Notices of Memoirs — Sochstefier's Eiiroijean Turkey. 275 



Grisebach, Lejean, von Hahn, and lastly von Hochstetter, disposed 

 of this hypothesis. Grisebach proved that the Bertiscus corresponds 

 with the Albanian Alps, the Scardus with the Sohardagh of the 

 present day. The Haemus is the Balkan, the Ehodope still bears 

 the same name, and there is only the Orbelus and Soomius left : the 

 former most probably corresponds with the highest western 

 mountains of the Ehodope, with the Perim and Eilo Dagh ; and 

 the latter is the Vitos. The Vitos rises in the centre between the 

 Balkan and Eilo mountains in the heart of Turkey. The mighty 

 mass of syenite, of which it is composed, rises on a nearly circular 

 basis from the plain of Sofia to an absolute height of 2300 metres. 

 From this lofty mountaia mass the four chief river-systems of 

 European Turkey take their rise — the Marica, Struma, Isker, and 

 the Morawa. Four mountain-systems also meet here, namely, the 

 Balkan, the Eumelian Hills, the Ehodope, and the Upper Moesian 

 Mountains. The Vitos may rightly be called a syenite massive, for 

 the greatest portion of it is composed of this rock. On the south 

 side of the Vitos, near Kovacevci, we only find syenite, which con- 

 tains a considerable portion of magnetic iron-ore. The northern 

 slopes of the mountain mass, towards Sofia, is almost solely com- 

 posed of a fine-grained dark melaphyre-like rock, which is evidently 

 connected in the east with the augite porphyries of the northern 

 portion of the Brdo mountains, and in the west with the extensive 

 igneous district of the Luliin and Visker mountains. The syenite of 

 the Vitos is normal, sometimes coarse-grained, and contains, besides 

 reddish orthoclase, a white triclinic felspar, and the hornblende varies 

 in colour from black to green. Quartz, magnetic iron, titanite, and 

 needles of apatite, with abundance of black mica, occur as accessory 

 . minerals. In the neighbourhood of Samakov, where the syenite is 

 much decomposed, a rude iron industry has sprung up. The de- 

 composed mass, Avhich contains magnetic iron ore, is washed, and 

 the latter mineral melted in furnaces of very primitive construction. 



The plateau of Samakov (960 metres) is separated from the valley 

 of Dubnica (940 metres) and Eadomir (618 metres) by ranges of 

 hills, which are chiefly compased of old crystalline rocks, which 

 connect the Eilo mountains Avith the Vitos. The principal rock of 

 this range is coarsely fibrous grey gneiss, which often assumes a 

 porphyritic texture, containing large lumps and crystals of felspar. 

 Granite dykes and veins are frequently met with, and alter some- 

 times into a black micaceous hornblende rock and into granular 

 amphibolite. 



West and south-west of the Vitos, Hochstetter discovered a system 

 of stratified rocks, which repose on the crystalline base, and stretch 

 towards Dabnica and Eadomir in a north and north-v/esterly direc- 

 tion, most probably as far as the valley of the Nisava, which 

 river divides these rocks from the corresponding ones on the other 

 side of the valley, which belongs to the Balkan range. Hochstetter 

 was able to distinguish three distinct systems of strata in this district. 

 At places, where the crystalline basis is exposed, we find resting 

 directly on it (a) a system of more or less great thickness of red and 



