GRIES, is a mountain of Switzerland, situated in the Alpine chain which separates Piedmont from the Upper Vallais. The road over this mountain leads from Ober ghestelen, in the Vallais, to Domo d'Ossola, in the Val Maggia, and to Locarno. This road rises to the height of 7336 feet, and traverses a glacier a quarter of a league wide, and blackened by the dust of the mica slate. The distance from Oberghestelen to Formazza, at the southern foot of the Gries, is 71 leagues. The descent of the Gries is by four different terraces or wallies. The first is called Bettelmatte, celebrated for its fine cheese, and for the small lake from which the Toccia, or Tosa, issues. The second valley is called Morast, and from this the road de scends by a very steep path to a third valley, occupied by the hamlet of the Auf der Front, where the valley of the Toccia, or the Dolgia, commences. Another steep de clivity conducts to the south valley, called Froutval, which is celebrated for the cataract of the Tosa, or Toccia, which, excepting the fall of the Rhine, is reckoned the most mag nificent in Switzerland. It is about 300 or 400 feet high,
and forms a species of pyramid, whose base is extremely wide, while its summit is only 4 or 5 feet in breadth. The rock is inclined about 140° or 150° to the horizon. This cataract is surrounded on all sides with lofty rocks, crown ed with wood. The southern side of the Gries is inhabited by Germans as far as the village of Foppiano. The south side of the mountain is composed of gneiss, of veined granite, and of mica slate. In the valley of Egino, there are beds of potstone, which are wrought about a quarter of a league on the east side of the bridge. Slates occur to the south, and lower clown the mica slate appears. The first valley is composed of gneiss• and calcareous strata. Below the second valley, rocks of argillaceous schistus stretch to the north-cast ; and, on the other side, are rocks of a ferrugineous aspect. All the rocks from the north to the south, as far as Pommat, lie in strata almost vertical, in the direction from north-east to south-west. See Ebel's Manuel, Eg'c. • •