14 Geology and Mineralogy of a part of Massachusetts, &c. 
town at the N. W. base of Saddle Mountain, only three 
miles distant from each other. 
The limestone of the western range is often distinctly 
crystalline, and always granular. Generally, as we ap- 
proach the western side of it, its grains become finer, and 
the crystalline texture partially disappears. This may be 
noticed in Egremont, Alford, Williamstown, Pownal, and 
Bennington. In Hinsdale, a very coarse and highly crys- 
talline limestone contains plates of mica, diffused through 
it. On the west side of the hill which lies between Lanes- 
borough and Hancock, and the mica-slate of whose summit 
exactly resembles that of Taconick mountain, is granular 
limestone, extending some miles, and exactly like that on 
the other side of the hill in Lanesborough. It is, indeed, 
like the latter, excellent marble. ; 
The limestone has great variety of color, from snow 
white to blue or very dark gray. The colors are often 
mingled in stripes, clouds, &c. 
The two ranges are separated by hills of mica-slate, and 
both ranges are inclosed in the same rock. The western 
range especially is associated in a great part of its course 
with magnesian carbonate of lime. Both these minerals 
often extend several miles in width. They are colored 
on the map, as one rock. 
Marble.—-The ranges of granular limestone yield anabun- 
dance of excellent marble. The white is wrought in New- 
Marlborough, Sheflield, West Stockbridge, Lanesborough, 
New-Ashford, and Adams. The clouded is obtained at 
most of these places, especially Sheffield, West-Stock- 
bridge, and Lanesborough. Beautiful dove colored mar- 
ble, as weil as white, is now wrought in New-Ashford. 
The marble of Lanesborough has been worked extensive- 
ly in Pittsfield, and has hence acquired the name of Pitts- 
field marble. In this town, however, no marble is found ; 
at least none is quarried... The marble generally occurs 
in strata of a thickness very convenient for splitting, or 
sawing into slabs or tables. The removal of the common 
limestone, often resting upon the marble, is sometimes very 
expensive. I have known the sum of 300 dolls. given for 
removing the limestone from one mass of white marble. 
At the bottom of a quarry in West-Stockbridge, small 
blocks of very fine grained marble, white and taking an 
