300 ON THE ELEVATED SUBMARINE ALLUVIA. 



modern name, with the advantage of a personal exa- 

 mination, did not form the same conclusion, valuable 

 as it must have been to the System which he defended, 

 might be used by his admirers as an argument against 

 the view here given ; but the conclusions of one 

 philosopher form no rule for those of another; and 

 personal examination has not always discovered Truth. 



For the entire geography of these appearances I 

 must refer to Brocchi's own writings : it is sufficient 

 here to say, that this deposit occupies many low situa- 

 tions, and also forms or covers a range of hills at the 

 foot of the Apennine ; occurring in various places, as 

 in Piedmont, near Placentia and Parma, and along the 

 north side of this ridge to Otranto ; while, on the 

 south, it is found at Orvieto, Rome, Terracina, and 

 elsewhere, thus skirting the ridge on this side also. 

 In the same manner, it is found at Vicenza and 

 Verona, or at the foot of the Alps as well as the 

 Apennines ; so that the term Subapennine is not very 

 well chosen. By putting together Signer Brocchi's 

 facts, as he has himself forgotten to do, it is indeed 

 easy to see that nearly the whole promontory of Italy 

 is more or less covered by this interesting deposit, that 

 it does not necessarily form hills, and that it is de- 

 ficient, only where its deficiencies may be accounted 

 for, either by the waste and absence of the superficial 

 parts on the higher ridges of the fundamental moun- 

 tains, or by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, or 

 lastly, by the action of rivers, which have washed it 

 away, or have covered it with other alluvia of the 

 usual recent terrestrial origin. 



The general deposit, given by Brocchi under a 

 common term, consists of two beds, and it is essential 

 to distinguish these where they are regular ; because, 

 being confused in some places, they have sometimes 



