VOLCANOS OF THE HAUTE LOIKE AND THE ARDECHE. 337 
the ruined castle as seen a little below Mr. Scrope’s sketch, and 
from the river, is quite startling, so grand and picturesque is 
the surrounding scenery. The river runs through dark frowning 
cliffs of columnar basalt, above which rise green groves of 
chestnut trees, and on the left the red volcano of Gravenne. 
Then in front stand the ruins of the old castle, rising sternly 
from what appears to be an island of basalt, but which is really 
a peninsula excavated by rivers which flow on either side. Then 
high above all rise white granite mountains, so white here and 
there that you may fancy them capped with snow ; and behind 
all and above all, the bright blue sky of the south of France. 
So wonderful is the colouring of this scene, that Sir W. Guise 
was occupied for hours, and came away dissatisfied. I remarked 
here, as well as at La Baume, that the basaltic lavas had been 
shifted in places by later volcanic outbursts — attempts to establish 
a volcano, but which have failed sometimes even to form a 
chimney.” We cross to Montpesat by a good bridge, and the 
sections on the two rivers, as seen from the castle, are very fine. 
The castle is perched on the extreme end of a peninsula of 
basalt, the point of junction of two rivers, the channels of which 
had been filled with torrents of lava, but through which the 
rushing mountain streams have again cut their way down to 
their former level, through the old excavated granite. 
The Pourseille lava stream was erupted from a volcanic cone, 
up a valley in the mountains behind the village — a wild hill 
walk, which leads to Burzet and the sources of the Loire. 
We were told that wolves were so abundant around Burzet 
during the war between France and Germany as to have become 
an absolute nuisance to the inhabitants of the mountain vil- 
lages. It was supposed that they migrated from other parts 
of France, and had taken refuge in the forests of the Ardeche. 
Several children were destroyed during the winter months. Of 
the habits of the wild boar the people appear to know very little 
excepting that they were best to eat when fattened upon chest- 
nuts. Chestnuts are here distinguished as 66 marrons ” and 
“ chataignes,” the 46 marrons ” being the finer. Sir William 
Guise’s list of summer plants includes Silene rwpestris , Sole- 
ranthus annuus , Cephalanthera rubra , and Dianthus ccesius. 
The expedition to Jaujac should be made so as to see both 
routes, viz. the one by the valley of Carboniferous rocks enclosed 
in a granitic hollow, and the return journey by the valley of the 
Alignon to La Baume. We quit the Vais and La Baume road 
about six kilometres short of La Baume, at a point called Les 
Mines de Prades. Coal has been worked here, but does not appear 
to be of much economical value, as might be expected from its 
position. The strata are highly inclined, and without doubt are 
much crushed and dislocated. The cone of Jaujac, called 66 La 
