the rivers and creeks, but also upon the hills
and in the valleys. They are limestone, and are
composed altogether of marine shells. The stone
when broken discovers the size and shape of the
shells very perfectly.

These shells are of the same description with
those I have formerly obtained from the banks
of the Chesapeake Bay, in the lower part of the
State of Maryland

. It may be remarked, that
no shell-fish of this description are at present to
be found in any of the waters of our Continent.

The country west of the Ohio river through
which we have passed is a limestone country,
the very pebbles and even sand in many places
are limestone.

Heretofore I have omitted to mention that in
the neighborhood of Chilicothe

, we amused our-
selves with the earths and stones, which were
dug out of the ground in sinking wells. There
are several layers or strata of limestone, gravel,
and sand, within a few feet of the surface of the
earth. Some of the stones contain the above
description of marine shells, and in breaking
some of the large gravel we found appearances
of the same shells. The stones as well as the
gravel have evident marks of their having been
washed with water, their shape inclining greatly
to rotundity.

24th.

Again proceeded upon our journey, and
after riding eight miles reached Dayton

, where
we lodged. This town is newly laid out, situ-