Travels in the United States, etc.,: during 1849 and 1850./ By the Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley.

TRAVELS IN AMERICA.
going to" The Cave," is called the "Barrens;" other portions looked
very fertile, and reminded me exceedingly of England. "The
Barrens," were bestowed some time ago gratuitously on actual
settlers, as the Legislature of the State were under the erroneous
impression that the tract was of little value; but it proved to be
remarkably good grain land, and particularly well adapted to grazing and the successful rearing of cattle.
Below the mountains, the whole of Kentucky, it appears, rests
on an enormous bed of limestone, generally about eight febet beneath
the surface. Every where in this formation are found apertures,
which they denominate" Sink-holes." Through these the flowing
waters of the rivers disappear into the earth. Several of these
were pointed out to us on our journey. Owing to this the waters
in Kentucky are more impoverished and diminished (luring the hot
and dry season, than those of any other portion of the United States,
and the lesser streams vanish entirely.
The banks of the rivers are quite natural curiosities. Very profound channels are usually worn in the calcareous rock which they
pass over in their course. The Kentucky River especially is said
to have sublime precipices of great height, on either side, consisting of almost perpendicular banks of solid limestone.
There are several huge caves between Green and Cumberland
rivers; but the one we went to see is the largest. The size of
it may be guessed when I inform the reader that we walked in it
the first day eight miles, four in and four out; and the second
fourteen, seven in and seven out, hardly traversing any of the same
ground, except just at the beginning. In fact, this marvelous cave
is a little subterranean state in itself, that might almost claim to be
admitted separately into the Union, if it had any population besides
mummies and bats (and, alas! the former have disappeared, to
our regret).
The cave contains, it is said, two hundred and twenty-six avenues! It has, besides, forty-seven domes, eight cataracts, twentythree pits, and several rivers-one, the River Styx-and, I believe,
a small sea, the Dead Sea. The Echo River (called so from its
possessing a very remarkable and powerful echo) is wide enough
and deep enough to float the largest steamer. The great dome is
four hundred feet high. In 1813, two Indian mummies were found
here, wrapped in highly-ornamented deerskins; so that it is evident, though the white men have only of late years discovered this
gigantic cavern, the red warriors knew of it in days of yore. There
was a great deal of saltpetre found in this cave, and the remains
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