“a+ 
- Geological many of the State c of New York. 
ally lies — the junction of the limestone with the talcose slate 
formation.’ 
The ores of lead are found in almost all the series of New York 
rocks. ‘The galena, in the hornblendic gneiss of Rossie, is the — 
most remarkable deposit. A large group of crystals, in my own 
cabinet, from this place, contains one which is three inches across, 
—all are truntated on their solid angles, and. some seem almost 
octahedral. “ Calcareous spar, in the most diversified and beau- 
tiful forms, constitutes the principal matrix of the ore, and beh 
fluor spar, its frequent associate, is of rare occurrence. ” 
Dr. Beck remarks, that the soil, in the vicinity of the serpen- 
tine rocks, seems not to be injuriously affected by the presence of 
magnesia, according to a somewhat general impression that has 
been entertained concerning the effect produced by this earth, 
when existing in soil. As additional evidence in favor of mag- 
nesia as a stimulant to vegetation, the limestone of Rochester and 
Lockport, and all the water limes that have been analyzed, con- 
tain from twenty to thirty parts of it, in the form of a carbonate, 
and “the soils in their immediate vicinity are among the most 
fertile in the State.” An instance is within my own observa- 
tion, of the use of the mineral dolomite, obtained at Fairlee, Vt, 
twelve miles above Hanover, derived from large veins in the 
older slate rocks, which was ground as plaster, and used by fat- 
mers upon their land, side by side with gypsum, and the im- 
provement of the crop, above the general average in the field 
was the same in both cases. 
The mineralogy of each county in the Statesis given, in orhis 
department, for the beauty, size, number, and rarity of the min- 
erals, Orange and St. Lawrence counties are pre-eminent. | 
of them have been previously noticed. One erystal of phos 
phate of lime, from the latter county, weighs eighteen pounds. 
The varieties of calcareous spar, found with the galena of Rossie, 
are very numerous, associated with cubes and dodecahedra of 
iron pyrites and fluor spar, in crystals of the octahedron and cu 
octahedron; and splendid specimens of sulphate of strontian ate 
also found. 
Dr. Beck describes Allanite, from Warwick, Orange county; 
its first occurrence in the United States, “and Cacoxenite in a0 
iron mine in Antwerp, Jefferson county, heretofore found only in 
the iron mines at Hrbeck, in Bohemia, and is chiefly compo 
of phosphoric acid and peroxide of iron.” 
a 
