Natural History, 503 



or 14,542 English feet above the lake of Geneva, and the surface 

 of the lake 367 metres, or 1233 English feet above the sea. The 

 mountain is, therefore, 15,775 feet above the level of the sea. — 

 N, M. Mag. xxiv. 263. 



16. Water Spout. — At 52' after 6 o'clock on the 11th of August 

 last, a portion of a dark cloud, suspended below the summit of 

 the Savoy mountains, suddenly took a vertical direction, and, 

 being gilded with the deep orange tint of the setting sun, attracted 

 universal attention, and enabled the spectators to trace all its 

 movements. Its form was that of an inverted cone, the summit 

 of which was about 200 feet above the surface of the lake, to 

 which it precipitated itself in less than two minutes. This elon- 

 gation of the cone took plnce by an oscillatory motion. This 

 part of the spout appeared cylindrical, and its diameter was about 

 10 or 12 feet. The moment it reached the lake, a great mass of 

 the water was briskly agitated, as tf it had been boiling, the foam 

 rising to a height of more than 50 feet. This large column of 

 water was inflected like a ribband exposed to the wind. In eight 

 minutes it reached the mouth of the Rhone, and as long as it 

 was above the river the boiling continued and the column was 

 unbroken. When it quitted the river, the boiling ceased and the 

 whole soon disappeared, the base of the cone continuing longest 

 Visible.— i)fo». Mag. v. 540. 



