o4 GEOLOGICAL. 



This earth is undoubtedly a wreck of a former 

 world ; a new combination of old materials. Fire 

 and water have been the principal agents in ac- 

 complishing this work; and changes are constant- 

 ly going on, sometimes with slow, at other times 

 with rapid, and alw^ays with unceasing steps. 



To adopt the language of Werner, this country 

 of the west is entirely of secondary formation. — 

 Here are no primitive or transition rocks, unless 

 a few scattered ones, which have been either 

 brought from a distance by water, or ejected by 

 volcanoes from the bowels of the earth — and 

 which may therefore be considered as exotic sub- 

 stances. I have as3Ttseenbut shistic, calcareous, 

 and siliceous rocks, besides gypsum ; with the 

 exception of a few of granite at Montezuma, one 

 of which is very large. The existence of these 

 primitive substances in this country, is a great 

 curiosity. These rocks may have been convened 

 here from the rocky mountains, from Labrador, 

 or the country north of Lake Superior. But I 

 have much to say on this subject, which I shall 

 reserve until I see more of this country. In Europe 

 all the three great formations run into each other, 

 or are in a state of close approximation. In this 

 I'egion the secondary predominates over the whole 

 western counu'y. This then is ihehabitat of coal ; 

 here it must be found of the best quality, and most 



