in the Counties of New-Haven and Litchfield. 219 
lection of Col. Gibbs (most of which came from the mines 
in France) we can scarcely distinguish the one from the oth- 
er, whether we regard their characters, their beauty, or their 
richness. 
Ride to New-Preston. 
For a series of years a highly crystaline white marble 
has been brought to New-Haven from the towns of Wash- 
ington and New-Milford; it is in extensive use, for sepulchral 
monuments, as well as for purposes of architecture, although 
far the greater part of itis used for the former purposes. 
This marble, viewed even in the hands of the stone-cut- 
ters, could leave no doubt in the mind of the geologist, that 
it belonged to the highly primitive formations; its perfectly 
crystaline structure—its high translucence—its whiteness 
often very pure—its freedom from any impressions of or- 
ganized bodies, and its occasionally abounding with erystals 
of foreign substances, particularly tremolite, afford sufficient 
ground for this conclusion. 1 could have no doubt, accor- 
ding to the established laws of geology, that it must be 
found imbedded in gneiss or mica-slate, and most probably 
in the former. 
I now eagerly embraced the opportunity of examining it 
wm place, and for this purpose passed over east to the village 
of New-Preston, distant from the Kent ore bed seven 
or eight miles. Gneiss was still the rock which attended 
me ; it occasionally rose into abrupt and lofty hills, some- 
times composed of naked rock, with the edges of the strata 
projecting, and forming rude impending cliffs, threatening a 
fall into the vallies. 
The village of New-Preston is situated on one of those 
high ridges of gneiss, which pass nearly North and South, 
and form the boldest geological features of the country.— 
This ridge runs nearly parallel to those which I have al- 
ready described, as forming the barriers of the Housatonick 
as far as I pursued its course. 
Gneiss, from the fissile nature of the rock, splitting readi- 
ly through the layers of mica or isinglass, which forms a part 
of its structure, often affords an excellent building and _pa- 
ving stone. ‘The Haddam stone, so much valued in New- 
York asa flagging stone, that af New-Milford, of Derby, 
&c. is of this description. 
