Remarks on the Lead Veins of Massachusetts. 1G7 



Franklin counties would doubtless throw much light upon the 

 subject; and it would certainly be desirable to trace the 

 bearings, and fix the limits oi the lead in Massachusetts with 

 more precision. 



In the neighbourhood of the locality above mentioned, I 

 procured several specimens of a mineral which I have since 

 ascertained to be serpentine. They are somewhat harder 

 than. those I have seen from the Milford quarry, have a very 

 fine and beautiful grain, and are slightly translucent at their 

 edges. 



I have been much pleased and instructed by the perusal, in 

 the Journal of Science, of Mr. Hitchcock's excellent de- 

 scription of the Conneciicut Trolley. He has done the sub- 

 ject amplejusiice, and himself the more honour, from the cir- 

 cumstance that most of the geological facts which he men- 

 tions, are the result of his own accurate observation. What 

 he has described, he has examined, and examined closely ; 

 and it must be no small gratification to this gentleman to re- 

 flect, that the section of country which he has with such 

 unwearied assiduity investigated, (I here speak more partic- 

 ularly of Hampshire and Franklin counties,) is becoming, OT 

 rather has already become, the rallying point of all the min- 

 eralogists in Massachusetts. 



Mr. Hitchcock has entered at considerable length into the 

 theory with regard to two lakes, one of which he supposes to 

 have been north, and the other south of Holyoke. Were 

 further proof necessary to convince the intelligent inquirer, 

 that there must have been, at some period, a vast body of 

 water on the north side, at least, of Holyoke, would it go to 

 remove his doubt to tell him, that organic remains have been 

 found in the meadows in Sunderland fifteen or twenty feet 

 below the surface, and that very probably the rocks which 

 form the falls at South Hadley were thrown into their pres- 

 ent confused position, at the time the body of water alluded 

 to forced its way through the mountain .'* 

 Very respectfully yours, 



AUSTIN O. HUBBARD. 



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