and to afford, by an accurate specimen of the characters, as much information respecting their antiquity as it was possible to afford ;-for by attention to such circumstances, more intelligence is frequently conveyed by a few letters, than by whole pages of dissertation.

In the examination of this Last Section of PART THE SECOND, the Reader will find many things unnoticed by former travellers; although some of the discoveries made by the author have found their way into other publications, without any notice of the person from whom they were originally derived. Owing to the unavoidable delay that has attended the publication of this part of his work, it was natural to expect that this would happen: having never withheld what he knew, when applied to for information respecting the country, he may attribute to his own disregard of anticipation any use that subsequent travellers have made of his observations. Before he visited Greece, the sites of several places, famous in antiquity, were as much unknown as many that still remain to be pointed out. He succeeded in ascertaining some of them for the first time; for example, the cities of TITHOREA and PLATEA; the Corycian Cave, near Delphi, &c. : and by his discovery of an Inscription in the DEFILE OF TEMPE', the exact locality of that celebrated PASS can never again become a subject of dispute.

With regard to subjects of Natural History, such as Botany and Mineralogy, the author has kept these, as much as possible, from interrupting his narrative, where it related either

(1) See page 292 of this Section.

either to statistical or to classical information. But as it is important to mark the situation of newly-discovered and non-descript plants, he has introduced the new species only, as they happened to occur, in the Notes; always accompanying their insertion with a description of their discriminative characters, as in former instances;—an entire List of all the Plants found during these travels in GReece, Egypt, and the HOLY LAND, being added in the Appendix. His mineralogical remarks would have been more extensive, had the appearance of simple minerals been more frequent; but it is chiefly in a geological view that there is any thing yet worthy of observation in the LEVANT; and even to the geologist, the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, and those of the Archipelago, exhibit little variety. The mountains are so uniformly of limestone, that, with respect to GREECE, if we except the breccia formation around MYCENÆ, and in the substratum of the rock of the Acropolis at ATHENS, hardly any other substance can be found'. In the north of GREECE, indeed, and in MACEDONIA, some very remarkable changes occur; as, the serpentine breccia, or verde-antico, in THESSALY; and that curious aggregate of black amphibole and white feldspar, called by Italian lapidaries "bianco é néro antico," in MACEDONIA. Other varieties of hornblende porphyry occur also in THRACE; particularly one variety, resembling lava, in the great plain of Chouagilarkir, near the foot of a chain of mountains called Karowlan, a branch of RHODOPE.

A contrary

(1) Dr. Holland (Travels, &c. p. 397. Lond. 1815.) thinks" that the great limestone formation of GREECE and the Isles is particularly liable to the phænomena of earthquakes."

A contrary rule has been observed in writing the Supplement, which contains an account of the author's journey from Constantinople to Vienna. Here, as the subject related principally to the mines of Transylvania and Hungary, instead of compressing his mineralogical observations into the form of notes, he was frequently compelled not only to give them a place in the text, but sometimes to sacrifice other topics of discussion, in order to introduce them. As to mineralogy, indeed, unless some judicious mode of nomenclature be adopted by the concurrence of writers upon this subject, instead of the jargon now prevalent, the science will become characterized by confusion as fearful as that of Babel. Not only every new writer, but every new professor of mineralogy, and almost every dealer in minerals, conceives himself authorized either to introduce new names, or to revive old appellations that had long been laid aside: hence it follows, that in naming any simple mineral, or mineral aggregate, in order to be intelligible, it is necessary to use a list of synonyms, which is every day increasing. It is easy to

propose

(2) Thus, in order to distinguish the pure sulphate of lime from the hydro-sulphate, or plaster-stone, the mineralogical student is taught to rehearse all the barbarous names of muriacite, würfelspath, sulfatine, anhydrite, vulpinolithe, bardiglione, and perhaps many more. Nor is this evil confined to simple minerals; it is also gaining ground rapidly in the nomenclature of rocks. It was generally understood among geologists, that every mineral aggregate, consisting of crystals of feldspar imbedded in any given matrix, should be called a porphyry: and here there was no confusion; because every one understood what compound substances were designated by the terms serpentine porphyry, pitch-stone porphyry, trap porphyry, quartz porphyry, hornblende porphyry, &c. Now the last of these rocks has received the appellation of syenite; because, forsooth, the Antients bestowed that name, not upon porphyry, but upon granite !!!

propose a remedy for this evil. The Geological Society of London,—whose "TRANSACTIONS" already reflect so much credit upon their institution, and are become so deservedly popular, assisted, if possible, by deputies from other Societies, might establish a British, if not an European system of Nomenclature. And surely if the valedictory observations of the celebrated and venerable Bishop WATSON, upon the GREAT NATIONAL IMPORTANCE of mineralogical studies, be worthy of regard', the æra of an universal Peace will not pass without some effort being made for this purpose.

In the description of the Gold and Silver Mines of Hungary, the mineralogical associations of the precious metals, and the whole process relating to the German method of treating their ores, have been detailed within a small compass, and, it is hoped, in a perspicuous manner, that they might become intelligible to every reader. While collecting materials for this addition to his work, the author was assisted by information from the Archdukes Anton and Reiner, brothers of the present Emperor of Germany, during their visit to those mines; and by the Professors established at Schemnitz under the patronage of the Crown. In giving it to the Public, he is actuated by a hope, however vain it may prove, that the Government of this country, now no longer engaged in foreign wars, will

(1) "A Mineralogical College should be instituted; and skilful men should be sent out, at the public expense, to collect, from every quarter, all that is at present known on the subject." Bishop Watson's Miscellaneous Tracts, vol. II. p. 438. Lond. 1815.

will turn their attention to the immense resources of wealth which this nation possesses within itself,-lying neglected, through want of a proper attention to its mines, and of the encouragement which it is its best interest to afford to mineralogical studies. It was the mines of Macedonia that enabled PHILIP to subdue all the turbulent factions, the colonies, and the states of GREECE: and if the Government of Great Britain were zealously to engage in mining speculations, either by joining with individuals in carrying on researches for this purpose, or by contributing the patronage necessary for the encouragement of such inquiries, Nature has not denied to this country the means of enriching herself by subterraneous treasure. Many of the barren mountains of Scotland consist of metalliferous strata. The same porphyritic rocks are found in our island that have for centuries provided the miners of Hungary and Transylvania with employment, and their rulers with wealth. Geological Societies are forming in different parts of the kingdom: the nation is therefore awake to the importance of such researches; and the most favourable opportunity is presented of multiplying the means of industry, and thereby opening new sources of wealth. The whole of the western coast of Scotland, that is to say, the main land opposite to Skie, Rum, Canna, Egg, and Coll, from Loch Hourn to the head of Loch Sunart, consists of metalliferous granite (gneiss), abounding in garnets, and other associations of metallic bodies. The strata of the islands of Iona, Coll, Tyr-i, Rum, and Skie, consist of syenite porphyry, hornblende slate, gneiss, pitchstone porphyry, trap, &c.; and these are the

matrices