226 THE LIFE OF JANES D. FORBES. [CITAP. 



serve to connect the former with the origin of mountains, 

 like Arthur's Scat and the Pentlands whence the im- 

 portance of Auvergne for geology. . . . The Puy de 

 Dome was the first mountain up which a barometer was 

 carried, at the suggestion of the famous Pascal, and I 

 ascended it fully as much in reverence for his memory 

 as on any other account. He was a most remarkable 

 man ; and as he was a native of this place, I hoped to 

 have obtained some new particulars about him, but in 

 this I have failed/ 



Journal, Sept. 16. 



' I left Clermont on horseback for Mont Dor. The 

 morning was fine, but the Puy de Dome was clouded 

 over, and we ascended the granite plateau from which 

 the chain of Puys arise, until the Puy de la Vache and 

 its neighbouring volcanic orifices appeared, when \\v 

 crossed the lava streams to which they give rise, and 

 which are quite similar to those of Vesuvius, with only 

 a stunted vegetation of birches and willows. 



* The craters of La Vache and Lassolas are well pre- 

 served, and completely thrown open on the S.W. side, 

 to which they have directed their lava streams. . . . 

 There is quite a circle of craters here, among which 

 Mont Jughat and Mont Chat are conspicuous. But the 

 rain soon began to fall and rendered more uninteresting 

 an uninteresting country, until I reached the Mont Dor, 

 when it poured torrents, so that I was soon chilled and 

 wet. During the descent the weather moderated, and 

 I was able to admire the very pretty scenery of the 

 valley. ... I was, however, truly glad to arrive at my 

 destination/ 



Journal, Sept. 19. 



'A cloudy morning, as usual at Mont Dor, but it 

 cleared up, and I started about half-past eight to return 

 to Clermont by a circuitous route. I found my way 

 with some difficulty to the rock of La Thuilliere, which 

 with the Koche Sanadoire forms one of Elie de Beaumont's 



