SKETCH OF AZGINA AND METHANA. 79 l 



during the French expedition to the Morea in 1832. Partly 

 owing to its early date their geological descriptions are unsatis- 

 factory, and from several indications, such as speaking of a lava 

 stream at Kaimeni on Methana only as reported by M. de Vaud- 

 rimey, they seem not to have explored the region very thoroughly ; 

 and their geological sections, both of ^Egina and Methana, show 

 many signs of a too free use of the imagination and of the imper- 

 fect methods of observation of the time. 1 They express the view 

 (p. 240) that the "trachyte" masses have been raised (souleve'es) 

 "in a solid or scarcely pasty condition," preceded by the deposi- 

 tion of Tertiary beds. Their descriptions of the various rocks 

 are naturally quite superficial, and in many cases not in accord- 

 ance with subsequent observations, as when they unite the widely 

 different rocks of Palaeochora, Mt. Chondos, and Mt. Oros under 

 one group of " Trachyte bleu porphyroide" (p. 252), and state that 

 the "Domite" (the light gray compact hornblende-andesite 

 of Mt. Stavro) owes its character to a discoloration of the blue 

 trachyte (p. 254). In accordance with L. von Buch's theory of 

 Craters of Elevation they attribute this origin to the Spasmeno 

 Vouno, and in part to Methana. 



The next geographical traveler was Fiedler, 2 who confined 

 his observations in /Egina to those made on a trip to the temple 

 ruins from the harbor, and at Methana to those made during a 

 sail round the promontory. In the former he devoted his atten- 

 tion chiefly to the clays occurring on the island, though he 

 gives a good description with an illustration (PI. III.) of Spas- 

 meno Vouno. In Methana he describes one or two of the hot 

 springs, speaks of the Kaimeni stream, placing the crater whence 

 it flowed to the north of it, as he says it is now covered by the sea, 

 and describes the Mt. Panagia, where he states that serpentine 

 occurs. Russigger's account 3 I was unfortunately unable to 

 consult, and the description of Curtius, 4 whose work is largely 



1 Cf. Thilippson, Der Peloponnes., p. 5, who severely criticises their work. 

 2 Reise durch Griechenland. Leipzig, 1840. I., pp. 256-278, II., pp. 541-552. 

 sReisen in Europa, Asien und Afrika. Stuttgart, 1843 and 1848, I., p. 79,1V., 

 pp. 246-251. 



4 Peloponnesos. Gotha, 185 1. I., pp. 40-42, II., pp. 438-443. 



