208 Account of a Fourney to the Summit of Mount Perdu. [O@ober is 
tion of the intelligent traveller. The en- 
trance into Hamburg is through the Alto- 
na-gate; on the approach to the city, it 
has agrand appearance, but this is wholly 
forgotten, when you have been in it half 
an hour. 
N. B. In my laf Sketch, Ritx/buttle is ftated 
to contain So houfes, it fhould have been 200, 
(To be continued.) 
ee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
ACCOUNT of a JOURNEY ¢fo the SUMMIT 
of MOUNT PERDU, one of the UPPER 
PYRENNEES, by CiITiZEN RAMOND, 
MEMBER of the NATIONAL INSTITUTE. 
IY. L. RAMOND, of the Legiflative 
Body, of the National Inftitute, as 
likewife member of many learned focieties, 
has lately publifhed a Narrative of his ex- 
eurfion to Mount Perdu and the parts ad- 
jacent, on the creft, or moft elevated fum- 
mit, of the Upper Pyrenees; in which, 
(among other faéts and difcoveries fuffici- 
ently interefting to captivate the attention 
of the naturalift, and which, in a confufed 
aflemblage of ruins, fhew nature acting by 
confiant laws, and concealing a real order 
under apparent diforder), the moft impor- 
tant object, next to tracing the different 
elements which enter into the compofition 
of the Pyrences themfelves, is that great 
mals of organic fragments which repoles on 
the cimex or higheft point of the Pyre- 
nees. In thofe favage regions, where no 
one before himfelf had dared to penetrate, 
and where nature difplays fuch fierce, ter- 
rible, and even horrid forms; the very 
dangers to which the author expofes him- 
felf, and the fenfations which he experiences 
at the fight of fo many extraordinary. ob- 
j:Gs, add confiderably to the value of his 
refearches. Before the journey of Citizen 
Ramond, it was not unknown that there 
exifted different foffil fhells in that immenfe 
chain; but till then they had been only 
difcovered in very {mall quantities, ina 
fmal] number of places, and rather in the 
upper mountains than in the lower. It 
was undoubtedly known, but only as a 
fincularity, to nateralifts. They had, 
however, remarked the extreme abundance 
of calcareous matter, which predominates 
even in the upper regions of thofe moun- 
tains. | 
in his Effay ox the Mineralogy of the Pyre- 
wees. “NVithout having ever reached the 
principal iummits, he had judged of their 
nature by the ftrata which ‘the torrents 
_ bring.along with them, and by the fame 
index he had ranged Vignemale, the Pic 
Pallaffou had made mention of it- 
Blanc, and the Marboré, in the clafs of 
the laft depofits of the fea. In the year 
1786, Citizens. Vidal and Reboul, having 
commenced operations which tended to 
determine exactly the height of the Pic dz 
Midi, they inferred from thence, that of 
the different parts of the chain which are 
viible from the higheft parts of that 
ridge; and fo they judged that the prin- _ 
cipal fummit of the Marbcré was the mott 
elevated point of the Pyrenees. But this 
fummit is precifely the Mount Perdu, the 
height of which above the level of the fea 
is eftimated at 3332 metres, or 1710 
toifes. They afterwards vifited the val- 
Jeys of Gavernie and of Eftaubé, fituated 
at the foot of Mount Perdu ; and they af- 
certained fo well the calcareous conftitu- 
tion of them, as to have no doubt that all 
the fa/fzgia, or heights, fupported on thefe 
vat bafes, were formed of the fame kind 
of ftone; but to what order of revolu- 
tioris do thefe immenfe depofits appertain ? 
To refolve this queftion, fufficient data 
were wanting. In thefe circumftances, 
Citizen Ramond, in his turn, affailed the 
creft of the Pyrenees, rifing to more than 
3000 metres over the graduations or fteps 
-of the circus of }Gavarnie, and, after an 
infpection of the places, came to this con- 
cluiion—that the Pyrenees were finifhed 
cwhen Mount Perdu was formed—the incli- 
nation of the layers (coudres) towards 
the granitical axle of the chain, the nature 
of the rocks which cover it, and the order 
in which they fucceed each other in propor 
tion to their diftance from it, had deter- 
mined him to form this judgment. This 
however, was only 4 conjecture; for he 
had not as yet perceived, in the calcareous 
matter of thefe high regions, any trace of - 
marine-bodies. ‘The moment of verifying 
this matter was now come; the Pyrenees, 
reftored to peace, were likewife fo to ob- 
fervation; and Citizen Ramond directed 
all his thoughts towards vifiting again the 
Marboré, and opening him({elf a paflage to 
Mount Perdu. But how muft he arrive 
at this? At the entrance of the valley of 
Eftaubé, its fummit appears above the high 
walls that inclofe it, like a cone all re- 
fplendent with fnow. Citizen Ramond 
judged, that if he could fcale thofe walls, 
or overturn them, he fhould have a view 
of the body itfelf of the mountain, and 
he decided to feek his route along the bot- 
tom.ér level of Eftaubé. Provided with 
two excellent guides, and followed by fome 
young pupils, full of zealand courage, he 
fet out from Bareges, the 25th Thermi:' 
dor, year 5. In the evening, he reached. 
the heights of Coumelie. At the break of 
, days 
