l66 STUDIES OF NATURE. 



mountains, or in the bofom of plains. They are 

 all diftinguifliahle by the fogs which they attract 

 around them, and by the fources which emit their 

 ftreams in the vicinity. Nay, you may reft af- 

 fured, that there is no fource but in the neigh- 

 bourhood of fome quarry of hydro-attractive, and, 

 for the moft part, of metallic flone. I afcribe the 

 attraction of thofe peaks to the vitreous and metal- 

 lic bodies of which they are compofed : and I am 

 perfuaded it might be pofiïble to imitate this ar- 

 chitecture of Nature, and to form, by means of 

 the attraction of fuch ftones, fountains of water in 

 the moft parched fituations. In general, vitreous 

 bodies, and ftones fufceptible of polim, are very 

 proper for this purpofe ; for it is obfervable, that 

 when water is diffufed in great quantities through 

 the air, as at the time of a general thaw, it is firft 

 attracted, and attaches itfelf, to the glafs-windows 

 and the polifhed ftones of our houfes. 



I have frequently feen on the fummit of the 

 mountains, in the Ifle of France, effects fimilar to 

 thofe of the peaks of the Plain of the Cafres, in 

 the Ifland of Bourbon. The clouds collect there 

 inceffantly around their peaks, which are fteep 

 and pointed, like pyramids. Some of thofe peaks 

 terminate in a rock of a cubical form, which 

 crowns them like a chapiter. Such is that one 

 which they call Piterbooth, after the name of a 



Dutch 



