i;32 . September 1748. 



; I ASKED Mr. Bartramy whether he had 

 €>bferved in his travels, that the water was 

 fallen, and that the fea had formerly cover- 

 ed any places which were rvow land. He 

 told me, that from what he had experienc- 

 ed, he was convinced that the greateft part 

 pf this country, even for feveral miles to- 

 gether, had formerly been under water. 

 The reafons which led him to give credit 

 to this opinion, were the following. 



1. On digging in the blue mountains, 

 which are above three hundred Englifi 

 miles diftant from the fea, you find loofe 

 oyfter and other forts of fhells, and they 

 are alfo likewife to be met with in the 

 vallies formed by thefe mountains. 



2. A VAST quantity of petrified fhells 

 are found in limeftone, flint, and fandftone, 

 on the fame mountains. Mr. Bartram af- 

 fured me at the fame time, that it was in- 

 credible what quantities of them there 

 were in the different kinds of ftones of 

 which the mountains confift. 



3. The fame (hells are likewife dug in 

 great quantity, quite entire and not moul- 

 dered,, in the provinces of Virginia and 

 Maryland, as alfo in Philadelphia and in 

 New Tork, 



4. On digging wells (not only in Fbila^ 

 delphiay but likewife in other places) the 



people 



