5& STUDIES OF NATURE. 



mingled with their fands, and which have all of 

 them their origin in mountains of ice. Such is 

 the Rhine, from Strafburg to Philipfburg ; the 

 Rhone, in the Pais de Gex ; the Doux, in 

 Franche- Comté, which three all take their rife in 

 the icy mountains of Switzerland. The Cefe and 

 the Gardon defcend from thofe cf the Cevennes. 

 The Ariege, in the Pa'is de Foix ; the Garonne, 

 in the vicinity of Tholoufe ; the Salat, in the 

 County de Conferans ; and the rivulets of Ferriet 

 and Benagues, all take their rife in the icy moun- 

 of the Pyrennées. 



This obfervation may be extended, I believe, 

 to all the gold mines in the World, even to thofe 

 of Africa, fuch of whofe rivers as warn down the 

 greateft quantities of gold-duft, the Senegal, for 

 inftance, defcend from the mountains of the 

 Moon. 



To this it may be objected, that gold was for- 

 merly found in Europe, in places where there 

 there were no icy mountains ; nay, that fome has 

 £>een picked up on the furface of the ground, as 

 in Brafil -, and not many years ago, that there was 

 found an ingot, or mafs, of feveral pounds weight, 

 on the bank of a river in the didiift of Cinaloa, 

 in New-Mexico. But, if I might venture to ha- 

 zard a conje&ure, reflecting the origin of this 



gold, 



