646 FRA 
above the level of the fea, while the Puy de Dome is 
about 5000, and the Plomb du Cantal, the higheft of that 
part, is about 6200 feet. Near the Puy de Sand is 
PAngo, a gigantic mountain ; and Ecorchade, afhattered 
and jagged elevation. The Plomb du Cantal is alfo fur. 
rounded with bold rivals, as the Puy de GiTou, le Col- 
de-Cabre, le Puy Mari, and the Violent. This continued 
allemblage of rocks covers an extent of about 120 miles, 
and according to the French authors, is chiefly bafaltic. 
The Puy de Sanfi is capped with almoft perpetual fnow, 
followed in thedefcent by naked rocks and ancient pines : 
from its fide blues from two fources, the river Dordogne, 
and many piCturefque cafcades pour down amidfl bafaltic 
columns. On the 23d of J-une, 1727, Pradines, a village 
on the Hope of one of thefe mountains, was totally over¬ 
whelmed by its fall, the whole mountain with its bafaltic 
columns, rolling into the valley. The inhabitants were 
fortunately engaged in the celebration of midfnmmer eve, * 
at fome difiance from the place. Thefe mountains are in 
winter expofed to dreadful hurricanes of fnow, called 
acirs, which in a few hours obliterate the ravines, and 
even the precipices, and defcending to the paths and 
ftreets, confine the inhabitants to their dwellings, till a 
communication can be opened with their neighbours, 
fometimes in the form of an arch under the vaft mafs of 
fnow. Wretched is the traveller thus overtaken. His 
path difappears, the precipice cannot be difiinguifhed 
from the level ; if he ftands, he is freezed ; and buried, 
if he proceeds ; his eye-fight fails amidfi the fnowy 
brightnefs; his refpiration is impeded ; his head becomes 
giddy, he falls, and perifhes. In fummer, thunder 
florins are frequent and terrible, and accompanied with 
torrents of hail, which deftroy the fruits and flocks, 
which for fix months together are depafiured on the 
mountains, guarded by fliepherds, who have temporary 
cabins of turf and reed, ftyled burcns. 
The Pyrenees conftitute a bold and magnificent chain 
of elevated country, which may be confidered with equal 
juftice as belonging either to France or to Spain ; fince it 
is the barrier formed by nature to divide the two countries. 
To the furprife of many eminent naturalifts, the Pyrenees 
have been found to prefent calcareous appearances, and 
even fliells, near or upon their higheft fummits, which 
are in the centre of the chain. Mont Perdu is confidered 
as the higheft elevation of the Pyrenees, afcending above 
the fea 1751 French toifes, or about 11,000 feet Englifh. 
The Canigou formerly ufurped that honour, though it 
exceed not 1440 toifes. Other noted heights are Tuc- 
caroy, Marbore, the pic de Midi, the pic d’Arni, the 
Niege Veille, the Vigne Male, la Brechede Roland, &c. 
The Pyrenean chain appears at a diltance like a clouded 
ridge, prefenting the fegment of a circle fronting France, 
and defcending at each extremity, till it difappears in the 
ocean and Mediterranean fea. The higheft fummits of 
the Pyrenees are crowned with perpetual fnow. Blocks 
of granite are interfperfed with vertical bands, argillaceous 
and calcareous, the latter primitive or fecondary, and 
fupplying the marbles of Campan and Antin, of beau¬ 
tiful red fpotted with white, though the general moun¬ 
tain mafs be grey. To the fouth and weft the Pyrenees 
prelent nothing but Breadful fterility, while on the north 
and eaft the defcent is more gradual, and affords frequent 
woods and valuable paftures. 
According to Ramond the very fummit of Mont 
Perdu abounds with marine fpoils, and muft have been 
once covered by the fea ; an obfervation confirmed by 
La Peyroufe. See the article Earth, vol. vi. This 
mountain is of very difficult accefs, as the calcareous 
rock often alfumes the form of perpendicular walls, from 
100 to 600 feet in height; and the fnows, ice, and gla¬ 
ciers, increafe the difficulty; nor did thefe naturalifts 
attain the fummit, though they could obferve that the 
rock correlponded in form and nature with thofe which 
they afcended. A fingular feature of the Pyrenees con- 
fifts of what are called houks l or walls difpofed in a cir. 
