GRISONS. 
markable for their antiquity. Excepting at Tonsis, the 
Romansh is here the general e.- The base of 
the mountains is composed of aceous schistus, co- 
vered with calcareous schistus. Gypsum appears in 
__ Yertical beds in the Via Mala, and in the western part 
of the valley. See Tomims and Tousts. 
_ 2. The anterior Rhine comprehends the valleys of 
Tavetsch, Medels, Sumvix, Lugnetz, Petersthal, &c. 
The valley of Tavetsch forms the upper part of the an- 
terior Rhine, Sadrun is the principal place. Ruaras 
is the highest Grison village in the south-east. Selva 
and Camot are the only plates of note. The an- 
terior Rhine is formed by three branches, which unite 
519 
contains many lateral vallies, From Ilantz to the cen-  Grisons, 
tral point where the valley divides is three leagues. To —“\— 
the south-west of this point stretches the valley of 
Urin, and tothe south-east that of St Petersthal. “The 
greater part of the inhabitants are Catholics. See Lue- 
NETZ. 
The road from Dissentis to Coire, along the banks of 
the Rhine, is extremely interesting. The Benedictine Rikine Some 
abbey of Dissentis is situated above the town of the [issentis to 
same name on the northern face of the mountain Va- Cvite. 
karaka, whose great forests protect both it and the town. 
It enjoys a splendid view of the Rhine as far down 
as Coire. 
at Camot. The middle branch comes from the moun- 
tain Badus, and is called Rhin-de-Camot. Itis formed by 
the glaciers on the eastern side of that hill, which throw 
their waters into the small lakes of Lac-de-Toma and 
Lae-Palidulca, and form the branch already mention- 
ed. The second branch, called the Rhin-Cornara, flows 
out of the valley of the same name, having risen in the 
mountains of la Sceina de la Reveca. The third branch 
comes from Kamerthal, and rises at the foot of the 
i The anterior Rhine formed by these branch- 
es, receives ten brooks before it falls into the middle 
Rhine, which flows through the valley of Medels. Ba- 
dus is 9085 feet above the bottom of the valley. It is 
accessible from the north, south. and east, and com- 
mands a grand view of the distant Alps. From Camot 
a Selva, ie eae “ran iy ascended and oe 
in one day. vi Tavetsch is peculiar 
exposed to avalanches. ie 1749, an avalanche per 
' from. Crispalt, a mountain two leagues distant, and over- 
- whelmed 100 persons, of whom 80 were taken out of 
the snow alive. On the night of the 13th December 
1808, another descended from Rouenatsch on the vil- 
= th Selva, and killed 42 persons, and 237 cattle. 
e valley of Medels is very narrow and picturesque. 
It is watered by the middle Rhine, and extends five or 
six 1] Wheat, barley, flax, and hemp, are here 
cultivated ; but the care of the cattle is the principal 
concern of the inhabitants. Very fine cheese is also 
‘produced in this valley. Beyond the junction of the 
middle and anterior Rhine, the valley is for 1} miles 
narrow and dark, owing to the height of the rocks, 
the fir trees which cover them. The middle Rhine 
runs ina very narrow channel, and forms many fine cas- 
- eades. In leaving’this defile, the smiling valley of Me- 
dels ap ; The village of Kurajla is seen situated 
above the river; and on the left the lateral valley of 
Platas, which contains the hamlets of Soliva and Bis- 
uolm. At the Hospice of St Maria, on the Lucmanier, 
the Val-Kadelina opens, in which the middle Rhine has 
its origin, See Lucmanier. 
The valley of Sumvix o 
_ the village 
s into the Rhine opposite 
of Sumvix, and has the village of Surhein 
* at its mouth. It is about five leagues long, and 
stretches 
between huge mountains covered with gla- 
ciers, Itis rich in ‘mountain res, meadows, and 
forests. The mountain of Tenija, situated at the u 
per extremity of the ey divides it into two branch- 
es, viz. Val-vijlots and Val-greina. The torrent which 
runs through the valley, its origin in the vast 
acier of Medeéls, Though the valley is more fertile 
that of Medels, it has only two chapels, and 121 
inhabited houses. There is a sulphureous spring half 
a league above Surhein. The view of the cascade 
of the Greina, and’ the surrounding glacier, is particu- 
3 val £ Lugnetz : the Rhi 
“The ‘of Lugnetz opens into™ ine near 
Tlantz (See icaiern), It is eleven leagues long, and 
: It was founded in 614, by Sigebert, a Scot- 
tish Benedictine, who came to preach Christianity to 
the Rhetians.. Placide Toparcha of Trons gave him the 
oer for this purpose, and became himself a monk. 
he convent and a part of the town were burned by 
the French in May 1799, and the inhabitants were put 
to the sword, in consequence of the women having mas- Town of 
sacred a company of soldiers without arms in a genetal Dissentis. 
insurrection, A collection of books and precious manu- 
ie and the mineralogical collections and journals 
of R. P. Placide a Specha fell a prey to the flames. The 
convent has been rebuilt, and the Catholic school of the 
canton has been established here since 1804, The town 
is the chief place of the district of Dissentis, which is 
one of the most ancient and populous of the Grey 
league. From Dissentis to Trons is a distance of 3 
leagues. The best wheat in the Grisons grows about 
Sumvix. The mountains are all primitive to Trons, Trons 
but to Ilantz they are composed of beds of caleare- 
ous stone and schistus. To the north of Trons (See 
Trons) opens the wild valley of Puntajlas, indented 
with glaciers from which issue the torrent of Ferrara. 
From Trons to Ilantz by Tavenas and Rauvis, is a dis- 
tance of four leagues through a very narrow valley. 
The great road recrosses the Rhine below Tave- 
nas, and passes by Rauvis, Schlowis, Sagens, Lax, 
Flims, Trins, and Tamins to Reichenau. At Rauvyis, 
a league below Ilantz, is a mine-of galena, containing Mines. 
silver. The galena is in masses of gneiss, At Ober- 
sax, a village on the other side of the Rhine, there is a 
mine of pale red copper, containing much silver. There 
is also here abundance of borax. These two mines 
have been wrought since 1806. The road through 
Schowis, Sagens, and Lax, traverses thick forests of 
pines, and a wild country, diversified with in and 
res. 
ills in a pleasant place, and also at Tamins, the houses 
stand in te chiitera. Flims is remarkable for the 
beauty of its inhabitants, and for the excellence of its 
springs of water. The torrent Blaun sometimes commits 
drea ran From Flims to Elm in the canton of 
Glaris, is 74 hours by the Hunter's road. Reichenau is Reichenau, 
the key of the anterior Rhine, and is situated at the 
confluence of the posterior and anterior Rhine. The for- 
mer has an ash-grey colour, and the latter is a limpid 
een. See Rercuenav. 
The road from Reichenau to Coire or Chur by 
Ems, is'a distance of 2 leagues. Between Reichenau 
and Ems, are 15 or 20 conical hills, covered with 
oak, and adorned in the most pict ue manner 
by chapels and ruins, From Ems to Coire is a fine 
rich valley, bounded on the right by the mountains 
of Malix, and onthe left by the Galanda. 
yramid. It is ascended most easily on the side 
of Coire: It is composed of calcareous rocks, and of 
calcareous schistus containing much argil. The strata 
are inclined to the south, Coire is situated on the left 
At Flims, which is situated on beautiful Flims. 
This moun- yyountain 
tain is 6598 feet high, and rises like an enormous of Galanda. 
