On the Secondary arid Tertiary Formations. 335 



Several springs come out at its edge, which bring up small fos- 

 sil shells and pieces of coral. Among the shells, which are gene- 

 rally very imperfect, may be recognized the Pecten membranosus, 

 a Cardium, and others common to the same formation in New 

 Jersey. The water seems well adapted to the recent Planorbis 

 trivolvis, Physa heterostropha, and Paludina integra, which in- 

 habit it in profusion, and also to the luxuriant water-cresses, 

 which equally abound in it. Around the limestone is a deposit 

 of calcareous marl of a light yellow color, affording a very con- 

 venient and rich natural manure ; but it has been entirely neg- 

 lected as well as the limestone, the little lime required for the 

 country being brought from Thomaston, Maine, although they 

 have enough of the rock, wood at the expense of cutting it 

 only, and a suitable sandstone for kilns scattered through this 

 region. This stone belongs to the same formation, and has been 

 used sometimes for making millstones. Having fortunately some 

 plans of kilns with me, I was happy to leave them, with the 

 advice that the people make the attempt at least to supply them- 

 selves with their own lime. 



Not far from this place, is that interesting locality in Duplin 

 county, called the '* natural well." It is two miles west of the 

 rail-road, (forty-seven miles from Wilmington,) on the road from 

 Kenansville to Elizabeth, Baden county. Before reaching it, 

 one may notice by the side of the road a large sink-hole, fifteen 

 feet deep, overgrown by trees and bushes ; a little beyond this, a 

 path turns off to the left to the cabin of a Mr. John Smith, with- 

 in two hundred yards of which, in the woods, is the well. It is 

 a large circular basin, about twenty yards across and sixteen feet 

 deep to the surface of the water; its banks are nearly vertical, 

 although the strata are entirely obscured by the loose sand, trees 

 and bushes that have covered them, excepting in one narrow spot, 

 where a correct section may be obtained and specimens col- 

 lected. The soil, which is sand and yellow loam, a little clayey 

 at bottom, is from three to four feet thick. It rests on the shell 

 marl, which is about four feet thick, and under this is a tough 

 blue clay from six to eight feet thick, overlying a sandstone like 

 the clay in color, the lowest visible rock. The marl consists 

 entirely of shells, and fragments of shells, with a very small 

 quantity only of fine white siliceous sand. The shells are of a 

 great variety of species belonging to this formation, and they lie 



