450 
[Assembly 
ron. At present no water flows from it, though the soil a few inches 
below the surface is quite damp. The place presents a low, blackened 
mound of earth, entirely destitute of vegetation. The surface is com- 
posed of vegetable matter, intensely sour to the taste ; this is under- 
laid by clay or sandy clay, equally sour. Dr. Beck, states this earth 
to contain no other principle than dilute sulphuric acid. Several large 
stumps stand upon this mound ; the decayed roots, and perhaps the 
trees themselves have furnished the vegetable matter which is charred 
by sulph. acid. 
I was informed, that in the early settlement of the country, a copious 
spring of intensely sour water issued from the top of the mound ; that 
in digging about the spring, for the purpose of making it deeper, the 
whole was lost, and since that time it has only appeared in the spring 
of the year. The rocks below are the gypseous marls, and nearly, or 
quite the same as those of the sour wells in Bergen. The source of 
this spring affords sufficient water in the driest part of the year, to 
moisten the ground for the distance of several rods around. 
Saline efflorescences. — These are abundant in some of the dark shales 
of the Gardeau group ; in several places along the Genesee, several 
pounds of alum and copperas, may be obtained from an extent of a few 
yards. In the upper black shale, the same character is observed ; and 
also to some degree in most of the, other shales. 
In Darien, Bennington, Sheldon and Orangeville, Genesee county, 
the waters of many springs are tinged with iron. This I suppose to 
be attributable to the proximity of the shaly rock ; which containing 
iron pyrites, the decomposition causes the deposit from the water. The 
Crinoidal limestone of Darien contains pyrites, being overflowed by wa- 
ter, which leaves a rusty deposit. 
In conclusion I have to say, that while I have omitted nothing that 
can be regarded as important to the interests of the inhabitants, or aid- 
ing them in the knowledge or direction of their available wealth, I 
have omitted details which can be of no present utility, and which may, 
by seeming to attach undue consideration to things which are only con- 
tingent and prospective, have a tendency to mislead. For example, 
masses of beautiful stone, marble, beds of peat, marl, &c. I have not 
calculated by the cubic foot or yard, as if already worked out and sold \ 
whence the farmer or speculator, regarding only the ultimate value of 
