A Letter from Mr. Edward Lhuyd, Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, to Dr. R.R. in Yorkshire; Giving an Account of a Book

known to every Plowman; what I further add, I wish were so to every Gentleman, that by the Marriage of their Male and Female Salts, they might enrich both their Country and themselves. The Sea-Salt is too lusty and active of itself, the Lime has a more Balsamick, but gentler Salt; and regularly joined with the other, is thereby invigorated. How to match these two, Glauber thus directs. Take (says he) Quick-Lime, let it slack by time without Water; then take Salt and Water, mingle them together, and make them into Balls or Pieces, which you please; dry 'em as you do Bricks, then burn them for about two Hours. This Compost will enrich your poorest Land. Were I so devoted to Agriculture, as you suppose, I should remove my Dwelling to such a Situation, as were best accommodated with these three, Lime, Salt, and Coals; and did our Gentry understand this Husbandry, they would so far free Salt from its Tax, as it should be employed upon Land, which is not intended to pay for it. VI. A Letter from Mr. Edward Lhuyd, Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, to Dr. R.R. in Yorkshire; giving an Account of a Book, Entitled, ΟΥΠΕΣΙΟΙΤΗΣ Helveticus, five Itinera Alpina Tria, &c. Authore Joh. Ja. Scheuchzer, M.D. Lond. 4to. MDCCVIII. Honoured Sir, Having had the Favour of a Perusal of Dr. Scheuchzer's Itinera Alpina, as the Sheets were printed off, I take an Opportunity offer'd by a Friend, of sending you some Account of Part of that very Learned and Ingenious genious Gentleman's Observations; because all the Plates being not yet Engraven, it may be some time 'ere the Book is publish'd; and in regard nothing else occurs at present, that I can suppose so acceptable, or indeed worth fending. What chiefly falls under his Consideration is the Nature of the Alpine Waters and Meteors; the Height, &c. of the Mountains, and the most Remarkable Minerals and Plants they afford. He has also some Occasional Observations on Animals; and others in the Practice of Physick, and on the Customs and Diet of the Inhabitants; together with some Instances of the Superstition of the Common People, and a few Notes relating to Antiquities. Any of these Subjects he takes notice of, after the manner of other Journals, as they occur; but having now read the Sheets all over, and seen several of the Tables, the Account I send, tho' imperfect, is according to these General Heads. First as to the ALPINE WATERS; Besides those which are Medicinal, he has several Observations on the Rivers and Brooks. The Rhine he affirms to have changed its old Course, between Roncaglia and the DISTRICT OF SCHAMS. As for the Valley (says he) of La Via mala; If we may not suppose it to have been anciently at the lower end unopen; we must of necessity allow it to have been gradually one Age after another considerably depressed, by the Impetuous Current of the Latter Rhine. 'Tis most certain, and from the Track of the Water which has polished the Stones, demonstrable; that very anciently (we may perhaps suppose it in the First Ages after the Deluge) the Course of the Rhine was along La Via mala, whereas it now runs thro' Deep Caverns and Clefts of Rocks about 200 Foot below that Road. The like Observation is also made by Mr. Colweck on the Course of the Tamina, which runs by the Pepper Bath, in his German Treatise of those Waters; but our Author judges it a difficult Experiment, if at all practi- practicable, to make any Computation of the Depth a Valley sinks in a Century, by marking Yearly the Height of the Water on the Stones in the narrow Passages of the Mountains; because of the Annual and even Daily Variations of the Quantity and Force of Water, which depends on the Quantity of Rain, as also of melted Snow and Ice; as likewise of the Resistance made by Stones and Trees eradicated by the Torrents. Betwixt Andera and Speluca he takes notice of the frequent Catarrhacts on the Rhine, where the Foaming Waters are so dash'd against the Rocky Precipices, that the adjoyning Cliffs are thereby continually Water'd, nor do the Travellers always escape. One of these, being that which seem'd most Remarkable, he gives us a Draught of, in the 8th Table of his Second Journey. These Catarrhacts are also not uncommon in the Territory of Engelberg, amongst which, that of Deusbach, over against the celebrated Mountain Titlisberg, affords the pleasantest Prospect. But the most agreeable Cascade he met with in all his Travels, is on the River Maira, opposite to the Place where the Town of Plurs once stood, which is now only Fields and Meadows; that being the most Remarkable of any, for Breadth as well as Depth, which he computes to be about 100 Foot. The River having so Great a Fall, the neighbouring Fields are continually bedew'd with its constant sprinkling; and the Spectators become soon dropping wet; which inconvenience the Pleasant Prospect not only of the Catarrhact, but also of a Circular Rainbow they stand in, makes such amends for, that 'tis not in the least regarded. Such Rainbows are also seen, at some Catarrhacts of the Rhine, as particularly that noted Waterfall at Lauffin Zurich, well describ'd by Glareanus in his Panegyricon Helvetiae. On the 23d of August he ascended Monte di Sett, or (as the Germans call it) Setmerberg, which is part of the Julian Alps, to see on the top of it the celebrated Springs of three Rivers, at the distance of scarce twenty Perches: viz. those that flow Northward, constitute part of the Rhine; those on the South West, the River Maira, which runs through Bergele and Clavenna; and those on the East, the Aqua de Pila. But the Mountain about the Springs being all cover'd with Snow, his Curiosity was satisfy'd with the Alpine Plants and some other Rarities that occur'd. This Observation may be parallell'd in the Origin of divers of our own Rivers; as particularly of the Severn, the Wye and Rheidiol at Pymlymon on the Confines of Montgomery and Cardiganshire, and several several other places on the Mountains of Wales and Scotland. But 'tis to be observ'd, that as it is not one spring that makes any considerable brook, much less a large river; so no rivulet carries the name of the river it flows into, to the fountain head; the names the rivers are distinguish'd by, being given to the confluence of divers rivulets in the lower valleys; where if they form a lake, as they very often do, that lake is most commonly, not to say always, denominated from the river; and not, as some contend, the rivers from their lakes. The reason of which is, that the inhabitants on the rivers, found it necessary to give them names, more early than to the mountain lakes, which at the first peopling of a country, were known comparatively but to very few. But the most remarkable place our author mentions for springs, is the town of Flims, which he says is thence denominated; the word Flim signifying a river in the Grison language. About half a mile out of town, there are most clear springs, which break forth at the foot of the mountain, which immediately constitute rapid