ESSEX COUNTY. 
227 
disclosed at this locality ; and it is scarcely necessary to add, that it furnishes many facts to 
support the theory of the igneous origin of limestone. 
Another bed of primary limestone lies along Paradox lake in Schroon. It cannot be traced 
far in a southwest direction ; and although it is in the range with the large beds in Johnsburgh 
and those of East-Moriah, I am not able to form an opinion whether there is truly a connec¬ 
tion between these masses. I find it, however, convenient to represent a connection, or to 
suppose a range may exist. Observation proves that on this range beds are more frequent 
than upon either side, the southeast or northwest. The limestone of Schroon possesses the 
same general characters as elsewhere. It is quartz ore, and but very little serpentine is asso¬ 
ciated with those portions of the bed which fell under my examination. It is a locality worth 
farther exploration, from the occurrence of some minerals which appear in it, and which I 
have not observed elsewhere in the northern counties. Of these minerals, yellow chondro- 
dite is one quite worthy of notice : it is of a bright sulphur-yellow, and forms, by contrast with 
the white limestone, a very pretty mineral. In the same mass, I observed small imperfect 
crystals of pink-colored spinelle ; and a farther search might result in the discovery of larger 
and more perfect specimens. Yellow tourmaline, nearly transparent, occurs in the same 
rock, and what was still more rare, two crystals of greenish tourmaline were found, with a 
pale rose-colored central portion, analogous to the green and red tourmalines of the Ches¬ 
terfield granite. At the locality of pyritous copper, large imperfect brown tourmalines were 
discovered by Mr. E. Emmons junior, one of which enclosed a crystal of zircon. From these 
facts, it appears that this is a region worthy of a more thorough exploration. 
Another bed of limestone, worthy of a passing notice, exists in Chester, near the residence 
of Mr. Jonathan Griffin. Some parts of the bed are a pure limestone ; others are mixed 
with pale green mica, a mass of which looks like feldspar and mica, or one of the varieties 
of granite. Some masses occur in it, composed of quartz, mica and limestone. In such 
facts we have strong evidence of the true origin of this species of limestone : that it is clearly 
a plutonic rock, scarcely admits of a doubt. In addition to these interesting relations, I 
found in this limestone, small quantities of grass-green tourmaline. This fact is worthy of 
notice, in consequence of the extreme rarity of any tourmalines in limestone, excepting those 
which are yellow or brown, though I had observed the pale green ones in the county of St. 
Lawrence some years before. 
At this place, I was able to add one more mineral to the list of those associated with lime¬ 
stone, viz. the red oxide of titanium. It occurs in long slender brown crystals, usually in 
that portion of the rock which contains mica. It is necessary to remark, that these substances 
are so scarce, that little encouragement is offered to make expenditures for them alone. It 
is interesting, however, to know how prolific in simple minerals primitive limestone is in 
New-York. No one locality ever furnishes more than two or three in perfection; and it 
seems to be almost a law, that where these few exist, the others are excluded, and we must 
search for them at other places. This fact is, however, in accordance with all we have yet 
learnt in relation to such associations. It is the same in granite and gneiss and hornblende. 
