Ohfervatlojis made on the Summit ofMant-Verdu. 28 r 



The ridge of it confifts of beds of black marble, filled with 

 filiceous iiddcs, which here and there contain heaps oflhells, 

 the fiimmit leems to have none of them, but they are found 

 a little further down. Thefe beds or banks, which are ge- 

 nerally parallel, follow the principle direftion of the chain, 

 and are fubjciS to flexions more or lefs confiderable on each 

 fide of this direction. They are almolt all vertical^ their 

 mean inclination being about 00^ to the fouth. 



The caj) of fnow which covers the peak is only about fix 

 feet in thicknefs, becaufe the ftccpnefs of the lateral decli- 

 vities does not admit of its accumulation ; but, in parts where 

 the ground is leis ftecp, the tbicknefs of the fuow is 40 or 50 

 feet, and it is more confiderable in the valleys, which catcii 

 the fnow as it rolls down from the furrounding declivities. 



The fummit of iMont-Perdu prefented to C. Ramond two 

 plants of the phanerogamia kind, the Aret'ia nlfina, Linn., 

 and the Saxlfraga retujas, Gorian. Lower down he found 

 the Cerajl'mum alpininn, the Saxifraga grcenlandica, and the 

 'Ranunculus pamaJ]]foUus. He is of opinion that it is not the 

 height of the peak, but the want of earth proper for vegeta- 

 tion, that renders plants fo rare on the fummit. He faw 

 fcarcely any thing but a few remains blaficd by lightning and 

 buffeted by the winds; and if, amidft this deltrudion, occa- 

 fioned by the combined aftion of the moft powerful meteors, 

 a rock ftill in its place offered vegetables a firm fupport, it 

 was covered by turf and plants in fuch a ftate of vigour, as 

 proves that it is neither the want of air, nor the lowncfs of 

 temperature, that banifhes them from thefe regions. 



The revolutions which this part of the globe has experi- 

 enced appeared evidently to C. Ramond, to have been oc- 

 cafioned by the rending of the primitive mafs, the falient and 

 re-entering angles of \vhich are Hill fo entire and fo fliarp, 

 that bethinks if the caufe which disjoined them fliould ope- 

 rate cxa6lly in a contrary dire6lion, they would unite in Inch 

 a manner, that the joining would be imperceptible. 

 Thefe chara^ers, peculiar to the mafs of Mont-Perdu, '^make 

 it, fays Kamond, like an ifland of a few leagues in extent, 

 raifed by fume revolution on the back of the Pyrenees." 



GALVANIC SOCIETY, PARIS. 



Dr. Nauchc, prcfident of the fociety, with the fcnators 

 Abovillc and Lefpinafle, has made a curious obfcrvation, 

 which is of fome importance on account of the inferences 

 that may be deduced from it. He has found that it is pof- 

 lible to make a blind perfon, however great the degree of 

 biindnefs, to perceive very lively and numerous lla(lM:s of 



