The calcareetts portion contains numbers of natural caverns, incrustated with sta lactites, and some veins of metal, which are neither large nor extensive, but cross the compact limestone in the under strat um,being invariably inserted in the fissures next to the adjoining inferior slate and its metallic veins, to which they appear to belong, and the cracks of the solid lime stone, into which volcanic matter has been forced, sometimes contain metals. Generally, no ore or veins are discovera ble in the highest stratum of the calca reous mountains which are lamellated and shiver. The ancient silver mines in Mon te di S. Catharina, in Tretto, pass through the undermost compact limestone ; and in Monte di Trisa, Monte Narro, Monte di Castello di Pieve, and several others to the west, are veins and old mines of sil ver, copper-ore, and lead, with pyrites, manganese, and bland, which extend through limestone. In Monte Sivelina is hard limestone, without visible stratum, petrifactions, a lead vein, coarse tessilated lime-spar, manganese, and amethysts.
The last division, " montes tertiarios," or lower hills, were in some degree pro duced by the decay of the higher, and accumulations of sand and clay : those have regular strata, and various petrifac tions, and particularly nummularios and lenticularios. They have suffered great derangement from volcanic causes, which is demonstrated by the discovery of large fragments of limestones, petrifactions, and other substances, inclosed by the la va, and raised'by its flowing upward, and they have often been covered by the de scent of ashes. Some arc considered as posterior to the eruptions, and rest on their productions ; when those are found to contain pieces of lava, or pumice stone, it is conjectured that they have been in troduced by the passage of water. Se veral of these hills in the Vicentine, Veronese, and other districts of the Ve netian territories, contain strata of coal, which inclose some petrifactions, particu larly a fish found at Monte Viale, in the first mentioned district. Very little ore has been discovered ; and Ferber, to whom we are indebted for those obser vations, was at a loss, whether to class ':ertain sandy and argillaceous bills in the Valle di Signori with those under consi deration, as the latter contain coals, plas ter, alabaster, sulphureous pyrites, with some lead, copper, and iron ore.
Many of the hills in the Vicentine and Veronese districts furnish numerous and beautiful petrifactions : of these the Mon tes Berici, near Vicenza, are most re markable. Creazzo, three miles from Vicenza, contains the inner nuclei or im pressions of Chamites, almost perfect pec tinites, the ,arcs Nox, the chitos Lionel, and some scarce glossopetras, and the sand abounds with fragments of madrepores, small nautilites, and uncommon teeth of fish. I. Colli di Montecchio e Castel
Gomberto is full of petrifactions, and the lowest explored stratum of Brendola, ten miles from Vicenza, is a blue clay, in terspersed with surprising quantities of marine bodies, and is covered by num. bers of limestone beds, dipping towards the sea, including a great variety of sea shells, but unlike those contained in the clay. The west side of the hill is cover ed with lava, generally striated, and form ed like sherl. The fissure in the lava, called le *pease, has a rivulet in the bottom, which flows over ground, containing an astonishing quantity of madrepores, fun gites, and exotic shells, the aggregate af fording a most pleasing assemblage of marine and volcanic productions. Ostra cites are found very plentiful at St. Vido, and at Gramona are petrified echinites, and the echinus orbiculus, which inhabits the Indian seas in its natural state. Be sides these, there are serpula lumbricalis ; and at one hundred yards distance num mularii, and nondescript balani. An iso lated hill, called Favourita, in the Vicen tine district, contained the bones and teeth of a crocodile, discovered by M. Arduini. Ronca seems to be the produc tion of the united powers of Neptune and Vulcan ; but the interior is in a state of utter confusion and devastation ; the sum mit is completely volcanic and without pe trifactions ; beneath are calcareous beds, which have petrified bivalves, nmnmula rii, and turbinites ; still lower is a mass of black lava, hard and broken in small fragments, nearly of an angulated prisma tical form ; after which red clay or marle, mixed with petrifactions,occurs; then lava, pumice stone,breccia, or limestones, inser ted in lava, and beds of limestone, with pe trifactions. Ronca affords plenty of ostraci tes of different species, and in good preser vation, murices, anomix, and bones ; the species amount to thirty ; those are found in the calcareous strata, and in the volca nic sand and ashes, which, coagulated with limestones, have produced a species of breccia.
It has been judged necessary to dwell on the discoveries made as to the inter nal formation of the above hills, as their size and situation enable the curious in vestigator to accomplish his wishes : and as the information thus obtained must -be accepted in place of facts, in relation to the stupendous mountains to be noticed hereafter in this article ; those defy the labours of the philosopher, who is com pelled to creep along their cram and forbidding sides, attentive to his own safety, rather than their properties, and to conjecture the internal state from ex ternal appearance.