F, 356 feet; soft red ihak'j no fragments j all paste, and very adhesive; 
the last four days cut 8 feet in 24 hours. 
H, 364 feet; red shale, fine in its powder, very adhesive, 
J, 370 feet; red shale j very adhesive, adhering to the drill in the shape 
of a plug. 
M, 446 feet; red shale, same as above, to appearance. The progress of 
boring in this shale was 5 feet in 24 hours. These red shales ap- 
pear to contain very little brine; in some, no perceptible efferve- 
scence. 
In the same letter, there is an account of the boring of another well, 
which is as follows: " We began a well in October, near the present 
well in Syracuse, being about the middle of the valley, and in the mar- 
gin of the creek. 
" The first 8 feet clay and marl; then gravel cemented slightly toge- 
ther, to about 97 feet; from that depth to 115 feet, mostly sand, mixed 
with the same kind of gravel, and from thence the gravel has been 
coarser, and but little sand to the present bottom, being 136 feet. 
" The gravel is blue limestone, red sandstone, white sandstone, some 
small pieces of blue shale, very few red, granite and hornblende rock. 
" The greater part of the gravel is blue and black limestone pebbles, 
of an inch or two in diameter, and larger pieces of gray limestone, 
from one pound to four and five. 
" The water is now 60°; we expect to go about 20 feet more, say 
160 feet, and hope to get water at 64°." 
This boring shows that it is in the alluvial of the excavation, whilst 
the first or deep boring passes through the same alluvial, and extends 
towards the bottom of the red shale. Should the red shale be near its 
termination, then the rocks of the protean group will be reached before 
the 600 feet of boring will be attained; a fact of no small importance 
to those who have no faith in geological principles, confidence ending 
where sight cannot reach. 
One boring yet remains to be noticed, that of Major Byington. It 
was at the top of the hill which rises in Salina, and extends south, pass- 
ing Syracuse to the east. The boring was near to the Sink Hole, de- 
scribed by Dr. Beck, and not far also from the road where the porous 
rock may be seen. The boring, with its w^ell, which latter was first dug, 
