1 2 Gold Region of North Carolina. 



ty; the eastern comprises the most fertile, populous and flour- 

 ishing part of North Carolina.* 



2. The former is generally broken, and in some parts rises 

 into lofty mountains ;t the latter presents nothing deserving 

 the name of mountain. This character, and the preceding 

 are of little value in themselves, but taken in connexion 

 with the others, appear worthy of notice. 



3. The western division is as rich as other parts of our 

 country, in mineral species, especially in imbedded crystal- 

 line forms, such as garnet, tourmaline, staurotide, oxide of 



* A writer in the first number of the Southern Review, observes, that "it 

 has long been known that a belt of very fertile land comparatively narrow, 

 traverses the three southern states," and from a remark in the work under re- 

 view, draws the conclusion that this belt is " indicative of the slate formation." 

 That there are tracts of good land within the limits of the state, is true, but in 

 general, the soil produced by its decomposition is poor, and the part bordering 

 on Soutli Carolina especially, is infamous through all the adjacent country for 

 its sterility. So far as North Carolina is concerned, this fertile land is indica- 

 tive of the eastern division of the Primitive. 



t I suspect the highest peaks to belong to the transition rocks. The mo^t 

 elevated land in this part of the United States, is unquestionably around the 

 base of the Grandfather, as is proved by the fact that here are the head springs 

 of four large rivers; the Yadkin, Catawba, Tennessee and Kenhawa, reach- 

 inff the sea by widely different routes, but whether the mountain itself is not 

 over-topped by the neighboring summits of the Roan and Black Mountains of 

 Tennessee and Buncomb, especially by the latter, is doubtful. Maclure says, 

 (observations on the geology of the United States, page 43,) " A similar (tran- 

 sition) formation, about fifteen miles long, and two or three miles wide, occurs 

 on the north fork of Catawba river, running along Linneviile and John's moun- 

 tain, near to the Blue Ridge." Instead of constituting a distinct formation, it will 

 probably be found that it lies in a salient angle of the western transition, which 

 here crosses the whole breadth of the AUeganies, including the Grandfather, 

 and perhaps the Black mountain. 



In the accuracy of Maclure's determinations, at the points which he had an 

 opportunity of visiting personally, geologists will repose a confidence as un- 

 doubting as it is well merited, and it were to be wished that for the direction 

 of succeeding observers, he had given some indications of his different routes. 

 But the circumstance that the long range of old red sandstone, extending 

 through North Carolina, does not appear upon his map, shews conclusively 

 that he did not traverse this state from east to west, and as this part of the AUe- 

 ganies is one of the most wild, uninhabited, and difficult passes in the whole 

 range, it may be conjectured that he did not traverse the mountains at this 

 place ; that it has never been visited by any person devoted to natural science, 

 except the Michaux's of whom, both father and son, it was a favorite field of 

 observation, but they do not appear to have paid much attention to any but the 

 vegetable kingdom. I had an opportunity of passing along only the north east- 

 ern edge of this body of supposed transition rocks, from a point near where the 

 Watanga enters Tennessee, across the head waters of the Linneviile to the 

 summit of the Grandfather, and of course to the neighborhood of Maclure's 

 transition formation. I found plenty of clay slate, especially around the sides 

 of the Grandfather, and such other rocks as along the borders of Tennessee 

 occupy the dividing line betv/een the primitive and transition strata. 



