28 



Economical Geology. 



it more valuable. The bed is only three or four miles from the Con- 

 necticut, and on the bank of Fall River, a small stream that empties 

 into the Connecticut. By going to Cheapside, in Deerfield, (eight 

 miles,) over a level and excellent road, water communication with the 

 whole valley of the Connecticut, will be reached. I have little 

 doubt, that if this limestone should be extensively burnt, it will re- 

 duce the value of quick lime in that valley, from twenty five to fifty 

 per cent. : a benefit superior to any that could be conferred by the 

 discovery of a gold or silver mine. 



I dissolved some of this lime, in diluted nitric acid, to see if it con- 

 tained magnesia. The solution was not milky, and therefore no 

 magnesia was present. I also dissolved 100 grains in muriatic acid, 

 and the siliceous residuum was only a single grain : the 99 grains 

 are probably chiefly carbonate of lime • although whatever amount 

 of oxide of iron was present, would also be dissolved.* 



Marble. 



The limestone of Berkshire is best known for the fine marble 

 which it produces. It is all of that variety denominated primitive 

 marble. It is always more or less crystalline, sometimes very coarse- 

 ly so. The prevailing color is white ; and this is the variety most 

 extensively wrought. Some varieties are snow white, and admit of a 

 very fine polish. From this pure white, the color changes by imper- 

 ceptible gradations to gray, and dove color. These varieties form 

 delicate marbles. But probably most persons would say that the 

 clouded variety, where the white and the gray are fantastically mixr 

 ed, is most elegant. 



More or less marble is quarried in almost every town of Berkshire 

 county, except a few on its eastern side. But the towns where it is 

 most extensively wrought are West Stockbridge, Lanesborough, New 

 Ashford, Sheffield, New Marlborough and Adams. A few years 

 since, Prof. Dewey stated the amount of marble annually furnished 

 by West Stockbridge, to be sixteen thousand square feet, valued at 

 $25,000 to $30,000 : the amount at Lanesborough, seven thousand 

 feet; value $10,000 : and in Sheffield, to the value of $8,000. In 

 all the county, the annual value of marble was estimated to be more 



* Still more recently a bed of crystalline limestone has been found in the north- 

 east part of Blandford, which will be described in the third part of my Report. I 

 believe that as yet no attempt has been made to burn this rock into quicklime. 



