and the Phenomena accompanying their Elevatimi. 25 



surface. Now, independent of the caves of Beliemi, we know 

 that the cave of Santo Giro must have been very near the sur- 

 face of the sea, for the holes of lithodomi which are seen on its 

 walls, and on the rocks below it, do not extend above it. But 

 the caves of Beliemi are more than 100 feet above that of 

 Santo Giro, are considerably above the highest level of the 

 tertiary rocks, which must have been elevated at the same time 

 with the caves ; and as they have always been above the waves, 

 it follows that the surface of the former sea must have reached 

 some point between the cave of Santo Giro and that of Beliemi, 

 and therefore that this part of the country has been elevated be- 

 tween 200 and 300 feet. 



I consider one of the most interesting and important results 

 of the preceding observations to be the complete confirmation 

 they afford of M. Elie de Beaumont's views regarding the 

 epochs of elevation of the Sicilian mountains. The principal 

 chain extending across the island to the north of Gastro Novo, 

 and Nicosia, towards Messina, is sensibly parallel to the princi- 

 pal chain of the Alps, whence alone M. de Beaumont infers 

 that the date of its elevation must be the same, which, I think, 

 is completely confirmed by the small part of the chain which I 

 had an opportunity of examining. Many of the separate parts, 

 of which the whole is made up, are sensibly parallel to the di- 

 rection of the chain ; thus, I have already noticed the paralle- 

 hsm of the bearings in the strata at Mistretta, in the Monte 

 di Gastelli, at Nicosia, and of many of the tertiary hills between 

 Gastro Giovanni and Santo Filippo d'Argire. Never was I 

 more forcibly impressed with the truth of this theory than when 

 viewing Sicily from the top of TEtna, for there I looked down 

 upon the great chain of hills which I had already toiled over, 

 and saw it stretching away in a distinct line to the west, and the 

 lower hills to the south of it, with their scarped cappings of re- 

 cent tertiary rocks following the same direction, which could be 

 easily traced from the declining sun having thrown all inta 

 shade except the prominent parts, except those elevated points 

 and lines which had been heaved highest up by the great con- 

 vulsion, to which they owed their origin. Other lines could 

 also be perceived crossing them, but their true direction could 



