Mineralogy of Orange County, JV*. Y. 32i 



Art. XII. A sketch of the Mineralogy arid Geology of the Coun^ 

 ties of Orange (JV. Y.j, and Sussex (JY. J.) ; by Charles U. 

 SiiEPARD, Lecturer on Botany in Yale College. 



The adjoining counties of Orange and Sussex constitute a miner- 

 alogical district, second in interest to no other in the United States. 

 The variety and rarity of its productions began to attract attention as 

 early as 1820 ; since which period, it has received frequent visits from 

 mineralogists from abroad, and has been examined with a high de- 

 gree of zeal and success by its own inhabitants : the result of which 

 investigations is, that, in a mineralogical point of view, no region of the 

 same extent^ in our country, is at present better understood. Th© 

 individuals who deserve to be mentioned as having taken the lead in 

 these researches, are Mr. Nuttall of Cambridge, Dr. Torrey and 

 Baron Lederer of New York, Dr. Fowler of Franklin, N. J., Dr. 

 Young, of Edenville, Dr. Horton, of Goshen, and Dr. Heron, of 

 Warwick, N. Y. The principal information hitherto presented to the 

 public concerning this district, is contained in a description of the 

 mineralogy of Franklin and Sparta, by Mr. Nuttall, in this Journal, 

 (Vol. V, p. 239.) a list of the minerals of Warwick, by the same 

 gentleman, in the appendix to Robinson's catalogue of American 

 minerals, (p. 296,) and some notices by Dr. Torrey in the Annals of 

 the New York Lyceum of Natural History, (Vol. Ill, p. 8.) 



A geological and mineralogical map of the district above alluded 

 to, having been forwarded to Prof. Sillinian, by Drs. Young and 

 Heron, for publication in the American Journal, accompanied with a 

 request that I would undertake to give a more detailed account of the 

 mineralogy of the region than has hitherto been published, is the oc- 

 casion of the present sketch. My visit to these counties, which was 

 made last year, was unfortunately of too short duration to allow of 

 the personal inspection of each locality of which I shall speak ; but 

 the statements concerning such deposits as I was prevented from 

 seeing, are founded upon specimens and information furnished me 

 since, by Dr. Young, to whose correspondence I am much indebted 

 in the preparation of these notices. 



I shall commence with that part of the country which first fell 

 under my observation. Leaving the village of Goshen, which is sit- 

 uated upon the same Argillite that had characterized the whole coun- 

 try, as seen in my ride from Newburgh to that place, my road lay 



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