vin.] TRAl'ELS, 1835. 229 



' From thence I took the road to Volvic, passing to 

 thr west of the Puy de Louchadiere (i.e. La Chadiere, 

 or, in patois, the arm-chair), whence comes the lava which 

 is crystallized near Pechadoire. After a pleasant ride 

 of about two hours, I reached the lava quarries above 

 Volvic, situated in the coulee of the Puy de la Nugcre. 

 The lava was remarkably fissile in the direction of its 

 length, most in a horizontal, then in a vertical plane ; 

 and the cavities, which are numerous, are in the same 

 direction. Near the surface, and also, as the workmen 

 told me, near the bottom of the coulee, this struc- 

 ture is lost. It becomes compact like basalt, and is 

 no longer able to be readily split, so far is it from 

 bring true that lavas are always most porous near 

 the surface. 



* From Volvic to Clermont I followed an agreeable road 

 n-ar the base of the granite table-land, and passed 

 ral coulees of recent lava. I reached Ciermont in 

 about two hours from Volvic/ 



Forbes made no stay at Clermont, but started at 



once for Paris, journeying without intermission through 



tin- rich country watered by the Allier and Loire. 



Paris he conversed with MM. Arago, Libri, and 



iirl, and obtained from the former the temperature 



of the hot springs observed by him, making at the 



time a careful comparison of the thermometers 



artually used, with his own. By M. Melloni, Forbes 



introduced to Baron Humbnldt, 'whom I found/ 



he says, ' very much what 1 expected, but I had little 



to form a judgment of him. He is veiy con- 



itional, especially on subjects connected with his 



own labours, and speaks English Huently. His face 



t very striking, and dees not at first sight greatly 



v tin* idea of intellectual pOW6T. J F>rl>es only spent 



i and then travelled back straight to 



i burgh. 



