65 



"Mr^ St. Fond describes the mountain De la Coupe, iu 

 Vivarois, as bearing undeniable marks, of having, been <pnce 

 a great volcano; a vast crater, scoriae, and burnt inatters, 

 in abundance. . But, the important fact is, that a current 

 of lava has (as Mr. St. Eondisays) aun down from ,this 

 crater, and descended into th(?; plain, where it has formed 

 an extensive pav^de gean^;>\.'an^^ that prisms appear in, 

 the current, before it has quite reached the plain. ,„,.ij 

 Now, audi alteram partem. , A naturalist, quoted: by. 

 Mr. Kirwan, assures us, that the mountain De la Coupe 

 never was a volcano; and,, that what Mr. St. Fond calls 

 a current of lava, is merely i.a -stripe of trapose matter, 

 which happens to have been laid bare. ^nimiuuim xiiL 



'Here we have 'the contradiction direct; and one in- 

 stance^ of the '■■ liiany, from which it appears, that disputed 

 points, in nathral history^ are now reduced to mere wars 

 of assertion, upon which no reliance whatsoever can be 

 placed.) 'HoWithen^ is an impartial inquirer to obtain 

 truth, when he knows- that, in the relations given by par-, 

 tial theorists, 'no respect is paid to it? ,i 



' Thd only method I know, is to neglect the strong as» 

 sertions, which betray the object of the writer; and to, .at- 

 tend to the rnofe minute, and apparently unimportant ^cir- 

 cumstances, which escape him. Let us try that, mode, in 

 the present instance; and, I suspect, we shall come at 

 the truth. 



When Mr. St. Fond (who wishes to make tliis mountain 

 a volcano) talks of scoria, and vitrified mattersj I consider 



iil ■ him, 



