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364 TRAVELS’OF EHRENMALMy
can fcarcely be faced. The Alps are croffed; but it is to pafs into the beautiful and
delightful country of Italy. The north defends itfelf by the ‘horror-of its profpeét, and
its climate; but mountains of greater height than thofe of the pole, have never ar-
refted the progrels of the conquerors, who, for thefe ten centuries, have difputed the
richeft country of Europe. Germany, France, and Spain, have ravaged by turns
this fame Italy, which is now the prey of thofe nations, of which it was formerly the
milftreis.
It will no doubt appear furprifing, that mountains may be feen which are more than
forty leagues removed, and that confequently objeéts may be difcovered at a greater
diftance on land than at fea. But it muft be oblerved, that this diftance does not lie
in a direct line, and that we reckon on the length of the path, which, defcending from
the fummit of the mountains into deep vallies, by finuofities and inflections, renders it
of much greater length than it appears to the fight. Befides the place from which the
eye embraces fo vaft an horizon, is confiderably above the level of the fea. The dif-
tance is very great from Hernofand, which is on the fhore of the gulf of Bothnia, to
the mountain of Kittfchevari. We proceed from the one to the other, afcending the
courfe of the Anghermanna by cafcades, always increafing in height from S.to N.
Thus the foot of the mountain of Rod-fiall muft be half a league higher than Herno-
fand. It occupies more than an hour to afcend fromthe foot of Kittf{chevari to its
fummit. From the foot of that of Rod-fiall, there are three mountains equally high
to afcend. Now, if from the height of a maft which is only fixty feet, we can fee to a
much greater diftance in the fea than from the deck of a veflel ; from the fummit of the
mountain of Kittfchevari, or Rod-fiall, we fhould fee the fummit of another mountain
which is at the diftance of twenty miles. }
Arrived at the mountain of Swans which conftitutes part of that of Kittfchevari, we
pitched our tent, neara hut of Laplanders. ‘The northern: path had a much greater
quantity of fnow than the fouthern, and it thence extended a mile farther. Befides
the mountains, we faw between the lakes, in the environs of Kittfchevari and Mars-fiall,.
hills overfpread with pines.
Thefe hills and mountains form no chains. They are all feparated, as.if they had
arifen from as many different lakes, which had undermined their fhores, and flowed out
on all fides. On the hills we meet with many {prings, and in the vallies with {mall lakes,
or large marfhes, from which iffue rivulets of confiderable fize, which difcharge theme.
felves into the inferior lakes. It would appear that in thefe countries, the mountains
are the work of the fnow, which, tarrying for a length of time, and melting flowly,.
dig, tear up, and overthrow the furface of the earth where they have not a free and
quick paflage. In more fouthern countries, the rivers carry along to the fea all the
waters which fall either in rain or fnow. In the north, the blocks of ice break the,
earth and rocks, where the {now undermines in the end the land which it covers.
Between the gaps of the rocks, there is always {now, which the Afehlefe call Groubbar,
and which no doubt produces the f{prings that are met with at the fummit. The fhow
fallen in winter melts in the {pring, and, filtering between the fand and {tones, pierces
and flows in rivulets through the clefts of the rocks: fo many principles of ruin which
concur to the formation of thefe ifolated mountains.
Ihave found on the higheft fome handfuls of black earth, colleéted here and there
between the flints. I confefs that I do not fee any reafon for this phenomenon, unlefs
the {now contain this earth, and leave it on the furface in filtering through the fands.
‘This conje€ture will not appear ftrange to thofe who believe that rain water may even
be converted into earth. =
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