t 26 ] 
Montebello, though themafs is converted intirely tolava^ 
and has evidently concreted from a fufion, yet the ma- 
rine foffil bodies, originally contained in the Jirata^ are 
dill inguifhable, and even dihindt in the lava^ though va- 
rioufly disfigured. Another obfervation I made, and 
which appears to me very interefting, is, that mofi: of 
thefe branches, in the Veronefe and Vicentine territories, 
whether marine, vulcanic, or mixed, ftill preferve nearly 
the fame external chara6lers, diredtions and parallelifm, 
exclufiveof the trifling alterations produced atthefurface 
of the latter, as I before obferved. It feems, therefore, 
fufliciently evident, that fire not only operates locally on 
lapideous folids, but often alfo in fuch a manner as not in- 
tirely to deflroy all marks of their primary organization 
and qualities, much lefs to alter their difpofitions, and 
the external chara6lers of the mafiTes or mountains, they 
form. And though all traces of the primary organiza- 
tion of thefe malTes maybe effaced by new modifications, 
yet often fuflicient proofs remain of their former charac- 
, ters, in the forms, diredtion, and difpofition of the moun- 
tains they compofe, as appears from the inftance I have 
jufl confidered, and is fiill more flrongly confirmed by 
the phaenomena of Auvergne and Yelay, which I fliall 
confider upon a future occafion. It does not, there- 
fore, feem impoflible, nor even difficult, to trace the lead- 
ing original charadter of a coimtry, though it has fuf- 
fered by fire a new modification of the Jlrata that com- 
pofe it. And the vulcanic mountains before defcribed 
not only afford evident marks of their having pre-exilfed 
in 
