B O O K II. CHAP, VII. g^ 



voir. Thefe accidents give it ftill more the appearance of a Fairy 

 region. The cifterns, or refervoirs, have their fides formed by- 

 broken boughs and hmbs, incrufted over, and fuftained by the 

 trunks of trees, promifcuoufly growing between them. The ci- 

 fterns themfelves are always brim-full of water, which trickles 

 from one to the other ; and, although feveral of them are fix or 

 feven feet deep, one may clearly difcern whatever lies at the bottom. 

 The /eim/'/m which envelope them are in general near half an inch 

 in thicknefs. To a fuperficial obferver their fides have the ap[-e.ir- 

 ance of (lone ; but, upon breaking any of them, there appears ei- 

 ther a bough between the two incrufting coats, or a vacant fpace, 

 which a bough has once filled, and by the mouldering of which 

 in length of time a cavity has been left. 



On opening leveral of thefe incruftations, not only boughs were 

 found, but entire leaves of a muJdy-green hue. Whence it may 

 be conjectured, that a Ihell, fomewhat thicker than that of an egg, 

 may be concreted by this water in lefs than a twelvemonth. 



The incrufting matter is foluble in the vinous acid, and when 

 diflblved acquires a deep-black colour, much iimilar to wiiat the 

 vegetable aftringents ftrike with a chalybeate. 



As the remarkable quality, refident in this water, feems not con- 

 fined in its effects to any particular fubflance, it might [ye no un- 

 pleafant experiment to immerle the fluffed ikin of any animal for 

 a fufficient time in it ; fince it is probable, that tlie workmanfliip 

 of nature would furpafs the happieft productions of the chiffel, and 

 furnifli the moft animated and durable rcprefentations by this eafy 

 and unexpenfive methods- 

 After dancing over thefe innumerable ciftcrns, the pellucid ele- 

 ment forms irfelf into one or two ilreams ; which afterwards, col- 

 lecting other neighbouring rivulets, compofe feveral leffer, mofl 

 beautiful, falls. But defcription fails in attempting to convey any 

 competent idea of its feveral beauties. 



The other, or great cafcade, more properly a cataraCt, is formed 

 by the White River, which is of confiderable magnitude, and, 

 after a courfe of about twelve miles among the mountains, preci- 

 pitates in a fall of about three hundred feet or more, obliquely 

 meafuredy with fuch a hoarfe and thundering noife, as to be heard 



at 



