506 



FARMERS' REGISTER— COAL IN PRINCE EDWARD. 



covering organic remains. Those of (he lime and 

 slate are princii)ally zoophytes ; that of the sili- 

 cious is the fossil tlescribed by Doctor R. Harlan, 

 from a specimen obtained by me in the western 

 part of the state of New York. He supposed il 

 to be a now extinct fossil of the family fiicoids ; 

 and he has called it Fucnidc jDrojijnidotic, in ho- 

 nor of M. Bronjniard. But I suppose it to be ani- 

 mal, and to belong to the family of the encrinites. 



The mountain ranges of Virginia are more nu- 

 merous, and the Valleys consequently narrower 

 than they are in Pennsylvania; but some of them 

 are very interesting. The great Valley, as it is 

 sometimes called, or par excellence, the Vidleij, 

 situate between the Blue Ridge and the North and 

 Alleghany mountain, is by far the most extensive. 

 The rocks often olitrude, rendering the soil rather 

 scanty — but nevertheless this is a fine district of 

 country. 



I could find no fossils in this rock. In regard 

 to the metallic ores I would observe, that I disco- 

 vered sufficient indicationsof their existing in Vir- 

 ginia in quantity sufficient to justify a siiore accu- 

 rate examination. Iron abounds in almost every 

 part of the western section of the state ; traces of 

 copper, lead, manganese and chrome have also besyi 

 discovered near the Blue Ridge; and the gold of 

 Orange county is equal to any found in tlie Caro- 

 linas or Georgia. 



I have never seen any Ihing that exceeds the 

 richness and variety of coloring of the serpentine 

 of the Blue Ridge. This mineral is easily cut, and 

 the fineness and closeness of the grain renders it 

 susceptible of a high polish : at Zoblitz in Saxony, 

 several hundred persons are employed in its manu- 

 facture. Besides the minerals belonging to the 

 talcose formation, and generally accompanying ser- 

 pentine, are many of them valuable in the arts; 

 for instance, steatite (soap stone,) talc, chromate 

 of iron, clorite slate, and native magnesia. A geo- 

 logical survey would most probably lead to the 

 discovery of most of these minerals. 



I could make large additions to this communica- 

 tion, but for (he fear of trespassing upon your pa- 

 tience. I will therefore close my observations 

 ■with noticing two instances of a want of conli- 

 dcnce in (he mineral productions of your ov.'n 

 state, which I am persuaded that a geological sur- 

 vey would tend to correct. I met many wagons 

 loaded with sulphate of lime (gypsum) from Nova 

 Scolia, being taken to the interior to be used as a 

 manure; but I did not see one wagon employed to 

 bring carbonate of lime (connnonlime stone) from 

 the inexhaustible quarries of (he great Valley to 

 any other district (obe used for (he same purpose. 

 In (he beautiful and flourishing city of Richmond, 

 I observed (he fronts of tv.'o stores fi((ing up in the 

 new and fashionable style with granite (so called) 

 (sienite) from Massachusetts, while there exists in 

 the James river and on its banks, in (he immedia(e 

 vicinity of the town, rocks of a superior quality, in 

 quantities amply sufficient to build a dozen cities. 

 I have the honor to be, sir, 



Your most obedient servant, 



PKTER A. BROWNE. 



COAL, IN PRINCE ED\VARH. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Sir, — I have just received yours of the 16th 

 instant, requcs(ing information concerning a vein 



of coal found on the land of John I. Flournoy, 

 Esq. of this counly. In comjdying with (his re- 

 quest, I regret that too small a developement of 

 the con(en(s of (his vein has as yet been made, to 

 enable one to form a probable es.fimate of its fu- 

 ture prospec(s. It may, however, be well, at a 

 time when (he public mind .seems to be excited on 

 (he subject of the mineral wealth of our s(a(e, to 

 bring (o no(ice an ar(icle of, perhaps, more real 

 value (o (he CommonweaUh, (han all the gold 

 which may ever l;e found within ils limils. Such 

 a no(ice may, furdier, be (he more imporlant 

 when considered in connection with a suggesdon 

 in (he 7(h No. of your Regis(er, recommending 

 (he appoin(ment by the legislature of a public 

 mineralogist and geologist, to investigate the mi- 

 neral treasures of the state. 



It has long been known that the stripe of coun- 

 try passing through this vicinity, and noticed by 

 me in an article in your first number, on the sub- 

 ject of argillaceous marl, contained numerous 

 small veins of coal. My fiifher, about thirty five 

 years ago, made many eflbrts to obtain coal, and 

 found many small veins; and one, if I recollect 

 rightly, nearly four feet in thickness, at the depth 

 of aliout twenty feet. This was thouglit to be too 

 small (o Vvcrk at that time, when the prospect for 

 a market was much less than at present. 



I have not seen Mr. Flournoy's vein since it 

 was penetrated beyond a foot or two in depth. 

 The out-running, when I saw it. appeared to be 

 five or six feet wide, and <-onsisted of a mass of 

 black mader resemlding wha( is called dead coal. 

 An inch or two of this mass on (he under side of 

 (he vein moie strongly resembled coal, and might 

 readily be ignited, en)it(ing while burning, a 

 strong sul[)hurous smell. Mr. Flournoy has since 

 dug down on the vein to the de[)(h of about twenty 

 feet, and I learn that the good coal has constantly 

 been gaining on the deacl black ma((er, so (hat 

 (here is reason (o hope, that at a much greater 

 depth, the whole mass may forma regular s(ra(um 

 of good coal. The good coal has, at tvventy feet, 

 increased to about two feet in thickness, and the 

 dead black ma((er (o six or eight. The coal, in 

 quality, is thought to be very fine by all who have 

 seen it. 



Before concluding, it is perhaps proper tliat I 

 should state that I am much pleased with the ef- 

 fects resulting from the application of marl. The 

 corn crop on gullied old field land, and the cotton 

 crop on similar land, were quite rcsyjedafi/e. About 

 four acres of tobacco land were marled, and the 

 crop ripened earlier than that on adjoining land un- 

 marled. I stated (o you some mon(hs ago (hat 

 marl had been found eight or ten miles to the east 

 of (lie stripe, supposed to contain it. I have recent- 

 ly learned (ha( a gentleman living about ten miles 

 (o (he west of this stripe, has found marl on his 

 land. Some specimens of argillaceous marl have 

 been found in (his county, containing y^^ of calca- 

 reous matter. The pit from which this was ob- 

 tained, was full of water when I saw it. Judging, 

 however, from the mass thrown out of it, I would 

 suppose (he average strength would fall consider 

 rably below this. Still I judged it much richer 

 than the beds on my own land. 

 Most respectfully, &c. 



Vf. S. MORTON, 



FarmvUle, 29th Dec. 1833. 



