Suburban Geology of Richmond, Indiana. 287 



the bottom of existing waters; also fragments of the ribs of 

 leaves and their nervous ramifications, and a well characterized 

 piece of pine. I know of no pine forests within perhaps two 

 hundred miles of this place. In addition to the evidences already- 

 given that this deposit occupies the bed of an ancient river, I 

 would also notice the strong bilge-water odor of the recently dug 

 silt : it is every where perceptible in the upper portions of the 

 deposit ; but at the bottom of the bed, where the silt is exceed- 

 ingly compact, being almost consolidated into rock, this charac- 

 teristic smell of decomposing vegetable matter in water, is very 

 faint. Whether this stream favored the growth of molluscans, 

 or whether a diluvial torrent scoured out the superficial sediment 

 and its exuvial contents, I shall not pretend to say ; but I have 

 not been able to descry even the fragment of a shell in all this 

 depth of mud. 



Almost every section, of the silt made with the spade, exposes 

 a number of fine dark blue spots, as if so many nodules of earthy 

 phosphate of iron had been divided. The exterior of some of 

 the pebbles and of the sticks, was deeply stained with this col- 

 oring matter. I suspected it to be a natural ink, produced by the 

 action of the tanno-gallic acid of the buried vegetable substances, 

 upon the ferruginous matter lying in contact with them ; and 

 the use of appropriate reagents confirmed the supposition. By 

 suspending some of this tanno-gallate of iron in water, by means 

 of a little mucilage, I obtained a small bottle of antediluvian ink, 

 formed thousands of years ago, when 



" History, not wanted yet, 

 Leaned on her elbow, watching Time, whose course 

 Eventful, might supply her with a theme." 



In these words I offer you a specimen of this entombed ink.* 

 Curious to know the composition of this deposit, I subjected 

 some of it to mechanical and chemical separation. Upwards of 

 two thousand grains taken from the highest portions of the silt, 

 dried, and carefully reduced to powder as far as the mass was 

 easily susceptible of it, were sifted ; first, through a sieve whose 

 interstices were the twelfth of an inch wide ; secondly, through 



* It is of a deep black and fine lustre, contrasting strongly with the paler hue of 



the rest of the MS.— Eds. 



