The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal. 249 



run across Southern Africa, called Hoof by the Dutch. 

 The Icloqf of the river Hex is a sinuous defile, on each 

 side of which mountains rise in majestic forms, the strata 

 of which appear to have been subject to much disturb- 

 ance. The Roodezands kloof, or red sand kloof, through 

 which the Berg flows, is a narrow defile, presenting a superb 

 appearance. 



In America, the Susquehanna, which descends from the 

 crest of the Alleghany chain, cuts the Blue mountains in 

 Pennsylvania. The Potomack passes in the same manner 

 through another crevice in the same chain, as does the 

 river James in Virginia. M. De Luc then alludes to the 

 Tennessee, which perforates three mountain chains. The 

 description of a gap in the Blue-ridge is next quoted 

 from the American Journal of Arts and Sciences, vol. xix. 

 In South America the Orinoco forms the great cataracts 

 of Maypuris and Atures, where it passes through a fis- 

 sure in a chain of mountains. The Amazon follows a 

 longitudinal valley of the Andes for 200 leagues, and fin- 

 ally issues in the direction of Borja by a very narrow 

 pass, twenty-five toises broad, and two leagues in length. 



Hoffmann states that all large rivers of the globe burst 

 from transverse fissures, termed gates or passes (PfortenJ, 

 and there is hardly any important chain of mountains which 

 is not at some point cut through transversely to its line, 

 of bearing. 



The greatest range of mountains in the world, he says, 

 the Himalaya, is broken across by the Brahmaputra. We 

 have ourselves seen some of the great defiles of the Hima- 

 laya, and can bear witness to the magnificence of the scenery, 

 as well as to the narrow and precipitous character of the 

 fissures by which numerous rivers escape. The Gogra, on 

 the northern boundary of Nipal, issues from a fissure so 

 narrow and precipitous as to prevent the possibility of 

 forming a foot path within it. This defile extends across 

 a succession of mountain chains from the source of the 



