Miscellaneous Notices of Mineral Localities, fyc. 223 



these varieties of rock exist, in place, in the east part of Tol- 

 land, and occupy a space a mile or two in breadth. I regret- 

 ted that I could not spend more time in its examination, or 

 carry with me more than an imperfect suite of specimens. 

 West of Tolland meeting house we found mica slate, gneiss 

 and granite ; and we meet with these occasionally as far west 

 as New Marlborough ; though after descending the moun- 

 tain, three miles west of Tolland, we fell in with numberless 

 bowlders of granular quartz. But the geology of this region 

 has been so ably described by Prof. Dewey, in the 8th vol. 

 of this Journal, that it is unnecessary for me to go into 

 details. 



Sept. 6th, Canaan, Connecticut. — This is an interesting 

 region, both to the geologist and mineralogist. We were 

 attracted thither, principally by the hope of discovering the 

 spot from which the native iron was obtained, that was re- 

 cently announced in this journal. We called upon Maj. Bur- 

 rail, who, in search of the iron which he formerly obtained 

 from this mountain, had recently visited it again, in company 

 with his son, Mr. Wm. Burrall, a graduate of Yale College, 

 and Dr. Reed. Maj, B. not being able to go with us to the 

 spot, the two other gentlemen just named, conducted us. 

 About two miles north of the meeting house, in the south 

 parish in Canaan, is a precipitous mountain, nearly a thou- 

 sand feet in height ; and it was on its top, and near the west- 

 ern edge, that the native iron was found, not three years ago 

 as stated in this journal, but as Maj. Burrall informed us, six- 

 teen or seventeen years since. At the base of the mountain 

 is limestone, succeeded by an aggregate of quartz and mica, 

 which appears to be one of the varieties of Dr. Macculloch's 

 quartz rock. The top of the mountain, however, is well 

 characterized mica slate, containing small imperfect crystals 

 of magnetic iron ore, sparingly disseminated. On the top of 

 the mountain we came to a pond, perhaps sixty or eighty 

 rods across, and on the south west margin of this pond, is 

 the spot, where, as well as Maj. Burrall can recollect, he ob- 

 tained the specimens in question. At this spot, he found his 

 compass liable to so great a variation, that it was useless, and 

 on examining the rocks for the cause, he found the speci- 

 mens that have excited so much interest. Mr. Burrall junior 

 took his father's compass with him, on our present excursion, 

 and attempted to run over the same line which his father 

 pointed out to him, as the one upon which he experienced 