streams, and in the village itself are reckon'd thirteen; where the waters gush forth with a sort of noise, in rivulets from half a foot to two foot broad. Some of these are temporary, which the inhabitants ascribe to the melted ice and snow; others perennial, supplied from the great hydrophylacia in the bowels of the mountain. The most considerable of these fountains is call'd the Gorg, quasi Gorges; which is a perennial one, and of itself serves to turn a mill. Another place is call'd Furnas, where four rivulets spring within the distance of eleven feet. Illy Davos is also a temporary spring, but nothing so cold as the rest. Whoever would be curious (says he) to trace out the first sources of these fountains, in the very bowels of the earth, may receive some light if he considers that the town is situated at the foot of the Ober Alp, which mountain is not [as generally they are in the Alps] rais'd to a sharp ridge; but compos'd of exceeding broad rocks, such as have no fissures, but are continued, after the manner of Alembick. He compares it, he says, to an alembick; because he is fully persuad'd, that this phenomenon ought to be conceiv'd in the same manner, as distillation is commonly and easily explain'd: viz. that there are aqueous vapours rais'd in great plenty from the deep bowels of the mountain, to the top, by means of subterraneous heat; and that they are (quoad minimam partem) exhaled into air; which meeting with the rocks shut on all all sides, is condensed into Water; and that trickling down, stagnates in those great Cavities we call Hydrophylacia. whence afterwards by Subterraneous Natural Aqueducts, the Waters are convey'd to this Village, and those Neighbouring Places where we see them break forth. The Inhabitants are said to have made an Experiment to find out the Subterraneous Passage of the Gorg; which was, the casting down some Saw-Dust at a Cleft of the Mountain, towards the Top, where they heard the noise of running Water; and those who were left to watch below, found the Dust come out at the Spring. They pretend to distinguish some of those Waters from others as to Goodness, tho' our Author, upon Tryal, found them all of the same weight. The People that live here, tho' in all other Respects very lively and healthy, become sooner Gray and Bald pated than elsewhere; and this they all attribute to their drinking these Waters. I must not here omit the giving you some Account of the Alpine Torrents, which do sometimes Incredible Damage in these Countries. These they call BACHEN, a Word agreeing with your Northern BECK; as their BRUNNEN [Springs] does with BOURN. The First he takes notice of, is the SPREITENBACH at the Lesser Aubrig; which often lays the Farms waste by its sudden Inundations. The River Nolla, says he, which springs at the Foot of Beuerin Mountain, was so called by the Ancients, quasi Nulla, but in our Days it enlarges daily its Bounds; and is so Rapid and Destructive, that it often ruins whole Fields, Houses, and Stables. It's easily distinguished in the Rhine from that River, by its Black Colour; which he attributes partly to the Swiftness of both Streams, but chiefly to the weight of the Nolla, by which it forces itself thro' the lighter Water of the Rhine. The Black Mud of the Nolla, which contains plenty of very small Cubical Pyrites, is the occasion of its Colour. At Flims he saw the Destruction wrought by a small Brook (a little before his coming) call'd, Der BLAUWE, which flowed with so much Violence from the abovementioned OBERALP Mountain, that breaking its Bank, and taking a new course, it almost ruin'd half the Town. The Houses were batter'd thro' by an Infinite number of Stones; Stables and Barns broken, and Rooms of dwelling Houses fill'd up with Mud, Earth and Gravel. Such a Flood they call ROFIN, whereof one had happen'd at this Place before, in the Year 1687, and another another in 1572, when several Houses, and part of the Church, were batter'd down. But the most surprising of all he mentions, is that at NIDER URN, which had almost destroy'd the whole Town. Of this, the Minister of the Place sent him the following Relation. "This Disaster happen'd (says he) on the 2d of August; which was a clear, calm Day. Towards the Evening the Sky seem'd to threaten Rain, but not so much to us as others; upon which I began to be concern'd for those of MOLLIS, and others of the higher Villages. There seem'd to be there and elsewhere a great Rain; tho' so tolerably clear with us, that we were rather in hopes 'twould soon be over, than apprehensive of Danger. But 'twas not long after, that our Sky was also cover'd with Black Clouds; and between the Hours of Six and Seven the Rain began to fall, not in Drops, but as if pour'd out of Pitchers; whence fearing, as well as others, some Mischief from our Brook, I began to run to a neighbouring Bridge; to assist at the removing it, but too late as well as others; for as soon as I got out of the House, I met the People in a great Consternation in the Grove adjoining, taking their Flight and forsaking their Houses and Streets for fear of the swelling River; making the best of their way to my House for their Security, and advising me either to flee quickly, or return. Whilst I was in this Surprise, and returning home, the Flood begins to dash the Walls of the House, tho' remote enough from the Channel of the River; and to beat so hard at our Heels, that I could scarce shut the Door. Looking out at a Window, nothing appear'd in View, but a Sky and Sea, a Lake I mean, brought suddenly over the whole Town, breaking down Mounds, carrying away Timber and whatever else it met with; breaking in many places the Doors of Houses and Cellars; driving before it all Bridges, and in some place throwing down Walls. Destroying several Fruit Trees by rooting them up, and spoiling much more. The Seats were found swimming in the Church; the Buildings near the first Effort of the Flood, a Tucking and Grinding Mill (but such as were not inhabited) so entirely destroy'd, that there was not the least Track of them remaining. Some Men carry'd the Feeble Women on their Shoulders to the higher Places; and many by avoiding one Danger fell into a worse; whilst leaving their Houses to flee elsewhere, they were oblig'd to climb Trees. The cause of so great and surprizing a Deluge, seems to have been a vast Storm." in the higher Grounds mixt with Hail, which fell in such a quantity on the Mountains of Niderurn, that there were Heaps of them as high as Houses; wherein whole Fir Trees, which the Waters had eradicated, swam upright; whence so immense a Quantity of Water collected in the Alps, after having ruin'd the Mountain Pastures, was born down with such Violence, rooting up Firs and other vast Trees, and rowling before it Gravel and Stones. By this means the Channel of the Brook, at the Foot of the Mountain, may be suppos'd to have been stop'd for some time; whence breaking forth afterwards with the greater force, and at unusual and deep Places, the fatal consequence here describ'd naturally ensu'd. The Helvetian and Grison Alps afford, it seems, no small number of Periodical Rivulets, such as our