26 A Journey in Spain [Jan. 



Protoxide of iron is found half a league from Marbella, 

 at a considerable height on the south of Sierra de Ronda, 

 and is smelted in the works of Rio Verde, either by the 

 charcoal furnace or by the reverberatory furnace, with coal 

 which is brought by the French ships from Asturia. 



The hills in the vicinity of Grenada, consist to a consi- 

 derable height of sand, and at Vega appear to cover the 

 marls and gypsum of the lacustrine bason of Alhama. On 

 the heights of Alhambra and Generaliffe, the debris of 

 grenatiferous mica slate, as upon the summits of the Sierra, 

 are observed in abundance. The Sierra Navada owes its 

 origin to several successive disturbances, but the presence 

 of sand at such an elevation above the plain of Grenada, 

 leaves no doubt of the very recent occurrence of the last of 

 these movements. If the sands of Generaliffe be contem- 

 poraneous with those of Castile, and be superior to the 

 marl and gypsum, then it is probable that their elevation 

 was accomplished simultaneously with the origin of the 

 Eastern Alps. The direction of the summits of the Sierra 

 Nevada, is from E. 20° N. to W. 20° S. No granite could be 

 detected on their summits; but mica slate was noticed. 

 It is probable that an attentive examination of this ridge 

 may throw some light upon the theory of Beaumont. The 

 country between the Sierra Navada and the sea consists of 

 elevated chains, whose summits are covered with mica 

 slate, filled with garnets; but the central part of these 

 mountains is principally composed of clay slate, associated 

 frequently with brecchia, united to black saccharoid lime- 

 stone, dolomite, fragments of limestone, quartz, and talc- 

 slate, which are found at a great elevation. 



It is in the ridges of Alpuj arras nearest the sea, in the 

 Sierra de Lujar and Gador, that the lead mines occur 

 which have been already mentioned. The Sierra de Gador 

 is chiefly composed of the same compact limestone which 

 associated with the clay-slate, and intersected frequently 

 by masses of gypsum, serpentine, &c, form a great portion 

 of the chain which extends from Almeria to the Straits of 

 Gibraltar. The product of the mines is so far from de- 

 creasing, that in consequence of the depreciation of the 

 price of lead, and the abundance of the ore, it was deter- 

 mined to cease from working during six months of the 



