52 ^ Olscrvalions upon the 



Bv what mark can we distiniruisli the ancient vo!c?,noe^ 

 throughout the work], except by their t'orni, and the nature 

 of the substances that characterize them ? In truth, they are 

 completely distinct troui ail other mountains. The Alps, 

 Appenines, Jura, and the Pyrenees have no resemblance at 

 all to volcanic mountains ; the strata and substances of the 

 former having been formed in the waters^ and fire having 

 had nothing to do in their formation. 



Ix was these distinctive and invariable characters of vol- 

 canoes, and of the soil which surrounds them, that suggested 

 the following expressions in mv former observations. 

 " VV^ht-n the valley of Quito and the mountains skirting it 

 are viewed bv naturalists skilled in the knowledge of volca- 

 noes and volcanic substances, they will acknowledge that the 

 state of things is what 1 have mentioned 1" I should have 

 been far from expressing myself in this manner, if other 

 foils and other mountains were in qncstion. Biit the great 

 mountains which skirt both sides of this celebrated valley 

 being certainly volcanoes, three of which are still burning, 

 and i's soil being composed of their enormous dejections, 

 1 could propose this opinion without going too far. 



Tl)e anticnt volcanoes, which are observed at the surface 

 of some contnients, are not so numerous as M. Fieuriau de 

 Bcllevuc thinks, when he says that volcanoes, whether 

 burning or extinguished, are to be found every where 

 throughout the surface of rhe globe. This is a great exagge- 

 ration : a great number of them arc to be seen in various 

 ])laces, wi'hout doubt, but the space th«y occupy is not to 

 be compared with that where there are none. T he same re- 

 mark ajvplies to old and extinguished volcanoes ; for the 

 l)urniug volcanoes are in very small number. There are 

 only tour in Europe : that of Iceland is in a very remine la- 

 titude. 



This notion brinns to niv recollection a similar one of 

 M. Patrin, which he applies to Italy. It is to be found in 

 his Inquiries concerning \'^olcanoes upon the Principles of 

 pneumatic Chemistry. ^' Italy," says M. Patrin, " is covered 

 with volcanoes, lava and tufo of an enormous thickness." 

 Neverlhelvs!*, it results from the real state of Italy, that the 



Appeuiues 



