PART II. 



TOPOGRAPHICAL GEOLOGY 



OF 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



To His EXCELLENCY LEVI LINCOLN ESQ. 



GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



I HAVE supposed that my account of the Geology of the State would 

 he quite imperfect, without some notice of our Scenery. Strictly 

 speaking, indeed, scenery is not geology : and yet, the contour of a 

 country owes its peculiarities in a great measure to the character of 

 the rocks found beneath the soil : So that the geologist, by a mere 

 inspection of the features of the landscape, can form a very probable 

 opinion of the nature of the rock formations. The extended plain, 

 he will pronounce alluvial, or tertiary. The precipitous ridge or 

 mountain, if dark coloured, will indicate trap rocks ; if light colour- 

 ed, granite : If the summit be rounded, and the aspect red or gray, he 

 will suspect it to be made up of sandstone. The more extended and 

 less precipitous mountain ranges, stretching away over many a league, 

 correspond more nearly to primary rocks. In short, the connectio n 

 between the aspect of the earth's surface and the nature of the rocks 

 beneath, is so obvious, that I have thought it would not be a misno- 

 mer, to denominate an account of the natural scenery, Topographical 

 Geology. In the following sketch of the scenery of Massachusetts, 

 my principal object will be to direct the attention of the man of taste 

 to those places in the State, where he will find natural objects particul- 

 arly calculated to gratify his love of novelty, beauty and sublimity. 

 'i have not the space, had I the ability, to describe them with the vivid- 

 ness and fullness of the poet or the painter. But by sketching their 

 obvious features, I would hope to induce gentlemen of leisure and 

 intelligence, who are lovers of the beautiful, the sublime, and the 

 picturesque innature, to visit and more minutely to describe them- 



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