and the other Azores. Q53 
the basalts of Saxony, or even those of Scotland and Ire- 
land.’’* 
The “Introduction” to Dr Webster’s book, contains 
an account of the discovery and early history of the 
Azores, collected and condensed from all the best authori- 
ties. The islands included under the general name of 
Azores, or Western Islands, are nine in number, and are 
called San Miguel, or St. Michael, St. Mary, Terceira, St. 
George, Graciosa, Fayal, Pico, Flores and Corvo. The 
group, in general may be considered as extending from 37° 
to 39° 45' of N. lat. and from 25° to 31° of W. long. It is’ 
situated in the Atlantic ocean, about eight hundred miles 
west from Cape St. Vincent, and at nearly the same dis- 
tance from the shores of Africa and America.” St. Michael 
is the largest of those islands, and is that which has com- 
manded the principal attention of the author. The obser- 
vations extend to most of those topics which usually arrest 
the attention ofa traveller, and many highly entertaining 
accounts are given of the customs and manners of the in- 
habitants, which are in some respects peculiar and appear 
to be but imperfectly known to the rest of the world. 
The following is an account of the general appearance of 
the island of St. Michael. ‘The view from the anchorage 
on the south side of the island, where vessels ride about a 
mile distant from the shore, is uncommonly varied and pic- 
turesque. Immediately at the water’s edge stands the city 
of Ponta Delgada, the principal town of St. Michael. It 
takes its name from the point Delgada, a little to the east- 
ward of which it is situated, and from the uniform white- 
ness of the houses has, at a distance, an air of great neat- 
ness and even of beauty. The buildings rise above each 
ether with great regularity as they recede from the sea, and 
* It will be seen from President Cooper’s memoir on volcanoes and volca- 
nic productions, thathe is ofa different opinion. It is obvious however from 
the citation which he makes of the “ Basalt’? of Mount Holyoke in Massa= 
chusetts, that he uses the word at least in that instance, and insome similar 
@4ses in such an extent, as to include greenstone—for such Mount Holyoke de- 
eidedly is, if we may rely on our own examination of this mountain. Bake- 
well and many other writers use the word Basalt, in a loose sense, including 
under it most of the trap rocks. Restricted to the sense in which Dr. Web- 
ster uses the word Basalt, we must say, that we have never seen a specimen of 
American Basalt. This we know to be the opinion of Col. Gibbs ; anda nuzn- 
ker of years since, we heard the same sentiment expressed by Mr. Maclure. 
Wow. LV....No. 2. | 
