VI. — On the Geology of the Environs of Nice, and the Coast thence 



to Vintimiglia. 



Bv HENRY THOMAS DE LA BECHE, Esq. P.G.S. F.R.S. P.L.S., &c 



[Read Nov. 21st, 1828.] 



iM ICEj the capital of the county of that name^ stands on the Pag-hon torrent, 

 on a small plain, bounded on the north by Mont Cao and its ramifications ; on 

 the south by the Mediterranean ; on the east by the chain of Mont Moron, 

 Mont Alban, Mont Venagrie, and Mont Gros ; on the west by tertiary hills, 

 generally fertile, and succeeded beyond the Var by high mountains. The 

 Castle Hill of Nice rises out of this plain. 



The plain and adjacent slopes covered with gardens of peaches, oranges, 

 lemons, and extensive olive-grounds, contrast strikingly with the rug-ged 

 mountain summits which stretch from Genoa to Marseilles. This contrast I 

 have endeavoured to represent in the annexed sketch of a view taken from 

 Mont Moron*. 



M. Verany of Nice has determined, with a barometer of M. Gay Lussac's 

 construction, the heights of the principal mountains above the level of the 

 sea; — they are as follows : 



English Feet. 



M. Cao 2800 



M. Moron 542 



M. Alban 731 



M. Gros 1187 



Pacanaia 1 950 



I was present when some of these measurements were taken, and suspect 



that they rather exceed than fall short of the true height. 



The accounts already given of the geology of this neighbourhood are 



enumerated in the sketch which M. Risso has prefixed to his Histoire Natu- 



relLe de //Europe Meridionale, which, notwithstanding its title, treats of little 



more than the environs of Nice. 



The most valuable of these are Faujas St. Pond's paper in the Annates 



du Museumf, on the osseous breccias, and the pretended discovery of a 



* Plate XXII. t Tom. x. p. 409. 



z2 