Lambourn in Berkshire describ'd by the Poet Sylvester and Mr. Hippifley*. These they call MEYBRUNNEN or May Springs; one of which he met with in his First Journey, from its White Colour, call'd, DER MILCHBACH; which flows out of a Mountain Lake, call'd, ALPELER SEELEN, only in the Months of June and July. Another he mentions at GRAFFENORTH, betwixt the Abbey of ENGELBERG, and the Town of WOLFENSCHIES, call'd from the extraordinary Coldness of the Water, DER KALTE BRUNN. This breaks out about the third May, and desists towards the middle of September. It was look'd upon as ominous, that in the Year 1700, it should continue to the Month of October. Another of the same sort, not far off, is call'd, DER DURBRUNNEN. In the Valley of VATTISTHAL he takes notice of two Brooks, call'd, GORBSBACH, one whereof is about two, and the other three Foot over, at their first appearance out of the Rocks; whence he concludes, there must be some vast Hydrophylacium, or Natural Cistern in the Bowels of the Mountain. These, tho' they are not so call'd, observe the same Course with the MEYBRUNNEN; and in the 2d Table he has given us a Draught of the Mountain, and the issuing forth of these Springs. But the most celebrated, and particularly remarkable, is that of the Valley of HASHTHAL in BERN. This Fountain observes a double Course or Period; one Annual, and the other Diurnal or Horary. It flows only three Months, viz. from the midst of May to the midst of August; * Plot's Nat. Hist. of Staffordshire, P. 57. Paragraph. 46. but not (as the rest of the METBRUNNEN) continually: For generally it flows only about Eight in the Morning and Four in the Afternoon. But its Course, for what has been hitherto observ'd, is very Irregular. Sometimes the Water breaks forth in an Evening, and continuing all Night, ceases in the Morning; at other times it resumes its Course in the Morning, and often recovers it at other times of the Day; very often it runs three or four Days together; and at other times for several Days no Water at all appears. He affirms the Water of their Alps in general to be exceeding light, insomuch, that tho' they are drunk plentifully, they do not in the least clog the Stomach, which is usually offended by other Waters; and this he Parallels with an Observation of Sir Robbert Sibbald's of the Water of Hoia in Orkney. Several of their Spring Waters when boil'd, turn of a whitish Colour, and precipitate a white Powder; as particularly that of the MEZGBRUNNEN at LACHEN, which is therefore thought impregnated with Alum. Having done with his Observations on the Rivers and Brooks, and Common Springs; what remains, are those he has on the Mineral and Medicinal Waters. On the highest Plain of Hacken, he met with a cold Sulphureous Spring, encompassed with a Wall, and covered with Tiles for the use of Travellers; who take large Draughts of the Water, without the least Inconveniency; tho' it has a black clayey Earth, of a strong Sulphureous Scent. Not far from the Springs of the River Ven, are the Waters of St Maurice, so much frequented by the Grisons, Switzers, Germans and Italians. He declines here (which is also his Laudable Method throughout the whole Book) the Transcribing what has been written by other Authors concerning these Waters; contenting himself with the Character Paracelsus gives them; and adding some few Observations of his own. Before all the Acidulæ I knew in Europe (says Paracelsus.) I must celebrate those I met with at St Maurice's in Engedin, which runs most Acid in the Month of August. Whoever drinks that Water as Medicinal, acquires Health; and never becomes Subject to the Stone, Gravel nor Gout: For it so strengthens the Stomach, that it enables it to dissolve Tartar and divers other Bodies, which taken in our Meat and Drink occasion Distempers. This Spring gushes out bubbling at the Foot of the Moun- * Theophr. Paracel. de Morbis Tartareis, c. 16. p.m. 323. tain in a corner of a Fenny Meadow, about a quarter of a mile out of the Village. The Well is half a yard over; and has a Building like a small Chappel for preserving it, and to keep it from a mixture with Rain. The Water has a strong Vitriolic Taste, and upon Tryal, he found it to be the heaviest of all he examin'd that whole Journey, viz. Zii. zvi. gr. 37 So that a Pound of it contains 5i. gr. xxvi. of Vitriolico-Saline and Chalybeat Particles. That they contain such Bodies appears not only from the Taste, but also from these following Experiments. Spirit of Sal Armoniac with Spirit of Wine a little alter'd it, and the same Spirit with Urine turn'd it of a whitish Colour. Also Oyl of Tartar per deliquium made it Milk white; and Powder of Guals turn'd it first carious, and then of a Blackish Red. So that these Waters must proceed from Vitriolico Chalybeat Veins, wherewith the adjoyning Mountains and Valleys abound. There are here and there, other Chalybeat Springs in the same Mountains, which leave a yellow Sediment, and have an Acid Taste, as particularly that on the North side of the Valley over against this St. Maurice's Well. The Waters of Andera, call'd Das Bath, n. 2. p. 29. [or, the Bath] is an Insipid Chalybeat, containing in a Pound weight 5i Grains of Heterogeneous Particles. It turns a little whitish with Spirit of Sal Armoniac prepar'd with Nitre; somewhat muddy with Spirit of Sal Armoniac cum S.V. Milk-white on Affusion of Oyl of Tartar, with a Sediment of the same Colour, and reddish with Powder of Galls. Not far from the said Andera is a very clear Water, which if drunk plentifully creates an Appetite. It's of the same weight with the above mention'd Chalybeat, and strongly impregnated with Iron Particles, to which he ascribes its Quality. But his largest and most particular Account is that of the Pep-11. 2. p. 18 per Bath [or PFEFFERS WASSER] which if it does not exceed all the Baths of Europe, may vie with the most celebrated of them. There has been an Account given of it in particular Traets, by Paracelsus, Mr. Kolweck Secretary to the Abbey of Pfeffers, Dr. Zimmerman, Augustinus Stocklin, Abis, and Schmutzlin; and occasionally by divers other Authors. They were discovered by a Falkoner accidentally, in the Year 1240. The Water breaks forth in a dreadful Place, scarce accessible to the sunbeams, or indeed to Men unless of the greatest Boldness, and such as are not in the least subject to Dizziness; so terrible is the narrowness of the way, and of the Bridge which is supported all not every where on Rocks', and so affrighting the swift Course and Noise of the Taminna dash'd against the Rocky Precipices underneath. The Aqueduct and Bridge are in length about 100 Paces. It is not one single Stream that breaks forth, but several, the chief whereof which is lock'd up, is so large that it suffices to turn a Mill. The side Springs, tho' the Water be of the same clearness and goodness, are not preserv'd for any use; but having got out thro' the Failures of the Rocks and clayey Earth, mix their Waters with the Rapid Taminna. These Baths have that singularity of all others, that they commonly break forth in the Month of May, and that with a sort of impetuousness with Beech-leaves, Crabs, or