﻿PIC 
  DE 
  L'ETOILE, 
  AN 
  UNDESCRIBED 
  VOLCANO. 
  35 
  

  

  every 
  traveller 
  who 
  has 
  spent 
  some 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  Vivarais. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  a 
  good 
  centre 
  

   for 
  making 
  excursions. 
  

  

  One 
  valley 
  remains 
  to 
  be 
  described, 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  call 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  La 
  Bas- 
  

   tide, 
  from 
  its 
  principal 
  village. 
  It 
  is 
  intermediate 
  between 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  Burzet 
  

   and 
  Antraigues, 
  and 
  may 
  easily 
  be 
  reached 
  from 
  either 
  of 
  them 
  ; 
  but 
  by 
  ascending 
  

   from 
  Vals 
  (which 
  is 
  but 
  a 
  little 
  way 
  below 
  where 
  it 
  unites 
  with 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  

   Volant) 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  conveniently 
  examined 
  in 
  its 
  whole 
  length. 
  The 
  first 
  portion 
  

   for 
  several 
  miles 
  presents 
  no 
  trace 
  of 
  lava 
  ; 
  but 
  when 
  we 
  get 
  opposite 
  to 
  the 
  posi- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Coupe 
  d'Aysac, 
  the 
  valley 
  opens 
  and 
  becomes 
  extremely 
  beautiful. 
  A 
  

   spring 
  from 
  the 
  granite 
  rising 
  here, 
  which 
  discharges 
  carbonic 
  acid, 
  has 
  a 
  tempe- 
  

   rature 
  of 
  53-2. 
  A 
  mile 
  or 
  two 
  above 
  this, 
  we 
  came 
  at 
  once 
  upon 
  an 
  extensive 
  

   lava 
  deposit, 
  excavated 
  by 
  the 
  torrent, 
  and 
  commanding 
  a 
  pleasing 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  

   hamlet 
  of 
  La 
  Bastide, 
  with 
  its 
  water-mills, 
  and 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  its 
  chateau, 
  which 
  

   belonged 
  to 
  the 
  Comte 
  d' 
  Antraigues, 
  an 
  extensive 
  proprietor 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  in- 
  

   cluding 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  Bois 
  de 
  Cuze, 
  who 
  was 
  expelled 
  by 
  the 
  populace 
  at 
  the 
  first 
  

   French 
  revolution, 
  his 
  house 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  his 
  lands 
  divided. 
  

  

  The 
  lava 
  continues 
  with 
  but 
  very 
  little 
  interruption 
  for 
  several 
  miles, 
  from 
  

   La 
  Bastide 
  up 
  the 
  valley, 
  indicating 
  clearly 
  a 
  peculiar 
  source 
  of 
  its 
  own. 
  I 
  had 
  

   previously 
  visited 
  it 
  in 
  1839, 
  and 
  (more 
  fortunate 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  Burzet 
  

   lava) 
  I 
  had 
  fairly 
  hunted 
  it 
  to 
  cover, 
  tracing 
  it 
  in 
  an 
  irregular 
  stream 
  up 
  the 
  

   face 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  of 
  lofty 
  hills 
  separating 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  La 
  Bastide 
  and 
  Antraigues, 
  

   about 
  three 
  miles 
  above 
  the 
  former 
  village 
  (Plate 
  VI., 
  fig. 
  2). 
  The 
  summit 
  

   from 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  derived, 
  I 
  then 
  learnt, 
  was 
  called 
  the 
  Pic 
  de 
  l'Etoile. 
  My 
  time 
  

   did 
  not 
  allow 
  me 
  to 
  ascend 
  farther 
  ; 
  but 
  on 
  a 
  subsequent 
  day 
  I 
  made 
  an 
  expe- 
  

   dition 
  expressly 
  by 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  Antraigues, 
  and 
  ascended 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  

   Volane 
  for 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  miles 
  above 
  that 
  village, 
  when 
  I 
  judged 
  that 
  I 
  must 
  be 
  

   nearly 
  opposite 
  the 
  volcano 
  (of 
  which, 
  however, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  trace 
  visible 
  from 
  be- 
  

   low 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  side). 
  I 
  commenced 
  the 
  ascent 
  from 
  the 
  hamlet 
  of 
  La 
  Viole 
  (see 
  

   the 
  map), 
  which 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  excessively 
  steep, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  nearly 
  2000 
  

   feet, 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  being 
  through 
  tangled 
  and 
  nearly 
  pathless 
  brush- 
  

   wood, 
  frequented 
  only 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  charcoal 
  burners. 
  At 
  less 
  than 
  one-third 
  of 
  the 
  

   ascent 
  I 
  found, 
  in 
  a 
  little 
  ravine, 
  a 
  flow 
  of 
  lava, 
  which 
  proved 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  not 
  mis- 
  

   taken 
  my 
  point, 
  and 
  from 
  under 
  it 
  issued 
  a 
  fine 
  spring, 
  having 
  a 
  temperature 
  of 
  

   45°, 
  affording 
  another 
  proof 
  (see 
  p. 
  28) 
  of 
  the 
  complete 
  refrigeration 
  of 
  the 
  lavas. 
  

   This 
  stream 
  does 
  not 
  reach 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  Volane. 
  As 
  I 
  followed 
  it 
  up, 
  it 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  occupied 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  water-course, 
  and 
  soon 
  led 
  me 
  amongst 
  slag 
  and 
  

   cinders, 
  which 
  constitute 
  the 
  steep 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  ascent. 
  At 
  the 
  top 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  

   summit 
  of 
  the 
  chain 
  occupied 
  for 
  some 
  distance 
  by 
  volcanic 
  products. 
  The 
  granite, 
  

   however, 
  resumes 
  the 
  higher 
  position. 
  On 
  examining 
  from 
  the 
  top 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  

   the 
  stream 
  of 
  lava 
  descending 
  towards 
  La 
  Bastide, 
  I 
  perceived 
  that 
  it 
  originated 
  

   still 
  farther 
  beyond 
  the 
  granite 
  ; 
  and, 
  proceeding 
  northwards, 
  I 
  welcomed 
  the 
  sight 
  

   of 
  a 
  crater, 
  of 
  which 
  hitherto 
  I 
  had 
  perceived 
  no 
  trace. 
  It 
  is 
  rather 
  singularly 
  

  

  