240 Geology of Martha's Vineyard, 



he not be satisfied of this ? When the whole world shall 

 have been as thoroughly explored as England has been, 

 then, but not till then, can it be expected any general geo- 

 logical theory will be formed, which will stand the test of 

 ages. Ere two decades of years are gone by, we trust the 

 geologists of the Uasted States will have done their part of 

 this great and luteresting work. 



Akt. 111. — JVotices of the Geology of Marthas^s Vineyard, 

 and the Elizabeth islands. 



A short visit to the island of Martha's Vineyard, in the 

 summer of the present year, (1823,) enables me to say 

 something of its geology ; with that of the adjacent islands. 

 I am the more induced to do this, since those islands are 

 not coloured in the map of Maclure; and they may not 

 soon be visited by a geologist, who w.ll have an) better op- 

 portunity to examine their structure than I had, although 1 

 confess my researches were hasty and imperfe<:t. This 

 sketch however, may furnish some assistance to succeeding 

 observers. 



Martha's Vineyard is about twenty one miles in its great- 

 est length, and from six to eight in its greatest breadth. It 

 is divided into three townships , Edgartown, the most pop- 

 ulous, occupying the south eastern part of the island ; Tis- 

 bury, embracing the north western part, iind Chilmark the 

 western and southwestern parts. The name of this island, 

 given by the aborigines, is Nope, or Capavvock. These 

 natives have long been celebrated in the annals of missions. 

 But those, whose blood runs pure from foreign mixture, 

 are now nearly extint. A hybrid race, however, descended 

 chiefly from the intermarriages of negroes and Indians, are 

 yet considerably numerous, perhaps about four hundred, who 

 inhabit the western extremity of the island, in the vicinity 

 of Gay head; and among them, there exists an organized 

 christian church. The small island of Chabaquiddick, lies 

 at a little distance from the east end of the vineyard, and 

 Noman's land, not far from the south western extremity. 

 Th^ Elizabeth islands being about sixteen in number, are 

 situated a kw miles from the north west end of Martha'e 