other Wood Fruit, their Course desisting at September or October; so that they may be reckon'd among the METBRUNNEN describ'd above; tho' it must be own'd they flow more plentifully some Years than others. In the Year 1704, the Author took a Journey to these Baths for the Recovery of his Health. His Distemper being certain Obstructions with no small pain in the Cutaneous and Glandulous part of the Head, especially at Full and New Moon, which he had been afflicted with for some Years; and which occasioned at last a violent Headach, which the Drinking of these Waters remov'd, tho' not the first Malady. Having on this occasion a great deal of leisure time at the Bath, he made it one main point of his Business to examine the Nature, Qualities and Effects of the Water; and after repeated Experiments, he professes himself of Opinion, for several Reasons moving him thereunto, that these Waters are not impregnated with any Minerals; or if they do contain any, that their Virtues in curing Distempers and preserving Health, do not proceed from them. 1. They are exceeding clear, destitute of Colour, Taste and Smell: For as for that seeming Sweetness, which some Drinkers think they perceive, 'tis nothing but what's common to all warm Water. 2. It is therefore accommodated to the Tast of all, because being perfectly insipid, it affects the Organs of all Men alike; that is, their Palates are not made sensible by any Figures of Sulphur, Salts, or other Minerals. 3. By Infusion of Various Liquors or Powders; of Aqua fortis, Tincture of Tornesol, Juice of Berberries, Syrup of Violets, Distillation of Vinegar, Spirit C. C. Spirit of Vitriol, &c. no change at all ensued; altho' each Infusion stood for the space of two Days. Upon pouring on a Solution of Mercury Sublimate, he perceived at first no change; but soon after there appeared on the Surface a small Film of the Beautiful Colour of a Peacock's Feather. Also Oyl of Tartar per deliquium caus'd no sudden Alteration, save only that some Hours after a small circular white Cloud subsided, the Liquor remaining diaphanous. In like manner Tartarum tartarizatum Ludovicici produced a certain Whiteness. As for the Red Colour it receiv'd from the Tincture of Red Roses it soon disappear'd, the Water recovering its clearness. These are but small Changes, and common enough in other Spring Waters, as well cold as hot. 4. By several repeated Experiments, he found it to be of the same Specifick Gravity with Rain Water, whence he supposes it destitute of heavier Bodies of what sort soever; or at least not so far impregnated with such, as the Effects might be attributed thereunto. He found this Water when warm, lighter than the cold by a Grain, in the Quantity of seven Drams, which he attributes to the rarify'd Air in the Pores. 5. No Flowers are here sublimated, no Cremor swimming on the Surface no Tophus adhering to the Walls or found in the Aqueduct, nor any Crocus precipitated. He infers hence, that this PEPPER BATH is more pure and refin'd than any other Waters, whether Fountain or Mineral. If together with this, their moderate Heat be consider'd, and the extraordinary refinedness of the Particles composing the Water, these Obvious Phanomena of their Healing and Preservatory Faculty may be, he presumes, without much difficulty explain'd; which Explanation, tho' new and curious, because somewhat long, I leave to your perusal in his own Words. As for the Use and Vertues of these Waters, he says, 'would require a particular Tract,' and therefore he only Transcribes the following brief Account of them out of Wagnerius. These most celebrated and wholesome Waters (says he) are an inexhaustible Treasure of Health, because by drinking them as well as bathing in them, they remove the Obstructions of the Brain and Nerves, afford great benefit to such as are troubled with the Falling Sickness, Apoplexy, Headach, Decay of Memory, Hearing or Sight; the Palpice, Cramp, Convulsion, Stiffness of the Limbs, Obstructions of the Liver, Spleen or Mesentery, or Hypochondriac Melancholy. They yield Relief to the Gouty, and to those who are afflicted with Tedious Agues, or with bruis'd or broken Limbs and Malignant Ulcers; with the Stone in the Reins or Kidney. They dry up Tetters, Cancers, Fi- fula's, sore Breasts, immoderate Flux of the Menstrua, &c. But let those who are afflicted with the Dropsie, Consumption, Heick Fever, Yellow Jaundice, Gonorrhea, Leprosy or Bloody Flux, as also ill-breeding Women, avoid the use of them. Of the same weight with this of the Pepper Bath, which, as is said above, is equal to that of Rain Water, he often found the Waters of other Alpine Springs, which he therefore esteems the more refinedly distill'd; and as such, they are not only drank, but even quaff'd off in large Quantities, by Strangers as well as Natives. II. Several of his Observations about METEORS, are no less remarkable than those on the Waters. The South side of the SÜRENEN ALPS, he tells us, are perpetually cover'd with Snow, and those Rocks of Perennial Ice of a pale blew Colour, call'd FIRN, which, as it seems from other Writers, as well as our Author, are no great Rarity in the Alps, tho' I could hear of no such thing in Scotland, and am sure there's nothing like it at Snowdon, and our other High Mountains of Wales. For this reason, the Natives call the Southern side of these Alps, DIE WINTERLICH SEITE [or Winter side;] and the Northern, DIE SOMMERLICH SEIT. Even the Valley of ENGELBERG, because guarded on all sides with such High Mountains, has always such a cold Air, that it has given occasion to the Proverb: The pleasant Weather of Engelberg; Winter thirteen Months, and all the rest of the year Summer: Which agrees with that of the Grisons in RHINWALD, who say, The Year with them has three Months of exceeding cold Weather, and nine Winter. He is of Opinion that cold Weather gains Ground. In this Decay'd Age of the World, says he, most of the Seasons of the Year grow colder; the Winter longer, the Summer shorter, the Wine pale and harsh. The Alpine People take notice, and he adds, that he can also confirm their Observation; that the Quantity of Snow on their Mountains increases annually; insomuch that in Places where in Man's Memory, the Snow that fell in Winter would all dissolve the Summer following, to the great support of Cattle and Com- Comfort of their Owners; 'tis now piled in great Heaps, such as never melt at all, but on the contrary are annually increased. Whilst they ascended the High Mountain, call'd SETMER BERG, which is part of the Julian Alps, on the 21st of August; they were fatigued with the severe Rain and Sleet that fell, attended with a cold Northernly Wind. This Rain lasted all Night in the Valley, tho' the adjoining Mountains were almost half covered with Snow; and to Snow on Mountains whilst it rains in their Valleys, is but what often happens in our Mountains of Wales, and doubtless in the North as well in England as Scotland. At Selva piana he takes notice of their Fountains being covered with a very thick Ice on the 24th of August. On the WALLENSTATTER SEE, or Lacus Rivarius, in calm and fair Weather they have