442 ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE 
mit of that mountain, it has exactly the appearance of having 
once formed a continuous bank, through which the torrents 
have cut their way, and produced the numerous beautiful and 
picturesque valleys which intersect it in all directions. Of these, 
the Var itself may be considered as one; and near its banks, 
I have seen cliffs cut in this gravel of at least 400 feet high, and 
quite perpendicular. The operations of the various little streams 
which occupy the water-courses in wet weather,—for in dry 
weather there is little or no water to be seen in them,—are 
very remarkable: sometimes I have followed them up, having 
barely room to squeeze myself through between the perpendi- 
cular walls, and found the cut suddenly terminate in a circular 
aperture, like a deep well, into which a little stream precipi- 
tated itself. In the Vallon Obscur, the opening is in some 
places not more than three to four feet, and the walls rise to 
at least 100 feet on each side, fringed at top with shrubs and 
trees, often hanging in frightful suspence overhead. Although 
there be no regular beds, the general inclination of the gravel 
towards the sea, is sufficiently distinct in every cut which runs 
in that direction; while in those that are at right angles to it, 
the gravel seems to be more horizontally disposed, shewing, 
that by some uniform impulse, it had been carried forward in 
one constant direction, in the same way as the Var, and other 
mountain torrents, transport aoe Sdinpe ame and deposite 
them in the ocean. 
Unpromising as those heaps of gravel were at first appear- 
ance, they afforded another very important lmk in the chain 
of facts which this country presents. ‘In the different hills, the 
pebbles are bedded in sand, which is more or less abundant. 
Deposites of clay are also common ; sometimes they occur on- 
ly in small seams, sometimes in thick extensive beds, of at 
least 30 to 40 feet. The colour is either of a yellowish drab, 
t or 
