586 
these quarries,—a subsidence which was 
probably so giadual as to escape notice, 
except by its cflects on the banks. 
Accuraté observations on the relative 
levels of different parts of the earth’s 
surface are of too recent a date, and 
have been too seldom repeated. or ve- 
rified, to enable us to ascertain whether 
the strata liave sank down to any con- 
siderable extent since the world has 
been inbabited by mau. There are 
many facts, however, in our own coun- 
try, Which might lead us to infer that a 
gradual subsidence in certain parts is 
now going on. Be this as it may, tie 
changes that are taking place in many 
lakes, can be satisfactorily accounted 
fur by visible causes. Thus, the lake 
of Bourget is diminishing at the southern 
end by the débris, brought down by the 
river Lysse, aud On the eastern side by 
the débris from smaller rivers, which 
flow into if, and the lake of Annecy is 
diminishing at the southern end, and on 
the western side, from similar causes; 
but [ could not learn that the water is 
gaining on the land, in éither of these 
lakes. 
; LES CHARMETTES. 
On returning from Le Bout du 
Monde, we ordered ovr yoiturier to 
drive us. to Les Charmettes, once the 
resideiice of Madame de Warrens and 
of J. J. Rousseau. We had visited the 
place when we passed throngh Cham- 
berry to Aix; but I wished to see the 
house again, as the upper rooms were 
locked up, when we were there before. 
My principal object, however, was to 
re-examine the mill-stone quarries at 
the foot, of the hill leading to Les 
Charmettes. The stone at these quar- 
ries is of a brownish gray colour; hard 
and frangible, with a flattish conchoidal 
fracture. The first time I saw it, I 
supposed it to bea chert or horn-stone, 
similar to some I had seen interstra- 
tified with limestone, at the head of the 
lake of Geneva; but en examining a 
specimen which I had taken with me to 
Aix, it proved to be limestone ; and, as 
I was not then aware that limestone was 
ever used for grinding corn, Timagined 
that I must, by, mistake, have broken 
the specimen from an upper or under 
stratum, instead of the mill-stone stra- 
tum. On this second visit, however, I 
found that if was trae limestone ; and I 
was informed that, these millstones an- 
swer the purpose very well for grinding 
corp, but they are not so durable as 
those made of mill stone grit. In coun- 
tries where siliceous mill-stones cannot 
2 
Bakewell’s Travels in the Tarentaise, 5c, 
be procured, but at a great expense, 
perhaps the knowledge that hard lime- 
stone may be used instead, will, prove 
useful. Phe mill-stones at this quarry 
are cut out of the,rock upon the spot. 
The strata are of the proper thickness, 
and. nearly horizontal, A cirele is 
drawn of the diameter required, and 
the surrounding parts are chipped away. 
Wedges are then driven in between the 
strata, and the stone is raised by levers. 
Under a climate like this, amid the 
grandest and most beautiful scenery, we 
need, not wonder that the ardent and 
intensely susceptible mind of young 
Jcan Jacques caught the inspiration and 
enthusiasm, which breathe, through, all 
his descriptions. of Nature. On the 
hill, behind the, house, there is a still 
more extensive view; it was there that 
Rousseau, as he informs us, was accus- 
tomed to take his early morning walk, 
to observe the rising sun, and offer up 
his oraisons. 
On the front of the house is an. in- 
scription, placed there by Herault 
De Sechelles, when he was commissi- 
oner from the Conyention in 1792. ‘The 
poetry has nothing to recommend. it ; 
but it gives a tolerably correct picture 
of the extraordinary character who once 
resided here, : 
Reduit, par Jean Jacques habité, 
Tu me rappelles son génie,, 
Sa solitude, sa fierté, 
Et ses malheurs et sa folie. 
A la gloire, ala vérité, 
Tl osa consacrer sa vie, 
Et fut tonjours persécuté, 
Ou par lui-méme, ou par lenvie. 
“ Retreat, inhabited by Jean Jacques, 
—thou recallest to my mind his genius ; 
his solitude ; his pride ; his folly, and his 
misfortunes. He dared to consecrate 
his life to truth and glory: and was al- 
ways persecuted either by himself or by 
envy.” 
NAPOLEON’S ROAD. 
About ten miles from Chaniberry, the 
road passes over a handsome stone 
bridge, resting on a rock of sandstone ; 
the upper part of the rock is distinetly 
stratified, dipping to the river, but the 
strata are singularly intersected at an 
acute angle, by very regular cleavages, 
which might be mistaken for’ stratifi- 
cation, were’ not the strata here well 
defined and accessible. me 
After crossing'the bridge, the road 
turn$'saddenly, and is carried westward 
along a deep ravine for several miles, 
called la Defile de la Grotte. The lime- 
stone rocks nodW overhang both sides of 
the road. Just before entering this ra- 
vine, 
