No. 50.] 41 
From Cairo to Schoharie Court House, the rock is generally sandstone 
and slate, and few objects of interest were observed by us. In the vi- 
cinity of the latter village, however, we had abundant occupation for 
a week, and if our time had allowed, could have advantageously added 
another to iti 
The limestone at Schoharie, is remarkable for its singularly cavern- 
ous character. Ball's cave is one of the most extensive and interesting 
in the State, and several descriptions of it have been pubhshed. Be- 
sides this, there are Young's cave, Nethaway's, and several others of 
smaller size. The stalactites and stalagmites from some of these, and 
especially Ball's, are oftentimes of great size and beauty. Indeed so 
general and so pervading is this cavernous character in the limestone 
rocks of this region, that they are filled with geodes studded with crys- 
tals of great beauty, and sometimes presenting rare and interesting 
forms. In the immediate vicinity of the village of Schoharie, there is 
a rock belonging to the water-lime series, which exhibits the peculiar- 
rity of containing nodules and masses of some rare minerals, as carbo- 
nate of strontian, sulphates of strontian and barytes, together with two 
compounds of those earths which have been described as new minerals. 
The carbonate of strontian was long mistaken for white marble, and 
from its quantity was proposed to be used as such, but its great specific 
gravity at once serves to distinguish it. 
I think this region especially deserving of attention, because the mine- 
rals found here are by no means common elsewhere; while here they are 
so abundant as to lead one to conclude that in some way or other they 
owe their origin to the rock in which they are found. The determina- 
tion of rocks from the minerals which are imbedded in them, or the 
connexion between rocks and the minerals which they contain, is a 
subject of high scientific and practical importance, and one to which dur- 
ing this season I have devoted much attention. In this respect I have 
seen no locality so interesting as the one in question. 
We put up and forwarded to Albany from Schoharie, three or four 
boxes of minerals containing upwards of tliiity suites. And for our 
success, we owe much to the polite attentions of John Gebhard, Sen. 
Esq. and J. Gebhard, Jun. who accompanied us to many of the locali- 
ties, and furnished us with specimens of several minerals which it 
would have been difficult for us to have obtained. 
[xisSEMBLY, No. 50.] 6 
