5liii
torrent in its courfe forms a number of cafcadcs, and precipitates itfelf rapidly into the
valley of Sofpdio, where it mingles its waters with tliofe of the Bcvera. When I had
croflcd this toiTent, and taken a dirc6tion from fouth to north, I found that I was at about
t\vo thirds of tlie height of tlic Col de Braus.
This pafs is more elevated than the mountain of Sofpetto, but lefs fo than that of Brovis,
defcribed in the preceding chapter. It exhibits alfo a ftriking contrail to die fertility of
the two latter, from the wild and barren ilate of its foil, which extends as far as the village
of Tuet, fituated on the other fide of this Col.
Before entering into a minute or particular defcription of this mountain, I muft notice
a curious and extraordinary cireumftance, which I obferved in one of my excuriions made
in 1785, in the deep narrow valley above mentioned. Having rambled rather more Uian a
mile out of the high road, I remarked a confiderable number of huge pieces of ftone,
wliich in great part intercepted the courfe of tlie torrent and obftruaed the valley. Thefe
blocks, on a nearer inveftigation, and in confequence of having cleared the mofs and lichen
which covered them, I plainly difcovered to be calcareous, of a deep grey colour, efFervefcing
with the nitrous acid, and containing a quantity of different forts of marine foffils ;
amongft which wore the trochites, turbinites, buccinites, and an uncommonly fmall kind of
the Coruna ammonis, whofe diameter extended only from one inch to three. I alfo difcemed
other ftones intermked with thefe, filled with ihells, which, altliough of the fame calcarckind,
yet differed as to the fpecies of foffils they contained, being moffly lenticular,
or lapis linticularis, formed of fmall fpherical or orbicular bodies, perfedly difccrnible,
though only from one line to two and a half in diameter. What added greatly to my
ailonilhment was the finding of thefe ifolated malTes of rock, thus irregularly heaped upon
one another, in a valley nine hundred feet more elevated tlian the town of Sofpello, flanding
on a laminated calcareous rock, of the fame kind as thofe which border each fide of
the valley, containing particles of mica which effervefced fiowly with acids, but without
the leail impreffion of marine fubftances.
Thefe rocks being therefore totaUy foreign to the place on which they ftand, and their
mafs and weight too confiderable to render the fuppofition probable, that-the waters of liiis
fmall torrent could have had fufiicicnt force cither to drag or elevate thefe piles of rock
where they arc now feen ; I am confequently inclined to look on them as one amongfl: the
many furprifing efFeas of nature, which charafterife the laft retreat of the waters of the fca.
But to return to the Col de Braus. I purfued my courfe acrofs the torrent which flows at