Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-06-30
he Weight o. ti,c i.pper sur.sc, Or top Of The

arch. 80.
is the cileot OF the great elevation of the srs
that th"uyh more than 80 feet thick possesses all HE
ehineSs and elegance OF Ionic proportions. II oaly
wants Curvature rather Hiore regular give the
afacSfm symmetry OF the most htautul works Of art
After The coIios'iyis satisfied, the mind passes iron,
Use contemplation of q" abjtc,, wonderful IN its
structure, and vast IA It's dimensions, consider the
OF nature which could produce exIaordi
hary phenomenon.
.COrcs have already been attempted for expisinip,
ne formation of the Natural nriosc. AS they gen
esaly formed III the age OF the mechanical
before geology OF even chemistry had become sciences
We ncsd not wonder 10 Ind the solutions they o.I
ed, very insufficient Mr. Jefferson ypotess rested
thtrey "p"n tie superstition, that seine Sudden and
"itht tohFws1n OF nature tore away Que part of the
mn nom the other, aud left the bridge remaining
the chasm. This, however, is referring 10 agent
whose existence is unknown, and in expiaiung
one phenomenon, Involves greater diirultie y
iefnnng ara explanation ola still greater nnlsss
tIis sudden conyusion be supposed to have beeu an
earthquake IN which the Indications its exist
ence would have been numerous, aud SOLITARY
BESIDES there are no corresponding s,fcnt and
ieceding angles, which would have been circumstance
necessarily attending hsye,ent aotion aud severance
OF one part OF the h from the other And why should
tue bridge remain in"e than aRy other part of the
lace, ACROSS The tavine This hypoth, sis then how
sr nsenons 1t be- when consider Tie age scieace
IN winch ~ appeared must be rejected con,radicng
1 gree Ot veTi si,nIliiude:
Mes Dens iuteTsit uisi dignus yndice nodus"
con'adicts also that beautiful aud valuable rule laid
down by Newton, that IL is unphiosophtcaI 10 assign
more causes IoT Tue natural appearance OF things than
are poth ue anu suihcient TO account The phenOu-
ma" the certainty of the existence of cause an
enquiry which aust always precede the admission OF
any elect from il.
In the present state OF geology the phenomenon does
not require US Ia resort to the operation of unknown or
even OF soubtul agents. Aid instead OF its being the
ELECT of sudden convuson, extraordinary deyi.
atoh rom te Ordinary laws of nature, will he found
have beeu produced by the very slow onera,ion of
causes which have always and must ever continue 10
| act ~ the same menner.
10 make this manifest US consider the situation of
The bfidEe That the place which stands is The
h.hest point Of transverse ridge of bills, with
row base, which the Tavine at that spot The
HE Han hat .l.as
the mountains from the Atlantic 10 The Pacific ocean,
Is caleareous.t The strata of rock, which different
places make different angles with the oIzon he
parallel 10 Il. This rock is soluble in such
degree, rs 10 be found in solution with all the waters of
the country and is soft as 10 yield only to its
chemical agency, but also TO its mechanical attriiion
Here as IN calcaeOus countries generally there are
qneni and large assures IN the EARTH which ATE some
.e c"hu its ior shDtertane0us streams called sink
ing rivers, sinking creeks" &c. of which there are
several In the western parts OF Virginia. Kentucky aud
tennessee. II is probable, then, that the water Of
Cedar creek originally found suhterIaueous passage
beneath the arch OF the bridge, then only the
continuation OF TIE transverse ridge Of hills. The
stream has gradually widened aud decpened the raviAe
to l,s present situation. Fragments OF sides also
ysding To the expansion aud contraction CT heat and
cold iunbled down above the height Of the water
Or hthere was no subierrancous outlet, the waters
opposed by the hill flowed back and formed a Iakc
whose contact dissolved the resistance where it was
least were away the channel through which il now
flows aud left the earth standing above lis surface
incline however, rather to the 6st hypothesis because
Inc ISVne has the appearance from its narrow banks Of
having been the channel of in all time aud had
water would have widened 1t into basin. The stone
and earth composing the arch of the bridge remained
taerc aud no where else; because the hill being of
foes the uepth "iTock was greatest above the surface
oil the wateT where The hill highest and this urt
being very thick, aud the strata horizontal The arch
was strong eHough to rest such base.
The sam circumstances having concurTed the same
phenomenon has been produced in Scott county, lately
dpai' Oh Na'h h2on county, ~ Virginia. There's, over
Stock creek, branch of Cnch river, bridge whose
height is estimated at 900 feet with thicker arch !;
whose formation i'll every material respect resembles
In.
deed the numerous suherraneons ca,erns which are
found IN this range 0f country aud Which were fermed
ia the original specialization the rock only reouire
section OF their ends Ia be takenaway become natural
bridges, and these ends remain o,y because Their
e. are thick enough to support The superintendent
weight This. however may, in the endless low of
time cease TO be the case aud caves may become bride
c., and bridges exist.
TIT be difficult 10 carry minds so far forward as
10 embrace such great Changes produced ~ causes ope
aiius so slowly, may assist their operation BIS reco
Iectag SUI more pTodigoms effect ofihe same agent
At Rezi, IN Switzerland few years since an entire
mountain was tNcavated by stream, part of il fell
down, and inundated the neighborng country bv OBJ
stTucuug the waters OF the river.
iIdeeh, The very process by which the natural bridge
WAS iarined Is siIl Nlsiby going the wafer Inch
u accidentally thrown entirely the western side is
sAcavaling the rock aud widening the channel Which,
alter long lapse OF time, may become too wide sup
port Tue arch and This wonder of country will dis
appea-indca.ing, in all its mutations. the uniformity
oil TIE operations al nature. showing well by its de
cay as b. IFS present situation effect different only
in degree, of The same undertaking power.
~ ~ as deSITa6Ie 10 lure Jurt{calor Gescrip
tor V the bridge i Scott county, mentioned by Jr
GtneT. NE Therefore aSktke fav0y Of sone ge,4ie
man iH that county t1trdILsmit TO g rery particx
Iar account ~ H.-Editor Enquirer
1T has been said to be as much as go feet. Mr.
jefferson found its latitude be north 81 deg AZ min
~
There have also been found near the sea similar
arches, formed BY the chemical and mechanical act OH
OF IFS waters There is both the figure aud descri,on
OF one IN Capt. Cooks Voyages which was found N
New Zealand aud there is something the same hiud
IN the Island Of Jersey learn the Memoirs OF
The English Geological Society.
Dr. Jassmeyer. Professor OF Chemistry in Vienna
has made The discovery OF a means to extIact noui
Goals, Two hitherto unknown acids resin, resinous
gum, aud other elements which he has employed with
surprising success, 10 tie pUIPOe OF dying wool six
mar and linen, and has produced from them rad
Dack, yellow, aud various shades of brown grew
Count Won ChoriRsky. President Of Tie Auc Chamber
aud many other enlightened judges of these matters
were present ~ these experiments and testified their
entire appreciation Of this useful discovery.
RARITY IN MiNERALOGY.
An aggregate substance was found in the diamond
mines IN Brazil containing or enveioping diamonds
goid IRON, &c. One specimen broke from this mass
VAS DeeH sent by permission of The Court, 10 Mr.
Nave of the stand il contains Two crystailized dia