Geology of St. Croix. 71 



been speaking in St. Croix and St. Thomas. Indeed, at this 

 place, the consoHdated rocks were nearly covered by thick strata 

 of clay mingled with sand, some of which were partially har- 

 dened into stone and dipped with the others at an angle of about 

 ten degrees under the calcareous and tertiary formations, which 

 constitute so striking and interesting a feature of that island. The 

 greater portion of this district, consisting of strata highly inclined, 

 is, I was informed, exceedingly wild, broken, and mountainous. 

 Upon the whole, the entire class of rocks which I have been de- 

 scribing, though they may not be of precisely the same age, ap- 

 pear to me to have been formed in similar circumstances, and to 

 owe their varieties principally to the different degrees of heat to 

 which they have been subjected. 



The general aspect of the calcareous part of the island, as I 

 have before said, is undulating. With the exception of some 

 estates on the south and southwest coasts, where the limestone 

 rises to the surface of the ground, the soil is easily tilled and very 

 fertile. ^ 



The strata incline at different angles and in different directions. 

 Their prevailing position at the east end of the island, is a dip 

 towards the west at an angle of about 10°. They crop out to- 

 wards the east at Constitution Hill, and at King's Hill ; but at an 

 eminence near La Reine, towards the west, I saw them inclining 

 in other directions, and, also, nearly horizontal, as at a quarry 

 south of Mount Pleasant. 



This formation presents considerable diversity also in compo- 

 sition. Perhaps it can best be described under three general di- 

 visions — the section which is now forming on the northwest 

 coast — the marl and the calcareous sandstone, which occupy the 

 central portion — and the limestone and coral crag, the former in 

 most places overlying the latter, and together covering the south 

 side of the island. 



The first of these divisions is of limited extent. It is a narrow 

 belt, from two to six rods wide, extending along the west, with 

 few interruptions, from the bluff to Frederickstad. It consists 

 of corals, shells, and comminuted detritus, thrown up by the 

 waves upon the coast and agglutinated by a calcareous cement. 

 Most of the shells are broken ; the stronger ones, however, such 

 as Strombus gigas. Turbo pica, Tellina remies, Area Noe, are 

 found entire, and even retain their natural colors. I observed a 



