In entering the Rhinwald hiom the valley of Schams by Rofllen, the road passes the villages of Suvcrs, Splugen, Medea, Ebi or Planura, Noveina or Noufenen, and Hinter Rhin. The church of Hinter-Rhin is 4770 feet above the level of the sea. From the very bottom of this valley, which extends itself, with a singularly wild aspect, among the horrible rocks of Avicula and the Piz-val-Rhin, the glacier of Rhinwald and the source of the posterior Rhine may be distinctly seen, and can be reached in three hours from Hinter-Rhin. From a station a little way beyond the chalets of Tessini upon Zaport, may be seen the basin formed by thd rocks of the Black Muschelhorn, and by a ridge of mountains about two leagues long, from which 13 torrents descend. At the bottom of this basin lies the gla cier of Rhinwald. The torrent of the glacier issues from a magnificent vault of ice, and receiving the 13 brooks al ready mentioned, it forms the true source of the posterior Rhine. On leaving this deep gorge, it receives 16 tor rents before reaching Splugen. After this it escapes through the gorge of Roffien, receives other six brooks from the valley of Schams, throws itself into the abysses of the Via Mala, and still farther enlarged in the valley of Domlesch by ten tributary streams, particularly the Albu la, it joins itself at Reichenau to the anterior Rhine, which is considerably less in size, though enlarged by nearly 30 torrents. The Via Mala is one of the most frightful de files in Switzerland. It extends two leagues from Tousis to Ms. See Via Alaa.A.
The valley of Schams, which is two leagues long, con tains eight or nine considerable villages, on both sides of the Rhine. It is lower and more fertile than the Rhinwald, and is one,of the richest and most populous in Switzerland. See Sc HAMS.
The valley of Domlesch, or Tomleasca, is formed by the posterior Rhine, after its jnnction with the Albula, and before it falls into the anterior Rhine. It is about two leagues long and one wide, and is the most temperate in the Grisons. It derives much of its celebrity from the picturesque and cultivated mountain of Henzenberg, about two leagues long, and stretching along the west side of the valley. The northern entrance to the valley is scarcely 100 paces wide ; and on the south it is shut up by the Beverin and the IVIouttnerhorn, between which the river forces itself with great fury. Soon after it receives the black stream of the Nolla, and half a league lower that of the Albula. The valley of Domlesch contains no fewer than 22 villages, and 12 ruined and inhabited castles, some of which arc remarkable for their antiquity. Excepting at Tousis, the Romansh is here the general language. The base of the mountains is composed of argillaceous schistus, covered with calcareous schistus. Gypsum ap pears in vertical beds in the Via Mala, and in the western part of the valley. See TWILLS and Tolls's.
2. The anterior Rhine comprehends the valleys of Ta vetsch, Mr&Is, Snmvix, Lugnetz, Petersthal, The valley of Tavetsch forms the upper part of the anterior Rhine. Sadrun is the principal place. Ruaras is the high
est Grison village in the south-east. Sclva and Camot are the only other places of note. The anterior Rhine is formed by three branches, which unite at Camot. The middle branch comes from the mountain Badus, and is call ed Rhin-de-Camot. It is formed by the glaciers on the eastern side of that hill, which throw their waters into the small lakes of Lac-de-Toma and Lac-Palidulca, and form the branch already mentioned. The second branch, called the Rilin-Cornara, flows out of the valley of the same name, having risen in the mountains of la Sceina de la Reveca. The third branch comes from Kamerthal, and rises at the foot of the Crispalt. The anterior Rhine, formed by these brauches, receives ten brooks before it falls into the middle Rhine, which flows through the valley of Medels. Ba dus is 9085 feet above the bottom of the valley. It is ac cessible from the north, south, and east, and commands a grand view of the distant Alps. From Camot and Selva, this mountain may he ascended and descended in one day. The valley of Tavetsch is peculiarly exposed to ava lanches. In 1749, an avalanche came from Crispalt, a mountain two leagues distant, and overwhelmed 100 per sons, of whom 80 were taken out of the snow alive. On the night of the 13th December 1808, another descended from Rouenatsch on the village of Selva, and killed 42 persons, and 237 cattle.
The valley of Medels is very narrow and picturesque. It is watered by the middle Rhine, and extends five or six leagues. Wheat, barley, flax, and hemp, are here culti vated ; but the care of the cattle is the principal concern of the inhabitants. Very fine cheese is also produced in this valley. Beyond the junction of the middle and an terior Rhine, the valley is for 11 miles very narrow and dark, owing to the height of the rocks, and the fir trees which cover them. The middle Rhine runs in a very narrow channel, and forms many fine cascades. In leav ing this defile, the smiling valley of Medels appears. The village of Kurajla is seen situated above the river ; and on the left the lateral valley of Platas, which contains the hamlets of Sofiya and Bisquolm. At the Hospice of St ia, on the Lucmanier, the Val-Kadelina opens, in which the middle Rhine has its origin. See LUCINIANIER.
The valley of Sumvix opens into the Rhine opposite the village of Sumvix, and has the village of Surhein at its mouth. It is ahout five leagues long, and stretches be tween huge mountains covered with glaciers. It is rich in mountain pastures, meadows, and forests. The moun tain of Tenija, situated at the upper extremity of the valley, divides it into two branches, viz. Val-Vijlots and Val Greina. The torrent which runs through the valley, has its origin in the vast glacier of Medels. Though the valley is more fertile than that of Medels, it has only two chapels, and 121 inhabited houses. There is a sulphure ous spring half a league above Surhein. The view of the cascade of the Greina, and the surrounding glacier, is particularly admired.