164 



FARMERS' REGISTER— GEOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE, &c. 



wonder why it had been neglected so long. The state 

 of Maryland has perceived the importance of such 

 an undertaking', and authorised during the session 

 of her last legislature, a geological reconnoisance, 

 and a report to be made to the next legislature, 

 upon the expediency of ordering a geological sur- 

 vey of the state. If such a measure is important 

 to Maryland, what must it be to Virginia, v>'hich 

 is unquestionably — and I assert this, confident that 

 it can be proved — the richest metallic state in the 

 union, to say nothing of the fields of bituminous 

 coal, and the inexhaustible beds of fossil manure 

 in the lower parts of the state ? The friends of the 

 state will soon turn their attention to this project, 

 which indeed ought to have preceded internal im- 

 provements, it being of the last importance that 

 the direction given to the routes of canals and rail 

 roads, should be much influenced by the local po- 

 sition of mineral and metallic beds, and not alto- 

 gether — as they continue to be — by the physical 

 geography of particular lines of direction. 



Until something of this kind is done, since the 

 elas^s of scientific tourists remains yet to be formed 

 in this country, we shall have to tlepend, for inte- 

 resting details connected with the natural features 

 of the interior, upon the communications of intel- 

 ligent persons respecting their own vicinities. — 

 These will always be valuable in proportion to 

 their accuracy, and they cannot be accurate unless 

 they have been personally examined. It is better 

 therefore to describe with great minuteness what 

 has been seen, rather than to assert any thing upon 

 the authority of others. All the conclusions that are 

 ultimately to be arrived at, concerning the scheme 

 of nature, depend for their soundness upon the 

 precise justness of the facts out of which these 

 conclusions must grow. This is the inductive pro- 

 cess, to go from the known to tlie unknown, and 

 no other can be depended upon. Facts— rigidly 

 so — when concentrated, procluce a steady light by 

 which we can walk intelligently amidst the appa- 

 rent mysteries of nature. We have then some 

 hope of detecting her laws, of finding her out as 

 it were, and making her the constant hand-maid 

 of our wants. A departure from facts is destruc- 

 tive of all useful results : it perplexes tlie chemist, 

 disturbs the philosopher, and disappoints and mor- 

 tifies the lover of nature. It is better therefore to 

 say nothing, if nothing has been seen. An expe- 

 rienced naturalist, when he hears of a natural phe- 

 nomenon, goes to the place, examines, and brings 

 the phenomenon within the regular operation, of 

 the laws of nature. He is one of the Caesars of 

 nature, and is entitled to say his 



Veni, Vidi, Vici. 

 Naturalists and tourists are exposed to disappoint- 

 ments from two species of writers who belong to 

 the genus non-vidi. One of these exaggerates, 

 the other depreciates. The first leads us to see a 

 mountain in labor, the second prevents us going 

 to see a real mountain. I have been led into this 

 observation by a passage in the paper I have al- 

 ready spoken of, the " General Description of Vir- 

 ginia." I imagine the intelligent v/riter of that 

 paper, in the reading of whicli I have received 

 much pleasure, has some of his information upon 

 hearsay. I must conceive it to be so, from the fol- 

 lowing passage, where one of the finest natural 

 phenomena of the state of Mrginia, is so slightly 

 and so disparagingly spoken of, although I am sure 

 quite unintentionally. " - 



" There is also a natural bridge in the south- 

 west part of the state, which be-i-s no compari- 

 son, in grace of proportion, or grandeur of effect, 

 to the one in Rockbridge." 



It may be that the writer has seen both these 

 natural bridges, and that he means merely to ex- 

 press the diflerent manner in which his own taste 

 has been affected by them. I shall therefore mere- 

 ly say that he has expressed himself in very strong 

 terms, and in a manner tliat might induce many to 

 neglect seeing the first, by reason of its being very 

 interior to tjie second, and of the same character. 

 Now they are very dissimilar in character, whilst 

 the dimensions of the one spoken so slightingly of, 

 will one day — when that at Rockbridge has pe- 

 risiied, a day perhaps not very distant — far sur- 

 pass in grandeur of eifect, the other. I take it for 

 granted that this last, spoken of as " in the south- 

 west part of the state," is that very singular and 

 unrivalled nutural tunnel, on Stock Creek, in 

 Scott County, of which there is an excellent draw- 

 ing and an admirable descri})tion in Featherston- 

 haugh's Journal of Geology, vol. 1. pp. 347, 414, 

 by Lieut. Col. Long, of the U. S. Topographical 

 Corps. Both this and the one in Rockbridge 

 County, have been originally naturtd cavities in 

 two limestone ridges, which have been unequally 

 enlarged by tlie action of the streams running 

 through them, and by the disintegration brought 

 about in long periods of time. At Rockbridge, 

 the cavity has been enlarged to a height, from the 

 stream to the arch, of 240 feet, the mass of rock 

 which forms the bridge being 40 feet thick, the 

 length of the cavity is 60 feet, and the width at 

 bottom 45 feet. The total height of this ridge, in- 

 cluding the arch and the bridge, to the stream, is 

 280 feet. Time is gradually dilapidating this ma- 

 jestic structure, the bridge at length must give 

 way, and will leave behind it a chasm of 280 feet 

 higli. Whilst this is accomplishing, the cavity of 

 the natural tunnel on Stock Creek, will be en- 

 larging. It now measures from the slrcam to the 

 root' of the arch SO feet, having thence to the sur- 

 face 160 feet of solid limestone. Tlie total height of 

 the ridge, including tl;e arch and the bridge, to the 

 stream, is 240 feet, being 40 feet less than that at 

 Rockbridge. On the other hand, the length of the 

 tunnel is 450 feet, being 390 more than that of its 

 rival, whilst the Avidth at bottom varies from 50 

 to 100 feet. 



Having no object in view but attracting the at- 

 tention of tourists to tl'.is remarkable locality, I 

 shall venture to transcribe part of Col. Long's de- 

 scription of it, from the Journal I have spoken of* 



" To form an adequate idea of this remarkable 

 and truly sublime object, we have only to imagine 

 the creek to which it gives a passage, meandering 

 through a deep narrow valley, here and there 

 bountled on both sides by walls or revctemen ts of the 

 character above intimated, and rising to the height 

 of two or three hundred feet above the stream; and 

 that a portion of one of these chasms, instead of 

 presenting an open thorough cut, from the summit 

 to the base of the high grounds, is intercepted by 

 a continuous unbroken ridge more than three hun- 

 dred feet liigh, extending entirely across the val- 

 ley, and perforated transversely at its base, after 

 the manner of an artificial tunnel, and thus afFord- 



* Featherstonhaiigh's Journal of Geolosv, vol. 1. j'p. 

 347, 414. 



