PROOFS Ot ANTIQUITY. 



121 



the depth of sixty, ninety, and an hundred feet be« 

 low the surface of the earth.* 



As far west as the Blue Ridge, marine shells, and 

 other exuvise of the ocean are found, which shew 

 that that region was one day immerged in the deep. 



On the banks of the Savannah river, 15 miles 

 below silver bluff, about ninety miles from the sea, in 

 a direct line, and one hundred and fifty or two hun- 

 dred as the river runs ; there is a very remarkable 

 collection of oyster shells of an uncommon size. 

 They run in a north-east and south-west direction, 

 nearly parallel to the sea-coast, in three distinct 

 ridges, which together occupy a space of seven miles 

 in breadth. The ridges commence at the Savannah 

 river, and have been traced as far south as the 

 northern branches of the Alatamaha river. They 

 are found in such quantities, as that the indigo plan- 

 ters carry them away in large boat loads for the pur- 

 pose of making lime water, to be used in the manu- 

 facturing indigo. There are thousands and thou- 

 sands of tons still remaining. 



The shells, says Mr. Bartram, are from 15 to 20 

 inches in length, from 6 to 8 wide, and from 2 to 4 

 inches thick, and their hollows sufficient to receive 

 an ordinary man's foot. Such shells are not now 

 found on our coast. Fossil shells were found by Dr. 

 Barton, as already noticed, on the heights of Onon- 

 dago, in the state of New York, and by Volney at 

 Cincinnati, on the Ohio, and on the summit of a 

 chain about one hundred feet above the level of the 

 river Elkhorn, all which are shown by Lamarck of 



t See Mr. Latrobc's Memoir, Am. Phil, Tim, vol. 



M 



