six lines. 
The most astonishing facts, communicated by Mr. Ball, relate to 
the Meteorology of that country. From the first of June 1832, to 
‘the first of November, (5 months) less than one ineh of rain fell be- 
tween the Rocky Mountains, and a strip of land from one hundred and 
fifty to two hundred miles in width bordering on the Pacific. Veg- 
etation is exceedingly scanty thus far ; and profuse beyond descrip- 
tion as far as rains extend. For many hundred miles, the sky is al- 
ways serene by night; and scarcely a cloud is seen by day. While 
crossing the barren plains, Mr. B. observed, that the flowers of plants 
greatly exceeded the herbage in size and brilliancy. All parts of the 
plants were much stinted in growth excepting the fructification. It 
seemed to him as if nature had manifested more solicitude for the re- 
' production of species there, than for their luxuriance. 
The growth of all vegetables, along the two hundred mile border 
of the Pacific, is astonishingly profuse. The Deputy Governor of 
the English Fur Company, (Mc Laughlin) raised twelve hundred 
bushels of wheat,.a great quantity of barley, peas, potatoes, &c., last 
summer, (1832). He had purchased in California a considerable 
