566 APPENDIX. 



good accommodations at Eay's. Distance from Galena thirty 

 miles. 



The rain fell copiously during the night, and on the morning 

 (18th) gave no signs of a speedy cessation. Those who travel 

 ought often, however, to call to mind the remark of Xenophon, 

 that "pleasure is the result of toil," and not permit slight impedi- 

 ments to arrest them, -particularly when they have definite points 

 to make. We set forward in a moderate rain, but in less than 

 an hour had the pleasure to perceive signs of its mitigating, and 

 before nine o'clock it was quite clear. We stopped a short time 

 at Bracken's furnace. Mr. Bracken gave me specimens of organic 

 remains, in the condition of earthy calcareous carbonates, pro- 

 cured on a neighboring ridge. He described the locality as being 

 plentiful in casts and impressions such as he exhibited, which 

 appeared to have been removed from the surface of a shelly lime- 

 stone. At Eock-Branch diggings, I found masses of calcareous 

 spar thrown from the pits. The surface appears to have been 

 much explored for lead in this vicinity. I stopped to examine 

 Yanmater's lead. It had been a productive one, and affords a 

 fair example of what are called east and west leads. I observed 

 a compass standing on the line of the lead, and asked Mr. V. 

 whether much reliance was to be placed upon the certainty of 

 striking the lead by the aid of this instrument. He said that it 

 was much relied on. That the course of the leads was definite. 

 The present one varied from a due east and west line but nine 

 minutes, and the lead had been followed without much difficulty. 

 The position of the ore was about forty feet below the surface. 

 Of this depth about thirty-six feet consisted of the surface rock 

 and its earthy covering. A vein of marly clay, enveloping the 

 ore, was then penetrated. A series of pits had been sunk on the 

 course of it, and the earth and ore in the interstices removed, and 

 drawn to the surface by a windlass and bucket. Besides the ore, 

 masses of iron pyrites had been thrown out, connected with galena. 

 In stooping to detach some pieces from one of these masses, I 

 placed my feet on the verge of an abandoned pit, around which 

 weeds and bushes had grown. My face was, however, averted 

 from the danger; but, on beholding it, I was made sensible that 

 the least deviation from a proper balance would have pitched me 

 into it. It was forty feet deep. The danger I had just escaped 



