Examination and Survey of Mitchell's Cave. 2t 
to fifteen. The walls of this room gradually approach each othe 
towards the top, and terminate in a manner similar to those pre- 
viously described. A great number of stalactites, likewise, were 
suspended from above, and also covered the walls to the very 
floor, which, being continually wet by the percolating waters, 
reflected the light from our torches in quite a brilliant manner. 
A number of angular fragments were observed strewed along the 
floor, but it was, for the most part, covered by alternating layen 
of mud and stalagmite. Some of these last were elevated above 
the floor from a few inches, to two or three feet in height, and. 
presented an appearance, not unlike decaying stumps of trees; 
upon being broken, they exhibited a most beautiful display o? 
diverging crystals of spar, with numerous concentric rings vary- 
ing greatly both in transparency and color. This spar is capablt 
of receiving a very high polish, and, from its compact nature and 
ample abundance, might be usefully employed for various ornai 
mental purposes. Here also our researches for bones proved un-; 
successful, none being discovered by digging. 
Immediately opposite the entrance to this room, was a horizon- 
tal passage directly to the east, which seems originally to have 
been of some considerable height, but was now nearly closed up 
by one or two large masses of rock. Over these we were obliged 
to crawl for a distance of twenty-four feet, through sand and mud, 
that had the appearance of having been some time accumulating. 
This led us to a room thirty-one feet in length, by about twenty 
in height, the top and walls covered by stalactites, and floor with 
stalagmite. This gradually converged at its eastern extremity 
until about the height of a mans' head, then enlarging by degrees, 
and at length, spread out into a chamber seventy-two feet in 
length, and about thirty in height; the width corresponding to 
those previously noticed. The floor of this room, for about twen- 
ty feet, is almost perfectly horizontal, it then descends a distance 
of fifteen feet, almost perpendicularly; here the stalactites, and 
stalagmites, are of great length and beauty; those that encrust 
the walls are of a peculiar structure, being composed of bundles 
