Page:An Account of Corsica (1769).djvu/76

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66
AN ACCOUNT

is a most extensive view of all Corsica, of the seas and of Sardinia, with distant prospects of Italy and France; while the Mediterranean and many of its little isles are also under the eye. But people seldom go to take this view; for the upper part of the monntain is almost a perpendicular rock, so that a man must climb two miles with the help of his hands and knees; and for the greatest part of the year, this immense mountain is covered with snow. These two lakes of Ino and Crena, are both of considerable extent.

In the plain of Aleria, near to Mariana, is a lake called Chiurlina or Biguglia, which is pretty large, and communicates with the sea; and near to Aleria, is a lake called Il Stagno di Diana, which also communicates with the sea; and it is remarkable, that in summer, when the heat of the sun has exhaled part of the water, and the rest of it is absorbed by the sandy bottom, there remains a kind of natural salt, which the Corsicans find very good, and constantly make use of.

The rivers of Corsica are, the Golo, a large and beautiful river, which takes its rise from the lake of Ino, traverses several provinces, and after a course of above seventy miles, empties itself into the sea, just by the ancient city of Mariana.