﻿MM. SCHLAGINTWEIT ON THE ALPS. 



23 



and to be very various in different districts. In a district where 

 plateaux predominate, and which is intersected only by a few valleys, 

 these lateral valleys are but few and of a trifling extent. In the Alps, 

 however, they are very numerous and have manifold peculiarities. 

 A description of these, and of the Valleys of the Limestone Alps, suc- 

 ceeds. 



Forms of the Mountain-chains (p. 215). — The division of the 

 Alps into the "groups" [massifs], previously referred to, appears to 

 be far more regular, both in an orographical and a geognostical point 

 of view, than the condition of long parallel chains, which Ebel sought 

 to trace throughout the Alps. Studer in particular has closely in- 

 vestigated many of these different " groups " and their combinations. 

 He finds, particularly in the larger "groups" of the crystalline slates 

 of the Central Alps, that two chief inclinations are distinguishable ; at 

 their borders a series of greater mountains occur, which indicate the 

 line of highest mean elevation. Both of these declivities are usually 

 intersected by large transverse valleys, parallel to one another and 

 at right angles to the line of the greatest altitude. On both of the 

 other extremities also of the "groups" are still smaller transverse 

 valleys. Only in a few of the "groups" does an entirely regular 

 arrangement of the valleys occur ; since frequently, sometimes the 

 one, and sometimes the other system of cross-valleys preponderates. 

 It is worthy of remark, that when the longitudinal axes of such 

 " groups " extend from west to east, their slope to the south is for 

 the most part unusually steep, whilst to the north it is but gradual. 

 This is a repetition of the law that we found to obtain generally in 

 the Alps ; and as the northern plain clearly lies higher than the 

 southern plain (of the Po), so also the longitudinal valleys in the 

 south surround such "groups" at lower altitudes, than those which 

 surround them in the north. Other features of the mountain-chains, 

 resulting from the transverse valleys, are also described, with obser- 

 vations on the mean height of the passes, crests, and summits. 



Mountains and Summits (p. 217). — The mountains of the Alps 

 are not great isolated cones ; they rather form portions of definite 

 ridges, above the mean height of which some of the cones eminently 

 rise. It is only in their neighbourhood that we can form a correct 

 idea of this condition. Viewed from out of the deep valleys, many of 

 the mountains appear as vast independent pyramids ; whilst, if we 

 stand over against them on higher ground, this error is easily cor- 

 rected, and we perceive that they are only portions of a long crest. 

 Only at the extremities of a ridge are the mountains seen to stand 

 out independently. 



In the limestone ranges the forms of the mountains are somewhat 

 different, since here the lower portions very often have steep preci- 

 pices to an extent that seldom occurs in the crystalline slates. At 

 the rear of these precipices are level spaces, above which the summits 

 rise with only gradual ascent. 



On the contours of the highest peaks, weathering and erosion by 

 hydrometeoric operations certainly exercise considerable influence. 

 Hence those horns and peaks rising from the narrow crests, and 



