S W I .S S E R L A m të k
Ço»ST!TU-
„xrowi
Forefts.
Botany.
parent quartz, and mica in. frnall brilliant fcales, th u s . formmg>wJ^at'iS
called the white granite. The'colqUrsi fonaetimes v a r y ; and fometimes
hornblende, fchorl, garnets, or pyrites,: are inteifperfed.1 f T h e con-
ftrn&ion feems to cdnfift o f -flat pyramids o f granite, handing vertically,
difpofed like the fruit o f the artich'oke; thofe o f the centre being, moft
upright, while the others bend towards them. Thefe flat pyramids
commonly han d , like the grand chains o f the Alps, in n - Nv’E .''‘and
S. W.- direction. Beneath, and incumbent bn the-lji*rariite,' efp'eteial'ly
towards th e 'N . appear large a i f f e s i f • by
exterior chains o f high calcareous .mountains. 2 -'Shedfleader, \h h b |f$
defirous o f -more minute details concerning- th o fe -m^ghifio'kif-J'features
of-nature, may confult the works o f Sauffure, and other celebrated
naturalifts, who have written profeffedly on this InterOhtegdfepici’d!:
Of forefts there does not ajppsiajf to he any ffembl&ncfe-- mnSwiflerland •;
and filch-is the IcarCity of wood,1 and even of-turf, 'that the-' ding1 o f
cowS and fheep is often uied for culinary fire.’;
Swifferland, from its fbuthern dimature ahd'fePelttitdd filakfieSi
may be confidered with regard fib ':$ts is
Europe. From its low futfny' vallies 'that'to^eSM^bfr tK€* Italian
frontier, to the higher Alps covered with’glaciers and eternalj fn'ow,
the traveller may experience in fucceffion the'-1 diihates ‘ eFLapland,
Germany, France, and Italy. Of maritime plants its
inland fifcuation, it poffeffes none; and mariy ,of; thofe which adsid,
and perfume the arid tra&s of heath in Spain, and-Forfugaf are equally
wanting. The fwamps of Holland alfo- pbffefs many that iire- {frafiger's
to Swifferland; but thofe fpecies that delimit in the' pure inVigdratf rig
air p f the mountains, th a t drink life 'a n d fragrance from, the dafhing
torrent, th a t bend over the margin o f the tranfparerit lake, and luxuriate
in the fhdfered receffes o f th e overhanging rock, flourifh here in a pro -
fufion and glow o f beauty th a t cannot be conceived -by the inhabitant o f
Lowland countries.
T h e fpiry pinnacles o f rock that .rear themfelves from among the
perpetual fiiows that overfpread th e fummits o f the higher Alps, are
almoft wholly deftitute o f vegetation ; a few o f the cruftaceous lichens,
<2 and
CHAP . IV ,r N;A„T?»U''R:AfL« G ® p G R A P H T . 58 5
‘hud) her^andi! t h e t e f ^ ^ ^ f t o f iStlenh adhu^;® andfaxifragannivalis, and Bovahv.
qLthehj fSaQtyjfipita.- '
IjcJj r^ngijhiCjj^er^ètJge p t $hc. iflq.ws0.mm1. mics ai./.en'e o f rocky paftiyr-
||ige;^ h e rn a tiy o* dpmip n£ p f Ae> houn-ding■ cKafiio js. lii.%^.rici^a'eljedI upon
fof! a^fé-wat.w.e ek sf mAKei h feiMï Am foe rpby, > ihe% - lh;eep j jïfeov&r ed;With
3ï£fe$t harr,ehi'tu^pïex,pqpt?^lmshit!KeryrMil;|iitn‘i.|^h®g|,i|l-rough^:i|dyie (birth
tU a1 tw ^ e rilpgqu n : ^ i a ^ h ^ i iq f - ^ '? i ,d / |d ,ii!S?hcnO;^iki^gly
qgj iUe%ly a l|S Sm ^ ^ ^ E ( ijy alpineAjbut
fr.qrp t thpfr, jfejs-iïa g ,fhjitink and^ccgi^effij i$ t ^ u d i vi©tn|ite fpe&knepfe as-
tot ^feqlpje a a^tia
alpina and villofa, foldanella alpina, jiftran tja ; a i p ^ :y,P/ber.kri,i.Jfe^otL&sl
alpheijéha pentaph^ |a ^ f^ ^ y fe n t^ e ,teiupnlptra1:uffl.) gad^^n'Mahini&afis
^ami&raMpfthe ■pringi-pal.,- f
the fumtpihs^ehq^pkhdmgap^p^mje^&qrei^tthdant
and aece$jl{^e to the jc^ttlmfor ahe®® fp‘r,t<y day few;
©fjthe h a fd ie r fh ru j^ b e -e a o :t^ fa ^ ^A e i^ a iB ^ y an ^ y;and Jh e ^ tm £ iiere
aifumesntkat tiuJy enamgji^d appearance. » that ■ Js A b r eHa>ra/>eriftiV wff
Siwff9rtê®d,:jm4 ^ ö ip |;jq ^ jp o |^ ^ lu a tm ilS /(d 5-& t o(i t nrnEtSnTit; f 0 liana,
ajpina a ^ en tom a apanfis, globularia. n ^ fcarilift djpw]Miy.yarfiri-H
.ha-rtfia a[pM^,sfa&ifegaj cgefia, ,a,%d j b f ^ -a|pj1nav .nlantsl!u5
exauifife- beauty;," aftr^ptia jimTO^*a|d'„faxifraga
toftent^iö^ ilcharms. and ^ r s ^ h ^ iferjnis widi .Jahlfe.TO talpinu‘m. .and
othe r viviparous .graffes. J jn the a lp l^ v a u ic s ,. and ahirA tn^cLcpurle o f
th dM rrh n ts l vegetation affumeg ^ mof e^ffately' apneJr®pe J th e ^ r im e r ,‘
th e : favine, th e ,n o n e tP11^ , aBd'A d er. ;
fhjckqts, diyerfify the, fcène, tr^ ir . c ^ ^ s a ru 'rbbrderept« ^ h ' cacsiih
alpina," aquil’egia alpips; Fanuhculus-.atónUihmu^,, mm'^A
th e ,Gafcadekare byerhung wilh' b oV v ers^^i-ufa^hwi, cnatófem
'èfuil^^'laai^refufa' and.fefitufata ?m u l u e ^ è fts of t-ne^ ^ ; llrc^riiTts
o f faxurages, auricufa^ and the f a re fanonariO f f tea .
hillocks are eminently refplendent with rhododendron -ferrhgi-heum,
azalea procumbeus, pingulcura sapink, aöu fa^i'fraga'''aHaiaes. "
V; Below all thefe, on the declivities h r the: mountains, c,qra«ience'the7
forefts o f la répi ot pine* and fir, ihterr|dkèa heS . 'aïnl ‘thhre'with t h e !,
VOL . I. 4 r . ! ' I yewv