DORMANT VOLCANOES OF CENTRAL FRANCE. 373 



these stones were brought from the rock upon which the 

 castle of Bochemaure is built, on the opposite bank of the 

 Shone, and they were informed, moreover, that the moun- 

 tains of the Vivarais abounded with similar rocks. This 

 account determined the academicians to visit that pro- 

 vince ; and discovering every day fresh reason to believe 

 in the volcanised nature of the mountains they traversed, 

 they reached, step by step, the capital of Auvergne. Here 

 all doubts on the subject ceased. The currents of lava, 

 in the vicinity of Clermont, black and rugged as those of 

 Vesuvius, descending uninterruptedly from conical hills of 

 scoria, most of which present a regular crater, convinced 

 them of the truth of their conjectures ; and, delighted with 

 the information thus acquired, M. Guettard, on his return 

 to Paris, published an account of the discovery. His state- 

 ment, however, was heard with doubt by a public little 

 prepared for scientific investigation ; and a Professor of 

 Clermont having published an essay, in which he declared 

 these appearances to be nothing more than the remains 

 of forges and iron-works, undertaken by the Romans, who, 

 in all half-civilised countries, are considered to be the 

 authors of everything extraordinary or stupendous, the 

 Professor gained more votaries than the naturalist, and the 

 assertions of the philosopher were received with scepticism 

 and distrust. The Professor should, however, rather have 

 attributed these labours to the G-auls, the ancient inhabi- 

 tants of Auvergne, who are mentioned by Caesar as having 

 possessed mines, and availed themselves of their skill, as 

 miners, in the defence of the city of Avaricum." * 



The attention of later observers having, however, been 

 drawn to this region, and M. Desmaret having published his 

 Memoirs on the origin of basalt, accompanied with maps of 

 many of the lava-currents of Auvergne, all doubts were, at 

 length, removed, and the true character of this singular 

 region was fully and universally acknowledged. 



The district which is the site of these volcanoes, is a vast 

 plain, called La Limagne d' Auvergne, remarkable for its 

 fertility, as is the case with all soils formed of volcanic 

 detritus; it is enclosed, on the east and west, by two cor- 

 responding ranges of gneiss and granite ; its average breadth 



* Caesar, lib. vii.c. 21. 



