DETAILS OF SECTIONS. 29 



Still further northwest, on the opposite side of the ridge, is another sandy beach, 

 nearly as high, but I did not measure its elevation. 



In all the above cases, and, indeed, wherever I have discovered the most distinct 

 beaches, they occupy such a position among the hills, that if the country were 

 covered by water a few feet above the beaches, they would become inlets or har- 

 bors, and I fancy that if our present harbors, either along the ocean, or the shores 

 of our larger lakes, were to be left by the waters, the surface would be no imperfect 

 counterpart to these ancient beaches. Indeed, when standing on these beaches, 

 and looking in the direction which must have been seaicard, if my suppositions are 

 correct, I have often felt that it required no great stretch of imagination to see the 

 ancient waves rolling in upon the beach, and silting up the harbor. 



Upon Map No. 1, I have marked beaches at Franconia Notch and the White 

 Mountain Notch, which are two passes through that gigantic range of mountains. 

 In those passes, a little west from their narrowest part, we find accumulations of 

 water-worn detritus, stratified and laminated, which I doubt not were left there by 

 the breakers of an ancient ocean. At least it is certain that no existing streams 

 could have formed them, and yet water must have been concerned in their pro- 

 duction. By my aneroid barometer, I found the highest point in the road, which 

 passes westerly from the Franconia Notch house, to be 2665 feet above the ocean, 

 and 2259 above Connecticut river. This is not so distinct a beach, however, as is 

 shown at the height of 2449 feet above the ocean. Gibbs' hotel, at the White 

 Mountain Notch, which occupies the top of a beach, in my opinion, is 2018 feet 

 above the ocean by a mean of the two barometers, and 1612 above Connecticut 

 river. But I fear this measurement may vary somewhat from the truth. 



38. This is a very imperfect section, from the mouth of Connecticut river to 

 that of the Thames, at New London, or a little north of the city. I had no 

 intention of making such a section when I crossed that district in the road nearest 

 to the coast, not far from the route of the New London and New Haven railroad. 

 But having taken a few barometrical observations, and finding the two barometers 

 to agree unusually well, I thought it best to put down the different terraces and 

 beaches which I observed, although I have given the heights of only a few ; and 

 probably some terraces, at least, are omitted. Perhaps all should be called beaches, 

 as they lie open entirely to the ocean. But the rivers seem to me to have had 

 more to do in their formation than the ocean. The beach marked 17 feet high, on 

 the west bank of Connecticut river, seems to me of the same height, as the very 

 distinct one, commencing on both sides of the Thames, and extending as far as 

 Norwich. This, however, is in fact a terrace, and at New London there is a rocky 

 barrier, which doubtless had something to do with its formation. I regret that I 

 could not spend a longer time along this section, and make more measurements. 

 At the time, I thought the terraces and beaches too low to be measured accurately 

 by the barometer, and I had no level with me. I think it would be instructive to 

 run such a section along much of the coast of New England ; yet I think the one 

 given is an epitome of what we should find in the whole distance. 



39. In passing from Schenectady to Albany and Springfield, I took observations 

 with the aneroid barometer at certain places, which I had often observed to be 



