25 



under our own eyes, to pass unnoticed, and 

 undescribed. 



An Essay on Salt^ &;c. by Dr. Van Rens- 

 selaer, was published in 1823. This work 

 contains notices of its origin, formation, ge- 

 ological position, and principal localities, 

 with a particular description of the Ameri- 

 can salines. We gather from this essay 

 that this useful mineral is extensively distri- 

 buted over the United States, the formation 

 in which it is found extending across the 

 continent, from the Alleghany to the North 

 Pacific, between the 31st and 45th degrees 

 of north latitude. In this immense tract, 

 rock salt is occasionally found, but its lo- 

 cality is more usually indicated by brine 

 springs. The author has collected many 

 important particulars respecting the differ- 

 ent salines in the United States. He esti- 

 mates the quantity manufactured at a mil- 

 lion and a half of bushels, which, together 

 with that produced on our own sea shores 

 by solar evaporation, is sufficient for the 

 consumption of the country, and renders us 

 independent of a foreign market. 



The several elaborate papers of Mr. 

 Hitchcock in the American Journal of Sci- 



D 



r 