Periodical Winds; which the Watermen make good use of, as they sail from Wesen to Wahlenbad, as also in their return. Early in the Morning before Sun-rising, an East Wind begins, and blows in the calm Summer Weather (whence its common Name of Hay-weather Wind) till about Ten. From Ten to Twelve the Wind ceases, and the Air is calm. After Twelve a West Wind begins, and continues till the Evening; and after Sun-set the Eastern (which is then call'd DER OBERWIND) resumes its Turn. The Northern Wind, no very welcome Guest to the Sailors, sometimes interrupts these Regular Gales. A Reflection on the situation of this Lake, will give us a clear Account of the Phenomenon. The Lake of WALLENSTATT is extended, from East to West, in a free open Air; and that Air soon admits of the Rays of the Eastern Sun; as 'tis influence'd also by the Western till the late Evening. But on the North and South sides of the Lake, there are exceeding High Mountains, which occasion that the Waves being dash'd against the Rocks, are forced back; whence that boisterous Roughness, which so often threatens the Sailors. Hence 'tis easy to conclude, that the Atmosphere being rarify'd, or at least in some degree expanded by the Rising Sun, cannot diffuse itself to all Quarters alike; and so not being able to make an equal Distribution of its Air, nor altogether to get rid of it, being imprison'd betwixt the High Ridges of GLARIS, ZUG, and SARGANS, 'tis forced to take its Course Westward. And whereas it desists at Ten in the Morning, 'tis because the Sun begins then to culminate the Meridian of the Lake, and to affect the whole Atmosphere impending thereon: But from Twelve to Five or Six in the Evening, that part of the Atmosphere which pertains to WESSEN is the more expanded, and so driven to WALLENSTAD directly in the same manner as the Course of the Eastern Wind has been explain'd. And as for the return of the Eastern Wind at Seven or somewhat later in the Evening, he thence infers, that the Portion of the Air which was expanded by the Heat of the Sun, and driven towards WALLENSTAD, is by that time returned to its narrow space, and forced, as 'twere by its weight, towards WESSEN. This Account Dr. Scheuchzer gives of the Wind, puts me in mind of his Observation on the Air of this Mountainous Tract. From repeated Observations (says he) on the Height of the Mercury in the Barometer, I gather that the Elasticity of the Air is much greater in these Alpine Countries, than with us at ZURICH, which I attribute to its greater Purity; the Explanation whereof I had rather hear from others of better Judgment and Experience, than pretend to it myself, by obtruding my own Conjecture. I must not here omit those Observations, he tells us, the Alpine People make, concerning the Signs of Fair Weather. Those of ENGELBERG expect Rain, when they see the Top of STAL-LICSTOCK cover'd with Clouds; or when they see grey Clouds appear Northward at the Entry of the Valley. In other Places of the Alps, an extraordinary Noise and Murmuring of the Torrents is a Token of Rain. At Filisur among the Grisons they have a Proverb of the Weather, which I Transcribe, because the only Words I have seen in that Ancient Dialect of the Italians. Curach' il pitz da Stiervi fo chiapi; Schi lascha der la fotsch, & piglia il rafti: WHEN STERWISKNOLL A CAP DOTH MAKE; AWAY WITH SYTHE, AND FETCH THE RAKE. So at Novena near the Fountain of the Rhine, a Cloud, great or small, on Cucarnil Mountain presages Showers of Rain that Evening or next Morning. At SIL in the UPPER ENGADIN is a Lake about a Mile in length, and half a Mile broad, on which whenever there are Clouds, 'tis an Infallible Sign of Rain; but he quotes quotes F. Leopoldus Cysar for an Observation (if his Proverb be not an Ironical one) contradictory to these Presages; which is, that Mons Pilati at Lucern betokens Fair Weather when it puts on its Hood. The Proverb shews so much the Identity of the High Dutch and Ancient English, that it needs no Translation: WANN DER PILATUS HAT EIN HUT, SO IST DAS WETTER FEIN UND GUT. The Rupture with a thundering Noise of the Alpine Ice, and the Descending of the Chamoises, or Alpine Goats, into the lower Mountains, are also look'd upon as Forerunners of Storms. The PASCHOLER SEE presages Rain by its rumbling noise; and a small Lake, call'd Calandari, is whirl'd about, and swells before an approaching Storm; and roars so loud, as to be heard in the Opposite Mountains and Valleys, to the distance of six Hours; of which Phenomenon he gives us the Solution of Cardan and Morhofius, and lastly offers his own Thoughts. In Fair Weather, he tells us, that there's almost continually a White Cloud hovering about an Erect Pillar, call'd DER SENNEN STEIN, near KUNKELS. These fort of White Clouds the Mountaineers call TROCKEN and HEUWETTER, NEBEL; affirming, that such Clouds (from the Appearance whereof they foretel Fair Weather) arise constantly from the Earth; which he afterwards found true himself, in the Ascent of Speluga and divers other Mountains. The Pillar above mentioned, he says, is not (as those of Stonehenge, and divers other Places throughout Britain and Ireland) erected by Mens Hands, but Natural; tho the height of Thirty Foot. This one would think scarce reconcilable with an Opinion he is said to maintain, of an Atomical Dissolution of all Things the Terrestrial Globe consisted of at the Deluge; for if so, we are left to seek, what Mould such a Pillar should be cast in, and thus supported like an Erect Statue, ten Yards above Ground. But the truth is, he has no where hitherto, that I know of, profess'd publicly that Opinion, which has been long since sufficiently exploded in the Ingenious Examination of it. For in his Epistle before the Translation of Dr. Woodward's Essay, † Viz. Hay-weather Clouds. he only tells him, that his Book had convinced him, the Fossil Shells, &c. were of Marine Origin; which amounts to no more than what I had publish'd in the Philosophical Transactions two Years before that Essay appear'd *, tho' I since humbly propos'd to Mr. Ray's Examination, the Hypothesis you find at the end of the Lithophylacij Britannici Ichnographia; which had not he and other Friends thought useful, on Account (whatever may be said of it self) of the Observations attending it, I should not have been in the least fond of Publishing. III. The MOUNTAINS he takes notice of, as most remarkable for their Height, are about an hundred; the Height of a great many whereof he calculates by the Barometer; as particularly that of the Broken Mountain or Mons Pilatus, one of the Tops of Speluga, Mons Julius above Bevio [or Stabulum bivium] and divers others; tho' according to his wonted Candour, he owns that Method liable to a great many Objections. Some of the Helvetian Mountains, most celebrated for Height, are TITLISBERG, commonly reputed the highest in all Swisserland, the height whereof he computes to be 358 Perches; SPITZMEIL, an exceeding High Mountain in Glaris; RAMBERG or BANBERG, to the Top of which, call'd ECK and SURENENECK, are five Hours almost continual Ascent; whereof above one Hour was thro' Snow, tho' in the Month of August. Amongst the Grisons he takes notice of Tcherler Alp, auf Ammon, Tertsnerberg, Molserberg, Segnes Zuor & Zout [i.e. Upper and Lower,] call'd by the Swiss Flimsferberg, St. Joannesberg, Heinzenberg, Beverin, Buntz, Caland, Calucifsen, Den Julien, Mortshen, Munton, Maloya, Monte di Set, &c. The Names of these Hills are, as we may guess by some Notes of the Author, so Ancient and Obscure, for the most part of them, as not to be Intelligible to the present Inhabitants. The Word BERG, which is the Termination of so many of them, and which might be added to all, is well known to signify Mountain; and we find Alp [Plur. Alpen] to have been anciently another Appellative for any Mountain of extraordinary Height; whence Obhagalp, Hermisalp, Ochsenalp, Alplein; Firnalpen, Gersteinalpen, Schwenalpen, &c. The latter of these two Words Servius tells us, is * Epistola ad D. Christophorum Hemmer M.D. Hafniensem. Act. Phil. Lond. N. 200. Celtic, as the other is Teutonic. 