MISSISCO EIVER. 145 



Vermont, and higher than any that we have seen recorded in North America. The highest terrace else- 

 where in the United States, whose height we have seen recorded, is at Genesee, N. Y., which is 348 feet 

 above Genesee river. It should be kept in mind that this may not be the highest above the ocean, but the 

 highest above the river at its base. 



In Hardwick the high terraces continue till the stream has become much smaller. At South Hardwick 

 there are four terraces on each side of the stream, which are intercepted by a ridge of calciferous mica schist ; 

 which may be considered as the limit of this basin. For one or two miles below, ledges have shown them- 

 selves occasionally in the valley. 



In the fifth basin, extending from South Hardwick to Greensboro, on the main stream, there are some 

 very fine terraces. The first and fourth only are seen upon it, except at one place on the northwest side of 

 the stream in the north part of the town, where four terraces may be seen rising above one another in suc- 

 cession. In Greensboro there is a large beach which supplies the place of the terraces. 



We have been able to follow up only one of the tributaries of the La Moille river. That was in Elmore, 

 and it has already been stated that terraces were found upon it. These terraces are often quite large. 

 We could not follow up the course of the stream in the valley, because there was no road in it, although 

 there is a proposal now made to construct a road from Wolcott to Montpelier along this branch. 



A. D. Hager traveled upon one of the branches of La Moille river, between East Hardwick and South 

 Hardwick, and made the following observations : " One fourth of a mile below East Hardwick a terrace 

 extends for the distance of half a mile, whose base is clay. On the opposite side are numerous moraine 

 terraces of gravel. One mile west of East Hardwick three terraces appear on the north bank, ten, fifteen, 

 and thirty feet high severally, and extend for one half a mile in length. Two and one fourth miles, at a 

 bend in the river, there is a terrace or moraine one hundred feet high. Near this place in the river is an 

 enormous bowlder of the concretionary granite from Craftsbury. There is clay at the bottom of a terrace 

 in South Hardwick." 



TERRACES UPON THE MISSISCO RIVER. 



The Missisco River (sometimes written Missisquoi) rises in Lowell, east of the principal range of the 

 Green Mountains, flows north into Canada, where it has cut through the range, returns to Vermont in 

 Richford, and after pursuing a southwesterly course through Franklin county, at Swanton Falls finally 

 turns to the northwest, and enters Lake Champlain through six channels, in Highgate. Its length is 75 

 miles. 



The delta at the mouth of the Missisco river is larger than that of the La Moille and Winooski rivers, 

 and its character as a delta will more readily be admitted. The land projects into the lake at the mouth of 

 the Missisco, including Hog Island which would hardly be suspected to be an island and two irregular 

 tracts. The whole of this projection we regard as the delta, for it is all low land, mostly composed of sand 

 and other alluvial products. And besides the six present channels of egress for the river, there were once 

 "two others, which are called Charcoal Creek and Dead Creek. Instead of the ridge of Winooski limestone, 

 which we found to exist at the mouths of the Winooski and La Moille rivers, there is a small ridge of slate 

 and limestone, running from Highgate Springs to Swanton Falls, lying east of the delta. The lake, how- 

 ever, is filling up here as in the former places, and there will doubtless be a union at some future time of 

 this delta with Alburg, leaving room only for the passage of the river. 



East of the delta we have represented the terraces in Highgate, and about Swanton Falls, so far as they 

 have been observed. At the Falls there are two terraces on both sides of the river. Going north about a 

 mile,, on the east side of the river, we see another terrace, very regular in its proportions, and extending 

 north for three miles towards Highgate Springs. In the north part of its course, it is quite narrow. East 

 of it, and stretching out to a great distance, is No. 3. Following down the river from Swanton Falls for 

 some distance, upon the north side, the terrace designated as No. 2 appears, and is situated on the bank 

 like one of the great levees common on the Mississippi river. And in fact it is a levee in this instance. 



The terraces are fine all the way to Highgate Falls, and their distribution may be learnt from Plate II. 

 At the Falls there are four terraces upon the south side, and only the third and fourth upon the north side. 

 The valley between the highest terraces is quite narrow between Swanton Falls and Highgate Falls. 



