Mifcellanea Curiofa. 9 



gleeting down by the Crannies of the Stone ; 

 and part of the Vapour entering into the Ca- 

 verns of the Hills, the Water thereof gathers as 

 in an Alembick into the Bafons of Stone it finds ; 

 which being once fill'd, all the overplus of Wa- 

 ter that comes thither runs over by the loweft: 

 place, and breaking out by the fides of the Hills, 

 forms fingle Springs. Many of thefe running 

 down by the Valleys or Guts between the Ridges 

 of the Hills, and coming to unite, form little Ri- 

 vulets, or Brooks : Many of thefe again, meet- 

 ing in one common Valley and gaining the plain 

 Ground, being grown kfs rapid, become a River ; 

 and many of thefe being united in one common 

 Channel, make fuch Streams as the Rjiine, the 

 Rhone, the Danube ; which latter, one would hard- 

 ly think the Collection of Water condenfed out of 

 Vapour, unlefs we confider how vaft a Tra6t of 

 Ground that River drains, and that it is the Sum . 

 of all thofe Springs which break out on the South 

 fide of the Carpathian Mountains, and on the 

 North fide of the immenfe Ridge of the Alp % 

 which is one continued Chain of Mountains from 

 Switzerland, to the BlacI^Sea And it may almoft 

 pafs for a Rule, that the magnitude of a River, 

 or the quantity of Water it evacuates, is propor- 

 tionable to the length and height of the Ridges 

 from whence its Fountains arife. Now this The- 

 ory of Springs is not a bare Hypothefis^ but found- 

 ed on Experience, which it was my luck to gain 

 in my abode at St. Helena^ where in the Night- 

 time, on the tops of the Hills, about 800 Yards 

 above the Sea, there was fo * ftrange a conden- 

 fation, or rather precipitation of the Vapours, 

 that it was a great Impediment to my Cceleftial 

 Obfervations j foj in the clear Sky, the Dew 



would 



