sandstone or conglomerate, which gradually as it became higher assumed
the characters o f fine grained sandstone. Oyer this lay a bed o f
clay slate, and the uppermost bed o f all consisted of a kind o f marl
slate. I conceive that the lake better formerly extended to the foot o f
the cliffs, and that these beds were formed at its bottom. Hence they
may be considered as belonging to those local formations which occasionally
occur in places that have been once covered with wafer.
There is an objection, however, to this explanation. According to
Hisinger the hill o f Omberg, which lies farther north upon the lake
side, is composed o f the same beds lying in the same order. What
the height o f Omberg is I had no means o f determining, as it lay considerably
to the north o f my rout. I t is not so high as the cliffy but
i f we conceive it to have been formed under the lakè, in that case the
Vetter must have extended a great way farther to the west than: it does
at present. That it has diminished in breadth is quité evident from the
appearance o f its eastern shore. But not having visited its west side, it
is impossible to form any opinion how far the appearance o f the country
is favourable to the supposition o f its having formerly extended farther
west than it does at present.
Thé only part o f the cliff that I had an opportunity o f examining
particularly was at Grenna. Here I walked along it for sonie way,
and found it composed,. as far as I traced it, o f clâystoné porphyry.
The clàystône, where I succeeded in breaking specimens not acted on
b y the weather, had a good deal o f the.aspect o f felspar. I have no
doubt that this porphyry would admit a fine polish ; but to judge from
the decayed state o f the surface o f the rock, it does not seem capable
o f resisting the action o f the weather. How far it extends I had no
opportunity of examining. I should not have even known o f its existence
had I not been detained at Grenna by the mending o f my carriage.
That this porphyry belongs to the primitive rocks there is no
reason to doubt, for I crossed the cliff twice over in two different
places, and found the rocks in both primitive. In the one they were
gneiss, in the other mica slate. T o have determined the relative position
o f these rocks, and their connection with each other, would have
taken up a great deal o f time, and was quite out o f my power. It
would have been necessary to have walked along nearly 50 miles o f
cliff which would have taken at least a week to examine it with any
degree o f accuracy at all.
Though Grenna and the country round it be in the province of
Smôland, I thought it better to mention it here ; because it is so intimately
connected with that part o f East Gothland which borders on
the lake Vetter, and that we might not be obliged to return again to
the north, when taking a view o f the mineralogy o f Smoland.. 1 shall
now notice some o f the principal mines in East Gothland, and mention
the most remarkable minerals found in them, as far as I am acquainted
with the subject.
The island o f Visingsô in thé Vetter, as far as I could learn, for I
did not visit it, consists entirely o f sandstone. Pieces o f grey copper
ore in rolled masses are said sometimes to occur on the beach. This
island formerly belonged to the Counts Brahé. Several tombs o f that
ancient family are still shown.
A t Husquarna, a musket manufactory, about three English miles
east from Ionkoping, beds o f sandstone are said to occur; but as I
passed through that placé in the dark I had no opportunity o f ascertaining
the nature o f the rocks.
I have already noticed the marble quarry upon the north side o f
Bronik bay. I t lies about three miles east o f Krokek church, and
consists o f a hed o f granular limestone in a gneiss rock. The marble
occurs grey, green, and yellow, and is in some parts mixed with serpentine,
which contributes not a little to its’ beauty. There are two
iron mines in the neighbourhood o f this quarry, namely Vesterberg
and Kungsberg ; but in neither o f them have any remarkable minerals
been observed.
A little to the west o f this quarry, at a place called Finspong, there
was a lead mine wrought in the year 1737, which yielded a considerable
proportion o f silver ; the ore was galena ; but this mine has been
long abandoned.
In the iron mine o f Hâllesta, which is situated in gneiss, there
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