FARMERS' REGISTER— VALLEY OF THE KANAWHA. 



S'ir 



orange or golden yellow of (he linn, the sugar tree 

 and hickory were beautifully contrasted with the 

 evergreen laurel, and with the dark and nnournful 

 hemlock. Now and then some parasitical creeper 

 could be seen winding its brilliant red among the 

 branches of a lofty tree of ditfcront foliage — and 

 the gay and graceful sumach would hang out its 

 crimson drapery to delight the beiiolder. Unlike 

 the lowland shrub of the same name, the sumach 

 of the west is admitted into tlie family of trees ; 

 and so I presume it is in England, for otherwise 

 the lines of Moore would not be intelligible. 



In tlie shade of yoii suimch, whose red berry dips 

 In tlie gush of the fuuntaiii, iiow sweet to recline. 



Lovers unless they belonged to the race of pigmies, 

 could hardly recline in the shade of one of our 

 dwarfish sumachs in Eastern V'irginia. 



It is nearly twenty miles below the falls, before 

 the Kanawha Valley widens into something like a 

 plain, and opens its beautiful vista to the eye. The 

 mountains \*hich inclose it on either side become 

 gradually depressed into hills — and for the first 

 time, the dense, dark volumes of smoke which as- 

 cend irom the salt furnaces, announce the busy and 

 bustling scene which enlivens the highway to the 

 village of Charlestown. What a scene of anima- 

 tion indeed, contrasted with the deep solitudes from 

 Avhich the traveller has but just emerged. Here 

 he is feasted with a continued succession of green 

 meadows and cultivated fields teeming with flocks 

 and herds, and adorned by commodious and even 

 elegant mansions. The chimnies of the salt manu- 

 factories pour forth at short intervals of space, their 

 curling masses of black vapor, whilst swarms of 

 laborers and others connected with these establish- 

 ments, are continually passing to and fio, — pre- 

 senting a pleasing coup (Tml of incessant activity 

 and industry. Nature indeed seems to have been 

 prodigal in her bounties to this interesting region. 

 The contiguous forests having been almost strip- 

 ped to supply fuel to the salt furnaces — that precious 

 mineral so necessary to human comfort, must have 

 remained forever useless but for the discovery of 

 inexhaustible beds of coal, so convenient of access, 

 as to make the cost of procuring it scarcely worth 

 considering. Sometimes, by suitable platforms 

 and inclined culverts, it is thrown from the moun- 

 tain side immediately to the door of the manuflic- 

 tory, and when more remote from the place of con- 

 sumption, it is transported with equal ease in 

 wagons or cars over rail roads constructed for the 

 purpose. 



The whole product of the salt district, is estima- 

 ted at 1,200,000 bushels annually — and this product 

 must continue to swell with the increasing demand, 

 and the employment of additional capital. It is a 

 curious fact, and worthy of philosophical inquiry, 

 that whilst the salt water is olitained by boring at 

 a depth of from 3 to 500 feet below the bed of the 

 Kanawha, it invariably rises to a level with the 

 river. When the latter is swollen by rains, or the 

 redundant waters of its tributaries, — the saline 

 fluid enclosed in suitable gums on the shore, 

 ascends like the mercury in its tube, — and only 

 falls, when the river is restored to its wonted chan- 

 nel. How this mysterious correspondence is pro- 

 duced, is a problem which remains to be solved. 

 Theories and speculation, I have heard on the sub- 

 ject, but none seem to me to be precisely consonant 

 with the principles of science. 



Immediately on the road and a short dist.ince 

 from the liank of the river, the celelirateil Barn- 

 ing Spring, attracts the curiosity of the traveller. 

 A cavity in the earth of a few feet in diameter, 

 l)resents at its bottom numerous small orifices from 

 which an odorous gas, or strong bituminous vap )r 

 is constantly exhaled. -When ignited by a lighted 

 candle, which is easily done, the whole becomes a 

 sheet of flame, and is only extino;uighed by the 

 plentiful application of water. Filling the cavity 

 with water previously to ignition, does not dimin- 

 isii the brightness or fierceness of the blaze. In- 

 flammable gasses undoubtedlj- abound in many 

 portions of the valley. An anecdote illustrating 

 the fact, was frequently related in my hearing, 

 which I cannot forbear to repeat. A very res})ec- 

 table gentleman somewhat eccentric anil a little 

 profane, had been boring for salt to the depth of 

 GOO feet, when his friends endeavored to dissuade 

 him from the costly experiment. " Salt I will 

 have" heexclaimed, " if I bore for it to the infer- 

 nal regions!" Accordingly he pressed on in pur- 

 suit of his object — with renewed perseverance and 

 ardor— and his boring machine having penetrated 

 one of those subterranean recesses, where nature 

 generates her mysterious and terrific agents — a 

 volume of flame suddenly burst through the orifice, 

 and ascending far above the earth's surface, spread 

 terror and amazement in the neighborhood. The 

 less enlightened and superstitious of course, fimcied 

 that the j)rofane gentleman's threats had been really 

 carried into execution, and that the contents of the 

 awful and undefinable pit had been actually dis- 

 gorged upon mother earth. 



This charming country is not only rich hi beau- 

 tiful and picturesque scenes, but abounds in objects 

 interesting to the naturalist, and antiquarian. Be- 

 sides its inexhaustible treasures of salt and coal, a 

 quarry of fine marble has been recently found on 

 the Elk river, and I doubt not that discoveries 

 equally valuable would reward the diligent explo- 

 rer. Specimens of slate stone, and other formations 

 with impressions of vegetable remains are common^ 

 and a gentleman of science and distinction, inform- 

 ed me that coral had been found deeply imbedded 

 in rock. Among the curiosities, may be men~ 

 tioned, the calico and pictured rocks; the former 

 of which represents a succession of beautiful and 

 uniform figures, inscribed by some wonderful pro- 

 cess of nature, and the latter which is evidently a 

 work of art, exhibits a variety of rude sketches of 

 birds, fishes and beasts — generally supposed to be, 

 specimetis of aboriginal sculpture. 



There is, as I am informed, some miles from the 

 bank of the Kanawha, a curious petrified tree, and 

 the whole country is full of Indian fortifications 

 and mounds. From one of these ancient sepul- 

 chres an intelligent gentleman stated to the writer, 

 that a human skeleton was taken not many years 

 since, probably the remains of some distinguished 

 Chief, whose exploits in battle, or the chase, had 

 won the admiration of his trifle. 



Indeed there is no department of natural history 

 which might not be enriched by valuable acquisi- 

 tions from this and almost every other portion of 

 Western Virginia. The developementof its bound- 

 less mineral wealth would not only extend the 

 borders of science, but materially subserve the 

 useful arts and the interests of commerce. Let 

 channels of inter-communication with the east be 

 opened and multiplied by a liberal system of iax- 



