ITALY.. LETTERV. 47 



There is fcarce any ore or vein to be found in 

 thefe hills-, and, I do not know whether fome 

 fandy and argillaceous hills in the Valle de Signori, 

 in the Vicentine diftricl:, can be ranked among 

 them ; as containing coals, plaifter, alabafter, ful- 

 phureous pyrites, together with fome lead, copper, 

 and iron-ore. 



Some of thefe hills in the Ficentine and Veromfc 

 diftricts are very famous on account of their 

 numerous and fine petrifactions. Such are the 

 Mantes Berici near Vicenza, and efpecially the 

 following. 



Creazzo, three miles diflant from Vicenza^ fur- 

 nifhes the inner nuclei or imprefiions of Cbamites, 

 well-preferved Peflinites, the Area No<e, the Chitos 

 Linnei, and fome fcarce GloJJ'opetras. In the fands 

 are fmall fragments of Madrep.ores, fmall Nauti- 

 iites* and fome fcarce fifli-teeth. 



/ Colli dl Montecchio e Caftel Gomberto contain 

 plenty of petrifactions. 



Brendola, ten miles diftant from Vicenza. The 

 undermoft ftratum of this hill is a blue clay, 

 crowded with marine bodies, and covered by an. 

 innumerable quantity of limeftone beds, contain- 

 ing a great variety of fea-fhells, but different from 

 thofe in the clay. The beds are fomewhat dip- 

 ping toward the fea or the eaft. The weft-fide of 

 this hill is covered with lava, and this : for the 



mofr 



