THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER. 



Bphere, between the 50th and 30th degrees of 

 south latitude, of which detached portions are 

 found in the mountains of Tucuman, and of Para 

 guay, in South America, of Monomotapa and 

 Caffraria, in Africa ; in New Holland, New 

 Caledonia, the New Hebrides, the Friendly, the 

 Society, and other islands in the Pacific ocean. 

 Prom these ridges flows a variety of ramifica 

 tions, in both hemispheres, towards the Equator, 

 and the Poles, which altogether present a mag 

 nificent scenery, which diversifies and enlivens 

 the surface of our globe. 



The highest mountains in the world, accord 

 ing to some late accounts published in the 

 &quot; Transactions of the Asiatic Society,&quot; are the 

 Himalaya chain, north of Bengal, on the borders 

 of Thibet. The highest mountain in this range 

 is stated to be about 27,000 feet, or a little more 

 than five miles, in perpendicular height, and is 

 visible at the distance of 230 miles. Nineteen 

 different mountains in this chain are stated to 

 be above four miles in perpendicular elevation. 

 Next to the Himalayas, are the Andes, in South 

 America, which extend more than 4000 miles in 

 length, from the province of Quito to the straits 

 of Magellan. The highest summit of the Andes 

 is Chimborazo, which is said to be 20,600 feet, 

 or nearly four miles, above the level of the sea. 

 The highest mountains in Europe, are the Alps, 

 which run through Switzerland and the north of 

 Italy, the Pyrenees, which separate France 

 from Spain, and the Dofrafeld, which divide 

 Norway from Sweden. The most elevated 

 ridges in Asia, are Mount Taurus, Imaus, Cau 

 casus, Ararat, the Ura .ian, Altaian, and the 

 mountains of Japan in Africa, Mount Atlas, 

 and the mountains of the Moon. Some of the 

 mountains in these ranges are found to contain 

 immense caverns or perforations, of more than 

 two miles in circumference, reaching from their 

 summits to an immeasurable depth into the bow 

 els of the earth. From these dreadful openings 

 are frequently thrown up, to an immense height, 

 torrents of fire and smoke, rivers of melted metals, 

 clouds of ashes and cinders, and sometimes 

 red-hot stones and enormous rocks, to the dis 

 tance of several miles, accompanied with thun 

 ders, lightnings, darkness, and horrid subterrane 

 ous sounds producing the most terrible devasta 

 tions through all the surrounding districts. The 

 most noted mountains of this kind in Europe, 

 aie mount Hecla, in Iceland; Etna, in Sicily; 

 and Vesuvius, near the city of Naples, in Italy. 

 Numbers of volcanoes are also to be found in 

 South America, in Africa, in the islands of the 

 Indian ocean, and in the Empire of Japan.* 



We who live in Great Britain, where the 

 highest mountain is little more than three-quar 

 ters of a mile in perpendicular elevation, can 



A more particular description of the phenome 

 na of these terrific objects will be found in Chap, 

 iv. Sect. 2. 



form no adequate idea of the magnificence and 

 awful sublimity of the mountain scenery in some 

 of the countries now mentioned ; especially when 

 the volcano is belching forth its flames with a 

 raging noise, and spreading terror and desolation 

 around its base. From the tops of the lofty 

 ridges of the Andes, the most grand and novel 

 scenes sometimes burst upon the eye of the as 

 tonished traveller. lie beholds the upper sur 

 face of the clouds far below him, covering the 

 subjacent plain, and surrounding, like a vast sea, 

 the foot of the mountain ; while the place on 

 which he stands appears like an island in the 

 midst of the ocean. He sees the lightnings 

 issuing from the clouds, and hears the noise of 

 the tempest, and the thunders rolling far beneath 

 his feet, while all is serene around him, and the 

 blue vault of heaven appears without a cloud. 

 At other times, he contemplates the most sub 

 lime and extensive prospects mountains ranged 

 around him, covered with eternal snows, and sur 

 rounding, like avast amphitheatre, the plains be 

 low rivers winding from their sources towards 

 the ocean cataracts dashing headlong over tre 

 mendous cliffs enormous rocks detached from 

 their bases, and rolling down the declivity of the 

 mountains with a noise louder than thunder 

 frightful precipices impending over his head 

 unfathomable caverns yawning from below and 

 the distant volcano sending forth its bellowings, 

 with its top enveloped in the fire and smoke. 

 Those who have studied nature on a grand scale, 

 have always been struck with admiration and 

 astonishment at the sublime and awful exhibition 

 of wonders which mountainous regions exhibit 

 and, perhaps, there is no terrestrial scene which 

 presents, at one view, so many objects of over 

 powering magnitude and grandeur, and which 

 inspires the mind with so impressive an idea of 

 the power of that Almighty Being, who &quot; weigh- 

 eth the mountains in scales, and taketh up the 

 isles as a very little thing.&quot; 



THE OCEAN. The ocean surrounds the 

 earth on all sides, and penetrates into the inte 

 rior parts of different countries ; sometimes by 

 large openings, and frequently by small straits. 

 Could the eye take in this immense sheet of 

 waters at one view, it would appear the most 

 august object under the whole heavens. It oc 

 cupies a space on the surface of the globe at 

 least three times greater than that which is oc 

 cupied bv the land ; comprehending an extent 

 of 148 millions of square miles. Though the 

 ocean, strictly speaking, is but one immense 

 body of waters extending in different directions, 

 yet different names have been appropriated to 

 different portions of its surface. That portion 

 of its waters which rolls between the western 

 coast of America and the eastern of Asia, is 

 called the Pacific ocean ; arid that portion 

 which separates Europe and Africa from Ame 

 rica, the Atlantic ocean. Other portions are 



