Mineralogy of East TennessU' 63 



plaster of Nova Scotia, and devoted by the farmers of that 

 part of Virginia, and Tennessee, to similar purposes. 



Ck>al is said to exist in immense quantities in the Cumber- 

 land Mountain. A bed of it is wrought near Knoxville, Ten- 

 nessee. It is of an excellent quality ; but wood is so abun- 

 dant that it is used only in forges. 



Sulphate of Barytes. — This mineral is found in Bottetourt 

 County, Virginia, near Fincastle ; and in Sevier County, 

 Tennessee. 



Hard Carbonates of Lime. — Stalactitical concretions abound 

 in all the caves so often described as existing in this country. 

 Those of Virginia are more perfectly crystallized than those 

 of Tennessee. Under the head of hard carbonates should be 

 mentioned an extensive bed or vein in Montgomery Countv 

 in the State of Virginia, near the seat of Colonel Hancock. 

 It appears to have been formed in a chasm, in the common 

 limestone of the country, by a calcareous deposition which 

 resembles, exactly, in all its characters, the calcareous con- 

 cretions which are found forming in the caves of the country. 

 The whole bed may, in fact, be regarded as a cave which has 

 been filled up in the progress of time, by this curious process, 

 Its width is various, from two feet to ten, or more, extending 

 along the side of a very steep ridge, for at least 50 yards, and 

 it is said to be continued seven miles farther. 



The silicious carbonate of lime may be worth distinguishing 

 from the common limestone. It is found in abed near Colonel 

 Hancock's, and was supposed to be gypsum. It phosphoresces 

 beautifully ; it is white, and confusedly crystalline in its struc- 

 ture, and much harder than the common limestone. Indeed 

 the limestone generally, on the east of the Alleghany, is some- 

 what harder than that on the west. 



Lead. — There are several localities of this mineral. A mine 

 of it is wrought near New River, 15 miles from Wythe, Vir- 

 ginia. Another locality of the ore of lead is said to have been 

 discovered in Granger County, Tennessee, on land belonging 

 to General Cocke. It exists also, very near the surface, on 

 the plantation of the Rev. Mr. Craighead, near Nashville •„ 

 which, however, is out of our boundary. 



