JOURNEY TO THE SUMMIT OF MONT-PERDU. O5 1 



kind to the neighbouring ftrata, in which they occur, he is 



inclined to believe, that he fliould dilcover fome on a more 



fediilous refearch. The elevation of this fummit is the fame as Its height 3727 



that of the Col du Geant in the Alf^s, or 3426 metres. y^'^^^' 



From this, the loftieft point of the Pyrenean chain, Cit. FaralleHinesof 



Ramond could more eafily obferve the general form of the !^°"i:'"'"?,°" 



. ■' • ^ the French fide 



whole. Looking toward France, the chain is broad, and 



formed of feveral parallel lines of mountains, in (he midft of 

 which are feen the lines of granite and gneifs, of which the Granite and 

 peak of Bagneres is a part. Thefe are more diflinguilhable ^^'{[g'" ^'^'^ 

 by their fummits bsing rugged with afperities, than for their 

 elevation. Thefe hnes imperceptibly diminifii in height (ill 

 they reach the plain, which is too far difiant to be (een. To On the Spani& 

 the fouth the appearance is very different. The whole declines ^^^^. ^ ^'^ f"=' 

 fuddenly, and at once. It is a precipice of ten or eleven hun- 

 dred metres, the bottom of which is the fummit of the highefl 

 mountains of this part of Spain. Not one of them, however, 

 has 2500 metres abfolute height, and they foon (ink into low 

 founded hills, beyond which is the vail prpfped of the plains 

 of Arragon. 



From the fummit of Mont-Perdu, on the Spanlfli fide, is Beneath this a 

 feen a vaft flat of limeflone, the furface of which, f^'om that ^atof iimeftone, 

 elevation, appears almoft fmooth. This flat is interfefled by interfered by 

 four or five vaft chafras with perpendicular fides, the angles ^^^^ chafms. 

 and finuofities of which correfpond to each other with aflonifli- 

 ing exadhefs. Thefe broad and deep chafms diverge from the 

 Jjafe of the peak, and their bottoms are covered with thick 

 woods. There is no way of entering them but at their mouths. 

 Cit. Ramond proceeded by the way of Val de Broto, and en- 

 tered that called by the natives Val d'Ordefa. It is a deep Val d'Ordefa, 

 %'alley, uninhabited, and bordered by fleep walls about 896 

 ihfietres high. Thefe you can afcend only in few places, and 

 with the greateft difficulty. You then reach the flat. The 

 jTlrata that form it, and in which thefe vaft chafms have been 

 opened, are horizontal, or very little inclined. They confift The ftrata red 

 of red fandftone of ancient formation, pudding-ftone, and com- ^^n<^^one, pud- 

 pad limeftone. All thefe flones are difpofed to break oft" in limeftone.' *" 

 a diredion perpendicular to their beds, and Cit. Ramond 

 afcribes this difpofition to (he quartz they contain. He thinks 

 that the chafms, opened at firfi by fome unknown caufe, have 

 jj^en enlarged by the crumbling of their iides in this manner. 

 * On 