'Tis doubtless from this known signification of the Word in that Country, that our Author takes the Liberty of using it occasionally in the Singular Number. WANDT, whence DIE WAND, DIE GLATTESWAND, DIE STAFFEL WAND, &c. signifies properly a Wall; and is commonly used, as we find by Rabman's Verses on the Chamoise ii. 3, p. 10. Hunters, for any smooth perpendicular Rock. GRADT and ECK, whatever they may here signify, are also no unusual Terminations in the Names of their Mountains. As Niesbeck, Storee, Sandeck, Scheideck, Rosebeck; Selengradt, Planengradt, Kigenthalergradt, &c. Bamberg he supposes so call'd quas ANBIRG, because of the Penalty inflicted on any one that cuts a Tree thereon, least by the Fall of Stones, &c. Houses should be destroy'd, and Men and Cattle kill'd or wounded. Ban or Bean in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, we call any Hill of extraordinary Height; and peradventure the word here had no other Origin; as their River Taminna, which comes from the Pepper-Bath, is perhaps no other than our Trymyn warm, which is also the Name of a River in Montgomeryshire. Those that have STOCK added to their Names, as GITSCHI STOCK, ALPEN STOCK, OCHSEN STOCK, &c. either still are, or have been heretofore Woody; and the same may be said of WALD (whence UNTERWALD, BAR-NEWALD, &c.) which the Gauls seem to have pronounced Gaar, seeing that in some Parts of South Wales, they still use the word in that Sense. As to the Alteration these Mountains have undergone; that they are made more steep one Age after another, is manifest from the Account of the Inundations of the Alpine Torrents. That most Learned and Indefatigable Naturalist Conradus Gesnerus has long since given us a Particular Description of the Broken Mountain; and I daily expect to see some Additional Observations thereon, in the Ingenious Dr. Langius of Lucern's History of the Figured Fossils of Switzerland and the Countries adjoyning. On the 25th of August in the Year 1618, a considerable part of a Mountain, call'd Conto among the Grisons, a small Rock on the side of it being undermined by Water, fell down on the Town of Piurs, a very Rich and Populous Place; which together with an Inundation of the Maira at the same time, so entirely destroy'd it, that there remain'd not so much as the least sign of there having ever been a Town, excepting one Palace, belonging to the Family of Weremar, still extant; which tho' a stately Fabrick, was yet but a Summer-house to a Pallace they had therein. Casaccia another Town seated at the Bottom of two Mountains above mentioned, Maloya and Septmer, was half buried in the Ruins of one of them in the Year 1673; an immense quantity of Blue Clay being born down by a great Storm of Rain in July, which had been set at Liberty before, by the melting of the Snow in April. The steepest Hill he ascended, and that which gave him more fatigue than all the rest, was FLIMSERBERG, or (as the Grisons call it) Mount Segnis; but the most dangerous way was the WAND ZUR WAND, almost at the Bottom of TSCHINGEL Mountain. This Passage wants not for Length and Tedioufness; but is moreover so exceeding narrow, that in some Places 'tis scarce three Inches over; and the Rock under it, in many Places bare and almost as steep as a Wall, of the Depth of some Hundreds of Feet. Above it is another continued Wall of Rock; insomuch that the Security of the Passengers, must depend chiefly on their fastning on the Bushes or Trees growing out of the Chinks or Fissures of the Rock above them. Such as are in the least subject to Dizziness are, to avoid such danger, conducted a great way about. As to the Caves of these Mountains, it should seem they either are not very numerous, or else so common that he scarce thought them worth the mentioning, as affording little or nothing remarkable. These they only call LOCH'S [or Holes] whereof those he mentions are GEISSLOCH and BRUDERLOCH, with the SILBERLOCH and GOLDTLOCH on the steep Mountain of Diathelm; and which is most worth notice, St. MARTIN'S LOCH, or rather (as some probably conjecture) MATTHIS-LOCH on the Top of FLIMSERBERG, through which the Inhabitants of the Town of ELM see the Sun yearly on St. Matthew's Day, as through an Optick Tube; concerning which he refers us to Wagner's Hist. Nat. Curiosa Helvetiae*. He mentions an Aeolian Cave at BLATTISBERG near WESEN; but the most remarkable in that kind are those at Kiavenna, or (as the Germans call it) CLEFFEN, amongst which the Inhabitants build those pleasant Cellars, call'd Grotti; where in the Summer Time, on account of the continual motion of the Air, the Wine is so exceeding cold, * Wag., H.N. Helv. p. 237. that it cannot be drunk in them, but by those of a hardy Constitution, without some hazard of Health. Nor is it safe for Men to continue long in any of them. If a Paper be stuck up in one of these Grotto's; 'tis always bandied to and again with the Wind. They are remarkably warm in the Winter; but in the Dog Days so excessive cold, that in some of them one is scarce able to continue half an Hour. It's no small Labour in the building these Grotto's, to find out the Spiracula, or Vent-ho'es, whereof there are either one, or two, or three, and seldom more in each Cellar. The most cold are those which have their Vent from above. They who enter them Sweating, sometimes catch Agues, or else some other Fever. On account of the Vapours being collected into Drops, the Locks, and any other Irons of the Doors, become Wet on the change of Fair Weather to Rainy. The Liquor included in a Thermometer descended in these Cellars remarkably; and in the Barometer, the Mercury ascended a Scruple and a half. IV. Having some Years since Publish'd his Specimen Lithographiae Helveticae, and perhaps designing a Lithography, his Observations on Figur'd Fossils are not so numerous as we should otherwise have wish'd; which defect he makes amends for, by taking notice of all the other MINERALS that anywhere occur'd; which tho' I've reduced to a Catalogue, I omit sending you at present, as not having time to Transcribe it. The Strata of Fossils he tells us, in their Mountains, are not Horizontal, but generally inclining towards the South. He