*72] 
now lie isolated on the summit of 
several high calcareous, schistous 
and sandy-hills in Piedmont, to 
which they have not the least ana- 
logy, I am naturally led to believe, 
1. That the soil of the upper part of 
the valley ef Lombardy was, when 
still covered or submerged by the 
sea, nearly as elevated as the sum- 
mit of those hills are at present. 2. 
That. these granitic masses were 
most probably driven on the top of 
those hills by the accelerated action 
of the sea, as I have previously ob- 
served in a former part of my work, 
“and left in that isolated state by the 
same current, which, by gradually 
furrowing the soil in. various direc- 
tions, formed an innumerable quan- 
tity of small irregular valleys, which 
have however, in general, their 
salient. or prominent angles. uni- 
formly opposed to the concave ones. 
IV, rom the extreme degree of 
cold particularly experienced on 
the Cols de Tende, Finestre, and 
Argentera, &c. though less elevated 
than Mont Cenis, I draw-the fol- 
lowing conclusion, viz. at the 
height and degree of elevation of 
the. mountains, above the level of 
the sea, have less influence than 
that which they have above their 
valleys, in order to the absolute de- 
termination of the kind of climate 
which exists on their summit ; pro- 
vided, however, their height does 
not exceed one thousand or twelve 
hundred toises, that being nearly 
the zone in which the snow is per- 
manent. 
V. From the irregular inclina- 
tions or directions so generally found 
in. the beds ar strata of the secondary 
Mountains, and from their abrupt- 
ness, breaks, and quantity of hete- 
rogeneous ‘matter so frequently con- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1795. 
tained in their cavities; I am of 
opinion, 1. That those mountains 
could not have given way and sunk, 
except at the time when their sum~ — 
mits were entirely submerged by 
the sea: indeed this supposition ap- — 
pears to be fully elucidated, by the 
calcareous matter containing ma- 
rine fossils, which generally fill the 
vacuum formed by the different 
breaks. of those mountains, and 
which is likewise sometimes found 
on their summits. 2. That they 
could not have thus broken or se~ 
parated, but from the effect of sub- 
terraneous caverns formed in the in- 
terior of the globe, the vaults of 
which, from being progressively 
over-charged by a continual accu- 
mulation of calcareous particles de» 
posited by the sea, have sunk or 
given way, as, I flatter myself, I 
have in a former part of this. work 
clearly demonstrated, 
VI. From the number of moun- 
tains formed of grés, or sand-stone, 
marne, or marl, and pudding-s!one, 
which lie on others of different 
species, such as granite, rock-stone, 
&c. which likewise vary as to the 
reciprocal inclinations of — their 
Strata; also, from the irregularity 
and extreme verticality in the strata 
of the mountains of schist, whiclr 
even form a right angle with the 
horizon; in fine, from the general 
disorder or confusion which appear 
so Conspicuous inthe secondary and 
tertiary mountains, situated towards 
the west and south-west chain of 
the Alps, Iam led to believe: 1. 
That the wonderful changes which 
our globe has experiéficed are en- 
tirely owing to the effects of fire, 
and water, which have, at different 
epochs, powerfully and visibly acted 
either together or separate, 2. That 
the 
7 
Cee eet an ee Ons am Gee oe ae Se See et + Oba SS ee S6- 
ae 
