do A GEOLOGICAL HISTORY. 



of these deposits, have all the materials of every 

 kind, but contain no carbonaceous matter. How- 

 all these formations came where we find them, and 

 at what time, and by what means, so regularly 

 irregular, I shall not attempt a conjecture : no one 

 believes those, who pretend to make it out by 

 metaphysical reasoning, and as to facts, we have 

 so few ; we know that it is here, and was in some 

 place else once, but any further, is a grand puzzle. 

 Water. — The water of the Island of New York, 

 in most of the natural springs and wells was good, 

 and is so now, on all that part of the Island above 

 42nd Street, where there has not been this digging 

 down of hills, filling up of swamps, and other low 

 grounds. But it is not to be supposed, the element 

 could continue pure with our dense population, 

 and where, all kinds of animal and vegetable sub- 

 stances, are brought for food, and other purposes ; 

 the drainage of the sinks and cispools, carrying 

 down all the salts, both alkaline and earthy in 

 solution, is enough to contaminate the city wells 

 in a very few years. It is an unpalatable fact, 

 that the draining of the sinks, forms part of the 

 water, which we are daily using and have been 

 drinking for so many years. I have always been 

 an advocate for pure w^ater, and was one of the 

 first, who suggested the idea of bringing old Croton 



