No. 200.] 
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neur, Rossie, Hermon and De Kalb. The situation and relative extent 
of these beds will be indicated on the geological map of the county. 
Having spoken very briefly of this rock, (and perhaps too much so) 
I shall pass to the consideration of two important questions in relation 
to it. The first is of its stratification 3 the second, of its origin, whether 
aqueous or igneous. On both these questions, all our authorities place 
it among the stratified rocks, and it is of all others considered as of an 
aqueous origin. As these two questions are matter of fact questions, 
and not theoretical, dependant wholly on observation for their establish- 
ment, their discussion is admissible in the annual geological reports. It 
is my intention, however, on these points, to confine myself to the 
statement of facts, and besides this, to state them in as few words as 
possible. 
First is, have we any limestones which are unstratified'? In St. Law- 
rence county, all those limestones which occur among the primary rocks, 
as gneiss and granite, present no continuous parallel planes, dividing the 
mass into subordinate layers, one above another, like the leaves of a 
book. This assertion I extend also to numerous beds of the same vari- 
ety of limestones in the primitive districts of New-England, and to the 
primitive limestones of the Ganonoqui, in Upper Canada. 
The question of stratification being one which cannot be illustrated 
directly by diagrams, or proved in any other way than by an appeal to 
examination of the rock itself, I shall rely on the facts I have to adduce 
for the proof and support of my position, under the question of its ori- 
gin; throwing out in this place a single caution to the reader, not to 
confound the marbles of Vermont and Massachusetts, particularly those 
of Berkshire county, with what I have denominated the 'primitive lime- 
stones ; for I maintain that there is a wide difference between those mar- 
bles and the beds of limestones occurring among gneiss, granite, and 
hornblende rocks. All our granular limestones have been placed under 
one head, and have frequently been denominated saccharoidal lime- 
stme, embracing in the term all limestones of the primary class. But 
we have in this country the saccharoidal limestones in the transition and 
primary rocks; but the fact that there is so great a resemblance mine- 
ralogically between them, aiid also their occurrence in proximity to each 
other, especially in Berkshire county, Massachusetts, that it is not a 
matter of surprise that the two should be confounded under one name. 
I shall now proceed to the other question, viz. whether there are any 
limestones of an igneous origin? 
