270 Geology of Leuis County. [May, 



and breaking equally well in every direction. It is not on the 

 margin of the gneiss and between that and the early sedimentary 

 rocks, but is almost always surrounded by ledges of the gneiss and 

 appearing to be coeval with it. 



To the mineralogist, there are few localities more inviting than 

 is presented in the northern part of Lewis county, in the town of 

 Diana and in the vicinity of the Natural Bridge, whether the va- 

 riety or number of minerals be considered. 



The principal locality is about one mile from the last mention- 

 ed place and on and near lands owned by Mr. Enoch Cleveland. 



On the north side of the road and a short distance from it, 

 there occurs in connection with the priaiitive limestone a locality 

 of tabular spar, with coccolite; these minerals also occur with 

 augite, in the immediate vicinity of the village of Natural Bridge, 

 but of not so fine a quality as at the first mentioned locality. 



In a vein in the same rock on the opposite side of the road, 

 there is found pyroxene of a jet black color, associated with the 

 variety of scapolite known as JVuttallife, crystalized in the usual 

 form of that mineral, but with the angles rounded as if by fusion; 

 with sphene in imperfect crystals, phosphate of lime in small 

 crystals and beautiful crystals of the mineral for which the name 

 Lederit^ has been proposed. 



In an adjoining field a short distance east, these minerals have 

 been found in greater perfection with large crystals of feldspar, 

 and more rarely large and beautiful crystals of zircon* The 

 latter mineral is far from being common, only a few crystals hav- 

 ing been found; the largest of which was about two inches in 

 length and a fourth of an inch in diameter, being a regular square 

 prism terminated by the four sided pyramid. Specimens present- 

 ing most beautiful groups of these minerals may be procured by 

 blasting the rock, and doubtless other localities will be hereafter 

 discovered in the vicinity that will yield specimens of equal 

 beauty. 



Not far from the locality last mentioned to the north, there oc- 

 curs in large quantities a singular substance which formerly at- 

 tracted some notoriety from its being thought to be silver ore, a 

 belief to which the owner still (no doubt conscientiously) adheres. 

 Small quantities of this have been reduced in a small blast fur- 

 nace erected for the purpose, and a very hard and brittle metal, 

 not easily tarnished, was procured. This most probably was a 

 kind of highly carburetted iron or natural steel. This mineral is 

 of a greyish or greenish black color, a finely granular fracture, 



• This mineral was first observed at this localily by Mr. Luke Wilder, 

 of Lowville, a ffenlleman who has done much to elucidate the mineralogy 

 of this section of county. 



