“Du haut de cette cime, elevee de 1396 toises au-dessus de la mer, on a une vue tres entendue.  Au nord et au nord-ouest les vallees de Mont Joie, de Passy, de Sallanches; au couchant la haut cime calcaire dont j’ai parle, Sec. 759; au sud les montagnes qui s’etendent depuis le Chapiu jusqu’au Col de la Seigne; a l’est, ce meme Col que l’on domine beaucoup.  Sur la droite de ce col, on voit du cote de l’Italie la chaine du Cramont, et plusieurs autres chaines qui lui sont paralleles, tourner tous leurs escarpemens contre la chaine centrale, de meme qu’on voit du cote de la Savoye, les chaines du Reposoir, de Passy, de Servoz, tourner en sens contraire leurs escarpemens contre cette meme chaine.  Car c’est-la une des vues tres etendues sur les deux cotes opposes des Alpes; puisque l’on decouvre d’ici les montagnes de Courmayeur et de l’Allee Blanche, qui sont du cote meridional de la chaine, et celles du Faucigny et de la Tarentaise, qui sont du cote septentrional.  Or les sites d’ou l’on jouit tout a-la-fois de ces deux aspects sont tres rares; parce que les hautes cimes de la chaine centrale sont presque toutes inaccessibles, et les cols par lesquels on la traverse sont presque tous tortueux, etroite, et ne presentent pour la plupart que de vues tres bornees.”

We have here two facts extremely important with regard to the present theory.  The one of these respects the original formation of those alpine strata; the other the elevation of those strata from the bottom of the sea, and particularly the erection of those bodies, which had been formed horizontal, to their present state, which is that of being extremely inclined.  It is to this last, that I would now particularly call the attention of my readers.

It is rarely that such an observation as this is to be met with.  Perhaps it is rarely that this great fact occurs in nature, that is, so as to be a thing perceptible; it is still more rare that a person capable of making the observation has had the opportunity of perceiving it; and it is fortunate for the present theory, that our author, without prejudice or the bias of system, had been led, in the accuracy of a general examination, to make an observation which, I believe, will hardly correspond with any other theory but the present.

If strata are to be erected from the horizontal towards the vertical position, a subterraneous power must be placed under those strata; and this operation must affect those consolidated bodies with a certain degree of regularity, which however, from many interfering circumstances, may be seldom the object of our observation.  If indeed we are to confine this subterraneous operation to a little spot, the effect may be very distinctly perceived in one view; such are those strata elevated like the roof of a house, which M. de Saussure has also described.  But when the operation of this cause is to be extended to a great country, as that of the Alps, it is not easy to comprehend, as it were,