Litchfield enquirer., 1833-06-27
that one thSrd part of the inhabitants of Connecticut, over l6 years of age, have pledged themselves to total abstinence from ardent spirits. Troy Press.

An excellent little Newspaper published in Boston pnder the title of the FalHis Lyceum connins many conainy &Lc. We makeihe following extraca from an article under the head of Geology, which cannoi tat 10 instruct most readers:-
 Grdnite.-Thero was time when the earth was without form and void-wllen darkness was upon the face of tho deep-- when the spirit. of God moved upon the face of the waters-when it was said, let dry hnd appear.
 The fact that our globe was once a gem eral chaos= "a vast chaotic ocean,. holding in solution the elements of rocks, hills and mountains, is alike proved by thu voluniss ofinspiralior, md tho older volume by tue. : same alther-the volume of nature. On almost every rock, ledge, and mountain mass, are characters indeliblv engraved. which give abundant truth that Moses spake the words of truth and soberness that our earth with all its furniture now of- fered to our hands, was brought out of tho same general chaos, by the same Work man, and about the same time, as mention- ed by the writer of Genesis and several succeeding books.
 The present aspect of rocks and nouns ] tains, not only proves, that all the very brief but highly interesting account of our planet as given by Moses is true, but it ill-s forms more minutely of tho various steps of it's progress in coming 10 its present form, than is done by the sacred historion. The position, ingredients, and structure of rocks and of countries, informs us, not on- ly that the formation of hills, mountains, and metals, has been gradual, but show ai-y so something of the order of the several steps of this formation. No one ever doubts, who visits the tin and copper mines. and observes that when veins of these two metals cross each other, that tho tin is al-
 ways cut by the copper, and never the re-, verse, that the former is, the oldest of the
 two metals. An examination into the po-s sition and other circumstances connected
 with granite, gneiss, and mica slate, will satisfy any one, that the first mentioned is l the oldest-that granite was the first sub. stance formed when it was said, Let the dry land appear. However geologists may differ in other respects, they are all agreed in the opinion, that granite is the oldest rock upon our globe, and that from it and other rocks wore formed soils, and that all lsoils partako of the character of tho an.i-
 quary rocks.
 As thousands ofchildren under six years
 of age arc now familiar with granite, and
 the three ingredients which compose it.
 many of our readers perhaps will think, that description of this rock. so renown- ed for it's antiquity, is unnscossary. We hope however that they will pardon US for describing some of tho characters of this central, foundation stone ofour little planet.
 Quartz, felspar, and mica, the three sin-- pie minerals described in our former num- bcrs, or according to predominance, fel- spar. quartz, and mica, are the ingredients of granite. In some granite masses, fel spar constitutes much the largest part. In others, felspar and quartz form about equal portions of the rock. The mica is the least abundant of tho three, although it va ries much in quantity and arrangement In some masses of granite, ono of the thrco ingredients is entirely wanting. A species ofgranite much used in Boston and the vicinity, and brought from Cape Ann, is composed entirely of quartz and felspar, the former of a dask color. The material of which tho Dedham Court House is con structed, is beautiful variety of granite, entirely destitute ofmica; hequartz near y white, which gives the building light and cheerful complexion.
 Graphic granite, which takes it's name from its having some resemblance to writ- ing, is composed principally of felspar, with small quantities of quartz running in irregular lines through the mass. This is the rock which. by tho decomposition of the felspar, is changed into white clay, sometimes called kaolin, or porcelain clay.
 A beautiful kind of granite, with red or flesh colored feEspar, abounds in Egypt, where it is much used for building, and it is sometimes handsomely polished. and is hence called Egyptian granite.
 Many other varieties ofgranito might be mentioned, but the occasion fo.bids it.
 Tho Andes, the Alps, the Pyrenees. the Carpathian, and most of all the highest mountains upon the earth, are composed more or less of granite. In New-Eng- land, and all the Atlantic States, granite abonnds in nearly every town or district.
 Granite countries arc generally uneven, precipitous, and bold in their appearance, and intersected with beautiful aud rapid water courses. And as tho character of the inhabitants resembles in some measure the features of their country, with the ram- bling or the roaring of tho mountain gfrAassta nro srn:n nrfal sh, h,.. ~f .,kanla onX