OF ARKANSAS. 75 



side of the Cadron to the same description of land is only 185 feet, which 

 indicates a dip in a westerly direction. A further ascent of *255 feet over 

 schistose argillaceous sandstone, brought us to a table-land with a growth 

 of black-jack, extending for three miles. 



The upper beds of these sandstones are harder and less argillaceous in 

 their composition than the lower layers. 



Oak and hickory are succeeded by oak and pine, which prevail to the 

 descent to the valley of Little Red river. 



The declivity commands an extensive view to the north-west, with high 

 ranges of hills, both in the middle and back ground. 



This elevated country is about 600 feet above Choctaw creek. The 

 lower ledges of sandstone appear here in a kind of pavement form, dip- 

 ping 40 to 50 deg. to the south-east, and checkered with segregations of 

 oxide of iron. Beneath this is a brown massive freestone, which would 

 make a good building stone. Still lower, near the foot of the hill, are 

 black, rusty ferruginous shales, the base of which is some 600 feet below 

 the summit of the ridge. About 10 feet lower, strata of flaggy sandstone 

 form the bed of Choctaw creek, having a south-westerly dip. This is pro- 

 bably an intercalated band in the mass of shaly rocks, which appear to 

 extend even to the banks of Little Red river, in the vicinity of Clinton ; 

 but since there are no good exposures below the flaggy sandstone of Choc- 

 taw creek, and the alluvium of Little Red river, we are left to infer the cha- 

 racter of the concealed strata from very partial out-crops, and analogy of 

 structure with other neighboring ridges of Van Buren county. 



A few miles north and north-east of Clinton, some beds of coal are 

 reported to have been partially opened, for the use of blacksmiths ; these I 

 have not had an opportunity of examining, nor yet the coal on the waters 

 of Sugar Camp creek, said to have been discovered by A. J. Cristopher, 

 eight miles north-east of Clinton. 



The summit level of the ridge, over which the Lebanon road runs, is 1220 

 feet above the town of Clinton, according to observations made with the 

 aneroid barometer. 



No limestone is visible on the east side of this ridge, as you arise from 

 the Clinton side ; the lowest rocks visible are black, grey, and ferruginous 

 shales, surmounted by sandstone and conglomerate ; the order of succession 

 being very much the same as had been observed in the principal ridges in 

 White county. The descent on the west side reveals, however, under 

 these shaly rocks, Archimedes and encrinital beds of the subcarboniferous 

 group, which crop out along the bank of Lesley's ford, of Little Red river. 

 Associated with this group is a bed of black limestone, one to one and a 



