Ill 



This brings us into the fine limestone valley, on the confines at 

 which that town is situated, and here we find the rock dipping at 

 first very gently to the west, then becoming horizontal with slight 

 undulations, covered beyond Tuckwiler's with a soft arenaceous 

 rock, approaching to sandstone in appearance, but which is in 

 reality merely the earthy insoluble portion of an impure limestone, 

 from which the calcareous matter has been all dissolved away. 

 Beyond this point, the limestone rises with an eastern dip, in the 

 neighbourhood of Milligan's creek, after which, at the eastern base 

 of Muddy Creek mountain, it is seen dipping westward beneath and 

 mingled with the strata of soft slate, and again appears on the 

 western side of this ridge near its base, coming out with a dip in the 

 opposite direction. Finally, it shows itself capping the remoter part 

 of Brushy ridge, and dipping in a westerly direction, as if prolonged 

 beneath the heavy beds of slate and sandstone of which the Meadow 

 mountain is composed. After this, it is not observed to re-appear in 

 proceeding further west. 



Whether as has been supposed, the limestone which has just been 

 traced, is continuous with the extensive beds of this description 

 which are spread over a wide district to the south, forming but a 

 part of one general depositc of which the horizontal limestones in 

 the vicinity of the Salt Sulphur springs and Uniontown, and even of 

 the red Sulphur, are merely other portions, it would as yet be pre- 

 mature to venture upon deciding. No such identity of fossil and 

 other characters has so far been observed in the rock from these 

 different districts to authorise a generalization of the kind, and it 

 must be left to minute future investigation to ascertain the true re- 

 lations subsisting between these beds. 



The extent of the limestone region south and west, of Union, is 

 as yet but im perfectly ascertained. Passing the Gray Sulphur 

 springs, and proceeding to the south-east side of the Peter's moun- 

 tain, we find around the base of the Angel's Rest and Salt Pond 

 mountains, and throughout the valley in which Parisburg is situated, 

 a wide extending stratum of nearly horizontal limestone, much of 

 which along the New river, is remarkable for containing masses of 

 silicious rock, embedded in its substance, sometimes having the 

 horny aspect and hardness of genuine flints. Most of these frag- 

 ments, however, are irregular in form, and bear a striking resem- 

 blance to the white and very compact sandstone which is seen pro- 

 fusely strewing the thinks of the Peter's mountain for many miles 



