Mr Russel on the Cavern of Adelsherg in Carniola. 47 



Art. VIII. — Contributions to Physical Geography. 



1. Description of the Cavern of Adelsherg in Carniola, 



The village of Adelsberg stands at the bottom of an incon- 

 siderable rocky eminence. At the western extremity of the 

 eminence the rock gapes into two large apertures. The one 

 reaches nearly from its summit to the level of the plane, and 

 has an irregular, jagged, cleft-like shape ; the other is rather 

 more to the eastward, about fifty feet higher in the rock, and 

 in a much more regular vaulted form. The river Poick comes 

 winding along the valley f^:om the south, flows under the emi- 

 nence, reaches its western extremity, throws its whole body 

 into the lower of the two openings, which it entirely fills, and 

 disappears. The higher opening runs a short way into the 

 mountain, forming a regular and spacious gallery. The parti- 

 tion of rock that separates it from the lower one, through 

 which the river holds its course, is broken through in several 

 places, and furnishes here and there a glimpse of the dark 

 waters fretting along in their subterranean channel. But as you 

 advance, their murmurings and the distant gleams of day-light 

 die away together, and the silence and darkness of ancient 

 night reign all around. 



The guides now lighted their lamps, and, in a short time, 

 the distant sound of water was again heard. It became loud- 

 er and louder. The passage seemed to widen, and at length 

 opened out into an immense cavern which the eye could not 

 measure, for the lights were altogether insufficient to penetrate 

 to any distance the darkness that was above, and around, and 

 below ; they were just sufficient to show where we stood. It 

 was a ledge of rock which, running across the cavern like a 

 natural partition, but not rising to the roof, divides it into two 

 caverns. 



From that on the left of the partition, on whose summit we 

 stood, rose amid the darkness the furious dashing of the river, 

 which has thus far found its way through the mountain, and, 

 announcing by its noise the obstacles it encounters, seems to 

 throw itself in despair against the opposing partition, which 



