Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/665

Rh ALPS Splligen Pass (Splugen to Chiavenna), carriage road 6,945 Passo di Balniscio (Campodolcino to Mesocco), footpath 7,715 Passo della Forcola (Chiavenna to Roveredo), footpath 7,274 Passo di San Jorio (Gravedona to Bellinzona), footpath 6,417 9. The Rhcetian Alps. The older geographers included under the term Rhastian Alps a vast mountain region extending over 6 of long., from the east side of the Lago Maggiore to the left bank of the Salza, and through 2- of lat., from the neighbourhood of Brescia to the plain of Bavaria. There is no assignable reason for uniting in a single division mountain groups so distinct as many of those included within this wide space scarcely less than that occupied by all the divisions hitherto enumerated save the fact that at an early period they received a com mon designation from writers who had a most imperfect acquaintance with their topography. It might be expe dient to discard a term to which it is difficult to assign a limited meaning without incurring the risk of confusion ; but general usage has so constantly applied the term Rhaetia to the mountain region of Switzerland lying east of the Rhine, with the adjoining portion of Tyrol, that it seems best to preserve the ancient name while endeavour ing to restrict it within juster limits. With that object it is necessary to take account of one of the most remarkable features in the orography of the Alps the great breach in the continuity of the main chain shown in the upper valley of the Adige. On a general view of western Tyrol it is apparent that the lakes which feed the head of that stream lie on the northern side of the axis of elevation of the main chain, and in fact several streams draining the northern slopes of the central mass are borne southward to the Adriatic through that opening. This is not the place to take into consideration the important influence that this breach in the line of defence between Italy and the north, and the equally deep opening of the Brenner Pass at the head of the other main branch of the Adige, has had on the history of Europe, nor to discuss the geological significance of the same depression throughout an incalculably longer period ; but it is sufficiently clear that this should be taken as the eastern limit of the group to which the term Rhsetian Alps most properly applies. On the west the limit, as we have already seen, is marked by the valley of the Rhine, and the line of depression over which the Spliigen road is carried to the head of the lake of Como. In the space between these boundaries the chief mountains of the Rhsetian Alps appear as islands of crystalline rock, divided by intervening masses of palaeozoic and older secondary strata; but on the south side lies a district which differs considerably in geological structure, and is cut off by a distinct orographic boundary. A straight line drawn from the head of the lake of Como to Cles in Tyrol, will throughout lie close to a trench formed by the valley of the Adda, the low pass of Aprica, the head of Val Camonica, the Tonale Pass, and the Tyrolese Val di Sole. On the south side of this trench, and parallel to it, extend in succession a broad band of palaeozoic rock and a still broader zone of trias, bordered on the southern slope by a narrow girdle of Jurassic rocks which decline towards the plain of Lombardy. Towards the east these are interrupted by a great mass of very peculiar granite, the most consider able tract of true granite to be found in the Alps. Beyond this the ridges and valleys no longer preserve the direction from east to west, but become parallel to the lake of Garda and the valley of the Adige. The district thus limited is enumerated hereafter as a distinct division under the designation Lombard Alps, the boundary between this and the Rhtetian division being the trench above described, which is prolonged from near Cles over the low Gampen Pass to the neighbourhood of Meran. On the northern side the Rhsetian Alps are divided from the Vindelician by a well-marked trench closely corresponding with the northern limit of the crystalline rocks of the Silvretta group, formed