HORTH AMERICA 
473 
deep bed of black or dark flate coloured faline 
and fulphureous earth, which is compofed of ho- 
rizontal thin flakes or laminae, feparated by means 
of very thin, almoft imperceptible veins or ftrata of 
fine micaceous particles, which drain or percolate a 
dear water, continually exuding, or trickling down* 
and forming little rills and diminutive cataraCts, be- 
ing conduced by perpendicular chinks or fifiures : 
in fome places, a portion of this clear water or 
tranfparent vapour, feems to coagulate on the edges 
pf the veins and fiflures, leaving a reddifh curd or 
jelly-like fubftance flicking to them, which I fhould 
fuppofe indicates it to fpring from a ferrugineous 
fource, efpecially fince it difcoyers a chalybeate 
fcent and tafte : in other places, thefe fiflures fhow 
evidently a cryftallization of exceeding fine white 
falts, which have an aluminous or vitriolic fcent : 
they are pyrites, marcafites, or fulphureous nodules, 
filming like brafs, of various fizes and forms, fome 
Jingle and others conglomerated : other places pre- 
fent to view, ftrata of heterogeneous matter, lying 
between the upper loamy ftratum and the bed 
of black faline earth, confifting of various kinds of 
fea fhells, fome whole, others broken to pieces, 
and even pulverized, which fill up the cavities of 
the entire fhells, and the interftices betwixt them : 
at other places we obferve, two or three feet be- 
low the furface or virgin mould, a ftratum of four, 
five, or fix feet in depth, of brownifh marie, on a 
bed of teftaceous rocks; a petrifaction compofed 
apparently of various kinds of fea fhells, belem- 
nites, fand, &c. combined or united with a cal- 
careous cements thefe mafies of rocks are in fome 
places detached by veins and ftrata of a hetero- 
geneous earth, confifting of fea fhells and other 
marine productions, as well as terreftrial, which 
s feent 
