BURNING SPRINGS. 99 



LETTER XXII. 



Canandaigua, Juli/, 1820. 

 My Dear Sir, 



1 was yesterday informed that there is a burn- 

 ing spring a few miles from this place, and I im- 

 mediately set oat to view it. I soon found it 

 about eight miles to the southwest of Canandaigua, 

 in a district o. country called Bristol. A small 

 stream flows at the foot of a hi!) about 30 feet 

 }iigh, and contains pure water, and small fish 

 The gas bubbles up in the water tbzough spiracula, 

 and also issues from the dry ground adjacent. Iii 

 the first place it appears like boiling water, aiid 

 in the last place it is in a state of flame : It 

 smells like the smell of a lamp, without a rank, 

 unctuous quality, and burns like the flame of a 

 candle, or ignited wood, or coal, and it is some- 

 times in a state of ignition the greater part of the 

 year. It was discovered accidently by a man 

 clearing land on the hill ; a brand fell down and 

 ignited the gas which issues through many spira- 

 cula or apertures. 



The stone in the vicinity is shale, and some- 

 times contains a small calcareous mixture, as is 

 evident from its slight efiervescence with sulphu- 

 ric acid. On my return to this place, I was told 

 ^hat a similar spring has been discovered near a 

 bed of gypsum in West Bloomfield; and five or 



