Miscellanies. 377 



3. Notice of the Height of Mountains in North Carolina, from Prof 

 E. Mitchell, of Chapel Hill University. (Taken from the Raleigh Re- 

 gister of Nov. 3, 1835, and forwarded by Prof M.) 



The younger Michaux, on his way from the Valley of the Mississippi, 

 in the fall of 1802, passed through the counties of Yancy and Burke, and 

 in the small volume, containing an account of his travels, that was pub- 

 lished soon after his return to Paris, the opinion is expressed, that in these 

 counties, the Alleghany Mountains attain their greatest elevation. He 

 mentions, in evidence that this belief is well founded, that his father 

 found trees and plants growing upon them which he did not meet with 

 again before reaching Canada. 



The geology of these counties has some peculiar features. They were 

 visited during the last summer, for the purpose of tracing the boundaries 

 of their rock formations, and along with other collateral objects, provision 

 was made for measuring the heights of their principal mountains, with 

 their bearings and distances from each other. Prof Mitchell in a letter 

 to the editor, dated University of North Carolina, May 12, 1838, remarks 

 that the results transmitted were obtained by himself He adds — 



" In their general accuracy I placed a confidence at the time which 

 has been increased by the publication of the Report of the Surveys made 

 by the engineers employed by the Charleston and Louisville Rail Road 

 Company. For the height of Mount Washington I trusted to Worcester 

 as the best authority within my reach. The difference in elevation be- 

 tween the northern and southern mountains is probably not considerable ; 

 in point of beauty there is in some instances a decided superiority on the 

 side of the latter. Mount Washington, according to his measurement, is 

 not so high as the highest peak of the Black Mountain." 



One barometer he observes was stationed at Morganton, and a record 

 kept of its movements by Mr, Pearson of that place. This served as a 

 standard. The observations made at the same time (nearly,) upon the 

 tops of the mountains and at Morganton, furnished the data for calculat- 

 ing their elevations above that village, and the mean of ten observations, 

 on successive days, gave what is probably a near approximation to the 

 height of Morganton above the level of the sea — nine hundred and sixty 

 eight feet. Deducting from this the descent to the bed of the Catawba, 

 there remains only about eight hundred feet of fall between the ford lead- 

 ing over Linville and the sea. 



North of the point where the James River leaves the mountains, the first 

 high ridge of the Alleghanies is called the Blue Ridge. In North Caro- 

 lina, this name is applied to the range that separates the eastern and 

 western waters. This is commonly the first high mountain, but not 

 always. The Table Mountain, which forms so fine and striking a fea- 

 ture in the scenery about Morganton, is not a part of the Blue Ridge, but 

 a spur or outlier. It seems, when seen from Morganton, to be a round 

 Vol. XXXV.— No. 2. 48 



