The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1825-05-30

! blocks - efyslalized Limestone. produced
moved and almost understandable feelings II
did not r q iir. On imacinaiioa uuassislly
| 6efyid tnlilA.n this dim picture 81 tie nnor
TO The rnins ot sone grfHi city, With iew
o. lis spires and sierplcs pointing mp iinni
the inU1ldnring ruins, or 10 sun atshis
,en,tle, with It's shattered and hrokr1
columns and fallen walls, with insi shii
Gent Of lis maierh TO show The style oi lis
former nsgnifeenen.
When ~. hnd flushed onr rrpasi. and
collected ouf forces for to push forward IN
quest of further discoveries. ec concluded
To call this rom Congress Hall lis mag
n,firence heing rqemled by nothing rise
within unr knowledge We NOW proceed
To the l.it of the rniranee by which NC
came into the llall--entered an epsrline
which presented itsrif. and. by following
rather an uneven and difficult passag'. we
tery soon arrived IN another fa0m. Here
I'VE found a very pleasing subject Tor our
admiration. s large hlhck or projection
uf the rock NJ one side of this room, was
hung around with a vast number Of sta
laciites, of Every pe~3ible variety of shape
and siZe--from the theknnes If dne's fl
ger TO that of your arm, aud from six inch
rs 10 three or four feel in length. Some
one of the party casually striking one of
the larger of these staldctitcs, u loud, full
sound WAS emitted something like the tone
of u church bill. Several of the party then
drawing pieces Of spar agross these sialac
iies, alternately aud in concert with each
other,it produced rude l. not unpieasing
kind of melody. with every grAdatl9n Of
plASiag note. from the d pest tone (
The organ To The finest note If tie fate
THIS room we somewhat apily called the
music room {; finding no convenient outlet
from this room, better than the uur by
which we entered, we returned into Con
gress II III. After we had cuiprd this ball
again, aud continued 10 the right until we
cin- 10 h great stair way by which we
had FIRST entered, We discovered, greatly to
n'tr surprise, that this entrance projected
into the hall twelve or fifteen feet, and was
nearly ~ many feet from the floor. You
can form some idea Of this singular On
trance, by supposing a square box with its
ends open, TO be projected thro' n window
INTO room. Thls pr" iect.d or filnna part
of the entrance, appeared To be formed by
tbr same process that the stalactites and
par bad been and It's buttpm, under
which We could all walk aud view il, seem
ed not 10 h. more than nine ur ten inches
in thickness. Immediately 10 the right of
this passage, commenced what we very
called u gallery. This gallery
MAS considerably above the level Of the
room, and contained a great quantity of
very brilliant and beautiful spar. The side
nf the gallery next tu The hall was entirely
open from which you could look dow
Into II.
We left the gallery and still continuing to
the right, around the hall. we entered a
CAVITY IN the nour and, after trayersing Il
tolerahy long aud difficult passage, we ar
rived ri Il very regular ,oon, the side wall
aud ccii"g Of which seemed to be clear blue
limestone, with thin chrystal6ation rs
clear ~ glass, over their surface. We
roud reach the ceiling upon which We
wrote many of our names with white chalk
the day Of the mouth, year, &c. This
room we called the GLAZED Chamber. IN
the passage leading To this chamber, W.
attached To the side of the
rock, what appra'.d to he complete and
perfect conrh shell. The shape and size,
tn suo ptilaess s, drlic tered on the in, L..
aud the roughnrss Of the outside, with the
little clicle of kuobs near the top. all pre-
cisrly correspondent with the products Of
the sea. Aud itappemed that very gen
tie tap would have detached i. from the
rock. Within few inches of this, WAS u
pctrifaction, exactly resembling the human
heart. It's colour shape aud sigr, all pre-
ciScly currcspondcd Aud near this
gain, the perfect lee, tnat aud talons nf II
bird, projected from the rock. These Sc
,eral objects We're so elcatly aud complete
" defined, and 80 closely resrmhed their
original, as To strike the mind, even of the
most iuattentive observer, with degree Of
astonshmrnf.
From the Glazed Chamber, we once
more returned to Congress Hall, and con-
tinued oui discoveries tn the right around
the room. We perceived now that rs the
arch of this great roum became lower.
large stalJctitcs were projected from il and
reached The floor thus forming beautiful
colounadcor row of shining pillars in line
with the direction Of the loom, and three
four feet from It's wall leaving between this
colonnade and the wall, a beautiful recess.
In this recess, one of the simplest yet one
of the most striking beauties OF the cave.
unfodcd itself
This WAS ii spring of pure water, which
appeared Ms clear AS ether. This pool or
basin is about three or four feet in diane.
ter, aud twelve ar fourteen iaches deep
The bottom and sides of this basin where
the water covers them, are entirely coyrr.
ed with sttlagnites or drops of shining
spar, which has much the appearance Of
FURNISHED silver. About the centre of
this spring or pool, stands a beaurifui sta
lactItp ,irhtrpp inches in hti~ht and un E..
like all the rest OF these specimens oi spar
which we found arising from the floor, the
small cnd or point, rested on the bottom
oC the basin, and gradually enlarged until
i, arose several inches above tie top OF the