NATURAL HISTORY. SI 



There are several lakes which neither receive nor 

 give origin to any liver. A greater number, however, 

 receive no considerable river, but are the sources of 

 the largest in the world. Such are the lakes from 

 which the river St Laurence arises ; the lake Chiame, 

 from which two large rivers proceed, that water the 

 kingdoms of Asem, and Pegu ; the lakes of Assiniboii 

 in America; those of Ozera in Muscovy; those too 

 which give rise to the Bog and the Irtis, and many 

 more. It has been affirmed, indeed, that lakes are to 

 be found on the tops of the highest mountains ; but 

 those found en the Alps, and other elevated situa- 

 tions, all derive their origin from the waters which 

 run down the sides, or are filtered through the bowels 

 of these superior eminences. 



Hence the existence of subterraneous collections of 

 water ; for mountains, hiiis, and heights of every 

 sort, are exposed on every side to the weather. The 

 waters which fall upon any place of an elevated situ- 

 ation, must, after penetrating the earth, from the de- 

 clivity of the ground, break forth at many places, 

 springs, and fountains ; and of consequence little wa- 

 ter will be found in the bowels of mountains. But, 

 in plains, as the water filtrated through the earth can 

 find no vent, it must be collected in subterraneous 

 caverns, or dispersed in small veins 'among sand and 

 gravel. The bottom of a pit or well is only a small 

 artificial bason, into which the water insinuates itself 

 from the higher grounds. Hence it is, that, though 

 water may be found in any part of a plain, only a 

 number of wells can be supplied in proportion to the 

 quantity of water diffused, or rather to the extent of 

 the higher grounds from which it comes. 



To find water, it is unnecessary to dig below the 

 level of the river. Even what is found in the earth. 



