§54. 



EXTINCT VOLCANOES OF THE RHINE. 



277 



so long on the Phlegraean fields of Auvergne, that but a 

 brief space can be afforded to another group of tertiary 

 volcanoes. Every one who has ascended the Rhine, will 

 remember where 



" The castled crag of Drachenfels, 

 Frowns o'er the wide and winding Ehine," 



forming one of the Siebengebirge, or Seven Mountains, 

 whose majestic and graceful forms suddenly burst on the 



Ligx. 49.— The Drachexfels. 



sight, rising from the level plains on the right bank of the 

 river, to an altitude of nearly 1,500 feet. These picturesque 

 objects belong to a group of extinct volcanoes ; while, on 

 the opposite side of the river, the Eifel, with its crater 

 covered with scoriae and cinders, and lava currents still dis- 

 tinctly visible, attest the wide area over which those ancient 

 fires once extended. Unlike the district we have just 

 noticed, the foundation rock of the country is an ancient 

 sedimentary deposit, consisting of coarse red sandstone and 

 slate, thrown into a highly inclined position. Through 



