Xii PEEFACE TO THE EDITION OF 1874. 



of the ameliorating influences of the action of man, and of the 

 compensations by which he, consciously or imconseiously, makes 

 amends for the deterioration which he has produced in the me- 

 dium he inhabits. The labors of Mr. Reclus, therefore, though 

 aiming at a much higher and wider scope than I have had in 

 view, are, in this particular point, a complement to my own. 

 I earnestly recommend the work of this able writer to the atten- 

 tion of my readers. 



GEORGE P. MARSH. 

 Rome, May 1, 1873. 



