1847.] The Limestones, and Lime. 67 



where fluor spar, carbonate strontian, was formerly quite abun- 

 dant. It is here that a rock is quite common which might be 

 called a calcareous granite. In the interior of the great primary 

 region, few beds of limestone are known. Near Long Lake, 

 about four miles south of its head, primary limestone was disco- 

 vered; and also near Xewcomb, in Essex county, some inferior beds 

 have also been discovered. One of the most interesting localities 

 however, and which clearly exhibits the relation of this rock to the 

 primary rocks associated with it, is at Long Pond in Essex coun- 

 ty. In Warren county a limestone district exists in the west 

 part of Warrensburgh, and in the adjacent towns of Athol and 

 Johnsburgh. It is here associated with serpentine and some poor 

 pyroxene. The beds however are sufficiently pure for lime. 



The last limestone district in the northern primary of New York 

 is in Moriah. The principal beds terminate on the shore of Lake 

 Champlain at Port Henry, where, as will be seen, the rock is a 

 pure carbonate of lime. 



Leaving the northern primary rocks and passing south to the 

 Highlands of the Hudson, we find several beds or veins of lime- 

 stone, some of which have a fine red color, and contain scapolite 

 and hornblende. These beds may be regarded as continuous, or 

 rather as forming an interrupted belt, which extends through 

 Orange county into New Jei'sey, passing on its route through 

 Amity, where spinelle, serpentine, pyroxene, scapolite and sap- 

 phire are the most common and remarkable minerals. This belt 

 of limestone is often sufficiently pure for lime. 



It appears from the foregoing hasty sketch of the localities of 

 the limestones, that the primary rocks are almost constantly asso- 

 ciated with them; and as we have passed over many localities 

 without even a passing notice, it seems to be well established that 

 primary rocks are as rich in limestones as any of the later sedi- 

 mentary formations. 



We shall now turn our attention to the primary of Massa- 

 chusetts and Vermont; and we may at once say, that large 

 areas of the gneiss and mica slate districts are quite deficient in 

 limestone. Beds and veins of limestone pass through the western 

 part of Middlefield, near the rail road, which extend, with some 

 interruption, north and south through Hampden and Berkshire 

 counties. They are intermixed with serpentine, and belongs to 

 the magnesian variety. 



Beds and veins of limestone closely resembling these western 

 ones occur in the east part of the state, in Bolton and Chelms- 

 ford. These are coarse, crystalline, and contain scapolite, and 

 rarely blue and beautiful spinelle. 



New Hampshire and Maine are supplied with lime in many in- 

 stances from the primary rocks. In the former state the lime- 

 stone seems to be interlaminated with mica slate. Lyme, Ha- 



