ESSEX COUNTY. 227 



disclosed at this locality ; and it is scarcely necessary to add, that it furnishes many facts to 

 support the theory of the isrneous origin of limestone. 



Another bed of primary limestone lies along Paradox lake in 8chroon. It cannot be traced 

 far in a southwest direction ; and although it is in the range with the large beds in Johnsburgh 

 and those of East-Moriah, I am not able to form an opinion whether there is truly a connec- 

 tion between these masses. I find it, however, convenient to represent a connection, or to 

 suppose a range may exist. Observation proves that on this range beds are more frequent 

 than upon either side, the southeast or northwest. The limestone of Schroon possesses the 

 same general characters as elsewhere. It is quartz ore, and but very little serpentine is asso- 

 ciated with those portions of the bed wiiich fell under my examination. It is a locality worth 

 farther exploration, from llie occurrence of some minerals which appear in it, and which I 

 have not observed elsewhere in the northern counties. Of these minerals, yellow chondro- 

 dite is one quite worthy of notice : it is of a bright sulphur-yellow, and forms, by contrast with 

 the white limestone, a very pretty mineral. In the same mass, I observed small imperfect 

 crystals of pink-colored spinelle ; and a farther search might result in the discovery of larger 

 and more perfect specimens. Yellow tourmaline, nearly transparent, occurs in the same 

 rock, and what was still more rare, two crystals of greenish tourmaline were found, with a 

 pale rose-colored central portion, analogous to the green and red tourmalines of the Clies- 

 terfield granite. At the locality of pyritous copper, large imperfect brown tourmalines were 

 discovered by Mr. E. Emmons junior, one of which enclosed a crystal of zircon. From these 

 facts, it appears that this is a region worthy of a more thorough exploration. 



Another bed of limestone, worthy of a passing notice, exists in Chester, near the residence 

 of Mr. Jonathan GrifEn. Some parts of the bed are a pure limestone ; others are mixed 

 with pale green mica, a mass of which looks like feldspar and mica, or one of the varieties 

 of granite. Some masses occur in it, composed of quartz, mica and limestone. In such 

 facts we have strong evidence of the true origin of this species of limestone : that it 'is clearly 

 a plutonic rock, scarcely admits of a doubt. In addition to these interesting relations, T 

 found in this limestone, small quantities of grass-green tourmaline. This fact is worthy of 

 notice, in consequence of the extreme rarity of any tourmahnes in limestone, excepting those 

 which are yellow or brown, though I had observed the pale green ones in the county of St. 

 Lawrence some years before. 



At this place, I was able to add one more mineral to the list of those associated with lime- 

 stone, viz. the red oxide of titanium. It occurs in long slender brown crystals, usually in 

 that portion of the rock which contains mica. It is necessary to remark, that these substances 

 are so scarce, that little encouragement is oflTered to make expenditures for them alone. It 

 is interesting, however, to know how prolific in simple minerals primitive limestone is in 

 New-York. No one locality ever furnishes more than two or three in perfection ; and it 

 seems to be almost a law, that where these few exist, the others are excluded, and we must 

 search for them at other places. This fact is, however, in accordance with all we have yet 

 learnt in relation to such associations. It is the same in granite and gneiss and hornblende. 



