GRAND HALL. 227 



stalactites adorned the lofty roof, and the whole 

 scene had by torch-light an inconceivably grand 

 and splendid effect. At several places the ground 

 upon which we walked gave a hollow sound 

 when struck, and masses of decomposed lime- 

 stone were abundantly mingled with a fine black 

 earth. Proceeding some distance further, we 

 arrived at the termination.* 



After our return from exploring the great 

 cavern, we entered the smaller one ; [B in the 

 diagram ;] its extent is limited, but the stalac- 

 tites within were of great beauty and variety of 

 forms ; ray attention was here attracted by the 

 multitude of small bones mingled with dust, 

 which lay near and about the entrance of this 

 cavern ; how they came in this situation merits 

 enquiry, for here alone did I observe them • 

 they appeared belonging to some animals of the 

 Rodentia family, consisting of skulls and other 

 portions of the skeleton, some, indeed nearly the 

 whole, were in a perfect condition : near the spot 

 I picked up a small mass of stalactite, which ap- 

 peared to have l)een broken off from some por- 

 tion of the cavern, but its exact position I could 

 not discover, in which small bones, similar to 



* From secondary limestone rocks on Yas Plains, about 

 one mile and a-half distant from the river, I collected large 

 masses of what appears to be fossil Rotularia. 



Q 2 



