BURNING SPRINGS. 99 



LETTER XXII. 



Canandaigua, July, 1820. 

 My Dear Sir, 



I was yesterday informed that there is a barn- 

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

 mediately set out to view it. I soon found it 

 about eight miles to the southwest of Canandaigua, 

 in a district of country called Bristol. A small 

 stream flows at the foot of a hill about 30 feet 

 high, and contains pure water, and small fish 

 The gas bubbles up in the water tlirough spiracula, 

 and also issues from the dry ground adjacent. In 

 the first place it appears like boiling water, and 

 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 maa 

 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 efl'ervescence with sulphu- 

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

 ^bat a similar spring has been discovered near a 

 bed of gypsum in West Bloomfield; and five or 



