PIC DE L’ETOILE, AN UNDESCRIBED VOLCANO. 30 
every traveller who has spent some time in the Vivarais. It is also a good centre 
for making excursions. 
One valley remains to be described, which I shall call the valley of La Bas- 
tide, from its principal village. It is intermediate between the valleys of Burzet 
and Antraigues, and may easily be reached from either of them ; but by ascending 
from Vals (which is but a little way below where it unites with the valley of the 
Volant) it may be conveniently examined in its whole length. The first portion 
for several miles presents no trace of lava; but when we get opposite to the posi- 
tion of the Coupe d’Aysac, the valley opens and becomes extremely beautiful. A 
spring from the granite rising here, which discharges carbonic acid, has a tempe- 
rature of 5372. A mile or two above this, we came at once upon an extensive 
lava deposit, excavated by the torrent, and commanding a pleasing view of the 
hamlet of La Bastide, with its water-mills, and the ruins of its chateau, which 
belonged to the Comte d’Antraigues, an extensive proprietor in this country, in- 
cluding nearly all the Bois de Cuze, who was expelled by the populace at the first 
French revolution, his house destroyed, and his lands divided. 
The lava continues with but very little interruption for several miles, from 
La Bastide up the valley, indicating clearly a peculiar source of its own. I had 
previously visited it in 1839, and (more fortunate than in the case of the Burzet 
lava) I had fairly hunted it to cover, tracing it in an irregular stream up the 
face of the ridge of lofty hills separating the valleys of La Bastide and Antraigues, 
about three miles above the former village (Plate VI., fig. 2). “The summit 
from which it is derived, I then learnt, was called the Pic de l’Etoile. My time 
did not allow me to ascend farther; but on a subsequent day I made an expe- 
dition expressly by the valley of Antraigues, and ascended the r7ght bank of the 
Volane for four or five miles above that village, when I judged that I must be 
nearly opposite the volcano (of which, however, there is no trace visible from be- 
low on the east side). I commenced the ascent from the hamlet of La Viole (see 
the map), which proved to be excessively steep, and for a height of nearly 2000 
feet, the latter part of the way being through tangled and nearly pathless brush- 
wood, frequented only by a few charcoal burners. At less than one-third of the 
ascent I found. in a little ravine, a flow of lava, which proved that I had not mis- 
taken my point, and from under it issued a fine spring, having a temperature of 
45°, affording another proof (see p. 28) of the complete refrigeration of the lavas. 
This stream does not reach the bed of the Volane. As I followed it up, it con- 
stantly occupied the bed of the water-course, and soon led me amongst slag and 
cinders, which constitute the steep part of the ascent. At the top I found the 
summit of the chain occupied for some distance by volcanic products. The granite, 
however, resumes the higher position. On examining from the top the course of 
the stream of lava descending towards La Bastide, I perceived that it originated 
still farther beyond the granite ; and, proceeding northwards, I welcomed the sight 
of a crater, of which hitherto I had perceived no trace. It is rather singularly 
