GEOLOGY. 11? 



bottoms of Lake Erie and Ontario are principally 

 lime-stone, which is in a state of augmentation, 

 In the county of Onondaga, at a place called the 

 Little Lakes, I observed the great elaboratory of 

 nature at work in the formation of calcareous 

 rocks, and as I humbly conceive, by a double 

 process. First, by depositions from its waters in 

 which lime was diffused — and second, by the 

 operation of springs rising from the bottom of the 

 lakes, and extruding calcareous matter from the 

 bowels ol the earth. Whether I am correct as to 

 this complex power, I cannot say — but as to. the 

 fact of the creation of tufa, it must be obvious to 

 the most inexperienced eye. In order to gain all 

 the light I could on this interesting subject, I 

 took a shortjourney to the village of Marceiius, 

 in the county of Onondaga. The pi oiion of 

 lime stones of large size at nine mile ( , near 

 this place, is a very extraordinary tl On tl 



banks of the creek, there. is a petrh si] 



tree, over which there is a targe lime ind 



which stone must have been formed aftei 

 faction of the tree, and the whole proce 

 rent to the observer. After the first dep< 

 and a consequent induration, the $U; [ 



by a lichen which retains a subsequent d< >n, 



and which hardens and enlarges as befoj 

 hardness of the lime stone increases with its dipt!) 



