The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-26 00:00:00

GEOLOGY OF NEW YORK.

(From a New York Paper.)
111 r. Lewis C. Beck, engaged in the geological sur-
vey of the State, has addressed a letter, under date of
August 3d, to Governor Seward, giving a brief account
of the progress of his researches. In company with his
assistant, Dr. Horton, he first. visited the most important
mineral regions of the counties of Lewis, Jefferson, and
St. Lawrence. Several veins of lead ore, an analysis
and description of one variety of which may be seen in
the last Annual Report made to the Legislature, have
been discovered, and a considerable expense already in-
curred for the purpose of ascertaining their extent and ,
value. Thus far the expectations of those immediately
interested have not been realised. The veins, so far as
they have been laid open, are too narrow, and the ore
mingled with too much foreign matter, to warrant any
hope of subjecting the veins successfully to mining ope-
rations. Tue attempts to open the veins, however,
have not been without their use in contributing inte-
resting specimens of the ore and its associates to the
collections of science. Crystallised galena, lenticular
crystals, calcareous spar in the form of six-sided prisms,
a crystallization of Con pyrites and floor spar in the
form of cubes, having a delicate green colour, have been
gathered in the course of recent investigations.
The attcs.tion of the geologists were next directed to
the localities about the towns of Diana, in Lewis county,
and Wilna, in Jefferson county, which lie near to the
v:stern boundary of a wild region, almost a complete
lion, and-
eftt6-tAtni_sonte 80 miles in a northern direc-
lierkinier, Hamilton,
ItAt,s,`,ole counties of Lewis,
Law-
rence. A great variety of tninera(sikvi 'ad St-
c.
some in small quantities, and some in extensive a-
posites impartnnt in an economical view, such as beds
of iron ore, soapstone, and serpentine. Tabular spar
and green coccolite, fragments of which had evi-
dently been detached by force, were also found in great
quantities. The accounts of silver mines reported to
abound in this wilderness are gross exaggerations, sug-
gested probably by rocks stained with oxide of iron.
" I cannot forbear," says the letter, " to express my
surprise that there should be in this part of the State.
such an extensive tract entirely uninhabited. The
answer to all the inquiries which I have made in regard
to it, has uniformly been that the soil is unfit for culti-
vation, and that it is in all respects so unpromising as
to have caused the failure of every attempt which has
heretofore been made to reclaim it. Still 1 can hardly
think that this representation is entirely correct. From
the nature of its rock formations, 1 should guess, at least,
that it abounds in iron ore, and that it contains other
useful mineral productions. Nothing seems to be more
desirable than a thorough exploration of this wilderness."
One of the best mineral localities of the State is near
the village of Oxboro, in Jefferson county, abounding as
it does in large deposites of lead and iron ores. It is a
peculiarity of the iron ores of this region that they
almost all belong to the kind called specular iron, on
account of its lustre. With respect to the lead mines
of St. Lawrence county, it is doubtful whether the in-
crease in the productiveness of the mines will be corn-
mensurate with the increased expenses of mining. One
smelting-house is in operation at which about a ton of
lead is daily produced. Another establishment, upon a
somewhat different plan, is nearly ready for work, and is
intended to do the smelting for another of the mines.

Many of the minerals collected in the course of the
examination are of an unusual size. Crystals of fluor
spar, one foot in diameter, have been picked up on the
shores of the Muscolunge lake, transparent crystals of
calcareous spar, nine inches in diameter, are found in
the Rossio coal mines, and a crystal of phosphate of
lime has been obtained in the same vicinity, upwards of
a foot in length, five inches in diameter, and weighing
18 pounds. To these may be added the crystallizations
of the galena and of the ruder kinds of carbonate of
lime, which are sometimes enormous. Thus far during
the survey 1:30 suites or specimens of minerals have
been procured. Of his future operations the writer

remarks :
" After spending a few days in arranging the mate-
rials which 1 have collected during the season, I intend
visiting the counties of Sullivan, Ulster, and Duchess.
My principal object is to re-examine the mines of lead
and iron found in them, and also to ascertain more
particularly the mineralogical character of the hoe
between the latter county and the State of Connec-
ticut. It is not improbable that in this case, as in that
of the previous examination of the line between New
York and New Jersey, the list of New York minerals
will be somewhat extended."

A PARISH APPRENTICE.—At the last meet-
ing of the Bench of Magistrates at Croydon, a lad named
George Close, who had been apprenticed by the parish of
Croydon to a shoemaker named Morgan, carrying on busi-
ness in that town, summoned his master for neglecting to
e c
provide him with sufficient decent apparel. The lad's
lip_
parance was most miserable, the clothes he had on being
mere rags, and the shirt he wore having been upon his
appdm that
with
heth h
somead ben ae pn.
t,
ede
back, as it afterwards appeared, for a
fortnight. From the
complainant'' state
prentieed by the parish of Croydon to the defendant, and
likewisethe parish
linen to make him shirts, but his
n
the linen for his own purposes,
met't
it
providedea re
hi
iait
ea that:htc ers ,
used
and time
and made him
two shirts of calico. When his clothes were worn t his
master neglected to provide him with new ones
only shirts he had were two old ones of his master's, er on
, ari7e out
thee
of which be had worn for a fortnight, and the other he pro-
duced—it was a mere bundle of raga. He added that
his clothes were in such a ragged and disgraceful state
that lie was ashamed to go out in the streets with them,
and was prevented from going to Church for the same
reason. The master admitted that he had not given the
boy necessary clothes, but said that he was a very bad boy, '
and had behaved ill on several occasions. He however
intended to buv somo clothes for him as soon as he was able.
The Bench said that if the boy's conduct had been ever so
bad, it was no excuse for allowing him to be in such a
destitute state, and with regard to the conduct of the
master in applying the linen supplied by the parish for the
boy's use, to his own purposes, it amounted almost to a
theft. The Bench then directed the clerk to make out a
list of articles of clothing, which they ordered the twister
to furnish the boy within a fortnight, and at the sate e time
directed clean linen to be given him immediately.
FRONTIERS OF SERVIA, SEPTEMBER 7.
The Sultan has confirmed the appointment of a. Regency
in the absence of the new Sovereign. Prinze Michael,
after being summoned on three different occasions to take
possession of the throne of Servia, has at last accepted,
persons implicated
but not yet made known the period of his return. The
with the exceed
generally is quiet, but a few bands of robbers
iin have
ih
t,r el -eatpe pceeaer
sepdi
rhpeerye
aarned tail,.
erei i n
pTrhiseon .
tion of Joan Ohrenowitsche, brother of Prince Miloseb,
who has been restored to his family, and assigned thr• city
of Belgrade for his residence. The English Consul,
Colonel Hodges, has resumed his functions, but if , badly
looked upon by part of the population, because of his
being known to have advised Prince Milosch to sut vert the
Constitution.