of New-York and New-Jersey, Sc. 189 
dered it an admirable situation for a military post. At the 
base of the mountain fine grained micaceous shist appears. 
At Stoney-Point commences the primitive region. White 
granular limestone is abundant in the ranges of hills to the 
West and North of Stoney-Point; it is a continuation of 
the rock of the same character that passes through New- 
England, and is in great quantity near Verplank’s point.— 
The country North of Stoney Point, adjacent to the river, 
and extending half the distance to the Highlands is hilly 
and rocky, and not extensively cleared ; for two miles, the 
remainder of the distance, the North river running from 
the northeast, washes the base of a wood-clad tract that 
may be considered as making a part of the Highland chain ; 
numerous streams descend the winding glens of the moun- 
tain. 
Rockland County is of a triangular form ; the inhabitants 
are mostly of Dutch descent ; Dutch continues to be gene- 
rally spoken—many families have not acquired the English 
language. The Dutch of Rockland county have deserved- 
ly acquired the character of being hospitable. ‘This coun- 
ty includes within its limits the first ranges of the Highland 
chain ; from Rockland they cross New-Jersey and extend 
to the Delaware, bounding the secondary region. 
Two promment mountain ranges running near each oth- 
er intersect the interior of the secondary region of New-Jer- 
sey. They take their rise adjacent to the primitive High- 
lands two miles North of Pompton and runabout eighty miles 
an almost uninterrupted semicircular course. ‘The summit 
rock in place is uniformly a dark colored, fine grained secon- 
dary greenstone, resembling basalt; it is frequently obser- 
ved resting on conglomerate and sandstone—these rocks 
are supposed to lie under most of the greenstone ranges of 
New-Jersey ; the most elevated point of these mountains 
is situated six miles northwest of Patterson, where a sugar- 
loaf peak rises near 1000 feet above the level of the ocean. 
{ts trap rocks are generally covered by a thin mould that 
exhibits a verdant surface, and a walnut grove without un- 
derbrush, exclusively occupies the summit for an extent of 
forty acres. 'Thiselevation commands a diversified and ex- 
tensive view ; to the East, northeast and North the eye ran- 
ges over a great extent of pretty level country. The wa- 
ving summits of the Pracknes ridge are observed extending 
Vou. Il.....No. 2. 25 
