Miscellanies. 381 



were living inhabitants of the seas of Europe, the organic relics of 

 this synopsis were alive in the oceans of America, — in other words, 

 that they were contemporaneous beings. Wliatever cause laid bare 

 the eastern portion of the series, appears to have acted simultaneously 

 on the western mass : not a rush of currents, but either a subsidence 

 of the sea. or elevation of the land, which has left the fossils in their 

 original beds unbroken, and, as to their external form, unaltered." 



Dr. Morton's present beautiful work is illustrated by numerous 

 fine lithographic drawings, and embodies information of great value 

 in elucidating an important portion of the vast upper secondary of 

 the United States, which, with the tertiary, scarcely less extensive, 

 and the diluvial, is to furnish hereafter a rich reward to the geological 

 explorer of this portion of the United States, which was until re- 

 cently, a terra incognita. 



3. Large Mass of Native Copper. — The cabinet of Yale Col- 

 lege has been recently enriched by a magnificent piece of Native 

 copper, presented by Mr. J. Mortimer Catlin of New York. 

 In a letter to the editor, dated October 9, 1834, Mr. C. mentions 

 that this piece of copper was found at or near the river On-ta-naw- 

 gaw of lake Superior; and, as we are informed, above the rapids 

 marked on the map of the river. Those who brought it away, were 

 allured by the vain hope of finding in it gold or silver. Its weight 

 was one hundred and thirty seven pounds, but is now somewhat less, 

 as a few ounces have been detached. It has, all the characters of 

 native copper ; the perfect color and lustre of that metal ; the occa- 

 sional incrustation with green carbonate of copper ; numerous rudi- 

 ments of crystals of copper with triangular faces ; occasional cavities, 

 swellings and knobs, and great malleability. Its form is Ridely plano- 

 convex, with an irregularly elliptic base, arched below, and standing 

 upon two projections, thus allowing it a rocking motion ; it is fif- 

 teen inches long and fifteen broad — in the narrowest place twelve 

 inches; it is nine inches high, and it bears strong marks of having 

 been entangled in a vein stone, or a rock. Mr. Catlin has been 

 credibly informed, that " there lies in the bed of the On-ta-naw- 

 gaw a mass equally pure, weighing a ton ! 



Whether this is the celebrated copper rock described by Mr. 

 Schoolcraft, Vol. iii. p. 205 of this Joiu-nal, we have no means to 

 determine, but the numerous and important facts mentioned by 

 Mr. Schoolcraft, render it certain, that native copper is frequently 

 found in that region, and lead to a strong presumption of the exist- 

 ence of valuable mines of copper. 



