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of it, and having the form of a statue, which is called Washing¬ 
ton’s statue. 
Not far from this statue, there is a small fountain, the water 
of which, though very thirsty, I did not venture to drink, having 
some days since experienced bad consequences from drinking 
water from limestone rocks. Next to this hall, is a place in which 
the stalactites covering the rock, have a shining crystalline-like 
surface, wherefore this vault is called the diamond room. Far¬ 
ther on, you get in a large saloon called the dining room, in 
which the stalactites represent something not unlike a side-board 
set with bottles and tumblers. In Washington-hall there is a 
heap of this filtered stone, called the hay-stack, and over it hangs 
another stalactite, having the form of a rake. 
From the dining room, we passed into the last cave, that had 
been hitherto visited, by the name of Jefferson’s-hall, in which 
are seen several clefts, and I am persuaded that a new passage 
could be easily opened, and new caves discovered. In dif¬ 
ferent spots of the cavern, where the crust of the stalactites is 
broken, we saw hollows, which have not yet been examined. 
Such an undertaking, seems the more worth while, as this cave 
is probably in communication with the Madison’s cave, which 
was discovered by Jefferson, many years ago, and is in the same 
mountain; its entrance being only three hundred yards distant 
from that of Wier’s cave. 
Wier’s cave was discovered in the year 1806, by a German 
farmer named Wier; Madison’s cave is not any longer visited; 
it is said also, that its finest stalactites have been destroyed by 
the indiscretion of strangers. 
My attention in Wier’s cave, was particularly attracted by 
plates, which came off from the roof of the cavern, and hang from 
it, so that new stalactites have been formed between them and 
the roof, the last giving the others a very singular form. One 
of these plates looks like a large shell of mother of pearl,—an¬ 
other, like a looking-glass. The cave is of course damp, from 
the dripping of water, but it is less so than I expected, and less 
than is the case in such caves in Germany and England. The 
temperature was pretty high, and the air very pure. Our can¬ 
dles burnt with a bright flame, and we felt no difficulty in breath- 
ing. 
From Jefferson’s hall, we began our rather difficult retreat, and 
came again into day-light, which was already decreasing. 
We spent the rest of the evening with our friendly landlord, 
by a chimney fire; he had a bible in folio, printed in Nuremberg 
in the year 1765, with the portraits of my ancestors, the Grand 
Duke William IV., the Grand Duke Bernhard, and others. 
It was interesting to me, to be* reminded of my family in such 
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