19 



no volcano having ever yet been known at such a dis- 

 tance from tiie sea, we must rather suppose that this 

 floating substance has been erroneously deemed Pumice. 



QUERY V. 



Its Cascades and Caverns? 



The only remarkable Cascade in this country, is that 

 of the Falling Spring in Augusta. It is a water of 

 James' river, where i^ is called Jackson's river, rising 

 in the warm spring mountains, about twenty miles 

 south-west of the wai'm s[)ring, and flfiwing into that 

 valley. About three quarters of a mile from its source, 

 it falls over a rock 2( feet into the valley below. ^J'he 

 sheet of water is broken in its breadth by the rock, in 

 two or three places, but not at all in its height. Be- 

 tween the sheet and the rock, at the bottouj you may 

 walk across dry. Tliis cataract will bear no compari- 

 son with that of Niagara, as to the quantity of water 

 composing it ; the sheet being only 12 or 15 feet wide 

 above, and somewliat more spread below; but it is half 

 as liigh again, the latter being only 1.^6 feet, according 

 to the mensuration made by order of iM. Vaudreuil, 

 Governor of Canada, and 130 according to a more 

 recent accoimt. 



In the lime-stone coimtry, there are many caverns of 

 very considerable extent. 'YUe most noted is called 

 Madison's Cave, and is on the north sifle of the Blue 

 ridge, near the intersection of the Rockingham and 

 Augusta line with the south fork of the soutiiern river 

 of Shenandoah. It is in a hill of about 200 feet per- 

 pendicnlar height, the ascent of which, on one side, is 

 so steep, that you may ]nU'A\ a biscuit from its summit 

 into the river which washes its base. The entrance of 

 the cave is, in this side, about two thirds of the way up. 

 It extends it)to the earth about JiOO feet, branching into 

 subordinate caverns, sometimes ascending a little, biit 

 more generally descending, and at length terminates, 



