212 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. VORBES. [CHAP. 



him more personally before the reader, thau if any 

 attempt had been made to present the narrative in a 

 more attractive form. 



Forbes' first journey was made in 1826, at the early 

 age of sixteen. He travelled with a large party through 

 France and Germany to Italy, rarely halting for more 

 than a couple of days until they reached Venice, where 

 he was compelled by illness to make a longer stay, after 

 which he continued his journey to Rome. Between this 

 capital and Naples, Forbes spent no less than six months, 

 during which time his remarkable papers on the * Physical 

 Geography of the Bay of Naples' and other subjects, 

 which were sent anonymously to Sir David Brewster and 

 by him inserted in the Edinburgh Journdl of Science, 

 had, as the young student found on his return, laid the 

 foundations of his future fame. Shortly after Easter 

 he left Rome, and his journey homewards through 

 Switzerland is rendered memorable by his first visit to 

 Chamounix, a full account of which has been already 

 given in the earlier pages of this book. In 1832 he 

 travelled with his brother Charles to Heidelberg, and 

 afterwards continued his journey alone to Switzerland. 

 He revisited Chamounix, passing on this occasion a 

 week there ; and after making the tour of the Italian 

 lakes, was suddenly recalled from Geneva by the news 

 of Sir John Leslie's death. He hastened home to con- 

 test successfully the chair of Natural Philosophy at the 

 University of Edinburgh. 



It was not until 1835 that Forbes resumed his travels. 

 Three years had now passed since he first occupied a 

 Professor's chair, and the lectures of the still youthful 

 philosopher had proved that he was more than qualified 

 to fill it : but the work had been necessarily severe, and 

 it was full time that he should again have recourse to 

 travel, not as before, for education and amusement only, 

 but also for the relaxation afforded by such a fallow for 

 the mind. ' Those,' he writes, ' who are compelled by 

 circumstances to fill an active public station during three- 

 fourths of the year, can alone appreciate the influence of 