by the valley of the 111, the Vorarlberg Pass, and the course of the Rosanna. Within the limits here assigned the Rhsetian Alps occupy an area measuring about 80 miles by 60. The entire mass is divided into two nearly equal portions by the upper valley of the Inn, known in Switzerland as the Engadine. Chief Peaks of the Rhcetian Alps, Piz d Emet 10,502 Ofen Wand 11,558 Pizzo Stella 10,266 Venezia Spitze 11,095 Pizzo della Duana 10,279 Hasenohr 10,673 Piz Margna 10,355 Pallon della Mare 12,038 Piz Giiz 11,066 Tresero 11,636 Piz Tremoggia 11,326 Monte Confinale 11,076 Piz Roseg 12,936 Monte Sobretta about 11,000 PizBernina 13,294 Piz Curver 9,761 PizCambrena 11,835 Piz Starlera 10,001 Punta Trubinesca 11,106 Piz Plutta 11,109 Cima del Largo 11,162 Gravasalvas (Piz Lungen) ...10,421 Monte della Disgrazia 12,074 Piz d Aela 10,893 Pizzo di Verona 11,358 Piz d Err 11,139 Corno di Campo 10,843 Cima da Flix 10,947 Monte Foscagno 10,148 Piz Munteratsch 11,106 Piz Languard 10,715 Piz Ott 10,660 Piz Quatervals 10,359 Piz Uertsch 10,738 Piz Murterol 10,424 Piz Kesch 11 ,211 Pizzo di Sena 10,099 Piz Vadred 10,610 CornodiDosde 10,597 Scheme Bleise 9,794 Piz Pisoch 10,427 Scesa Plana 9,738 Piz Scesvenna 10,568 Blankahorn 10,382 Piz Umbrail 9,954 Piz Linard 11,208 Monte Cristallo 11,370 Fluchthorn 11,142 Orteler Spitze 12,814 Muttler 10,824 Konigs Spitze 12,646 PizMondin 10,377 Monte Cevedale 12,505 Vesulspitz 10,154 Pederspitz (highest peak) ...11,349 Chief Passes in the Rhcclian Alps. Passo di Madesirno (Campo Dolcino to Avers Thai), footpath 7,480 Passo della Duana (Casaccia to Avers Thai), glacier 8,720 Septimer Pass (Casaccia to Molins), bridle-path 7,582 Maloya Pass (Casaccia to Silvaplana), carriage road 5,942 Passo di Zocca (Casaccia to Val Masino), glacier 8,957 Muretto Pass (Casaccia to Sondrio), snow 8,616 Bernina Pass (Pontresina to Poschiavo), carriage road 7,658 Passo di Canciano (Chiesa to Poschiavo), footpath 8,366 Lavirum Pass (Ponteto Val Livigno), snow 9,249 Passo di Val Viola (Poschiavo to Bormio), footpath about 7,900 Foscagno Pass (Bormio to Zernetz), bridle-path 6,329 Ofen Pass (Zernetz to Santa Maria), carriage road 7,070 Umbrail Pass (Bormio to Santa Maria), footpath 8,342 Stelvio Pass (Bormio to Prad), carriage road 9,213 Passo Cevedale (Sta. Catarina to Latsch), glacier 10,765 Passo di Vios (Sta. Catarina to Pejo), glacier 10,868 Passo di Sforzellina (Val Gavia to Pejo), glacier 9,950 Gavia Pass (Sta. Catarina to Val Camonica), bridle-path about 8,600 Hohenferner Joch (Martell Thai to Val della Mare), glacier 9,904 Saent Pass (Martell Thai to Rabbi), glacier 9,954 Kirchberger Joch (Ulten Thai to Rabbi), footpath 8,134 Julier Pass (Molins to Silvaplana), carriage road 7,503 Albula Pass (Bergiin to Ponte), carriage road 7,589 Sertig Pass (Scanfs to Bergiin), footpath 9,062 Strela Pass (Coire to Davos), bridle-path 7,739 Laret Pass (Bergiin to Klosters), carriage road 5,338 Scaletta Pass (Davos to Scanfs), snow 8,613 Flue la Pass (Davos to Slis), carriage road 7,891 Vereina Pass (Klosters to Slis), footpath 8,133 Silvretta Pass (Klosters to Guarda), glacier 9,928 CavellJoch (Bludenz to Seewis), footpath 7,562 Schweizerthor (Vadans toSchiersch), footpath 7,120 Drusenthor (Schruns to Schiersch), footpath 7,822 Schlappiner Joch (St Gallenkirch to Klosters), bridle-path (?) 7,185 Fermunt Pass (Pattenen to Guarda), glacier 9,206 Bieler Joch (Montafun to Paznaun Thai), bridle-path about 6,000 Firnber Joch (Ischgl to Remits), snow 8,547 Vignitz Pass (Kappel to Samnaunthal), snow 8,855 10. Lombard Alps. The limits of the Lombard Alps have been already pointed out. They are enclosed on the east and west sides by the Adige and the lake of Como, extending through about 90 miles from near Meran to Lecco. Their northern boundary is the great orographic trough that stretches from the head of the lake of Como along the valley of the Adda to Tresenda, thence by the low Aprica Pass to the upper Val Camonica, and over the Tonale Pass to the Val di Sole. Where that valley bends abruptly to SSE., the trough still keeps its original direc tion across the Gampen Pass to the right bank of the Adige below Meran. In spite of the zeal with which