takes notice that the Mines at the SCHAMS, and elsewhere among the Grisons (the Iron-works excepted) are rarely found in continued Veins; but that the Oar lies scatter'd in Lumps at uncertain Distances; nor are they here, as in the Rich Mine Countries of Hungary and Saxony, found in the deep Bowels of the Mountains, but near the Surface of them; a Particular Instance whereof he gives us of the Mines near ANDER, where the Oar next the Surface is well known to be considerably richer, than that which lies thirteen Fathom deep. He also affirms, that the Grounds where these Oars are, in this Alpine Countrey, are exceeding fertile; whereas in Saxony and Hungary such places are generally barren; the Grass being shrivell'd up by the Exhalations of their Rich Mines, which the Alps do not seem to abound with; and where those they have, the Layers are of exceeding thick Stone, which suppress those Noxious Steams. V. His Observations on PLANTS being very numerous and Curious; and on such as are for the most part unknown to me; I can say little or nothing to them. His Gramen montanum spicata foliacea graminea Raij, which I have often seen at Snowdon and our other High Mountains, is well represented in his IVth Table f. 2. as is also his Saxifraga Alpina ericoides flave caruleo Tourn. whereof they have great Plenty at the Van above Brecknock, as well as at Snowdon and Ingleburrough. The Moss-figur'd Iter. I. Tab. VI. fig 2. which he entitles a Variety of Mr. Ray's Muscus terrestre repens clavis singularibus cretis foliatis, seems referable rather to the Muscus abietiformis; and indeed from the Figure, I should take it for no other than our common Fir-Moss; as I should the 1st Figure of the same Table for our Muscus terrestre Polypermos; because the Fangs by which it creeps, and which would sufficiently have distinguished it, are not express'd. I find our High Mountains of Wales and Ireland afford several Plants not yet discover'd in these Alps; and perhaps those of the Highlands, none of which, tho' they are numerous, have been yet search'd, may afford some others; or at least some Alpine Plants not yet discovered to be Natives of Britain. But on the other hand, the Alps afford much more Variety than we can pretend to. By the Mountains he mentions as abounding with Plants, and his Account of the height of them, I find that their Highest Mountains, as well as ours, afford the greatest Variety of these Alpine Plants. You have found, Sir, by Experience, that the Mountains of Nanxoid and Nan Berys in Carnarvonshire, afford more sorts of Alpine Plants, than have been as yet discover'd on all the other Mountains of the Isle of Britain; and that amongst the Rocks of those Mountains, Klogwyn Karned i Uysva, which being under the Peak of Snowdon, is the very Highest of them, has the most Variety; and indeed where such High Mountains want naked Rocks, the Alpine Plants they afford, are but few; as I have experienced by Pym Lynon, Kader Veruyn, and the Mountains of Brecknock. Thole he most takes notice of in Switzerland for Rare Plants, are the ECKER, SURENENNECK, TITLISBERG, IOCH [or the Toke] ENGELBERG, OCHSENSTOCK, and WALDNACHT; and among the Grisons, Spelvca, Monte de Set, Monte de Soglio, Segnes, and and Malogia; not but that the other Mountains he names, may have probably the same Plants; but amongst those he search'd, these afforded the best Satisfaction. The Alps, he tells us, above a certain Height, produce no Trees; and it should seem that even in their Fertile Valleys, some sorts do not grow so high, as they do elsewhere, seeing he looks upon it as a Thing very Extraordinary, that a Hawthorn on the Bank of the Rhine near ROTHENBRUN, should arrive at the height of almost Ten Foot. On Guntzen Mountain above Sargans, the Beech Wood is observed to be harder and heavier than elsewhere; and much more wreathed and knotty. The Inhabitants attribute this Hardness, &c. of the Wood, to the influence the Steams of the Iron and Steel Oars of that Mountain, may have on the Trees: Which reason (says he) we need not too hastily reject; when we have consider'd that Wood by steeping it in Chalybeat Waters, is render'd so hard as in a great measure to resist Iron. Another Observation he has on Timber, is that the Deal of the Red Fir, which grows on the highest Forests of GLARIS, and is therefore call'd HOCHWALDER HOLZ, or Upwood Timber, is lighter and more porous, and so fitter for Cabinet Works and Musical Instruments, than any other. The Circles, or (as they are commonly call'd) Years, are closer; so that those Trees of GLARIS are of a less Diameter than such as grow at ZURICH, tho' of the same standing. VI. As to ANIMALS, his Industrious and Deservedly Famous Predecessor Gesner, having left him little to say; and his method being to pass by (as I have before observ'd) whatever has been well perform'd by others; we had but little to expect here, besides the following Account he gives of the Chamoises, or as the Grisons call them Chiamutsch. About the Pepper-Bath, says he, The High Mountains of Galand, the Gray Horns, and several other Alps abound with Herds of the Chamoises; some Account of which I must not omit on this occasion, which has so often afforded plenty of their Venison. Amongst other Notes which Gesner has of these Animals*; One is, That they meet often about certain Sandy Rocks, * Lib. i. p. 331. and thence lick off Sand, as Tame Cattle do Salt, in order to cleanse their Tongues and provoke Appetite. The Alpine SWIZZERS call such Places SULZEN, as if Salt; and its usual for the Huntsmen to lodge themselves in some Private Shelters near them, that so they may be ready with their Guns, whenever they come to lick. Alfo Wagner in his Natural History of Switzerland, mentions Rocks impregnated with Nitre, resorting unto by the Chamoises. Such Places, says our Author, are not uncommon in the Alps; so worn for many Ages by the Tongues of Beasts, that even the Rocks are made hollow. The Grisons call it GLACK, and those of Glaris and the other Swizzers, LACKINEN, and SULTZ LACKINEN. But such Stones are not, or at least but very few of them, impregnated with any Salt; but somewhat Gritty and Friable, insomuch that they can easily lick off Sand from them. But whether they do this to excite the Appetite, or to rid their Tongues of Slime, or else to promote Digestion, is what he will not undertake to determine; but affirms it is certain, that when they cannot come at such Places, they'll take up with any Earth or Sand that comes in their way; as will also sometimes the Cows and Goats. "When they are hunted, says Gesner, they constantly ascend, till they get into such high Steep Rocks, as are Inaccessible to the Dogs; where Dr. Scheuchzer takes notice, that in these Days, they use no Dogs in the Hunting them: And whereas Gesner says, that when taken, they may be tamed; he says, he could not mean those that were full grown, but their Young ones; which, if only a few Days or Weeks old, are easily caught, because they cannot follow the Herd. If older, their Method is, when a Huntsman shoots one of the Old ones suckling her Young, he lies down on the Ground, and holding her up