102 NORTH-CAROLINA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 



through a part of Onslow, Jones and Craven counties, cross- 

 ing the Neuse twenty miles above ISTewbern, where it is 

 either lost in the low grounds, or may be discontinued before 

 it reaches Beaufort county, as the only marls of the lower 

 waters of the Tar belong to the shell marl, or miocene beds ; 

 where the next bed below is visible, it is known to belong to 

 the upper part of the green sand, which has been described. 



The eocene is known to exist at Wilmington, at Pollocks- 

 ville, in Jones county, and underlies the whole country in the 

 vicinity of Newbern, upon the Neuse. In this formation I in- 

 clude the consolidated beds which have been employed for mill 

 stones, and which consists of a mass of the casts of shells, the 

 most common of which is a small species of clam. Recently, 

 this variety has become an important building stone, and has 

 been employed for enclosing the cemetery at Newbern, for 

 which it is more suitable than any other rock which could 

 have been procured. 



73. It will be seen from the foregoing remarks, that it 

 occupies a less area than the green sand, and it will also prove 

 to be more limited than the shell marl, though the latter 

 never forms a continuous deposit over a large area. When 

 in rocks, or consolidated, it is also broken up or traversed by 

 fissures, and forms, if at the top of the ground, a very irreg- 

 ular surface. 



74. The white eocene marl has been used as a fertilizer, 

 and probably with results as striking as the common shell 

 marl. It would seem to possess some advantage over other 

 marls, except the green sand, especially as it is fine and earthy. 

 It is also richer in lime. For analysis I have selected several 

 specimens from the central part of the region where it is un- 

 derlaid with it. 



The marl of Wm. Wadsworth, Esq., of Craven, furnishes a 

 kind which represents its characteristics in as much perfect- 

 tion as any of the beds of the county. I found it compos- 

 ed of 



Sand, 26.60 



Water, 1.70 



Magnesia, 0.10 



