214 Miscellanies. "He 
above alluded to were discovered, Dr. Torrey and Prof. Bailey have to-. 
gether examined specimens of limestone from Claiborne, Alabama, and ~ 
= 
lite have heretofore been noticed in our green-sand formation. In this 
connection we may also announce the interesting discovery recently made 
by Prof. Wm. B. Rogers, of 
A vast Stratum of Fossil Infusoria in the Tertiary Strata of Virgin- 
ia.—It occurs about twenty feet in thickness, beneath Richmond, and 
is found to be filled with new and highly interesting forms of marine sili- 
ceous infusoria.* It would be interesting to have the specimens of the 
green-sand formation of the far west, collected by Mr. Nicollet, examined, 
to see if infusoria or Foramimifera may not be found in them. 
An interesting paper on these subjects, by Prof. Bailey, with two plates, 
will appear in our next number. 
23. Discovery, in Virginia, of the regular Mineral Salt Formation 
As salt springs and fountains are very numerous in the western and south- 
western parts of the United States, it was natural to expect that mineral 
salt would, sooner or later, be discovered. Indeed, strata of salt, in reg- 
ular position, and roofed and floored by beds of sandstone, were, some 
ew years since, reported by the Rey. Mr. Parker,t a missionary among 
the Indians of the far west, as existing in abundance, in a mountain on 
the Salmon river, among the Rocky mountains; but no mineral salt, in 
the solid form, had ever been discovered in the United States propet- 
Now, however, we have the pleasure of announcing this discovery on the 
authority of the Rev. Stephen Taylor, of Abingdon, Va. His letter 10 
us is dated March 4, 1841, and was soon followed by a large box of salt 
of the most indubitable character. ‘vii 
Tt was taken from a well which is “still in the process of being dug, 
at the salt works about eighteen miles from Abingdon, in the county 
Washington,” now perhaps within the bounds of Smyth county. . From 
Prof. Wm. B. Rogers, as the geologist of Virginia, we must expect @ full 
scientific account of this salt formation, which, however, appears to have 
been discovered, as we are informed, since he visited that part of Vir- 
ginia. The following particulars are derived from a correspondent of 
Mr. Taylor, and they may not be uninteresting in anticipation of the ge 
logical report of Prof. Rogers. =~” ' 
Different persons vary in their report of the depth of the different wells. 
That of the salt-rock well does not vary much from two hundred and sixty 
* See Prof. Rogers's Report on geology of Virginia, 1841, pages 38 to 42. 
t In conversation with the senior editor, Mr. Parker mentions (see his travels; 
ae Seeing the salt a mile off on the left; he was too ill to climb up to it, but 
the Indians some for him, which was pure and crystallized. 