N C E. 
cular form. Near the fummit of Mont Perdu is a conft- 
derable lake, more than 9000 feet above the level of the 
fea, which throws its waters to the eaft into the Spanifh 
valley of Beouffa ; and which the travellers confider as 
a proof that Mont Perdu really belongs to Spain, afid 
that Tuccarroy forms the boundary. The beft maps of 
the Pyrenees are erroneous, as this lake has no connection 
witli the noted cafcades of Marbore, which flow from, 
another lake to the weft ; and La Peyroufe has pointed 
out other grofs miftakes in the topography of this inte- 
refting-diftriCt. He adds that it is probable that the foie 
accefs to the fummit of Mont Perdu will be found on the 
fide of Spain, there being three fummits called by the 
Spaniards Las Tres Sorellas, or the Three Sifters; the 
higheft being to the north, and the lowed on the fouth, 
but feparated by large glaciers. From tiiis view of the 
Pyrenees, La Peyroufe concludes that there exift chains of 
mountains, in which bands of granite, porphyry, trap, 
hornblende, and petrofilex, alternate vertically with 
primitive limeftone, and are fo intermingled as to prove a 
common origin. But in the Pyrenees thefe bands are fur- 
mounted by fecondary limeftone, replete with marine 
fpoils, and containing even fkeletons of animals; fo that 
he concludes that the higheft mountains of the chain 
muft have yielded to the fury of the ocean, and that the 
fecondary parts alone now exift. 
The forefts of France are numerous and extenfive ; 
and as wood is the general fuel, attention to their 
growth becomes indifpenfable. Two of the moft re¬ 
markable are thofe of Orleans and Ardennes, the former 
for extent and the numerous troops of banditti who ufed 
to infeft its precinCts; the latter for ancient fame and 
events of chivalry. The foreft of Ardennes extended 
from Rheims to Tournay, and on the north eaft to Sedan 
in the prefent department of the Ardennes. To thefe 
names might be added the foreft of Fontainbleau, and 
many others, which to enumerate would be fuperfluous. 
The vegetable productions of France, are extremely 
abundant. So great indeed is its extent, and fo various 
its climate, that probably more than half the European 
fpecies of plants may be found within its boundaries.' 
The bleak fhores of the North, the fertile plains on the 
Belgian frontier, the rich vales of the Loire, the Rhone, 
and Garonne, the towering heights of Auvergne, the 
exterior ridges of the Alps and Pyrenees, the funny ex- 
pofure of the Mediterranean coaft, offer fuch ftriking 
differences of foil and temperature, as evince at once a 
moft abundant catalogue of indigenous plants. That 
country which produces in full and equal perfection 
wheat and apples, maize and grapes, oranges and olives, 
the oak and the myrtle, muft doubtlefs exceed all other 
European countries of equal extent in the variety and 
richnefs of its vegetable treafures. If France be divided 
from eaft to weft into nearly four equal parts, the moft 
northern of thefe divifions will bear a confiderable re- 
femblance in its climate and vegetable produce to the 
fouth of England ; the fecond differs principally from the 
firft in exhibiting here and there a few vineyards ; in the 
third, fields of maize begin to make their appearance ; 
and the fourth is diftinguifhed from the preceding by 
groves of olive trees with its exuberant harvefts, and 
overflowing vintages. 
The horfes of France do not appear to have been cele¬ 
brated at any period ; and it is well known that their 
ancient monarchs were drawn to the national affemblies 
by oxen. Before the late commencement of hoftilities, 
great numbers of Englifh horfes were imported, both for 
the draft and faddle. The beft native horfes for the 
purpofes of hufbandry, are thofe of Normandy ; for the 
faddle, the beft are thofe of the Limopin, which have 
been recently improved by eroding the breed with the Ara¬ 
bian, Turkifh, and Englifii horfes. The rich paftures of 
the north fupport numerous herds of cattle; yet Mr. 
Young afferts that there is not in the kingdom one-tenth 
part of what there ought to be 5 a radical error of French 
a agriculture 
