138 HISTORY OF 



motion, and sliding down the hill upon the sub- 

 jacent plain. This motion continued the remain- 

 ing part of the day and the whole night ; nor did 

 the noise cease during the whole time ; proceed^ 

 ing, probably, from the attrition of the ground 

 beneath. The day following, however, this 

 strange journey down the hill ceased entirely ; 

 and above an acre of the meadow below was 

 found covered with what before composed a part 

 of the declivity. 



However, these slips, when a whole mountain's 

 side seems to descend, happen but very rarely. 

 There are some of another kind, however, much 

 more common ; and, as they are always sudden, 

 much more dangerous. These are snow-slips, 

 well known, and greatly dreaded by travellers. 

 It often happens, that when snow has long been 

 accumulated on the tops and on the sides of 

 mountains, it is borne down the precipice, either 

 by means of tempests, or its own melting. At 

 first, when loosened, the volume in motion is but 

 small, but it gathers as it continues to roll ; and 

 by the time it has reached the habitable parts of the 

 mountain, is generally grown of enormous bulk. 

 Wherever it rolls it levels all things in its way, or 

 buries them in unavoidable destruction. Instead 

 of rolling, it sometimes is found to slide along 

 from the top ; yet even thus it is generally as 

 fatal as before. Nevertheless, we have had an 

 instance, a few years ago, of a small family in 

 Germany, that lived for above a fortnight beneath 

 one of these snow-slips. Although they were 

 buried, during that whole time, in utter darkness, 



