36 
[Assembly 
69. In the account which I gave, in my last report, of our sulphur 
springs, or those which evolve sulphuretted hydrogen, it was remarked 
that the common explanation of the production of this gas, viz: the 
decomposition of iron pyrites, seemed to me to be quite unsatisfactory. 
The doubts then expressed, have been rather confirmed than removed by 
the discovery of several other springs of the same kind, in various parts 
of the State. During the past season, I visited, in company with Mr. 
Vanuxem, Dr. Wright of Syracuse, and Mr. W. P. Wainwright of 
New-York, a lake or pond, two miles east of Manlius Centre, known in 
that vicinity, by the name of Lake Sodom or Green Pond. This pond 
is about a mile and a half in length, and half a mile in breadth, at the 
widest part. The water is of a deep green colour, which is probably 
owing to the partial decomposition of the sulphuretted hydrogen which 
it holds in solution. The depth of the water gradually increases as we 
proceed from the northern outlet, from twenty-five to a hundred and 
sixty-eight feet; the latter depth continuing for some distance around 
what we supposed to be the centre of the basin. Water drawn from 
the depth of 168 feet, was found to be strongly charged with sulphu- 
retted hydrogen. On being afterwards tested, it blackened nitrate of 
silver pow^erfully, and gave copious precipitates with solutions of oxalate 
of ammonia and muriate of barytes, indicating the presence of sulphu- 
retted hydrogen, and sulphate of lime. Its specific gravity was scarcely 
above that of distilled water, and it contained not even a trace of iron. 
Here then is a natural sulphur bath, of a mile and a half in length, 
half a mile in width, and 168 feet in depth; and this, let it be remember- 
ed, is neither a solitary, nor as it regards extent, an uncommon locality, 
in the western part of the State. Surely there must be some very ge- 
neral and powerful cause in operation, to produce such vast results. 
The few scattered grains of iron pyrites, which some of our rocks con- 
tain, are as entirely inadequate to these phenomena, as they are to those 
of the volcano and the earthquake. 
60. As all our sulphuretted waters, without exception, contain sul- 
phate of lime, and as sulphur springs are most numerous and extensive 
in those parts of the State where gypsum beds abound, it is, I think, a 
fair inference, that the production of gypsum and the evolution of sul- 
phuretted hydrogen are referable to the same general agency. Now as 
it is known that the decomposition of the sulphuret of calcium, or the 
compound of sulphur, and the metallic basis of lime, by water, will give 
rise to sulphuretted hydrogen and sulphate of lime, it is not improba- 
ble that there exits beds of this substance, at different and unknown 
