Though the direft high road does not ahfoliitely follow the courfe of this river, whieh
rifes at the foot of Col Flncftre, on the border of the province of Nice, but merely leads to
the Baths and village of Valdieri, three miles from Borgo, yet would I rccommend travellers
in general not to negleft vifiting this interefting fpot (independent of the Baths, which
have acquired celebrity from the occafional viflts of his Sardinian majeliy), but to view the
agreeable and piaurefqne situation of this little village, and the curious and extraordinary
form of tlie furrounding mountains. To every intelligent and curious obferver, this trifling
deviation out of the beaten track will not prove unpleafant, as he will, at the fame time,
have an opportunity of feeing two quarries of beautiful marble, one grey and the other
white, which are in this valley, and both worked at prefcnt with the greatctl fiiccefs.
Thefe quarries appear to correfpond with thofe of Bovcs, of fine black marble, and with
thofe near Coni, of a deep red, ftreaked with while, called by the Italians, " Roflb Breciato
Antico " and although of different colours, they fcem to have an affinity, not only with
csch other, but likewife with the quairies which border the country of Lombardy, both on
the right and left, forming, as it were, a kind of intermediate band between the fchiftous
and calcareous ftone or marl, whieh compofe the greateft part of tlte foil of the upper
and middle valleys noticed in this work.
This idea was originaUy fuggelted to me by reading the learned and fcientifie work of
profetfor Allioni, intitled, " L'Oriaographie de P i edmontwhi c h I have fincc found to be
wonderfnlly lengthened by tny own a£taal obfervations made in diffi^rent parts of that
country.
The vaUey which leads, .rom Borgo to Limon (the firft poll town in Italy from the Col
de Tende), gradually contrafls as it approaches this tremendous mountain. The adjacent
hills which conceal the bafe of the chain or piles of mountains whieh overhang each other
in the back ground, are wooded, and exhibit a pleafant and cheertiil fcenery, being ornamented
with fcveral fmall hamlets and charming cottages, promifcuoufly difperfed, peeping,
as it were, through tufts and groups of trees of various kinds, but particularly the
cliefnut.
The formation of thofe hills defetve our notice from the irregular form of their Urata,
and the variety which exiUs in the different fchifti of whieh they are moffiy compofed,
many of them containing curious imprelSons of plants and marine fubftances.
The kind of fchiftns which is moft prevalent, is that called by Wallerius, " Kffilis
LemellisConfpicuis," from their laminated appearance, butwhich, neverthelefs, divide only
in a prifmatlc form, refembling very much horn ftone, or corneus fiffilis. There are alto
fome calcareous fchifti, or fiffilis alluininofus.
In the vicinity of Limon the mountains of fchiffi totally di&ppear, and feem to fink
or lofc themfelves under others, which appear to be moftly calcareous. The valley which
leads to this town may be faid to be defended on the right b , an elevated mountain, the
fide of whieh is in great part abrupt, exhibiting large ftrata in a direflion tending towards
north-call, forming an angle of 30' with the hori.on, which inclination I have generally
remarked to be nearly a middle proportion between the whole of the fecondaty mountains
of this part of the Alps (except when formed of fehiftus), and then the major part of their
ilrata are nearly vertical.
This mountain feems to be a fpeeies of grey rock-ftone, compounded of quartz, or
faxum fimplex quartofum durom.
Thofe on the left are moftly formed of a groenift. ferpentine, or lapis ollaris; and
others of a greenifii fliiny calcareous ftone, irregularly ftreaked, and in general claiTed
"calcareous fcmtillans variegatum," fi-om the quantity of mica they contain. Thefelaft feem
to have been totally formed by fediment; for in many parts a variety of marine foffils
have been found fimilar to thofe contained in the Montferrat hills, whieh are evident
proof, as I have before obferved, that thefe calcareous mountahis derive their origin Crom
the fame eaufe.
On the fouth-eaft fide of Limon there is a mountain of granite, of which the ftrata are
particularly thick and dlftinft i and as their direftion incline, from weft to eaft, they appear
as if they iflbed from imder a large mountain of " fehiftus rtidis, or grey courfe
fehiftl," whieh clofes the valley of Borbo on the fouth.
This town, which is fituated at the foot of the Col, is of no particular importance,
except it be for giving birth to moft of the muleteers who tranfport merchandize from
Niec to Coni, Turin, &c. Its local fituation is, as it were, a Cul de Sac, nearly furrounded
by formidable and ftupendous mountains, partly covered with wood and pafturage,
though altogether inacceffible, except in fummer. Travellers are here accommodated with
mules, porters, or coulants, in order to crofs this formidable pafs.
The porters are men who carry thofe who prefer it in a kind of fedan, or, more properly,
a wooden chair, with a ftraw bottom, covered with waxed cloth, to proteft from
rain, fnow, &e. with a board for the foot to reft on. Four or fix men are employed ui
carrying it, and they reheve each other in rotation; the coolants, who walk on the fnow