VOLCANO OF BAUZON—VALLEY OF BURZET. 29 
There are two portions of slagey lava near the artificial dam, at the exit of 
the stream from the crater. But I could in no way identify them with the dykes 
so prominently alluded to by Burar; but these may possibly have been concealed 
by the artificial erection. Indeed, I saw nowhere any appearance of injected 
lavas into fissures in the granite. The crater is stated by Burat to be 1200 
metres (two-thirds of an English mile) in its longer diameter. It is sensibly oval 
and tolerably flat, presenting three mounds of scorize in the centre, similar to those 
which occur in the craters of recent volcanoes. 
Only a few hundred yards in a north-west direction from the crater of Pal is 
the little Lac de Ferrand ; erroneously placed in Casstni’s map at the head of the 
valley of Montpezat. Adjacent to it is a small lava stream (indicated in the map), 
which might lead us to conclude that this lake had been a small volcanic orifice ; 
this is, however, uncertain. Farther on in the same direction lies the volcano 
of Bauzon, which has ejected a vast quantity of scorice, and is the last of the re- 
cent volcanoes of the Vivarais on this side. Otherwise it is without interest. Its 
height above the sea, by my observations in 1841, is 4922 feet. 
Valley of Burzei—Crater of Fiollonge— Valleys of Antraigues and La Bastide— 
Pic de V Etoile—Coupe d’ Aysac. 
We now return to the valley of Burzet, which is a tributary of the main 
valley of Montpezat, but which extends itself to a great distance in one of the least 
frequented parts of the country. We have seen (p. 23) that its bed is filled with 
lava, which was certainly older than that of the Gravenne (see Plate IV., fig. 1). 
This lava may be traced, with little intermission, as far as the village of 
Burzet, between 4 and 5 miles from its outlet. The valley is beautifully varied 
in scenery, and in some places richly wooded. At Burzet it widens, receiving a 
tributary on the right bank of the principal stream. This tributary takes its 
origin near the crater of Pal; but its course presents nothing very interesting. The 
lava widens at the junction of the two streams, and the village is partly built 
upon it. It would be difficult to select a more exquisite picture of rich and peace- 
ful scenery than the neighbourhood of Burzet. The stream is small, and its bed 
generally narrow; yet though the lava masses become more insulated and smaller 
as we ascend, nothing indicates that we have arrived at their commencement. 
We fancy them to have ceased entirely, when in some re-entering angle of the 
valley their black abrupt faces reappear, clinging to the granitic soil, moulded 
upon it, and the columns always perpendicular to the surface of cooling, as in 
Plate IV., fig. 5. The slaggy traces of the current often rose so high upon the 
banks, that I repeatedly thought that I had obtained the volcanic orifice. This, 
and the concavity of the surface of the basalt in many places, as in Plate IL, fig. 7, 
VOL. XX. PART I. H 
