J. H. Kloos—Cretaceous Basin in the Sauk Valley. 19 
the whole country, levelling the surface, and leaving only the 
highest uplifts of the older formation exposed to view. 
The first rock we met with after crossing the St. Cloud prairie, 
is a red feldspathic granite, protruding from the drift at the 
point where the Rockville road reaches the Sauk. Like all the 
granitic and syenitic rocks which I observed in this part of the 
State, it contains, together with the common feldspar or ortho- 
clase, an albite or other oligoclastic feldspar with well defined 
striated cleavage planes. 
Eight miles from St. Cloud on the bank of the river, I saw 
the first boulder of an exceedingly course granite, different 
and grass had taken root. 
ese huge masses of granite have not been transported far. 
At Rockville the same rock forms a distinct ledge, running from 
the range of hills toward the river. The cliffs of the outrun- 
ning ledge show the same outlines as the boulders. 
ear Cold Spring we come to another exposure of granite, 
the intervening four miles forming quite a broken praine, tra- 
versed by erratic hills covered with timber. Here the river 
takes a leap over the ledge of rock and forms a good water- 
power, which is used for manufacturing purposes. A porphyri- 
tic granite, not distinguishable from the same kind of rock on 
the east side of the Mississippi, rises in beautiful clifis above the 
water, and crossing these we reach another extensive ex 
of the above described coarse granite. Both cross the Sauk, and 
the line between them is marked by a depression, in which a 
the prevalent rock. Several ridges are distinguishable, crop- 
ing out on the slightly rolling table land, and their presence 1s 
marked on the surface by a coarse grit of feldspar and quartz. 
They are seemingly in range with the line of hills at Cold 
Spring, bearing generally east and west. Bu ; 
Richmond itself is built on a high level pes entirely 
covered with farms, but having rather a sandy soil. To the 
