mountains, 
snpposed that the rock fell into a gtilph 
made by a large body of water which de- 
scended beneath it, and gradually under- 
mined its support, and turning, by its super- 
incumbent weight, scattered into large por- 
tions, by striking on the projections in its 
progress, till reaching the plain it is now 
said to cover a space of very great extent, 
and above 100 feet in height. 
Mr. Coxe endeavoured to ascertain the 
component parts of the Alps, and to ac- 
complish his purpose wished to penetrate to- 
wards the chains of granite, through avenues 
of tremendous rocks, but found that the ap- 
proach to it was equally difficult and danger- 
ous caused by the interposition of high se- 
condary mountains, which conceal the primi- 
tive bed of granite, particularly in the vale 
of Lanterbrunnin, bounded to the extre- 
mity by calcareous rocks ; the first masses 
of granite he discovered were at Sichellanen 
forming the base of the rocks just mention- 
ed ; proceeding, he observed a rock of stea- 
tite containing veins of lead, which have 
been worked at Hohalp ; at a greater as- 
cent, is the true chain of granite, with scat- 
tered calcareous peaks ; the approach was 
less difficult at Wengenalp, the last of 
several calcareous and schistous mountains, 
which join the Jungfrau, appearing to have 
summits of gratiite. Calcareous stone and 
argillaceous schistus form the vale of Grind- 
elwald ; and the surfaces of the Eger, the 
Mettenberg, and of the Wetterhorn, are 
chiefly calcareous, and cover the granite. 
The chains opposite, forming the north side 
of the valley of Grindelwald, consists of an 
argillaceous base, interspersed with cornua 
ammones, and is covered by calcareous 
rocks. 
In the further pursuit of his survey, Mr. 
Coxe considered the Jungfrau, or virgin, the 
centre of the primitive chain, which is one 
of the most grand and highest mountains 
in the canton of Berne ; the lowest part of 
this elevated mass is generally covered with 
staldenfluh, or rocks of calcareous stone, 
but the granite doth not appear for a con- 
siderable distance up tlie sides ; at Sichel- 
laninen, he observed a red stratum com- 
posed of an argillaceous slate spotted with 
green and brown, and of a fine grained 
iron-ore containing anomites, which appear- 
ed to form the separation between the cal- 
careous substance and the granite, a similar 
stratum was discoverable in other places, 
but at inaccessible heights, the same cause 
prevented the investigation in the chain ex- 
tending to the right, and several peaks 
furnish no other means of judging of theif 
structure than fragments afford which have 
fallen from them ; limestone occurs at a 
great elevation, and white and grey marble 
serving as the matrix of a red hematite, 
abounding with small octagon crystals of 
iron, which may be attracted by the mag- 
net. The glaciers of Breitlaninen and 
Breithorn support fragments of several spe- 
cies of granite, of iron-stone, of saxum for- 
nacum or stelstein, and of argillaceous and 
micaceous schistus. “ The ridge of the 
glacier of Gamchi is of a black calcareous 
stone, which, in many places, is of a fine 
texture, and splits into lamina of a rhom- 
boidal form ; in other parts it is coarsely 
granulated, containing white and black 
spar.” Black slate forms the sides of the 
Blumlis Alp which fronts the glacier ; this 
substance contains balemnites, and cornua 
ammonis, and the broken pieces of granite 
lying upon the glacier, fallen probably from 
the summit, resembles that before-mention- 
ed containing lead. The chain of granite ex- 
tending to the right by the Alpschelenhorn 
and the Allits, are lost in Mount Gemmi, 
where slate and calcareous stone alone are 
found. On the other side of the Jungfrau, 
are two vast pyramids, called the interior 
and exterior Egers, on those calcareous 
stone is visible to a great height, and Mr. 
Coxe was convinced that their substance 
is granite, though covered by calcareous 
stone, lying on slate of a reddish colour, 
forming in many places a species of brescia, 
with an argillaceous base, strewed with cal- 
careous fragments ; stones which have fallen 
from a ridge behind the exterior Eger, on 
the inferior glacier of Grindenwald, prove 
that the summit is of granite, in blocks, vein- 
ed granite, and other lamellated rocks, which 
frequently contain green steatites, amian- 
thus, and crystals of quartz. The Schreck- 
horn, or peak of terror, has piked summits 
rising to an amazing height, which appear 
to be pure granite, and other primitive 
stones ; the Wetterhorn, or stormy peak, is 
of calcareous stone for a great height, but 
the summits are certainly primitive rocks. 
Mr. C. observed the red stratum which he' 
had noticed before on tire Eger, and at the 
base of the Jungfrau. Behind the Wetter- 
horn is a large rock, the stones detached 
from which are frequently found to be 
veined granite and lamellated rock, en- 
closing pieces of the corneus spathosus, in- 
terspersed with steatites, pyrites and quartz. 
A quarry of beautiful white marble veined 
with gieen, red, and yellow, was formerly 
N n 2 
