The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1874-09-02

various degrees Of hardness, as the proportion
of Mica is greater or less. In some places il
is almost Quartzite, hard and flinty in 9th.
ers as at New York City it is a Micaceous
Schist, too soft and spongy to be Of any use
as building stone. In some places it abounds
in Tale and becomes almost Talcost Schist
AT Sing Sing is bed Of granular limestone,
or marble, as it is mostly called, which
makes tolerably fair building stone and
when burned, excellent lime. A few miles
below Cozzens in the mountain, is found a
rich vein of Sulphuret of Iron, with some
traces of Sulphuret of Copper, of which ma
terials we were presented with some very fine
specimens. Along the river in many places
are found large beds Of excellent clay, for
brick making and, much capital is directed
to develop this valuable source of wealth.
But Of all the materials that I have men,
toned, the Micaceous Sandstone is the most
valuable (; and decidedly the most used. For
the most splendid mansions, and for the
humblest dwelling, for the imposing walls
that environs the lordling's estate,-and for
the partitions that divide the rugged hillside
fields of the mountain farms,--ths stone is
alike made use of, and for this variety of
purposes its adaptation is most exquisite. 1t
dresses well, and is durable. It's various
minerals, differing in their proportions at short
intervals, gives to it an endless variety of
colors Some blacks sparkle as if set with
pieces of polished silver some are as uniform
in appearance, as the plainest freestone Some
| Al. IL hi.
present shape some look as if constructed
by some ingenious man, to answer the purpose
to which they are now applied. And all this
variety is sometimes seen in a few rods of a
farmers stone fence.
As we visited some of the quarries from
which these stones are taken, we see that the
rock is stratified and that after its deposit
tion as a sedimentary formation, it has heen
heated, and mctamorphosed into this chrys-
taline character, which is the chief source of
its beauty. And then, to finish the work, as
if to make beauty more beautiful, these strata
are bent, and curved, in almost all conceivable
directions,-so that a stratum, say one, two,
three, or even ten feet thick, when viewed
along the vertical edge, appears like the yerti-
cal side of piece of marble cake-only the
hues in the stone infinitely transcend the
most fantastic colors of the most exquistely
finished product of the Baker.
| Hence we see that Nature has laid the
groundwork of all this splendor, has placed
here for the artist and the mechanic, what no
human intellect could construct, not even
conceive Even the rude fences upon the hilly
farms, are gorgeous to behold.
Buildings and walls of this material, con-
structed as we see here upon grand scale,
can hardly fail to please. So Nature invites
hither the Artist and the wealth to support
him ;---offefs means for culture, and invites
the refined to enjoy,-till upon the banks OF
the Hudson, has dwelt, and there will forcv
or dwcl,--the most prolific minds upon the
American contingent.
have often had occasion to remark to my
classes, that the Appalachian Mountain Sys-
tenn is the primoidal axis of North America ;
that the Hudson is the type or axeal river OF
the Atlantic Slope, and / will here add, that
the banks of the Hudson, with its people, is
the continental axis of Agricultural wealth,
and industry, and of literature, of civilization,
and of refinement Geographically speaking,
the Hudson, and the walls Of its basin, is the
axis of North America. Whoever wishes to
see huge mountains can find them here, to
see a splendid river, can find it here,--or gor-
geous cities, can find them hcre,-or the
works of art, can find them here,-or the
learned of the most enlightened land, can find
them here,--or the most refined, can find
them here,-or the most philanthropic that
has blessed our race, can find them here
And these all conspire to form the axis Of o,li
continental society.
And thus it should be. Geographically
speaking, this is the site on which the creative
Hand of the Divine Architect began to labor
and his genius is shown upon every hand
His holdings and remoldings, are shown il
the rocks Ills perfection of relief in The
mountains the beauty of curves, in the me
andering stream and gorgeous scenery, il
the matchless landscape.
Historically speaking,in the earliest history
of our continent, the most vigorous, and mos
refined minds made their homes in this re
gion Ever improving, their posterity hay
used their energies to the embelIishing Of TIN
already unsurpassed field of grandeur.
The rock constituting the groundwork 0
New York City, is, for the most part, a Mica
ceous Schist, as we have already said How
ever, near the Harlem river, Silica pfedomi
mates, and the stone is almost white, so that
at a distance, it looks almost like marble
This is useable for building purposes But
the Schst, crumbling easily when struci
with the hammer, is useless excepting fol
roads and the like. Some of this rock seems
, almost spongy and, in short time, Win
my fingers alone, succeeded in working hoi'
, in newly exposed surface, to the depth o.
two or three inches. The surface OF th'
ground from Manhattan, or New York Island
as it is now called, rises up to its greatest eie
walton, near the bank of the Hudson,--ahe
slopes gently toward the Harlem. The upper
surface of the rock, by atmospheric influences
has been furrowed out,--so that 1t seems u
stand in eminences, irregularly arranged ovel
the isl and
Tho errfane of that mart which is deBsely