494. 



Natural Histoiy Tour 



storm, was upset, and all hands perished. A calm spectator 

 would have found no difficulty in discriminating the character 

 of many on this occasion. The captain, whose bold, placid, 

 determined look, broad shoulders, and masculine figure, indi- 

 cated any thing but fear, was solicited to run back into port : 

 he was not, however, to be daunted with a black cloud, the 

 pealings of thunder, or signs of a gale, and guessed we should 

 be in Newburgh by daybreak. 



At 1 P. M. the wind had risen almost to a hurricane, and 

 veered unpropitiously to the north ; the thunder and lightning 

 were tremendous, and the rain fell in torrents. We were 

 now making a great deal of lee-way, and instead of reaching 

 Newburgh at daybreak, as our worthy captain had guessed, 

 we were driven back to within a few miles of New York. 

 Contrary to the feelings of many of my fellow-passengers, I 

 was not sorry at this circumstance ; the bustle and confusion 

 of last evening had rendered it difficult to collect any inform- 

 ation, or sketch the romantic scenery which the shore of this 

 place presented, and which I was so anxious to obtain. 



The following, though a rough picture (^fig. 124-.), will, how- 

 ever, convey to you a better idea of this place than any thing 

 I should be able to add in any other way. 



124 





:^' 



Near the place marked 1 is Hoboken Ferry, the duelling 

 ground, and the monument of General Hamilton. At 2 are 

 found in a state of great purity the hydrate and carbonate of 

 magnesia in secondary limestone, and in connection with rich 

 veins of serpentine and soapstone, or talcose rock, about 1 5 ft. 

 or 20 ft. below the surface. Native magnesia also occurs on 

 Staten Island, in the bay of, and about fifteen miles from, New 

 York. But what makes this place still more interesting to 

 the naturalist, beautiful specimens of amianthus, and other 

 varieties of asbestos, traverse in interrupted veins the serpen- 

 tine stratum. 3, the Bluffs of Weehawk, and the com- 

 mencement of what is called the Palisado Ridge. This ridge 

 extends about forty miles north on the west side of the river. 



