and Writings of Baron Leopold von Buck. 213 



After his return from these memorable undertakings, Ger- 

 many was the object of his extensive and long-continued in- 

 vestigations, and he likewise directed his particular attention 

 to the Alps. The results, however, of his examination were, 

 for the most part, not developed until a period which followed 

 the most attractive of Buch's expeditions. 



Voyage to the Canary Islands. — He started from England 

 for the Canary Islands in company with the distinguished 

 Norwegian botanist. Christian Smith, who afterwards lost his 

 life in the unfortunate English expedition to the Congo. They 

 landed in Madeira towards the end of April 1815, where they 

 pursued some interesting studies in the geography of plants ; 

 they thence sailed to Teneriffe, and ascended the Peak ; they 

 next visited the islands of Gran Canaria, Palma, and Lance- 

 rote, and returned to England in December 1815. 



The results of the expedition were of especial importance 

 in a geognostical point of view. A picture was given us of 

 the constitution of these islands which far excels all the pre- 

 vious descriptions. Leopold von Buch produced maps of Lan- 

 cerote, Palma, and Teneriffe, in which the geological delinea- 

 tions are his exclusive work, and which furnish a proof of what 

 faithful representations can spring from a mere proper appre- 

 hension of the objects. In the engraver Tardieu, he found an 

 artist who understood the art of combining the true spirit of 

 delineation with elegance and precision ; and the maps of Pal- 

 ma and Teneriffe far surpass everything of the kind which 

 has hitherto been executed of analogous regions. Buch's 

 geognostical examination has afforded the result, that all these 

 islands are the work of volcanic agency exerted on its grandest 

 scale. The products of this action were recognised according 

 to the regularly succeeding periods of their formation. In this 

 respect we must regard as extremely instructive the observa- 

 tion of the series of volcanic beds superimposed on one an- 

 other, and which were followed down to the level of the sea 



of a large portion of his native country, and we trust that they will soon bo 

 given to the scientific world. His very valuable description of the neigh- 

 bourhood of Christiania, contained in the first part of the Goea Nort-egica, 

 augurs well for the manner in which the other portions of Norway will bo 

 treated. — Edit. 



