188 Account of the Geology, Mineralogy, Scenery, &c. 
tains faintly appear to the southwest. ‘The Haverstraw 
mountain is near you, with its camel’s back summit running 
westwardly ; to the South the Palisadoes are seen. In the 
immense valley embraced by these mountain ranges, the 
hills and plains, the cultivated and wood-clad tracts, the 
lakes and streams are viewed upon the uneven map of na- 
ture ; the greater part of this valley appeared in a good 
state of cultivation. To the southwest of ‘Tappan sea in 
the direction cf Hackensack and Pyramus, the country is 
m general very level and inclining to sand, and well adapt- 
ed for the use of gypsum, but this valuable manure is sel- 
dom used by the farmers of this district 5; sandstone pre- 
dominates in that tract. To the West of Kedidica Hook the 
surface is more uneven and _ hills of considerable elevation 
are seen adjacent to the Highlands mostly under cultiva- 
tion. ‘The Hudson at your feet with its expanse of waters 
and numerous bays, is seen for a great distance ; its prim- 
itive eastern bank rising gradually to mountain elevations 
is thickly settled and most of the summits cleared. From 
Haverstraw to Stoney-Point, a distance of five miles, and 
from Haverstraw bay to the Highlands, in a northwest direc- 
tion the country is in general level, the soil inclining to sand 
is in many places underlaid by red sandstone. Good whet- 
stones have been recently quarried in this part of the coun- 
try. 
The summit of Stoney-Point, once a distinguished mili- 
tary post, exhibits in place rocks composed of green feld- 
spar mottled with black mica, the feldspar however predom- 
mating; a slight effervescence is produced by acids. On 
the North side of this eminence a mineral is found which 
appears to be composed of iron, alumine, silex and some 
magnesia ; it occupies the mountain’s side and large blocks 
detached are observed on the shore—it has the aspect of 
an ore of iron. ‘This ferruginous rock embraces in veins a 
mineral containing much magnesia ; it is translucent at the 
edges, the lustre waxy, the fracture splintery with a dark 
green, unctuous surface, answering pretty well to the de- 
scription of splintery serpentine ; its surface is dissolved 
by diluted sulphuric acid, and epsom salts formed in nume- 
rous crystals ; this effect is not produced upon any other de- 
seription of serpentine that I have elsewhere met with. The 
peninsular situation and difficult ascent of Stoney-Point ren- 
