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[Assembly 
washed down from the northern mountains. Their mineralogical 
character favors this opinion. It is just such a sand as we now 
find at the bases of these mountains, and which we find forming at 
the present time, both on their sides and summits. They contain 
abundance of iron sand, which may be shown any where by plung- 
ing into them a magnet. This iron sand is undoubtedly formed 
from beds of magnetic iron, which are so abundant at the north. 
As the whole process for forming these sands is now going on, the 
inference is a fair one, that the formation is quite recent. Whe- 
ther these sands were brought down suddenly from the north by 
a powerful current, and spread by it over the southern plains, or 
whether they have been washed down by the slow operation of 
causes now at work, are questions difficult to decide. 
But there are reasons for entertaining the latter of these opi- 
nions, and that these deposites have been made since those boulders 
were brought down, which we have spoken of in another place?. 
This will appear more plausible, when we consider that the other 
formation of the same character occurs near Clintonville and Keese- 
ville on the northeastern slope of the same mountains. These 
beds are thicker than those at Glen's Falls; they extend 10 or 12 
miles north of those places, forming sand plains somewhat similar 
to those west of Albany. The exact extent of these beds, N. and 
W., we had not time and opportunity for ascertaining. As the 
character of these northern beds of clay and sand are similar to those 
near Glen's Falls, it is highly probable they had their sources in 
the same mountains, and have been produced by the operation of 
similar causes. 
There are two other subjects of some interest remotely connect- 
ed with our present inquiries, which we shall speak of, briefly, be- 
fore we take up our account of the valuable metals. 
1. Springs of Chateaugay, These springs are half a mile east of 
the Chateaugay Corners; they rise from a white sand, and from 
them sufficient water flows to turn a mill wheel. The remarkable 
character of these springs is, that they intermit in their flow. In 
April they begin to flow, and continue till about the last of Sep- 
tember, from which time they remain entirely dry till April, and 
this round is continued with perfect regularity from year to year. 
Bubbles of nitrogen gas rise from the bottom of these springs in a 
manner similar to the warm springs of Hoosic and Wiliiamstown, 
