Site of the Ancient City of the Aurunci. 223 



through which it appears to have been protruded. In its 

 centre is a hollow plain, which may possibly have once been 

 a kind of crater, as there are still on three of its sides points 

 of rock that rise considerably above the central concavity, of 

 which the highest was formerly marked by a cross ; a cir- 

 cumstance which, as I have stated, served to give the name 

 of Santa Croce to the entire mountain. 



The rock is generally of a reddish-brown colour ; its base 

 sometimes gray, fine-grained, and compact, but not of very 

 close texture, intimately interwoven with small felspathic 

 portions, which frequently shew a glassy fracture, as if from 

 fusion. 



Much green augite, never, however, accompanied by even 

 a trace of hornblende, penetrates the whole mass ; and brown 

 mica, generally in hexagonal tables, is a predominant ingre- 

 dient. Abich regards the rock in the aggregate as forming 

 a link intermediate between trachyte and greenstone. 



Pilla informs us, that the summit of this cone is exactly 

 equidistant from all parts of the crest of Monte Cortinella, 

 the only portion of the original crater that stands absolutely 

 intact, shewing, that it stands exactly in the centre of the in- 

 closed area ; a singular and improbable coincidence, unless 

 it had upheaved the rest of the mountain, but one presenting 

 no difficulty if we admit this supposition. 



The rock alluded to, abrupt as it is, seems to be every- 

 where covered over with vegetation, and a fine chestnut 

 forest occupies a considerable portion of its flanks. 



From its summit the eye embraces, on the one hand, Mola 

 di Gaieta, the range of mountains terminating in Cape Cir- 

 cello, and the whole extent of coast as far as Ischia and Ve- 

 suvius ; whilst on the other, the line of the Apennines, in- 

 cluding the monastery of Monte Casino, and other places 

 built upon the slope of these mountains, appear conspicuous. 



The artist who accompanied me executed, from this and 

 other points of the mountain under consideration, a pano- 

 ramic view of the whole circuit which the eye comprehends, 

 of which the following ground-plan may serve to present 

 some idea : 



