Oriskany Drift—Cooper Curtice. 
223 
pitality, preserving his physical and mental powers to the last 
his years lengthened out to the venerable age of eighty-six. 
Speaking the French language perfectly, and familiar with its 
literature from his youth up, he was the friend and corre¬ 
spondent of the eminent men of France,, and his funeral was 
attended by many of them. A French journal in an obituary 
notice, uses the following language: “ He was borne to his 
grave by six consuls of the English department, preceded by 
the clergy of the church of England. The principal authori¬ 
ties, civil and military, followed, together with the officers of 
the English vessels in the port. An eloquent eulogy was de¬ 
livered at the grave, commemorating the eminent qualities 
and high character which had distinguished the honorable 
dead.” 
Sir Roderick Murchison soon afterwards published in the 
London Times a worthy tribute to his life and memory. 
It is impossible at the present time to give a complete list of the 
geological papers and volumes of Mr. Featherstonhaugh. There may 
be some of his unpublished maps and manuscripts in the archives of 
the government at Washington. His principal published works relat¬ 
ing to the Northwest are the well known “ Report of a geological recon- 
noissancemade in 1835 from the seat of government by the way of Green 
bay and the Wisconsin territory to the Coteau des Prairies, an ele¬ 
vated ridge dividing the Missouri from the St. Peter’s river,” printed 
by order of the Senate in 1836. Another work of two volumes, based 
on the same journey, was published in London in 1847, entitled “A 
canoe voyage up the Minnay Sotar.” The work of the preceding year 
(1834) was published by the Government under the title “ Geological 
report of an examination made in 1834 of the elevated country between 
the Missouri and Red rivers.” [i. e. the region of the Ozark moun¬ 
tains, N. H. W.] In the transactions of the Geological Society of Penn¬ 
sylvania, 1835, vol. 1, is a paper by Mr. Featherstonhaugh entitled: 
“Account of the travertine deposited by the waters of the sweet 
springs in Alleghany county, in the State of Virginia, and of an ancient 
travertine discovered in the adjacent hills.” It is not known whether 
there is extant a single copy of the geological journal which he estab¬ 
lished at Philadelphia. Mr. Featherstonhaugh’s son, Mr. J. D. Feather¬ 
stonhaugh resides at Duanesburgh, near Schenectady, New York, and 
his grandson, Dr. Thomas Featherstonhaugh is a prominent physician 
of Albany, New York. [Ed.] 
ORISKANY DRIFT NEAR WASHINGTON, D. C. 
By Cooper Curtice. 
The Potomac formation near Washington is made up in 
part of rounded, apparently water worn cobbles and boulders 
which are sandstones of various degrees of induration and fine¬ 
ness. These sandstones range in size from mere pebbles to 
boulders a foot or two in diameter. From their rounded contours 
