Professor Hoffniann on the AU)an Hills. 373 



of nature could ever appear monotonous or oppressive. Who, 

 however, will compare the lot of the effeminate and ignorant 

 Lazaroniy who, without shelter or clothing, drag on a listless and 

 miserable life, with that of our robust husbandmen or artificers, 

 forced to gain their subsistence with the sweat of their brow. 



I fear that I have detained you too long with the picture 

 of Italian scenery. But I hope that you will find it more 

 interesting, if I give you a few particulars regarding the pro- 

 per subject of my researches.- As you may easily suppose 

 the volcanic formations claimed the first place among the phe- 

 nomena of this interesting country. The first point which I 

 fell in with on my journey from the north was the Monte Ami- 

 ala in Tuscany. It was, however, in the beautiful Alban Hills 

 near Rome, in the Lake of Bracciano, and in the Hill of Tol/a, 

 that I found the first distinct appearances of this character. The 

 first is by far the most interesting and varied of these three 

 mountainous districts, and I think that I have been so fortunate 

 as to develope their structure and true nature more perfectly 

 than my predecessors. If I mistake not, you are in possession 

 of the excellent chart of the environs of ancient as well as mo- 

 dern Rome, which has been published by Dr Westphall, and 

 which is by far the most complete and correct of any which has 

 hitherto appeared. In it you will find a complete exposition of 

 all the more remarkable facts in the Alban Hills, and I beg you 

 therefore to follow on it the few observations which I am going 

 to lay before you. You will find there this little mountainous 

 district divided into two circles, the external and more consi- 

 derable of which passes through Frascati^ Mmite Porzia, Monte 

 Compatriy and Rocca Priora, and its most elevated point is in 

 the Monte Artemisio, on the east side of Nemi. The inner and 

 smaller ring has Nemi on its south side, and on the west side the 

 little-hill town of the Rocca di Pupa. So far the picture of this 

 district is simple and easily understood, and I hope that you 

 will not meet with more difficulty while I trace out the chief 

 outlines of its internal constitution. - 



The outer circus is principally composed of the remarkable 

 peperifio, with which, of course, you are well acquainted, from 

 the masterly description of M. Von Buch. This rock is a tuff 

 which is distinguished from all other volcanic tuffs, and especially 



