196 Account of the Geology, Mineralogy, Scenery, &e. 
secondary ranges of New-Jersey, in many places present 
for miles an even summit of table land; the Highland ridg- 
es display numerous sugar-loaf eminences, and a waving 
profile, characteristic of primitive. The extensive se- 
condary range commencing near Pompton and within 
half a mile of the Highlands and extending in a semi-circu- 
lar course, until it again approaches the Highlands, ex- 
hibits in its direction and the aspect of its summits a proof 
of the correctness of the above positions. The extensive 
valley situated between the greenstone semi-circle and the 
Highlands presents much fresh water alluvial—many of the . 
small hills of this tract have no rock in place—the alluvial 
plain bordering the Passaic is in general extensive; in some 
places four miles in width—peat is observed in several pla- 
ces between the source of that river and the little falls; a 
considerable quantity is cut in this valley adjacent to the 
Newark and Morriston turnpike ; the earth had been pene- 
trated six feet without finding the bottom of the strata. The 
level tract called Pompton plain near twenty miles in cir- 
cumference and environed by mountains presents a deci- 
ded fresh water alluvial—strata of gravel, sand, and clay, 
without rocks in place are uniformly found in this dis- 
trict wherever wells have been dug ; it was probably at a 
remote period the bed of a lake.—The waters of the riv- 
ers Pequanack, Long-pond, and Ramapaugh pass through 
this valley—the southern and much of the western part of 
Pompton plain is marshy and embraces about 1500 acres 
of peat ground ; the peat disclosed in digging a ditch of 
four miles. was-called very good. In the southern part of 
the plain good granular argillaceous oxide of iron or pea 
ore is raised from a space of about 200 acres. ‘The High- 
lands form the west and northwest boundary of this plain ; 
in other directions it is skirted by the Pacganack moun- 
tain—this range pursues a serpentine course from North 
Pompton to the vicinity of Morristown, separating in its 
route the extensive alluvial plains watered by the Pompton 
and Passaic. I ascended in many places and examined a 
considerable part of this range—the summit rock in place 
is uniformly a finegrained, dark secondary greenstone, often 
in a state of partial decomposition, exhibiting mural preci- 
pices of considerable height and extent ; sandstone in place 
was sometimes observed at the base and sides of the moun- 
