oats, potatoes and hay, a much larger 
quantity is produced than the consump- 
tion of the county requires, and, phe 
surplus is sold intheCity of New York.’ 
Under the sub-heading ‘‘Navigation 
and Fisheries’’ is given a list of the salt 
water fishes taken for food, and the 
abundance of oysters and elams in the 
surrounding waters is said to ‘‘tend to 
withdraw the attention of the inhabi- 
fants from the cultivation of the land.’’ 
The subject of ‘‘Meteorology’”’ is 
treated at considerable length and 
under it are included discussions of the 
tides, winds, snow and thunder storms, 
etc. 
The trees utilized for timber are listed 
as ‘‘several species of oaks, and wal- 
nuts, chestnut, beech, birch, dog-wood, 
white-wood [probably tulip-tree], gum, 
ete.” 
notes that ‘‘Staten Island-.qs énce cel- 
ebrated for furnishingssupesior white 
oak for ship timber, but there is very 
little standing of large size.’’ Also 
‘“‘Fencing materials are scarce on the 
island, both for posts and rails. * * * 
White cedar rails are now extensively 
used. and procured from the swamps 
in New Jersey about Egg Harbor, at 
about $6 to $8 per 100,”’ 
Under ‘‘Noxious Weeds’’ are men- 
tioned the daisy [CAv-ysanthemum L-ucan- 
themum L.], Johnswort [Aypericum 
perforatum LJ, wild garlic [Allium 
vineale L.|,burdock [Arctium Lappa L.], 
common dock [Aumex crispus L.], nar- 
row and broad-leaved plantain [/P/a7- 
tago major L. and P. lanceolata L.|, 
wild parsnip [/astinaca sativa L.| and 
wild carrot [Daucus Carota L.]. 
OF special interest however is his 
chapter on the ‘‘Geology of Richmond 
County.’’ After describing the features 
of the soapstone hills, the trap ridge, 
and the character of the soils, the con- 
tinues as foliows: 
‘Rew or no minerals of any value 
have been found in the County. Near 
Rossville * * * some persons were 
-mond on this.island. 
In this connection:+thesautbor - 
44 
posessed with the idea of a coal mine 
* * * bat upon examination it prov- 
ed to be lignite, or wood carbonized by 
the decomposition of pyrites.’’ 
It may be remembered that at our 
meeting of December 12th, 1903, there 
was shown a mass of native copper, 
said to have been fqund.in the moraine 
on Grymes Hill, but that it wasta drift 
boulder was considered questionable or 
at least not proven. In this connection 
therefor the following paragraph in 
Mr. Akerly’s report is of considerable 
significance: 
“During the last war with Great 
Britain, while the forts at the Narrows 
were in process of erection, detached 
pieces of pure virgin copper were found 
in excavating the hill below Fort Rich- 
-They iwere deep 
among the materials of the upland di- 
-luvium [morainal material], and were 
not accidentally dropped there, but 
must have been brought from the north.’’ 
His report finally ends with a, to us, 
quaint and elemental paragraph, to 
the effect that ‘‘the roll of the ocean 
has an action upon the stones and 
gravel, not only in wearing away their 
angles, but in reducing many of them 
to elliptical shapes. Some of these are 
so handsomely formed and polished bv 
attrition on the sea shore, that the sub- 
scriber forwards herewith a few picked 
upon his water front. If the Society 
have no place for the display of such 
specimens, they may be deposited in 
the State Geological Cabinet at Albany, 
that geologists may study the action of 
water and the roll of the ocean upon 
stones.’’ <A footnote, on page 188, tells 
us thut ‘‘accompanying this report 
were received an accurate original map 
of Richmond County, and some geolog- 
ical specimens, which will be disposed 
of according to the directions of Dr. 
Akerly, and for which he will please 
accept the thanks of the Society.’’ 
In the same Transactions. for the 
year 1843 (vol. iii, pp, 454-461), undes 
