Ho., 275.1 
One great item of expense which the proprietors of those works \mm 
to encounter, is that for transportation of the ore, and of the iron and 
coal. No relief can be offered to meet or diminish this expense, ex- 
<:ept the construction of a rail- way. This matter becomes more im- 
portant every day. The general effebt on this region would be the con- 
centration of important establishments at central points along the line of 
the rail- way; an arrangement which accommodates the public^ and is 
more convenient for those who are engaged in them. 
Another variety of iron ore occurs on the head waters of the Saranac 
It is the bog ore. Its abundance has not been fully ascertained; but 
the structure of the county, the nature of the rocks, &c. indicate an 
abundance of it. Its value for mixing with the harder ores, and also 
for the production of soft malleable iron, is too well known to require 
any remarks from me. It is a matter of congratulation to the inhabi- 
tants of this truly mining district, that the surrounding country is fer- 
tile and productive in the most useful vegetables; so much so that the 
manufacturing classes must be greatly increased before the country will 
be unable to furnish the materials for the support of the population. 
Changes of the Surface^ ^c. 
The most conspicuous changes which have occurred in Clinton countyj 
and whieh are confined to the surface, are ridges of pebbles, which 
have been thrown up by the lake in ancient times. The continuity of 
those ridges has been broken, and it is difficult to trace them continu- 
ously many miles. They are similar to the famous ridge which runs 
parallel to Lake Ontario, and w^ere probably produced by the same 
causes, and at the same period. Sand and gravel are raised at the pre- 
sent day by the pressure of ice and the action of waves. 
The present existence of those barriers indicate very clearly the former 
extent of the lake. One of those ridges is crossed by the main road 
near the village, in Beekmantown. Their general direction is north 
and south, or nearly parallel with the lake. Theoretical considerations 
connected with this subject are among the most important in geology. 
It is not my purpose, however, to present any remarks of this kind at 
the present time; the subject was partially discussed in my report for 
last year, under the head of tertiary formations of Essex county. 
Remotely connected with phenomena of this nature, is the transpor- 
tation of rocks, gravel and sand, diluvial scratches, &c. One remark- 
able instance of transportation fell under my notice on ascending 
Raven's hill, near Elizabethtown, in ,the occurrence of boulders of 
[Assem. No. 275,] 30 
