ABSTRACT
Never was a country more bountifully furnished with the materials for architecture than the United States. Majestic mountains of granite lift their heads above the clouds; marble of the purest white, and of every beautiful hue, veins the earth. Sandstone, slate, limestone, trap-rock, offer imperishable materials, that may be used to prove to distant generations that the present age consulted not alone selfish and temporary interests. Granite, a primary rock, may be called the foundation-stone of the earth. Its constituent parts are quartz, feldspar, and mica. It is a hard and brittle stone, but with much labour may be worked into capitals and other ornamental parts of a building. Sienite is often called granite, from its resemblance to it; feldspar and hornblende predominate in its composition. Gneiss, a stone containing a large proportion of mica, splits with ease, and affords a beautiful paving-stone. Maple, of several varieties, is also susceptible of a fine polish.
