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cascade, whose water, as is generally the case, from the extreme height which it precipitated itself,was reduced'to vapour before it gained the bottom ; but with this difference, that the spray washere forced back again, as it were, and absolutely hovered like a cloud above the glacier itself—aphenomenon that afforded me much satisfaction, as it not only amused me by the variety of formswhich the water, thus reduced, offered to my view, but wonderfully strengthened my ideas as tothe general formation of clouds.

At about'two miles from hence we began to ascend another mountain, which may be consideredas a continuation of the first, and this by a road both steep and stony, in a continual zig-zag, alongthe sides of the same lofty height, whose summit could not be discerned, being concealed in athick wet cloud, which soon reached us ; so that this laborious undertaking was not effected tillafter four hours’ un-interrupted ascent, when we at last gained the top, which forms an irregularplain of one mile in width.

The fogs and mists, in which we had been involved, having descended into the adjacent valleyswe had not long since quitted, I could easily perceive (the. atmosphere with us being then perfectlyclear), that the plain on which we stood was on all sides nearly skirted by a number of pyramidsof granite and micaceous and argillaceous rock, at the basis of which lay such considerable quan-tities of fragments of the same rocks, that the plain, still covered with snow, though in the middleof July, was absolutely strewed with them. Among the pieces that pierced through the snow, Icould discern many of a blackish schist, with thin lamine, which effervesced with acids,—a circum-stance which, though it seemed to prove that they contained calcareous matter, yet becamesingular, when I considered, that the summit of this mountain, on which passes the boundary ofthe Vallais, is eight thousand nine hundred and twenty feet above the level of the sea. I never-theless experienced so great a degree of heat, and my eyes were so incommoded by the reflexionand glare of the sun against the snow, not having taken the necessary precaution of furnishingmyself with a crape to throw over my face, that it was with the greatest difficulty I couldcontinue my journey; and indeed, for a length of time, had cause to repent my omission;—acaution necessary to be remembered by those who may hereafter be tempted to take a similarroute.

As from the visible disorder and confusion which reigned in the arrangement and species ofstone with which this plain is covered, it would be impossible to enumerate them, I shall merelyannex the names of those that appeared most deserving the lithologist’s attention, beginning first*with a brownish schistus, sandy, effervescing with acids, and containing between its strata (whichare in general thin) a species of mica of a bright grey tinge : secondly, a red schistus, containingmuch white mica: thirdly, another species of similar schistus, but more shiny and soft, resemblingthe true molybdate, or black mica, which becomes curious from being striated : fourthly, a kindof greenish schorl; another of violet, of rhomboidal form, containing particles of magnesia, asalso some silex and argil: in fine, a species of red granite, of great coherency, in which werehornblende and qtiartz.

In descending the north-eastern side of the same mountain, similar confusion seemed to prevailin both the blocks and huge pieces of rock which on all sides surround it. Plants were scarce; andthe first that I perceived was merely a few tufts of carnillet moussier, or silene acaulis, to whichsucceeded the gentiana acaulis, whose charming tint of azure blue most agreeably contrasted withthe whiteness of the snow, which was not entirely melted. I then gradually met with the Achilleagenipi, th tsaxifraga bryoides, and a number of embrunes, or vaccinimn, of the three species; viz.yitis Idee,a, uliginosum, and myrtillus; the last of which I ate much of, and found extremely re-freshing. But what is singular, I have not been able to meet with any of the same kind in England,though I am told that it grows on the mountains of Scotland .

After another hour’s descent, we at last reached a small dale, the surface of which, though veryirregular, is covered with excellent pastures. This kind of basin, whose form is nearly circular,appears so much the more extraordinary, that it resembles the extremity of a funnel, bein^surrounded by spiry needles of immense height, and its surface nearly filled with their fragments,of which many of the enormous masses are half buried under the soil, and then covered by a crustof vegetable earth five inches thick. From this appearance, therefore, am I naturally led toconclude, that this small plain owes its present, elevation to pieces or blocks detached from the