SAXTON'S RIVER. 119 



deserve special mention. The only others represented upon the map, are a few of no special interest upon 

 the branch of West river in the east part of Townshend, and a very pretty one in the village of West 

 Wardsboro, upon another tributary. 



TERRACES UPON SAXTON'S AND WILLIAMS' RIVERS. 



Saxlon's River unites with the Connecticut below Bellows Falls, and assisted in the formation of the 

 complicated terraces about the gorge there, already described. Upon Saxton's River there is a very decided 

 rocky barrier of granite, only a quarter of a mile from its mouth, above which there is a very pretty basin 

 of terraces near Bellows Falls village. On the north is the highest terrace of the two rivers, a similar one 

 is on the south side, on the east is the rocky barrier, while between is a meadow, the whole forming a 

 beautiful amphitheatre. This basin extends near to Saxton's River village. We regard the terraces about 

 this village as forming a second basin, and the location for the village was well selected. Another basin 

 includes the village of Cambridgeport. Between Saxton's River village and Cambridgeport there is an old 

 beach, or shore, upon the north side of the river. The current of Saxton's River is more rapid above Cam- 

 bridgeport, and consequently it is difficult to mark the different basins with precision. There are also 

 traces of a former glacier in the valley, on which account the terraces may not be so numerous. The Cam- 

 bridgeport basin terminates about a mile above the village. At this point numerous large bowlders form a 

 conspicuous feature of the landscape. The river makes a great bend just below Eagle Mills. South of the 

 angle of this bend, Nos. 4 and 5 may be seen upon the west side, and No. 4 upon the east side. These 

 terraces are large and conspicuous. At Eagle Mills there is no terrace upon the south side,, but Nos. 1 and 

 3 occur on the north side. Between Eagle Mills and Houghtonville, terraces occur upon both sides of the 

 river without interruption, but none of them are continuous. There are never more than four at any one 

 locality. Their general distribution is shown upon Plate II. At Houghtonville, Nos. 1 and 2 may be seen 

 upon the south side, and Nos. 1 and 3 upon the north side. 



On Williams River there are at least three basins. The first extends from Connecticut River to Bar- 

 tonsville. The terraces are remarkably numerous in this basin, there being ten on both sides at intervals. 

 As will be seen from the enlarged map on Plate VII., Fig. 1, No. 5 of Connecticut River on the south side, 

 and No. 4 on the north side, unite with the highest terraces of Williams' River, and form lateral terraces to 

 the first great bend in the river at Bartonsville. They are the terraces out of which the others have been 

 formed. They seem to have the same height above the river, and were probably formed at the time when a 

 barrier of some sort existed at Bellows Falls, and this valley was occupied with a lake, while the successive 

 smaller ones, averaging each from ten to twenty feet in height, were formed by the drainage of the lake. 



Quite distinct beaches are found on both sides of Williams' River below the bend. The one upon the 

 north side extends back in a depression, hardly sufficient to be called a valley, which must formerly have 

 been a cove, or bay. The south beach is nearly straight, and possibly may be the remnant of an old terrace, 

 very high, which is seen most distinctly at Rockingham village, in the form of two or three rounded hills, 

 rising above the plain. 



Bartonsville is located near the lower end of the second basin. Until recently, the highest terrace 

 extended across the valley at that place, showing that there was an obstruction below, which caused the 

 detritus to accumulate and fill up the whole valley, and thus form a basin. The cause of the removal 

 of this terrace will be treated of under Old River Beds. Above Bartonsville there are five very distinct 

 terraces in this basin on the west side, and from three to four on the east side. 



The third basin is not so distinct as the others, and the terraces are few, not more than three on 

 either side. Yet the valley expands at the village of Chester, and there is a rocky barrier below, to form 

 the lower limit of the basin. The river is so small here that we should not expect to find a very large 

 amount of detritus, even though on a former continent it had the help of a current from Black River, which 

 diverged from its present course at Proctorsville. 



