2 
506 
the furface of the water reached on 
the 28th of February, in the follow- 
ing year. But it was, even then, fifteen 
feet deep, fo that the total depth is abeut 
feventy feet. Yate ane iis 
<« Nor is it the particles of water only 
which exercife a corrofive influence againit 
the bed of the river: the Rhone, higher 
up than its Lofs, paffes at the foot of the 
Credo; this mountain is continually crum- 
bling, and. throws into its bed a quantity 
of fand and gravel, which is carried away 
with it... One may eafily conceive, there- 
fore, that thefe hard {ubftances, impelled 
with the utmoft force, and driven with all - 
the velocity which a body of water feven- 
ty feet deep can give, muft éorrode the 
rocks with the greatett effect. 
<The upper layer of the calcareous 
rocks, among which the Rhone lofes it- 
felf, is filled with petrified fhells: thofe 
moft irequently found are Turbinites and 
Cornia Ammonis. | Mefirs. De Luc have 
preferved in their cabinet, a Cornua Ammo- 
wis three feet in diameter, which was ex- 
traéted trom this fhelf of rock. M. Geils- 
ler found a very beautiful oyfter, whofe 
form was almoft circular, the diameter of 
which was fix inches 
§ <¢ But, it isvery remarkable, that whilft 
this layer contains fo large a quantity of 
marine bodies, the inferior layers, which 
are of the fame calcareous nature, fhould 
contain none, or at leaft fo very few, that 
the neighbouring peafants, well accuftom- 
ed to fearching for thefe petrifactions, for 
the purpofe of offering them to ftrangers, 
have never been able to difcover any. Nor 
have my own refearches been in any de- 
gree more profitable. 
** Thefe peafants offerto the curious alfo 
fpecimens of fulphuric pyrites, which they 
find inclofed within a thin layer of ar- 
gill, firuated below the'layer of fhelly fione 
jult mentioned. a 
‘©The hills, which overlook the Lofs of 
the Rhone, inclofe, mereover, many foffil- 
~ fhells: thefe hills are, as we have already 
feen, compofed of harizontal beds of {nd 
and argill, I have here colleéted Cornua 
Ammonis of different kinds; feveral of 
them remarkable for the regularity and 
prominence oi the fpiral relicevo; fome 
ftriated gryphites, fome fmall echinites, and 
broken pieces of orthocératites. 
«*Thefe marine bodies are ulually found in 
a grecnith argill: they are even themfelves 
converted into acalcareous {tone mixedwith 
argil. This material grows) hard by ex- 
polure to the air, though in the earth it 
is very brittle: the fhells oftentimes 
bieak between the fingers as they are 
Notice concerning the Writings of Lokinati ~~ [Jan Fi 
taken out of the earth. It is for this reas 
fon, no doubt, that we never find the ore ~ 
thocératites complete—I have never been 
able to procure them but in pieces. 
‘¢ The petrified fhells at the Lofs of the 
Rhone are not therefore, as it has been 
imagined, brovght thither by the river, 
and topped in their progrefs by the rocks 
which furround it. Thefe fhells abfo- 
lately belong to the very {pot wherein they 
are found: to the layer of rack, which ex- 
ifted, doubtlels, betore the Rhone had 
excavated its bed, and to thofehills which, 
though of fubfequent formations were 
nevertheleiS anterior in exifence to the 
Rhone. 
‘* Yowards the fummit of one of the hil’¢. 
on the fide of Savoy, I have feen beds. of 
fand impregnated with petroleum; th's 
mineral oil holds the grains together, and 
renders them black and fhining. If this 
{and is thrown on live coals, the latent oi} 
is volatifed, arid inflames. Attempts have 
probably been made to extract the oil from 
this fand ; for the peafants of Coupy fay, 
that, about forty years ago, they fent fe- 
veral cart-loads of it to Geneva: but the 
{peculation, it fhould feem, was not very 
fuccefsful, for fince that time there has 
been no demand for it whatever. 
“‘ T have thought, that perhaps one might 
difcover pit-coal in thefe hills, of which 
the prefence of petroleum is often indica- 
tive; but I have never perceived any, and 
the peafants of the place have told me, 
that they have found none.” ) .- 
This chapter of Sauffure has taken up 
fo much room, that I feel very indifpofed 
to lengthen my letter: in my next, which 
Ido really intend fhould be the laft, you 
fhall have a {ketch of the route we are pur- 
fuing. ; 
(To be continued ) 
ERRATA—~In the laft Letter, the River 
rve is uniformly mifprinted Arne; p. 385, 
col. 2, line 6, for the (in two places) read in 3 
Pp» 391, col. x, line 12, for Bourges read 
Bourges p. 391, col. 3, line 24, for Far de 
l’Eclufe read Fort, &c. 
: ae 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
NOTICE concerning the WRITINGS of 
LOKMAN, furnamed the Wise, the cele- \ 
brated ARABIAN FABULIST, prefixed 
to Qn EDITION of his FABLES 1 the 
original LANGUAGE, accompanied with 
| @ FRENCH TRANSLATION, by C1T. f.Je 
‘MARCEL. 
HE Fables of Lokman-have long 
enjoyed the higheft celebrity among. 
all the Oriental nations, and, as their ori- 
gin is traced to the earlieft antiquity, this 
celebrity 
