I l l
■ ■ a i
i l ' ;
Mountains.
Mont Jura.
name, in the S.' tof: ancïenlfLonlaih* are fuppofed to he cöooefted jrith,
•the-aUaantjdidsQf . t r j ‘?î n? :,-v; . > ■ v
■ ‘Mont Ju ré , a: Vanguard ó f M É fitNM *
iFrance • aisd'îS’wsfflèrJajwi. ; W &M S.& C j y f f W I
t r e n c h rhountams, AW .o ttó ' Alps: cafanot
T h e aneieht province of Dauphiné difplays feverat alpine .branphes,
which a lfa extend through great p a rt of Provence,' Y
' T o the weft of the Rfconb : arifes. the grand chain o f the.;C>Y,enncs,
^ h f e h h av e been d « b e d .by ^ f e e t o t ^ r t l ^ ! . , H^phferveatt ^ t l ^
Cevennes feeip' the,principal centre of the primmve,,mQuntair|s;of
•France, extending 'in to fe v e r* branches, , . .The pnpcipalL braneh ;'Ft“ s
along the
Rhone o n the fide of T o u c n o n a n d Viënhe, towards the p k n |s qf
Dauphin'#. - M l That- forming t h b m o n tâ te s ^ by
T a ra re , Autun, &c. till it be loft at Avalon. This branch khafeout
in le n g th , but in bfeâdth fóriiétimeb-nótraorë than a ,te # ie :
it cow a ftfe th e co ^ p * minés o f € h ^ and-St. Bel, dnd fom e tf e ^ mitoes.
Gb& S B « £ ■ $ in thé declivities. 4 . f ^ esht«scten»hick,Cre^aEalmg
the baft® o f «hè Loire from th a t bf f hé AlKer^mdnsMferip^htaHis
o f Foren. It paffes ;Roanhfe on the One fide and
and is loft towards-6L Pierre Ie Moutief. The p tó n of Mon'ibriffoa
is bounded* by thefe thirds and fo u rth 'g fn n itfc hrandhesl - ^ T h a t
which, fepài atihg the bafon V f & .
by Gfermöht ito ï^ ö n tlü ^ ^ . ' 6. Tha t ftwf&tng t o w n t a ^ L i ^ ^ a .
7. T h a t from the Dordogne towards the Charente;'/ 8.. T h a t sdkiding
the Do^èogoe from the'Garonne. ‘ . ƒ a S:! ,' ' 1: '
Th is account is hot a M te c b ftft& d ,-« ' here are aJftiHdanfirbnnfcta
without one trunk. T h e ^ a n d eB a in ttf -thfe'
frbm'bf. 4ó 5 . ,'knd to fen d o u r brahcHH ^^aÈtfls twP Ê f and
ihodefd departments o f the upper Loire and GSfttaV i« : ippeaiincés.,
.bructen,conftkuting the important duchy of that name, more generally called;Deux Pouts, hppokd
Z contin 180,000 inhabitants, and yielding a revenue of 500,000
mountains appear on the W. suxTE. of DeuxEonte, remarkable :fot mineral prodVtojWrie^V«1*1 y
mercury, and beautiful agate*.
6 Lamrth. T^eo. 4e fe Ter. it. 3<f.
3
»lW,
which,
which, in the opinion of eminent hafcuralifts, indicate ancient volcanoes*;
but as thefe ’fuppofed appearances confift chiefly of bafaltic columns,
and elevations, the beft judges;;eQn'fider them as having n o claim to a
volcanic origin. - This fubjedt remains dubious. The affirmed lavas
may be particular ftones in -a ftate of deobmpofirion. Yet the numerous
exifting volcanos in South America,' fuppofed by many to have been a
more recent continent, will compel the impartial, enquirer, who will
fhun any excl olive fyftem, to allow, that many extindt volcanoes' -may
e x ift; b u t he never will grant that bafaltic .colfiinns afford the fmalleft
prefumption of a volcaiio, as.Mliey rarely appear in the neighbourhood'
of exifting volcanoesjiand are fometimes. found refting on coal, which
in Cafe of fire muff: have been totally coniumed. The rocks, of Puy,
Axpailli, and Polignac, rife in fuddeh. and grotefque forms; but thefe
’ appearances are fometimes affumedeven by granite, as may be ohferved
i hnSol fat eaH.The 'bafaltae 'mountains,, Of the ancient 4/provipce of
Auyergrie • are likewifei-:iK^de^tCxifiye rto, ibe T rodncla ‘by a dingle
yolgaaq, -a^d 'a. .chain of: vo^anjqs would b® .too bold even for
f The; ^northern Part o f | thq chain is jDryJecJ the Puy, do
Dome, while th e . fbuthern, is galled that of Can tall. T h e Monts
I^C te fq rm the, centre, . and lane, jthe Mgheff m^ptjtains in France.*
Tl^mlu:efedevatiqn is th a t,o f the Puy de Sanfi, which rifes about'6,3oq
&t*L.ahqye the Level ,of, the fea, whii&fee. 'Pqy de Dome isS jo y r 500,0,
apd; the I?]omb, du Gantal, Mie h^gheft o f tfiat part, about 6 S i o feet,
I^earjh® guy,, dq TSanfi ,is. l’Ango,v -that gigantic mountaih, and Ecor-
chad^-ajlhattered and wregked^elewa4;ii|&. ThePlomb nu Gantab^ -all®,,
'■accompanied.by .bold, riv a ls ^ thfe Puy-d’e-Gribu, le CoDae-’Cabre, le
P r y jdar-i, apd the Viofeut»u-^bis enoriBonS affciriblage o f rocks covers
an extent o f about 120 miles,' and according to the French authors is
chiefly bafaltic. The Pay de Sanfi is capped with almoft perpetual
fnow, followed in the defcent by naked rocks and ancient pines : from
its fide iflues from two fources, the river Dordogne, and many pic-
rturefque cafcades devolve ainidft bafaltic columns9. On the 23d of June,
•1727, Pradines, a village on the flope of one o f thefe mountains, was
•-totally overwhelmed by its fall, the whole mountain with its bafaltic co-
8 V o y. dan's Jes depart. Cantal, p. 5. 9 lb . p. 13.
Moitntain».
•vas.. I, JS' * lumns