VOL. XXXV,] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 283 



the height of the highest mountains, and the greatest depth of the sea, to 10 

 stadia; and Cleomedes affirms, that they cannot exceed l6 stadia. The celebrated 

 Galileo is one of the most modest among the modern writers on this head: for he 

 says, (Nuntius Sidereus, p. 14,) that the highest mountains do not rise above 

 a mile, or 8 stadia, or 5000 old Roman Vespasian feet, which make 5458 Paris 

 feet above the level of the sea, which we shall find by and by to agree pretty 

 well with some of the highest mountains in France, and may conjecture to do 

 so with those in Italy. Kepler went rather too far, (Astronom. Optic, p, \2Q, 

 135, and Epitom. Astronom. lib. 1. p. 26,) when he assigned the mountains 

 of Rhoetia (thought the highest in Switzerland) a height of 26 stadia, or 

 10,000 old Roman Vespasian feet, which make 10,916 Paris feet. The opi- 

 nions of some other antient and modern geographers and mathematicians, will 

 appear better by the following table. 



^ Table showing the Height of Mountains according to several antient and 



modern Authors. 



Old Roman p^^;, 

 Stadia. Vespasian „ 



Feet. ^®^'' 

 Strabo (Lib. 2, Geog.) says, that the highest moun- 

 tain, called by him Petra Sogdiana, is 30 18750 20468 



Pererius (Lib. 12, in Genesin) determines the highest 



mountains to 32 20000 21832 



Leo Bapt. Albertus (Architect, lib. 10, cap. 1,) to . . 22300 2366) 



Ath. Kircher, (Ars. magn. luc. et umb. p. 2, Prob. 5) 



brings them to 43 26875 29337 



Fromond (Lib. 1, Meteor. Cap. 2, Art. 1,) 64 40000 43664 



Gilbertus de magnete. Lib. 4, cap. 1 128 30000 87328 



Pliny (Lib. 3, cap. 44,) according to the explanation of 



Fortunius Licetus (deLunae Luce subobscur?, lib. 2, 



p. 306,) to 400 250000 272900 



Ricciolus, Geogr. (Lib. 6) is of opinion, in pursuance 



of what he imagines to have demonstrated of the 



mountains Athos and Caucasus, that possibly there 



may be mountains of 512 320000 349312 



Now, in oppositioh to this table, where the heights on first view must appear 

 romantic and unnatural, let us consider the height of such mountains as have 

 been measured, either by trigonometrical or barometrical observations. 



In England, the height of Snowdon-hill, one of the highest mountains in 

 Wales, was measured trigonometrically, by Mr. J. Caswell of Oxford, and 

 GO 2 



