SIR, TRAVELLING MEMORANDUMS. To the Editor of the Bee. I BEG leave to trouble you with a few hints which may escape the observation of the generality of travellers. In the delightful pafsage by water, from Bruges to Ghent, I saw variety of such strata as are found to ace company coal; such as limestone, sandstone, thin grey bands, argillaceous strata, &c, which appeared within and above the surface of the water, in an horizontal position; and sometimes I saw like the basset, or outburst of seams of coal. I saw such a degree of blacknefs in the soil as much resembled strata of coal at the surface; but as I could not go out of the barge to examine circumstances, I can only say that it is highly probable there is coal in that part of Flanders. I write this to excite future attention to such an interesting subject. These coal metals, as I would call them, are in the middle of an immense chalk country, which reaches from about 150 miles north of London, to the south-east of the principality of Leige. Now, if in the course of time, coal fhould be found in Flanders, it may also be discovered in the chalk counties of England. I stopped a day at Leige and examined the coal works there. They have a steam engine; the pits are deep; one of the drawing pits is about 300 yards deep. The seams of coal are not above three feet thick; but of good quality, and they are carried a great way into Brabant, &c. The concomitant strata are mostly argillaceous and soft, with some thin bands of weak sandstone. Now, this coal field is in the middle of a chalk country, which appears immediately to the north-west and south-east of the coal metals; and I saw large patches of the chalk. lying above the coal and other metals in the working field. If these circumstances were generally known, they should excite the English to search for coal in their chalk counties. In posting through chalk districts of England, I often thought I saw some of the concomitants of coal appearing; but had no time to examine them. The chalk both at home and abroad is regularly stratified, and generally in an horizontal position. The chalk was succeeded by strata of the mountain rock of various qualities, long before I reached Frankfort le Mayne, some of which were horizontal, some vertical, and others inclining with various degrees of slope, as in other countries: I saw strata of columnar basalts in a vertical position, the regular pillars of which lay perfectly horizontal; a natural consequence of the position of the strata, as the columns always form transverse sections to the bed of the strata. I got the first view of the Alpine mountains from the plains of Augfburg, which appeared like low dark clouds in the extremity of the horizon, as I thought about forty miles off, which proved to be above eighty As I advanced nearer this magnificent range of mountains, I perceived they were of great height; and abundance of snow appeared in patches, though the weather was exceedingly hot in October. My road led directly to the mountains, but I could not perceive an opening where I fhould enter among them. When I came very near, we went suddenly down into a low plain at the foot of the moun tains. It was a large morafs, and the road led through it on a perfect level into a sort of glen, or deep gully, which pointed directly into the center of the mountains, which now appeared lofty and magnificent beyond conception. As I entered this deep glen, the scene was grand, majestic, and beautiful. The imagination was filled with pleasure and surprise. The road was level and good, and parallel to a limpid stream which ran slowly to meet me. Upon the right and left were lofty walls of craggy and romantic rocks of great height, which however were richly and beautifully wooded up to their very summits, and the wood upon their summits and ridges appeared beyond description beautiful. The valley or gulph pierced into the mountains, in a straight line, the far end of which was closed up by mountains of stupendous height. The evening sun was out of my sight behind them, which gave them the appearance, not of mountains, but of black romantic summer clouds, reaching up into the higher regions of the air, and ready to pour out their contents, to deluge the country below. The whole scene was wondrous It was ravishing. These prodigious piles of rocks were of very white limestone, and made still whiter with snow. I could perceive no opening to pass by them to the right or left; and nothing but the strong wings of an eagle could go over them. Iafked no questions, as I did not wish to anticipate, but to be surprised. At length night closed the scene before I reached the inn; however I saw by the twilight that we inclined to the left, which was easterly; our course, through the day, being full south. In the morning we advanced towards the south-east. We left the high rocks to the right, which I had seen before me for above ninety miles. We ascended a little in the morning, but soon descended as much and more. -The scenes were continually changing, and still for the better. Every new prospect was more romantic-more extra'ordinary and amusing than the last. The rocks appeared more jagged, more craggy, and romantic, at every turning of the road. They could be compared to nothing more aptly than To" cloud cap'd towers and gorgeous palaces," Rais'd by fam'd Merlin, or the itans old, Upon the lofty summits of the alps, Now in stupendous ruins. After advancing about 100 miles into the Alpine mountains of Tyrole, I reached a fine valley, and the town of Inspruct, from whence I was carried by two gentlemen -to see the salt works of Halle; some circumstances relating to which are interesting. Halle is situated in a fine valley upon the banks of a navigable river, which falls into the Danube at Vienna. The salt rock is about six miles from Halle, upon the north side of a high ridge of rocks, through which a level mine is cut of three or four miles in length. When the rock is dug at the salt mine, they difsolve it there in fresh water, and convey the brine in wooden pipes through the perforated hills to the pans at Halle, where a very great quantity of salt is made; which produces a great revenue to the Emperor. I saw larches or larix cut down about thirty miles south of Bolzano, at an elevation of more than two miles of perpendicular height above the valley, and river Adige, some of which were near three feet diameter, and all red wood, the effect of age, except a ring of less than an inch on the outside. The timber remarkably fine, hard and strong. The larch is now generally planted all over Britain. If it is left to grow to a sufficient age, the owners will not be disappointed in their expectations from it. The pine is equally tall, straight, and beautiful as the larch; but the pine is white wood at every age. Few things in nature ever surprised me so much as to see such beautiful, tall, and luxuriant timber of many sorts at such an amazing height as this. I account for this phenomenon from three concurring causes. First, a temperate equal climate ; 2d. a calcareous soil, almost all the mountains of Tyrole being fine limestone; and 3d. the vast extent of these mountains, most of which are nearly of equal height, which forms a series of grand and rugged fkreens, fheltering between them a most romantic, rugged country, full of inhabitants, with numerous churches and villages. They raise corn, maise, and many other esculent vegêtables upon the sides of the mountains, up to their very summits, excepting some chance craggy pinnacles. The purple crocus, the pink, and several other flowers flourish now, the 21 October, up to the summit of these high mountains. EXPLORATOR. OUR GRAND-MOTHERS. BY THE LATE GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON. 46 Impositum cinerem et sopitos suscitat ignes, Noctem addens operi, famulasque ad lumina longo "Exercet penso; castum ut servare cubile 66 Conjugis, et pofsit parvos educere natos." VIRG OUR grand-mothers were not, it is true, so gaily drest as our wives, but of inexprefsibly greater utility, to their hufbands. They saw with a glance of the eye whatever |