'A GEOLOGICAL. 



>• 



This earth is undoubtedly a wreck of a former 

 world ; a new combination of old materials. Fire 

 and water have been the principal agents in ac- 

 complishing this work; and changes are constant- 

 ly going on, sometimes with slow, at other times 

 with rapid, and always with unceasing steps. 



To adopt the language of Werner, this country 

 of the west is entirely of sccondarj' formation. — 

 Here are no primitive or transition rocks, unless 

 a few scattered ones, which have been either 

 brought from a distance by water, or ejected by 

 volcanoes from the bowels of the earth — and 

 which may therefore be considered as exotic sub- 

 stances. I have as 3 et seen but shistic, calcareous, 

 and siliceous rocks, besides gypsum : with the 

 exception of a few of granite at Montezuma, one 

 of which is very large. The existence of these 

 primitive substances in this country, is a great 

 curiosity. These rocks may have been conveyed 

 here from the rocky mountains, from Labrador, 

 or the country north of Lake Superior. But I 

 have much to say on this subject, which I shall 

 reserve until I see more of this country. In Europe 

 all the three great formations run into each other, 

 or are in a state of close approximation. In this 

 region the secondary predominates over the whole 

 western country. This then is thehalitat of coal ; 

 here it must be found of the best quality, and most 



