THE SCANDINAVIAN MOUNTAINS. sa 
boulders, although of a smaller kind, but also that the mountains 
have a considerable resemblance to those of Scandinavia, in 
their northern ends being more sloped, whilst the southern are 
steeper. With respect to the subalpine mountains, which for 
a great part are composed of the rocks called by Keferstein 
Fliisch, they generally have a rounded form, but their detached 
rocks (sandstone and clay-slate) contain no traces of furrows. 
As to what further regards these limestone alps, I found, con- 
trary to what I had thought I remembered, and directly the 
reverse of most of the drawings which represent them (and 
which artists have availed themselves of to give them a cragged 
appearance), viz. that the greater part of them on the top are 
crossed, and rounded on the upper surface, and that these 
rounded surfaces often extend to large table-lands, which are 
correctly given on the new Ordnance maps, whilst, on the con- 
trary, they are not shown on any of the older maps*. These 
mountain-plateaus are, on the southern sides, often bounded 
by sharp peaks and perpendicular precipices, whence the frag- 
ments are evidently broken off. This is the case even on the 
northern sides, yet less frequently ; and in general they are less 
steep, and the alps there more accessible, although the strata 
often run in quite a contrary direction, which is the case around 
Reifling in Ensdalen. 
I was also told that it had been ascertained by the Arch- 
duke John, and his secretary M. Zahlbriichner, that these 
plateaus, on their small rounded surfaces, are distinctly furrowed, 
often to the size of the wheel-tracks of a public road; but unfor- 
tunately the unsettled state-of the weather and my ill-health, as 
well as the actual object of my journey, prevented me from ma- 
king an excursion to such a plateau, which is seldom less than 
' 5000 feet high, and the greater part of which was then covered 
with snow. Even at a height of 8000 feet such furrows occur, 
as has indeed been reported by engineer Schmuz of Steyer. I 
could not therefore come to any conclusion regarding the more 
accurate determination of this case; but believe the most para- 
doxical, viz. the peaks and precipices, even on the northern 
side, originated from the same cause as those at Halleberg and 
* The reason why the Alps in landscape-drawings have always a craggy 
appearance, arises for the most part from the artists generally choosing a deep 
valley for their station; from which they cannot see the plateaus, but only 
their uppermost projecting points and peaks. 
