Box 2, Folder 7: Typewritten Letters, 1811-1828

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Nov. 13. Went to the Scioto river, distance about one mile from where we live, discovered on the way an ancient artificial mound of an elliptical form about twelve feet high. The earth from one and had been removed (and converted into brick) though not deep enough to discover any of its contents.

At the river I collected several species of unio that are not found at the Ohio Falls. A slight snow shower: the first of the season.

Nov. 16. I took a walk with Darius up the line of the canal to where it encounters a high bluff about two miles above the Yellow Bud, the bank exhibits some handsomely stratified alluvium very much resembling the strata of sandstone.

Brought home some unios from the river, among which is the U. Crassus.*************

Nov. 22. Considerable rain fell during the night, in the morning it changed to snow, staid at home of course.

Nov. 23. Took a walk a little distance from the house to examine a quarry of pudding-stone or Breccia, lately discovered by father. These masses of cemented gravel are frequent throughout Ohio. A stratum of gravel belongs to the antediluvian (variety, crag) formation which is found in the river bottoms throughout the state, is occasionally cemented by springs running through them, whose water is impregnated with calcareous or ferruginous particles which being deposited in the interstices between the gravel forms the cement.

Nov. 24. This morning on cutting open a turnip I discovered a cavity in which was a young sprout of the plant bearing an exact resemblance to this plant when it first makes its appearance above the ground in the spring.

Received a letter from Dr. S.P. Hildrath containing names of shells in my collection.

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Marietta Ohio, Nov. 20th, 1828.

Dear Sir,--

Your favor of the 23rd ult. was duly received, and a few days since your box of petrifactions came to hand. I feel much gratified by your attention and will endeavor to reciprocate the kindness,********* I enclose a list of the shells and specimens as far as possible.

Nos. 2 and 4 are new and I think have been undescribed by any naturalist as yet. It is possible you may find them in Mr. Say's new work on the shells of western waters, which he is about to publish at New Harmony, Ind.*********

Mr. LeSeur is about to publish a work on Ichthyology of the west and Mr. McLane has issued proposals for publishing an edition Michaux' Sylva in numbers, as he has the original plates of the French edition.**********

I am expecting two or three boxes of minerals in course of the winter.********* From there I can select some for you and if you wish I can send you a suit of our river shells named and classed embracing thirty varieties.*********

I shall be pleased to hear from you any interesting fact in Natural History that falls under your notice.

Very respectfully your obt. svt.

S.P. Hildreth.

I.A. Lapham, Esq.

Nov. 25. Darius and I procured horses and went to Circleville this morning about eight miles from where we live.

Went round the square fort and to the top of the large tumulus described by Caleb Atwater as 90 ft. high, which we are inclined to think somewhat exaggerated.

We crossed the Scioto River twice, water two and half to three feet deep, came down on the east side and passed the beauti

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fully level country called the "Pick-a-way Plains."

In traveling from the head of the Scioto there are no hills of any considerable magnitude until we arrive within four miles of Chillicothe, where the high land commences.

Nov. 27. Afternoon to day Darius and myself procured a one horse wagon and went to Chillicothe, although it was wet and rainy do commence my journey back to Ohio Falls. Called on David S. Bates, he told us some interesting facts relating to mineralogy and geology.

*********** At about 11 o' clock p.m. left Chillicothe in the stage for Cincinnati, traveled all night, without sleep and took breakfast at Hillsborough ten o' clock next morning. Allan Trimble, governor of Ohio resides in this place. After passing over some very bad roads we arrived at Williamsburgh, where we staid during the night.

Nov. 29. We were awakened by our landlord very early this morning and were under way at 3 o' clock. After we had gone about three miles, our driver stopped, saying that he had forgotten the mail and that he must go back on one of the horses to get it. This caused a delay of an hour.

When we had gone about fourteen miles we found some difficulty among the drivers, which caused another delay of an hour and a half in consequence did not arrive in Cincinnati until 1 p.m.

The rock between Hillsborough and Cincinnati is a compact blue limestone, disposed in thin layers, between which is a soft argillaceous slate, which is easily disintegrated and leaves the lime rock in small detached masses disseminated through the alluvium. Where a small stream of water runs down the slope of the hills, the lighter particles of soil are washed away leaving the masses of lime rock to form a rocky bed.*********

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Went to the wharf and ascertained that the "Shepherdness" would leave Louisville to night. The river has risen considerably since I was here the forepart of the month.

Nov. 30.***** River at Shippingsport is 16 ft. above low water mark.

The journey from Shippingsport of Chillecothe and back has lasted just four weeks.

Along the valley of the Scioto, and more particularly in the second bottom, the soil is intensely black. The timber being almost entirely oak, which is known to produce an acid which has the property of changing the color of any substance containing oxide of iron, this latter substance is almost always present in alluvial soil. From this date I think it is easy to account for this blackness.

Dec. 4. Wrote to Darius and to Mr. Eckstein, agent for the Cincinnati Academy of Fine Arts, offering him drawings of our locks &c. for the good of the institution.

Shippingsport, Ky. Dec. 4, 1828.

My Dear Brother,--

I reached Cincinnati about noon on Saturday, saw Pazzi, who says he will print your name on slips of paper for you to put in your books.

The steamboat did not start till after dark, but as the river had risen considerably, we were enabled to get to Louisville at noon Sunday.***** The work on the canal is nearly all stopped on account of high water. The gates are loaded down with several tons of limestone and I am directed to have it removed. as soon as the river goes down.*****

Mrs. Palmer will board me for $2,00 a week and let me have a room & light but I must find my own wood.**** I shall have occasion to write to Prof. Silliman on the first of next month, shall I inform him that we are about to

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write on the Geology of the Scioto Valley? This would be an introduction for it.

That's all I have to write So good night,

Increase.

Mr. Lapham.

Dec. 7. Went to church in the morning and on to Rock Island in the afternoon, found nothing very interesting except two specimens of ortheoceritite and some univalve shells.

Dec. 10. Got an Ohio State Journal containing a description of the Welland Canal by Darius Lapham, Esq.

Dec. 25. Christmas Day. In the morning I accompanied some of the most respectable citizens of Shippingsport and six or seven of the most experienced hounds over to Grand Island for the purpose of hunting a fox, which was said to be on the island, but in this we were, as might have been expected where foxes are so scarce, disappointed.

In the afternoon I went to Louisville to see an exhibitor of the solar microscope, must write a description of this wonder for Darius.