CHAPTER II.

NATURAL MUMMIES, p. 35.--Power of nature--Importance of seeking her ways in the study of her phenomena; to follow her lessons--Division of natural mummies--Mummies due to the particular qualities of the soil--Note communicated by Drs. Boucherie, Bermont, and Gaubert, concerning the mummies of Saint Michel, at Bordeaux; thermometrical and hygrometrical observations; chemical analysis; results--Similar facts observed at Palermo--At Toulouse--History of M. de la Visée--Mummies due to the general qualities of the air and soil--Mummy of the avalanches--Time of its duration--Mummification by a cold and dry wind--Morgue of the Great Saint Bernard--Note communicated by Dr. Lenoir--Mummy of the Sands--Testimony of Herodotus--Description of Father Kircher--In Egypt--In Mexico--These facts establish a simple connexion between the productions of nature and those of human industry.