Courfe o f the 'C e T t iu a from Du a H e to its Mouth.
Proceeding from Duare along the banks-of the river, towards
its mouth,- which is twelve long miles diftani to the weflward,
I was more confirmed in the opinion I had before conceived,*
that the fummits of the greater mountains o f .littoral Dalmatia
are o f marble, and their body and roots o f a,differed fubftance.
For as the top o f Duare is marble, fo is that o f mount D in ara*
which ftands between the river Cettina and the fea; and as the inferior
parts o f the former are o f earth more or lefs hardened, fo the
fides o f the latter are compofed o f various modifications o f marine
matter, not marbly. Four miles below Duare, along the high road,
are certain veins o f hone, that deferve particular attention; as
they referable, even when examined juft under the eye a wall
o f ftones well Squared, ft Thefe veins are, in appearance! almoft
vertical, and their formation is analogous to that o f fimilar veins
near Spalatro, as'both owe their induration to waters'filtrated be
tween the interftices. When I give you an account o f fome ob-
fervations made along the fea fide, on the exterior part o f mount
Dinara, I ihall defcribe a piece o f ftratum that lies open to the
eye, like that juft mentioned.; and it being o f an inftruclive
and Angular nature, I had a drawing made o f it. Further on
the road, in the j.urifdiaion o f Slime, are to be Seen, in great
quantmes, various kinds o f flints o f different colours, and curious
marbly compofitions o f marine bodies, fufceptible-of a fine
polifli
* This is not the mount Dinara that (lands on the confines of the ' ! r
Kmn and Seign. It is common in Dalmatia to find the fame nam e
tains, See. in different places. me names o f mounr
c° ^ ? C uKs impalpMliU!’ efervef“Kh m,liSt
Quadratum, Alberti. Quadrum. Gasfalp.
poliih. I have Tome fpecimens that deferve a place in any mn-
feum whatever. One, in particular,-is an aggregate o f marble
compofed of lenticulares, fragments of other foftil marine bodies,
and white angular pebbles. Atnong the-ftnall petrified Lenticulares
contained in this marble, fome have their concamerati-
ons diftinguiftiáble oh the outfide, In looking with the-naked
eye, on the Smooth Superficies of this marble, one difcovers a
very great variety of-fe&ions o f the lenticulares contained in 'it .;
and almoft every particle, when examined with a glafs, «affords
Something agreeable. The riverv along ¡the banks o f which I
travelled, is almoft every where embarraffed with 'tophus, which
increafed daily, -and-renders it unnavigable, notwithstanding
the great quantity o f water that conftantly runs in it, and'the
; great advantage- that would redound to’the province,’i f it were
navigable as far as Duare, The mountains of Pogliza, on the
-right- of the’Cértina, as-well as thofe o f Slime, &vinijchie, and
■ Cuccichie, hear, great plenty o f oaks, the timber o f which might
h e tranfported -to the-Sea at a Small expfence, if'-the river was
rendered navigable. They would certainly coft much lefs than
the oaks o f Iftria, and b e very ufeful in ihip building, It is
alfo probable, that the timber of thofe hills is of a better quality
than that which grows in Iftria, on low moift ground. T o
open ¡fuch a canal, there'would be no need to cut through
xocks with the chiffel, for axes would be Sufficient to clear away
¡the tophaceous beds that now obftrudl-the paflage.
In going down from the diftriit o f Svmifchie, towards M iriz,
'there is a great yariety of whetftone, grey and blue, and, in
¡the Breccia fallen down from the mountains, a great number of
Small angular flints, and fragments o f marine bodies. A t M iriz,
*the veftiges of a large natural wall are Still Handing, particularly
IS k on