Nugerre. 
Bakewell’s Travels in the Tarentaise, §c. 
and the’ sheep ‘are-gencrally shorn the 
beginning of May. Many of the fami- 
lies in the lower or middle rank of life 
have small ‘vineyards, and make wine 
for their own consumption : these vine- 
yards are in the immediate vicinity of 
Clermont. : 
Sy FRENCH ARMY. 
There were about four thousand cavalry 
at Clermont: they received orders to 
proceed towards Spain when we were 
there. One day I dined with some of 
the ‘officers: they did not seem to ap- 
prove of a war with Spain, but they 
said the French soldiers think but little 
about the object of the war, when the 
enemy is before them; and in case a 
war took place, they calculated much 
on the assistance of ihose traitors 
(coquins), many of whom, in every 
country, were ready to join the in- 
vaders, for their own interest. Some of 
the measures of the French government 
which appeared arbitrary were alluded 
to, and one of the officers remarked, 
that such acts were indications, not of 
the strength, but of the weakness of a 
goyernment. Both the officers and pri- 
vates were strong soldier-like looking 
men, and well equipped. 
VOLVIC. 
The following morning, a drive of 
about an hour westward brought us to 
the feet of the most northern volcanic 
‘mountains of Auvergue. We passed 
by the ruins of the ancient castle of 
Volvic, situated on a commanding emi- 
nence on the right of the road, and 
entered the large village of Volvic, 
celebrated for its extensive quarries. 
These quarries are excavated in one of 
the most remarkable currents of lava in 
this country: its course, from the mouth 
of the crater of the Puy de Nugerre to 
its termination in the valley, may be 
traced without interruption for about 
three miles, as distinctly as if it had 
been a torrent of water suddenly con- 
yerted into ice. In many parts the lava 
contains Jamings of specular iron ore in 
great abundance; it contains also irre- 
gular nodules, and plates of quartz: its 
colour is very dark grey, and its general 
appearance is exactly similar to sotne 
of te modern dark grey lavas from 
Vesuvius. 
When we had arrived at the elevated 
plain above the valley, we turned to 
the right, and ascended a mountain, on 
the sides of which the same current of 
lava was continued: this is the Puy de 
The crater is of great extent 
and depth, and is elongated. The vio- 
. 
607 
lence of the last eruption which' threw 
out. the lava of Volvic, has broken 
down the eastern side, by which’ we 
entered it, Within this crater there is 
a hill of Java, about thirty or’ forty 
yards in height, which appears’ to be 
placed over the mouth, through which 
the latter part of the ernption was 
made, the lava congealing and accumu- 
lating round if, until it ceased to be 
ejected. To this inner hill part of the 
lava of Volvic may be traced. On 
climbing the sides of the crater, I per- 
ceived that there were two other craters, 
one on the north, separated from the 
larger crater by a semicireular ridge of 
scoriat of great height, and another on 
the west, separated by a lower ridge. 
The lava kas flowed down three sides of 
the mountain, but the different streams 
united at the base; and, as the quality 
of the lava is similar, we may conclude 
that the cruption from each crater was 
simultaneous. ; 
In Auvergne, a connection may 
traced from currents of scoriaceous lava, 
on the sides of existing craters, to cel- 
lular and compact basalt; from basalt 
to pitch-stone and phonolite ; thence to 
trachyte ; and from friable trachyte and 
pumice to the bardest porphyries, ex- 
actly resembling those called primitive. 
Now geologists are agreed that por- 
phyry is only a mode of granite, in 
which the minerals that compose the 
paste are so minute and intimately 
blended, as to form an apparently ho- 
mogeneous mass, in which the larger 
crystals are imbedded. We have, 
therefore, a regular series, from volcanic 
products to granite. Again, in the 
granite of Auvergne and the middle of 
France, as well as in the granitic rocks 
of England, in Leicestershire, Warwick 
shire, and Worcestershire, we may re- 
verse the series, and see granite passing 
into porphyritic granite atid’ syenite ; 
and syenite passing into greenstone, in 
every respect resembling basalt ; and I 
believe the basalt of Dudley’ to be a 
part also of the same formation, The 
rocks of this granitic series may, there- 
fore, with much probability, be regarded 
as elder brothers of those belonging ta 
the volcanic series, having one common 
parentage. In England we have not 
the opportunity of tracing the volcanic 
series, as we have no remains of craters, 
or currents of lava, similar to those of 
volcanoes, at present in a state of actia 
vity; the chain of evidence in our own 
island is: therefore ineomplete; but in 
Auvergne it is perfect in all its parts. 
The 
