Bedford and Bath or Berkeley Springs. 103 



direction, about five miles, to the Potomac River, v^^here it termin- 

 ates, opposite the town of Hancock, Maryland. Little can be said 

 in favor of the village of Bath, since, with the exception of a few 

 buildings, it presents the appearance of dilapidation and ruins. The 

 accommodanons for visitors are, however, tolerable, at least for such 

 as are not over fastidious. The springs, which are principally mag- 

 nesian and justly celebrated, especially in chronic affections, and also 

 the fine and spacious baths attached to them, constitute the principal 

 inducement that attracts persons to this place. Indeed, such is their 

 celebrity, that they are, annually, during the months of July and 

 August, frequented, (and that too in no inconsiderable numbers,) 

 by persons of the highest respectability. 



As the object of this notice is, not so much a particular description 

 of the springs and their many virtues, as a sketch of some of the 

 Geological features which this district of country presents, I shall 

 proceed to describe them. 



The ridge above may be considered as a subordinate member of 

 Cape Casson mountain, which lies about two miles west, and at the 

 foot of which, for some distance, runs the south branch of the 

 Potomac river. This elevated ridge, presents to view, on the east 

 side, an almost perpendicular wall of sandstone, or millstone grit 

 and such as would lead to the belief that the whole mountain was 

 composed of the same materials. I found, however, by traversing 

 the west side, that its sub-stratum was composed of limestone. This 

 I was enabled to ascertain only by some excavations that had been 

 made for the purpose of obtaining limestone. 



The ridge, however, that bounds the valley on the east, and which 

 runs parallel with the latter until interrupted by the Potomac river, 

 near the town of Hancock, is of a very different character being com- 

 posed, at least as far as I could ascertain, of silicious slate. 



Previous to my visit to this place, I had been informed, by visitors, 

 that organic remains, which the inhabitants of this village called pet- 

 rified butterflies, had frequently been found in the rivulet running 

 through the valley, and were supposed to be formed principally by the 

 springs above mentioned. This stream I traversed down its course, 

 without discovering any thing, until, at the distance of a quarter of a 

 mile below the springs, I observed a quantity of stones recently driven 

 from the natural channel of the rivulet, by an unusual flow of water 

 produced by a heavy torrent of rain, and left upon a flat on its mar- 

 gin. Amongst these, I discovered impressions of various shells, en- 



