148 "Prof. Schouw on the Climate and Vegetation of Italy. 



Having prepared himself for his undertaking at home and 

 in Germany, the author arrived at Trieste in the spring of 

 1817, and employed the summer in exploring the southern 

 portion of the Alps between Carniola and Mont Cenis. In 

 the autumn he crossed the Apennines to Genoa, traversed va- 

 rious portions of the Ligurian mountains, and passed the win- 

 ter at Pisa and Florence. In 1818, he penetrated the Apen- 

 nines, ascended their highest summits in the Abruzzi and in 

 the States of the Church, and followed the whole chain to the 

 most southern part of Calabria. Thence he crossed to Sicily, 

 ascended Etna, traversed the interior of Sicily, and visited 

 the Nebrodic Mountains. He passed the winter of 1818-19 

 at Rome and Naples ; and in the succeeding spring he returned 

 to Sicily, occupied himself with the southern and eastern 

 coasts, and again ascended Etna, where he was the spectator 

 of a considerable eruption ; after which, he took a general 

 view of the mountains of the north-eastern portion of the 

 island. While traversing Italy on his way homewards, he 

 had again an opportunity of examining sctfne parts of the 

 Apennines and of the Alps. He crossed the latter in the au- 

 tumn of 1819 ; and, after passing some time at Geneva and 

 Paris, he returned to his native country in the beginning of 

 1820. 



The author commenced the preparation of his materials ; 

 but his labours advanced but slowly, and were interrupted by 

 his various other studies. The latter, and particularly his 

 treatise on the Universal Geography of Plants, and his de- 

 scription of the climate of Denmark, led him to investigations 

 intimately connected with those which necessarily formed the 

 object of his work on the climate and vegetation of Italy. 

 During his studies, he felt more and more the necessity of 

 again visiting Italy ; and the munificence of the king enabled 

 him to undertake his second journey, which he commenced in 

 1829. 



The first summer was chiefly employed in visiting a portion 

 of the Apennines of Tuscany and Modena, and the following 

 spring in exploring the coasts of Sicily and the environs of 

 Naples: the next summer was occupied with researches in 

 the mountains of Sora, the Apuanian mountains, those of 



