Ten Days in Ohio. 237 



Rush creek. This creek is the eastern and main branch of the Big 

 Hockhocking river, about twenty yards in breadth, and has worn it- 

 self an immense chasm in the loose loomy earth, one hundred and 

 fifty or two hundred feet below the average height of the adjacent 

 uplands. In its bed is a stratum of limestone, a fact common to ma- 

 ny of the streams in the hilly region of Ohio ; and sandstone is found 

 near the top of the slope. West of this creek the soil is more argillace- 

 ous, and the country, gradually declining, becomes more level, as 

 we leave the hilly portion and approach the great valley of prairies. 

 What is properly called the sandstone formation, terminates wester- 

 ly, near Lancaster, in Fairfield County, in immense detached mural 

 precipices, like the remains of ancient islands ; one of these called 

 mount Pleasant, seated on the borders of a large plain, is nearly four 

 hundred feet high on the S. W. side ; affording from its top a fine 

 view of the adjacent country. The base is a mile and a half in cir- 

 cumference, while the apex is only about thirty by one hundred 

 yards, resembling, at a distance, a huge pyramid. These lofty tow- 

 ers of sandstone are like so many monuments, to point out the boun- 

 daries of that ancient western Mediterranean, which once covered 

 the present rich prairies of Ohio. 



LANCASTER. 



We reached Lancaster at 6. P. 'M. thirty six miles S. Westerly 

 from Zanesville and thirty four miles N. E. from Chilicothe. 



May 25. — The weather this morning is cold, with a smart white 

 frost — day cloudy. Lancaster is a flourishing post town ; and is the 

 seat of Justice for Fairfield County. It is near the center of the 

 county, in a rich valley, extending several miles on the Hockhock- 

 ing ; surrounded by a widely extended country of excellent lands. 

 It was laid out, or surveyed into lots, in the year 1800, with conven- 

 ient streets and alleys crossing at right angles. The agricultural pop- 

 ulation are chiefly of German origin, from Lancaster County Pa. and 

 are an industrious, peaceable, frugal race, following the good old 

 ways of the early Dutch settlers in America. The public buildings 

 are a brick court house, market house, town house, banking house 

 and four or five churches. The private dwellings are chiefly of 

 brick, neat and commodious. The public houses for the entertain- 

 ment of travellers, are surpassed by few in America, either in size, 

 kind treatment, or good fare. The same may also be said of Zanes- 

 ville and Chilicothe. Here are two printing oflices, which publish 



