128 
[Assembly 
The general course of the rocky ranges, (granite in different forms, 
gneiss, &c.) is north-northeast and south-southwest, though sub- 
ject to local variations, where the course is north and souih, or 
northeast and southwest. The beds of this ore are frequently call- 
ed veins, but it is evident, on examination, that this is not the 
fact, from the following circumstances — their being paraflel to the 
mountain ranges, dipping at the same angle as the surrounding rocks; 
the dissemination of particles of ore among the rock to a conside- 
rable distance from the bed, gradually decreasing in quantity as 
the distance from the bed increases. These, with other circum- 
stances uniformly attending these formations, proves incontestibly 
that they are beds. In the examination of numerous beds of this ore, 
there was not observed a single exception to these rules, except 
where the dip, or bearing, was changed by the protrusion of trap 
dykes, the eftect of which will be noticed in another place. 
The rocks associated with this kind of ore vary considerably in 
character in different localities. In some parts of Essex county 
the ore is associated with a rock composed of quartz and horn- 
blende, of fine granular structure; but the most extensive beds in 
this county are associated with a granite, or sienite, composed al- 
most entirely of dark colored feldspar, containing masses of opa- 
lescent or Labrador feldspar; and in some places a small propor- 
tion of augite. This kind of granite is the prevailing rock in Es- 
sex county. 
In Clinten county the ore is associated with rocks of different 
character; sometimes a granite composed of quartz and feldspar, 
quartz and hornblende, or feldspar and hornblende, sometimes with 
scales and seams of mica, forming gneiss. The rock is generally 
very compact, though sometimes of a loose or slaty texture. • 
In Franklin county the rocks contain much more hornblende, 
which is frequently observed in crystalline masses in the walls of 
the beds and among the ore; the rocks in this county are usually 
of a coarser and more crystalline structure than those in Clinton 
county. This character of the rocks prevails where beds of ore 
are already worked, but will not prove uniform throughout the 
county. 
The general inclination or dip of these beds is the same as that 
of the rocks, which varies from 70° to 80°; but it is sometimes ver- 
tical, and where affected by dykes, it varies from 50° to verticality. 
