42 Expedition to the 



its whole extent. The Battery rock is a high mural preci- 

 pice of the same stratum, running in a straight line, and form- 

 ing the northern bank of the river, which washes its base. 

 The face of this precipice is smooth and naked, and it is 

 surmounted by a heavy growth of timber. This limestone is 

 compact, entirely horizontal in its position and filled with 

 organic remains. It is traversed by veins containing sul- 

 phuret of lead, and at several places near Golconda, this is 

 accompanied by fluat of lime, in beautiful yellow and violet 

 coloured crystals. I luat of lime is also found disseminated 

 in small and irregular masses throughout the rock. At Gol- 

 conda, six miles below the cave, a coarse, gray, flinty sandstone 

 is found, extending some distance to the west. This rock 

 forms broad hills on the Kentucky side, between the Cum- 

 berland and Tennessee rivers ; where it abounds in iron ore 

 of several kinds. Perhaps these hills ought to be considered as 

 a spur from the Cumberland hills. At the mouth of the Ten- 

 nessee river, is a locality of the columnar argillaceous oxide 

 of iron, which rises from the surface in pyramidal and colum- 

 nar masses, somewhat resembling the cypress knees. 



An extensive tract of land between the Tennessee and 

 Mississippi rivers, included in the recent purchase from the 

 Cherokees, is rocky and broken, abounding in ores of iron 

 and lead, and probably some other minerals. We have seen 

 a specimen of sulphuret of Antimony, in possession of an in- 

 habitant, who being a sort of alchemist, greatly delighting in 

 mystery, thought it imprudent to reveal the secret of its par- 

 ticular locality. It is to be hoped, future and more mi- 

 nute examinations than we had the opportunity of making, 

 may hereafter detect valuable mineral depositions in this 

 tract. 



The confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi, is in latitude 

 37° 22' 9" north according to the observations of Mr. Ellicott, 

 and in longitude 86° 50' 42" west from Greenwich. The 

 lands about the junction of these two great rivers are low ? 



