414 
[Assembly 
this county. Being a valley or water-course of recent excavation, its 
sides exhibit perpendicular cliffs, often rising to the height of more than 
two hundred feet. The stream often flows over a rocky bottom, show- 
ing that it has never been a deeper valley. 
Conglomerate. The conglomerate already described as occurring 
in Allegany county, is found in several places in Cattaraugus county. 
One of these localities is south of Olean. After crossing the Allegany 
and proceeding through the woods about three miles in a southerly di- 
rection, we observe the first indications of the conglomerate. The 
elevation of this place cannot be less than five hundred feet above the 
Allegany river. It occurs in masses of small size, which increase in 
number and dimensions as we approach the rock in place, which is pro- 
bably thirty or forty feet thick. Coarse gray sandstone is interstratified 
with the conglomerate. The pebbles consist of crystalline quartz fre- 
quently an inch or two in diameter, externally white, but often rose- 
coloured within. The materials are probably of northern origin, and 
were transported to their present situation by a more rapid current than 
we have any evidence of in the lower rocks. This change in the cha- 
racter of the rocks is an interesting one, more particularly from having 
taken place previous to the deposition of the coal strata, and was pro- 
bably a change dependent upon circumstances producing those depo- 
sits. 
Approaching the rock in place, the fragments lie apparently scattered 
irregularly over the surface, but on drawing near to the ledge, we 
find them nearer together, and arranged in a kind of order. This order 
or arrangement proceeds from the direction of the joints ; and these im- 
mense blocks are separated first a few inches, then one, two, three feet, 
&c. and finally they become so far separated that the direction of the 
joints cannot be traced. This arrangement of the huge blocks has 
caused the fanciful name of ruined city to be applied to the place, and 
it requires but little aid of fancy to convert these broad fissures into 
streets and aisles, and the huge masses on either side into dilapitated 
buildings. Sometimes a fragment above has slipped and covered two 
lower ones, or the soil above conceals the joint. Then we have subter- 
ranean passages and courts, now the abode of bears and wolves, where 
in a few moments we may exchange the light of day for mucky dark- 
ness, occasionally broken by a glimmer through the rock fissures or 
broken soil of the loofing. 
