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,av;
limestone on tbe road, exactly similar to
the Gloucestershire oolites.
The road from Bellegarde to Lyons
winds among the calcareous mountains
that form the outer ranges of the Jura,
and passes by the side of two small lakes ;
the first, the Lake of Sylant, is surrounded
by steep mountains, covered with firs, and
has a very gloomy appearance. The water
is almost black from the reflection of the
dark objects on its sides, and there are no
villages on its banks, or boats upon its
surface, to enliven the scene. It is about
two miles in length. About a league beyond
this lake, we passed through the
town of Nantua, where we dined. This
town contains two thousand seven hundred
inhabitants. The women were sitting at
their doors employed in tambouring muslin,
by which they only gain about two
francs a week, working from morning to
night.
After dinner, we passed along the Lake of
Nantua, which may be about three miles in
length, and has evidently once been longer
than at present. It is about half a mile
broad, and is situated between two ranges
of inoimtains, that approach near to the
water. The cray-fish of this lake are much
esteemed by epicures. At the end of the
lake the road turns suddenly to the west^
and winds under some very striking precipices,
which terminate the alpine part of
this route.
Several of the rocks we passed by presented
remarkable sections, in which the
stratification appeared singularly arranged.
One rock at no great distance from the
embouchures o f the Jura, and near the
road on the south, had its strata on the
eastern side vertical, while a few yards
farther west, they were perfectly horizontal,
or appeared to be so ; but I suspect it was
a deception arising from the cleavages,
similar to the case in the valley of Thones,
of which a figure is given, (vol. i. p. 68.)
A little farther, in another range, the lower
strata appeared vertical, and the upper
horizontal. These rocks are about two
leagues east of Pont d’Ain, but the day
was too far advanced to permit me to descend
and examine the stratification. It was
nearly dark before we had fairly emerged
from the calcareous ranges of the Jura, and
found ourselves in an extensive plain, in