£ ras. men, without the fpirit o f prejudice, apply themfelves to ob-
ferve the ftrucfture o f mountains, the nature o f wafers, o f animals,
or o f whatever other production o f nature, with the foie
view to inveftigate truth.
Defer if tion o f the Strata of \ the Promontory M a r iA n — Miflake
o f D o n a t f-
Between the mouths o f the river Hyader, now called Salona,
and o f the Xernovniza, -a- rivulet perhaps not-known to the ancient
geographers, lies a promontory, whofe point is formed by
the hill Marian, and its bafe by the roots o f the Moffor. Coaft-
ing along this tradt in a boat, I made the rowers often reft them-
felves, that I might attentively examine-the ftrange modifications
of calcareous matter, difpofed there in a manner quite different
from the laws which the mafters o f nature ufe to prefcribe,
in elaborate difcourfes on ilratifications, without once ftirring out
o f their ftudy. Among many remarkable places on that coaft
full o f variety, which, however, conftantly have a cretaceous
clayey bafe, I had a drawing taken o f one, in the firft creek o f the
fame promontory, where, according to Peutinger’s table, there
was a temple dedicated to Diana. Pl. X. The fummit o f the
hill A A A , is compofed'of common Dalmatian marble, and o f
hard lenticular ftone interfperfed with flints.' A large apertUre iS
feen in it, made by the waters o f very diftant times, when
thefe materials, that now compote the top, were the bowels o f
the hill, and the denticulatrons o f the interrupted Strata are-ftill
very difcernible. From the exterior parts of thafe fteep -tops,-
large maffes o f ftone are mow and then detached, cbeihg feparat--'
ed, by little and little, - from the whole, ‘ by the fecret labours-of
the rain-water, which fometimés undermines and loofens the
; *WP p* c ; - . . . . foundation,’