716 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 12 



to 5, and that the combustible value or heating 

 power of the several specimen?, as determined by 

 a very peilt'Ct proc-e.-=P, is rppre.=en'ed by an 

 amount ol |)iiro charcoal from 75 to S9 hundredths 

 ot the whole weioht ol" the coal. 



Whilst referrinnj to the valuable character of 

 these rich deposiies of bituminous coal, 1 am anx- 

 ious again to call attention to the iron ores which 

 accompany them in several places. Since the 

 former report, in which allusion was made to the 

 probai)Ie importance of these ores to the manufac- 

 turinif industry of eastern Virginia, several speci- 

 mens have been submitted to chemical analysis, 

 and from the results obtained, the really valuable 

 character of the ore may be considered as satislac- 

 torily established. 



A specimen of iierrmtilic ore II-oiti the neigh- 

 bourhood of Trabue's pits in C^hesterfield, gave in 

 the 100 grains the tollowing ingredients : 

 Per oxide of iron, 85.15 



Silica, 4.20 



Alununa, 4.00 



Water, 6.50 



The existence of this mineral in immediate con- 

 tiguity with the coal, is a, fact of such obvious im- 

 portance, that po commentary is needed to make 

 it deeply interesting to persons of capital and enter- 

 ])rise, who may be concerned in developing the 

 resources of this portion of the state. 



In that portion of what is called the gold reiiion 

 of the state in which research was prosecuted, all 

 the important openings were visited in which the 

 precious metal is, or has been obtained. Many 

 circumstances of practical and scientific interest 

 connected with each of them were noted, and 

 suites of illustrative specimens procured. But 

 much additional observation is required, before it 

 will be sale to speak confidently of the geolotiy of 

 these veins, or to pronounce upon the extent to 

 ■which they are likely to contribute to the resources 

 of the state. 



I would not have it inferred from these remarks, 

 that any unfavorable impression, as to the idtimate 

 value of our gold mines, has grown out of the va- 

 rious facts relating to them, which have been thus 

 far collected. On the contrary, I am more strongly 

 than ever of the opinion, that the working of the 

 innumerable aurilerous veins ol this wide region 

 is destined to become an important branch of the 

 systematic industry of the state. And whilst I 

 would deprecate those overwrought anticipations 

 of their productiveness which the brilliant develop- 

 ments occasionally made are calculated to inspire, 

 I would give a sober encouragement to the enter- 

 prise and capital which they are rapidly attracting, 

 believing that in the majority of instances, these 

 veins have that wholesome degree of fertility 

 which is capable of giving to industry a steady in- 

 centive, and a reasonable reward. 



In exploring \he belt of country referred io un- 

 der the 5th head, an approximate profile was con- 

 structed, extending from Fredericksburg to Moor- 

 field, exhibiting many of the iniportant features in 

 the structure of the intervening region. The 

 country on both sides of this line was examined 

 rapidly, though with considerai)le minuteness, ex- 

 cursions (or specific objects being made as fiir as 

 the Potomac on the one iiand, and to the remote 

 parts of Culpeper, Rappahannock and Orange 

 counties on the other. 



The valuable strata of freestone, which overlie 



the primary rocks near the lower end of this line 

 were inspected at various localities, near Freder- 

 icksburg, below this city on the river, and at seve- 

 ral points in Stafford county, and it is believed that 

 some useflil views Avere attained with regard to the 

 geological character of these beds, as well as the 

 circumstances under wdiich they furnish the most 

 durable material for building. 



Beyond this to the west, the primary rocks, the 

 slates of the gold reoion, together with the iron 

 ores occurring in them, and the narrow belt of 

 talcose limestone which shows itself on the Ra- 

 pidan, at Mountain run and other localities, were 

 successively observed. The limestone here reler- 

 red to, is a continuation of the narrow belt which 

 appears between Lynchburg and Scoltsvilleou the 

 James River, and is laid bare at various points in 

 Albemarle and Orange. A fragment from the 

 cliff at Mitchell's lord on the Rapidan, yielded in 

 the 100 grains 81.81 jgrains of carbonate of lime, 

 thus vicing in purity with (he limestones of the 

 Valley — and indicating the- advantages Avhich 

 might be conferred upon the soil of the neighbor- 

 ing country by the use of such lime as it would 

 furnish. The iron ore from the site of the old 

 works at Chancellor's, was examined and found 

 to be of good quality. 



At a short distance to the west of Germanna 

 (()rd, commences the region of calcareous shales 

 and sandstones. This, though of considerable 

 breadth, and extending from the Potomac south- 

 ward through Orange county, and j'robably, with 

 some interruptions, ihr info North Carolina, con- 

 stitutes an important feature in our geology, to 

 which little or noatiention has hitherto been given. 

 These shales and sandstones were traced in Fau- 

 quier, Culpeper, Ra|)pahannock, Orange, Princ^e 

 Williaai and Loudoun counties, and the interest- 

 ing fact determined that the PotoinacmarbJe con- 

 stitutes one of the beds of this series of sedimen- 

 tary rocks. A calcareous and verv mixed con- 

 glomerate, similar to that of the Potomac, was 

 fiiund near the eastern Hank of the Bull run moun- 

 tain, continuous with the quarries upon that river. 

 In topographical features and character of soil, as 

 Vv'ell as in geolooical structure, this region bears a 

 striking resemblance to what are called the red 

 shell lands of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In 

 no district of the state, is the connection between 

 the nature of the prevailing rocks and the qualities 

 of the soil, more strongly marked than here. The 

 red slaty sandstone, containing a considerable 

 amount of carbonate of lime, imparts productive- 

 ness to the adjacent red soil, while the more sili- 

 ceous rocks are marked by the sieril character of 

 the fields, where they are exposed. In some of 

 the grey niicaceous sandstones of a coarse texture, 

 such f()r example as are seen in the neighborhood 

 of Cloverland, near the base of the Bull run moun- 

 tain, I discovered visible crystals of carbonate of 

 lime, and fbimd the rock in general to be quite cal- 

 careous. Hence the rich growth of clover which 

 adorns the fields, and the luxuriant vegetation 

 which spring up among the debris of the quarries. 



A curious feature in the composition of some of 

 these rocks, is the presence of the green carbonate 

 and the sulphuret of copper. This liict, which ap- 

 pears to have Iteen observed at a very early period 

 after the settlement of the country, has unhappily 

 kept alive the hope of discovering, in these shales, 

 veins of a workable copper ore, and has led to re- 



