﻿36 
  PROFESSOR 
  FORBES 
  ON 
  THE 
  VOLCANIC 
  GEOLOGY 
  OF 
  THE 
  VIVARAIS. 
  

  

  situated, 
  occupying 
  the 
  whole 
  breadth 
  of 
  the 
  ridge, 
  in 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  depression 
  or 
  col, 
  

   at 
  a 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  ridge 
  makes, 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  a 
  bend, 
  as 
  sketched 
  in 
  Plate 
  

   V., 
  fig. 
  1 
  (which 
  was 
  not 
  drawn 
  on 
  the 
  spot, 
  but 
  immediately 
  after 
  from 
  memory). 
  

  

  Whatever 
  may 
  be 
  thought 
  of 
  the 
  crater 
  of 
  Pal 
  near 
  Montpezat, 
  this 
  one 
  is 
  

   undoubtedly 
  blown 
  out 
  of 
  granite, 
  and 
  entirely 
  formed 
  in 
  it 
  ; 
  for 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  think 
  

   that 
  the 
  scoriae 
  constitute 
  a 
  considerable 
  mass 
  upon 
  any 
  side, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  out- 
  

   let 
  or 
  imperfection 
  upon 
  any 
  side 
  except 
  that 
  to 
  the 
  westward, 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  lava 
  

   has 
  run 
  into 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  La 
  Bastide. 
  The 
  crater 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  beautiful 
  elliptical 
  form, 
  

   and 
  lies 
  exactly 
  between 
  two 
  ravines 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  ridge 
  ; 
  the 
  imperfect 
  

   lava 
  stream 
  towards 
  the 
  last 
  no 
  doubt 
  flowed 
  first. 
  The 
  elevation 
  above 
  the 
  sea 
  

   is 
  4204 
  feet, 
  or 
  somewhat 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  crater 
  of 
  Pal. 
  It 
  commands 
  a 
  fine 
  view, 
  

   and 
  here 
  I 
  first 
  caught 
  a 
  glimpse 
  of 
  the 
  probable 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  lava 
  of 
  Burzet, 
  which 
  

   two 
  years 
  later 
  I 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  confirm. 
  This 
  volcano, 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  La 
  Fiollonge, 
  

   appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  undiscovered 
  by 
  any 
  previous 
  geologist, 
  and 
  as 
  an 
  example 
  

   of 
  a 
  crater 
  in 
  granite 
  it 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  remarkable. 
  I 
  was 
  forced 
  to 
  abridge 
  my 
  

   observations 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  violent 
  thunderstorm, 
  which 
  covered 
  every 
  thing 
  

   with 
  mist, 
  and 
  compelled 
  my 
  retreat. 
  The 
  lava 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  La 
  Bastide 
  accumu- 
  

   lated 
  to 
  a 
  considerable 
  thickness, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  remarkably 
  columnar. 
  In 
  some 
  

   places 
  it 
  approaches 
  almost 
  to 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  obsidian. 
  The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   valley 
  is 
  cultivated 
  and 
  pleasing. 
  Groups 
  of 
  well-built 
  houses 
  are 
  studded 
  over 
  

   the 
  slopes, 
  amidst 
  groves 
  of 
  chestnut, 
  with 
  neat 
  and 
  well- 
  watered 
  gardens 
  adjoin- 
  

   ing. 
  In 
  all 
  this 
  country, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  Haute 
  Loire, 
  masonry 
  is, 
  or 
  has 
  been, 
  

   much 
  attended 
  to. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  La 
  Bastide, 
  a 
  pleasing 
  route 
  may 
  be 
  made 
  into 
  the 
  lower 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  Burzet, 
  by 
  crossing 
  the 
  Col 
  of 
  Juvinas, 
  which 
  commands 
  an 
  

   excellent 
  view 
  in 
  both 
  directions 
  ; 
  and, 
  in 
  particular, 
  of 
  the 
  Coupe 
  d' 
  Ay 
  sac. 
  Juvinas 
  

   is 
  known 
  as 
  being 
  near 
  the 
  spot 
  where 
  a 
  large 
  meteoric 
  stone 
  fell 
  from 
  the 
  sky 
  

   not 
  many 
  years 
  ago, 
  in 
  broad 
  daylight, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  several 
  witnesses. 
  

   I 
  did 
  not 
  lose 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  making 
  every 
  inquiry 
  relative 
  to 
  so 
  rare 
  and 
  

   interesting 
  an 
  occurrence, 
  and 
  conversing 
  with 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  seen 
  it. 
  The 
  exact 
  

   spot 
  is 
  a 
  hamlet 
  called 
  Le 
  Creux 
  de 
  Libounez, 
  between 
  Juvinas 
  and 
  St 
  Pierre 
  

   Colombier. 
  At 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  my 
  inquiry 
  (1839), 
  every 
  one 
  spoke 
  of 
  it 
  as 
  a 
  recent 
  

   occurrence, 
  and 
  one 
  never 
  to 
  be 
  forgotten. 
  The 
  field 
  was 
  immediately 
  shewn 
  to 
  

   me, 
  a 
  small 
  enclosure 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  village. 
  I 
  inquired 
  for 
  the 
  actual 
  spectators 
  

   of 
  the 
  fall. 
  Dolmaas, 
  who 
  had 
  been 
  mentioned 
  to 
  me, 
  was 
  dead 
  ; 
  but, 
  with 
  some 
  

   difficulty, 
  I 
  found 
  two 
  brothers 
  named 
  Serre, 
  who 
  were 
  working 
  with 
  some 
  

   others 
  in 
  their 
  potato 
  field 
  when 
  the 
  stone 
  fell 
  amongst 
  them. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  men 
  

   gave 
  me 
  in 
  his 
  patois 
  a 
  most 
  animated 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  scene, 
  and 
  of 
  their 
  terror. 
  

   With 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  an 
  interpreter,* 
  I 
  extracted 
  the 
  following 
  particulars, 
  agreed 
  upon 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  native 
  language 
  of 
  this 
  country, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  the 
  Haute 
  Loire, 
  is 
  an 
  almost 
  unintelligible 
  

   patois. 
  It 
  is 
  more 
  Italian 
  or 
  Latin 
  than 
  French, 
  and 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  language 
  

   of 
  Provence. 
  The 
  following 
  Italian 
  phrases 
  struck 
  my 
  ear, 
  " 
  un' 
  ora 
  e 
  mezzo," 
  — 
  "Aspetf 
  un 
  poc," 
  

   — 
  " 
  non 
  ho 
  mai 
  stato" 
  — 
  " 
  Perche." 
  

  

  