• 



General Parson^'' Discoveries in the Western Comitnj. 



110 



XI. Discoveries made in the Western Countrf/, 



PARSONS. 



General 



Middleiovm in Conncctieut, Octoher 2, 1786. 



S I B, 



HE frequent publications I have lately seen of ac- 



to have been given by me of my discov- 



said 



eries in the "Western Country, many of 



misrepresented 



and some of them totally without foundation, induces me 

 to execute a purpose I had long since entertained, of com- 

 municating to the Society for promoting Arts and Sciences 



your 



such obser 



ed 



It 



ney into that country, and the discoveries there made, 

 appears to me of consequence, that information of facts, 



which may tend to throw 



light 



upon any inquiries in the 



natural world, should be given to some literary society, 

 where all facts and observations, being clrcfully compared, 



our reasoning on the 



subject 



may be with more certainty; 

 and old principles confirmed, or new hypotheses established 

 with more accuracy. 



I left the settled parts of Pennsjdvania the latter part of 

 October last : and not to mention the large limestone springs 

 frequently to be found in the county of Cumberland, suf- 

 ficient to turn mills within a few rods of their issuing from 



the ground, and other curiosities I never saw before ; about 



the 25th of that month, I passed the Allegany mountains, in 



the old Pennsylvania road. The ascent of about three miles 



IS 



