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G O R G E D E B E L L E N T R E . 279
minisli rapidly, in those parts which are unprotected
by a covering of soil or vegetation,
and such appears to be the case.
At Villard Goitrou the valley terminates,
or rather divides into two branches,
through each of’ which there runs a considerable
to rre n t; these unite here, and
form the Doron. It was down the valley
on the left, that the great inundation descended,
which occasioned so much damage
in 1819. It gave no previous notice
of its approach, except by a tremendous
roaring, the cause of which was unknown
to the inhabitants of the village of Villard
Goitrou ; they had scarcely time to escape
on the rocks behind the town, when they
saw the water instantly rise nearly to a
level with the roofs of their houses, and
many of the houses were entirely swept
away. Near the junction of the two rivers,
or torrents, that form the Doron, there is
a small plain; this is almost entirely covered
with immense blocks, chiefly of
quartz rock, which were brought down by
the inundation, and left there. A few of
the blocks are mica and talc slate, shewing
the nature of the rocks in the upper part
of the valley. The cause of this inundation
is supposed to be the sudden breaking
up of a wall of ice, which had dammed up
the waters in a narrow valley upon the
mountains, forming a small lake. On the
breaking of the ice, the whole body of
water rushed instantly down, tearing up
and carrying away, by its velocity and
weight, every thing that opposed its passage.
We walked along the branch of the valley
which turns to the right, thinking to
have a nearer view of the Aguille de Pla-
nois, but the view was here intercepted by
intervening rocks. On the right of our
road we observed a tremendous cataract,
formed by the fall of the river, which may
be called the right branch of the Doron.
The bed of the river is a profound chasm ;
but from an elevated part of the road, we
scrambled along the side of a precipice
which brought us to some rocks that
form a natural arch, over the lower part
of the cataract. Imagine a considerable
river, which had acquired a great velocity
by previous descent, bounding down between
overhanging rocks into a chasm 200
feet deep, with a noise like the loudest
thunder, and with a percussion that made
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