as well as he can on the four Feet, the Young one coming to Suck, is snatch'd up and carried home bound; and even sometimes the Slaughter'd Goat on the Huntsman's Back, is enough to allure the Kid to follow him down to his House. These Kids (or rather as some others would call them Fauns*) being brought home, are fed with the Milk of Domestic Goats, whereby they become so tame, that they afterwards * Raij Swopf. Meth. Quadrup. & Serp. p. 78. Quod ad formam corporis hoc animal ad cervinam nobis accedere visum est. herd with them in the Alpine Pastures, and also return to the Cots at their Dairy Houses: Tho' sometimes they forsake the Lower Pastures, and betake themselves to the Highest Rocks, as Places more agreeable to their Nature. They generally wander about the Alps in Herds; but not without some Order. They have a Leader, whom the Huntsmen call the Vor-Geis or Fore-Goat; which standing on some remarkable Eminence, listens diligently with erect Ears, whilst the rest are feeding, looking about on all sides at the least noise: And if it hears or sees any thing, it alarms all the rest with a kind of Whistle; all which, after twice or thrice cropping whatever they feed upon, lift up their Heads, and take their Flight to some other Place. And thus they never live secure, excepting in the inaccessible Rocks, in the Winter Time, or at Night. They are no less careful in preserving the Lives of their Kids than their own; and therefore defend them with all possible Diligence from the Vultures; which when very Young and Tender, are apt to snatch them in their Claws, and when somewhat Older, by beating them with their Wings on the Shells of the Rocks, to force them down Precipices, that they may afterwards Prey on them. They also take especial care, not to bring them to any dangerous Rocks, till they have had some Experience in Climbing and Leaping. In the Winter they lodge themselves under such Parts of the Rocks as are hollow or shelving about the midst of the Mountains, which secures them from the danger of being involv'd in those vast Heaps of Snow, that so frequently slide down the Alpine Rocks; during which time their Food is either the Roots of Herbs, the Sprigs of Trees and Shrubs, or Green Herbs which the Snow had cover'd. The other part of the Year, they feed in Sunny Places; but before Sun-rising, and after Sun-set, they either lie in the Snow, or under the Shadows of the Rocks. They who hunt these Beasts have a very laborious as well as dangerous Task. The high and steep Ridges of the Alps must be climb'd, thro' Horrid Rocks and Cliffs, to other Men inaccessible, and over Perennial Ice and Frozen Snow; for which reason they walk with Iron Instruments fasten'd with Tongs to the Soles of their Shoes. It happens that sometimes standing on a narrow Shelf of Rock, having scarce half the breadth of their Feet to support them, they drive a Chamoise to that Pass, that it has no other way but that most narrow Passage to escape. In such an Accident, either the Beast is shot by the Huntsman, or else it endeavours to make its its Escape by him; in which case the best Course he can take, is so to close up his Body to the Rock, that there be no Intermediate Space; so that then the Beast returning on the outside, the Huntsman is safe himself, and most commonly forces the Chamois down the Precipice. But if it should perceive the least vacant space, betwixt the Man and the Rock, it endeavours to enter it with such force, that the Man is thrown down Headlong. To such necessity are these Men sometimes driven, that in order to save their Lives by Leaping, they are obliged to take off their Shoes and slash their Heels with a Knife, that their Feet being Bloody, may be the more Clammy, and so not so apt to slide. It's remarkable, that when these Goats are thus pursued, they will rather stand still and expose themselves to be shot by the Huntsman, than enter a FIRN, or Rock, as it may be call'd, of Perennial Ice, especially those of a Blue Colour, unless they should be cover'd with Snow; by which means a Grifon, not long since, shot three of them in the space of one Hour. These Huntsmen expect the best Success when the Wind is in their Faces; for if it be with them they smell the Powder, and even Men, tho' they should not have any about them, at a very great distance, which immediately sets them a running. And indeed were it not a thing well known, that they excel in the Sense of Smelling, the Largeness of their Olfactory Nerves would be a sufficient Indication of it. As for that sort of Topho or Ball found in the Stomachs of these Animals, those that live on the Galand seldom or never have any of them; which the Mountaineers attribute to the Barrenness of those Rocks. However that the Chamois of one Mountain are much more apt to have them, than those of another, is what all the Alpine Huntsmen agree in; and it's well known, that in the Northern Mountains of RHINWALD they never have any; whereas those of the Southern, after they are three Months old, seldom or never want them. In the Year 1699, it happen'd that one of these Goats quitting its own Kind and Native Soil, which is always the Highest Alpine Rocks, descended to the Lower Pastures in the Valley of ENGELBERG, and there herded among the Cows and Horses, nor would by any means be driven away. A Neighbouring Chamois Hunter, surprized to hear a thing so unusual, gets his Gun and does that without any Trouble, which at other Times had cost him a great deal of Fatigue. A Curious Gentleman, being desirous desirous to learn the Cause of a Thing so unnatural, dissects it, and finds the Dura mensinx cover'd with an Hydatis full of Serum and small Sand; whence it appear'd, that this Chamoise had the Vertigo or Giddiness, seeing that such an Hydatis is well known in all Countries, to be the Cause of it in Cows and Sheep. When the Cows are troubled with it in the Alps, the Effect it often has, is that they turn themselves about continually, making at any place where they hear the noise of Water, until they come to the Bank of that Brook or River, where neglecting their Food, they stand stock still, as if delighted with the sound. Thus, Sir, I have given you some small Account of that Part of the Author's Observations, that regards Natural Philosophy, properly so call'd; all which (together with the other Part of the Work) is illustrated with about 40 Copper Plates. As to those he has on the Customs and Industry of the People; on the Diligence of the Grisons in repairing the Alpine Roads; on some late Improvements in Agriculture and Gardening, and the Antiquities he takes occasion to mention, I leave them to your Perusal in his own Words; adding only, that to me he seems a Person of no less Candour than Learning, and that I doubt not, but making Allowance for the Interrupted Transitions, unavoidable in a Diary of such Variety of Subjects, you'll find the Perusal of the remaining Part of the Work, agreeable. At least I must acknowledge the whole appear'd so to, Oxford, April 3d. 1708. Honoured SIR, Your most Humble Servant, E. Lhuyd. London, Printed for Henry Clements at the Half-Moon in St. Paul's Church yard. MDCCVIII.