MOUNTAINS. 
toiass or internal structnre of mountains, but 
every thing has been done which art and 
perseverance will permit. M. Arduini, a 
gentleman of strong abilities and indefati- 
gable research, exerted evei^ means in his 
power some years past to obtain a know- 
ledge of the interior state of the Vicentine 
and Veronese hills, which he divides into 
monies primarios, secundarios, and tertia- 
rios. 
The monies primarios is a vast body of 
slate, extending under the calcareous hills, 
which he concludes existed prior to their 
origin. 
The monies secundarios are large calcare- 
ous hills formed into strata, composed of a 
close impalpable limestone, and interspersed 
with marine petrifactions, similar to parts 
of the Alps, and the chain of mountains 
which separate Germany from Italy. 
Monies iertiarios are the lower hills, con- 
sisting of small beds of limestone, abound- 
ing with petrifactions, and with casual intei- 
ventions of sand and clay, but are of a later 
origin, since incumbent on the “ montes se- 
cundarios,” and produced by their decay, 
variously washed down and accumulated to- 
gether. 
The slate of the first division is argilla- 
ceous, containing micaceous particles of the 
colour of silver, is crossed by veins of 
quartz, lainellated, and often appears in 
waved strata. It extends to the greatest 
depth of any rock in the neighbourhood, 
and has never been cut through, from which 
circumstance it cannot be decided whether 
granite extends beneath it, as is usual in 
other mountainous countries, “ though this 
be very probable,” says Ferber, “ since 
the granite rocks appear from under ground 
in the higher Alps of Tyrol, and the grey 
granite, or granitello, is to be found near 
Tozzino and Priiniero, at the spring of 
tlie river Cismonoe, which falls into the 
Brenta.” 
The calcareous Alps consist of strata of 
a close impalpable grain, with little mixture 
of saline matter and petrifactions. The 
deepest stratum of limestone from the base 
to die middle of the hill is composed of nu- 
merous small masses, and the exterior be- 
ing subject to the action of rain-water, it 
is formed into chasms, leaving the mtervals 
in elevations of a dark lead-colour; the 
petrifactions scattered through it are small 
bivalves and rifled tellines. The next stra- 
tum is inconsiderable, but a better white, 
more solid, and serves for architectural pur- 
poses, the upper part contains no petrifac- 
tions, the lower has some unknown ostrze- 
cites. The third stratum is in many small 
beds, in some instances furnishing sea-shells, 
and in others destitute of petrifactions. The 
part connected with the fourth stratum con- 
sists of oolithes. The fourth stratum is 
composed of several smaller, which are ei- 
ther red, containing ammonites of very 
considerable size, or completely white with 
petrifactions or ammonites. The red Ve- 
ronese marble abounding with ammonites, 
is procured from this stratum. Tire fifth 
division consists of an infinite variety of 
beds of white limestone, those in the high- 
est mountains, particularly Monte Torraro, 
contain no marine productions, but the rest 
abound with various, each stratunr being 
filled with a peculiar species. The surfaces 
of these Alps on the summits is called 
scaglia by the Italians, and consists of a 
calcareous bed, in some parts containing 
nodules, and in others less extensive, nu- 
merous flints of various colours. Covering 
the mountains it declines under the Mon- 
tes Tertiarios Bericos, and ascends on tire 
opposite side to the volcairic hills, by the 
sides of which it appears to have been 
raised, and then broken. The scaglia is 
destroyed in many different places by the 
weather, and is only to be found in a per- 
fect state in the vallies and cavities. M. 
Arduini discovered red flints, branching like 
coral, in the scaglia of Monte di S. Pan- 
crazio, and that spread on the volcanic hills 
near Padua, is perforated by sulphurous 
hot wells. 
The several strata of the hills or moun- 
tains in questiorr have been originally dis- 
posed in an horizontal direction, but those 
are deranged, and broken into large fis- 
sures by the force of volcanic eruptions and 
earthquakes, through which lavas were 
ejected, consequently they are sunk in some 
places, in others wholly reversed, and some- 
times they are found oblique, and even ver- 
tical, Inundations, and the obstructions 
of the course of rivers, caused by the above 
means, have also operated to produce many 
changes which are particularly conspicuous 
at Ayorth, in Valle Imperina. The fields 
near Gallio, Asiago, Campo di Rivere, &c. 
situated on the mountains far above tlie le- 
vel of the sea, are strewed with vast num- 
bers of separate fragments of granite, 
quartz, and other vein-rocks, which appear 
to have been detached by. violence from the 
primitive mountains of Tyrol, Similar 
pieces are found on the same horizontal ele- 
vation in Feltiino, separated by the Brenta 
