. . J t Su b t e r r a n eo u s V ovage attempted'.
T he great quantity; p£, water,nflowing from the lakes, and
other lefkconfiderable. fotarces^ fconcurs to form the river Cettinaj
its ifluing from a mountain much fmaller than thofe that ule to
give origin to noble rivers, and necolledting the marble breccia-
of rwhkh th e top^ o f tterlJlyrian mountains are compofed, made:
uMjftronglyifufpeiajrtliat the: waters which we beheld were not
the true Ibttrcds o f the Cettina,. but only branches o f fome fub-
terraneous river, whofe ancient bed, perhaps, in very remote
ages, were the high continued, plains, which, after along feties
efiRSolent changesj rheeame; the-,,tops o f mountains. My Lord.
Bilhop, having lately vilited the Bellunefe territory, and particularly
thofe places where the fall o f mountains frequently interrupted
the courfe o f rivers,:remarked the,hanging veftiges offi-
milaff ruins on the- fides o f Kozjak, iGuat, and 1)marc,' which piain-
ly ihew, that the interruption o f their ftrata has proceeded from,
fome vail fudden linking, or perhaps from a fuccclfion o f them.
This reafortabk and well grounded conjedture, made us determine
- to penetrate, as fai as : we could, into the caverns which,
witid ' through the internal parts o f the mountain between the
twcxlafees juft defcribed. Some o f thefe caverns, notwithftand-
ing -the'ir rtiggcdnefs atid obleurity, were, in other times, frequented
by a Baiiditti, perhaps;, as fierce as wild' beafts j. and
thbre are Hill to be feen the veftiges. o f a wall coarfely built to.
render the1 entraftc-e more narrow and fecure. It required ravages
indeed, ’ hardened to a great degree; to clamber into thefe-
hofrid receffss s yet, notwitMlpiding.;the -difficulty, I forced
'mffelf 'ffitd th em more than mace,uthat I might examine, at
ksifuro, ’though not at my eate, the ftrudture o f thefe marble
mountains. Many o f thefe najromchafms and holes run between;
tween the pieces o f fubvetted ftrata, where one mull afcend
creeping, on hands and feet,- .without being able to raife the hea4
for a long fpaee. In one o f tlicfe holes, treari theyoutergipertui-e,
the furface of the inferior,, as:wdl. as thii; fdpeiiEdn.imfsi)which
ferves for a vault to the narrow- pallage, is all lcattered with hardi
and fliarp pointed- j/lahaM ket'f^d.'dankerup,: the', marhl© is be.
come fo fmooth -andflipptoyi-'lfy flhe frdqtae&tctriqdiiigitiflancknt-
thieves, or fa-vagesy th a t'I 'e o a i'dw t -go d fiffodtBiwji • *1^ ajraatefln
fatigue. Having pafiedfthefittftlraitsy place« lefs dmd'
pradticable, though always equally frightful, and rendered 1 ftrll)
more dreaky and unoomfortab-le'thheffe'th'eyr^infeft fpuciow^
through the blaeknefs, :and diftfirietfs <#theJfmOSky^altel3loThfo
barbarians, who inhabited^ t.Sofoddii^eidFis\riaa'p$(|j'^s,qm[lil:
have been often expofedotd;-btbakatheto ffiieefes}^¡on to be lufFo-
cated by the h«at and -dcofei ¡fesoak, railed- by lighted pieees.of
cleft fir which are ufedsa£icandles>hJ'thefeaiiferail tnatdion.Si.I.
'tiofthsfeeocnq.-aEd jttjsifl tdedt. do coijqaTtaini qdi jsd-J ywsdl yi
A journey , into theeoiviiies- o f mountains, attd; expnining,
from Hone- too ftotie,. im.ethdfe,; fubterraneousuimaagSioW'ill *3&iT
taiflly contribute to .furniik jufter ideas, concerning the-ijffiq
tciior ftrudture o f that part ofcqo.hr globedneajeJlaf^o bffeq
furface. There nature. may bond.ifcov.eredi ,<as- it we.re, at
work, and abundance o f materials may be eolledted 'forithS eftaT,
blilhment o f good- theories, or, at leaft, for deftrgyingithq.fei that
are illgrouaded. In,this. refpedfe I have bithertotnfti jb®i®. -yepy
fortunate, as all th e : natural ¡-.caverns: of-C.alcMgOUS; iMdhifti-Pf
which I have vifited, referable'One another,-: a-Yklii I .&.©$£*: PS®
day or other, to,find fianething beyond this ;ufual,uniformity,
by vjfiting mineral mountains that have not yet:been .opened : by
men. What inltiraifiavb Idffons^of inatural ehemiftiy. may bg
found written in then-dark- cave&iL-.-After examining, ibtne-
G g 2 times,