INCITEMENTS TO THE STUDY OF NATURE. 371 



ture; landscape painting, especially where it has caught the 

 characteristic features of the animal and vegetable world : and 

 the more widely-diffused cultivation of tropical floras, and the 

 more strongly contrasting opposition of exotic and indigenous 

 forms. Each of these might, owing to their historical rela- 

 tions, be made the object of a widely extending consideration, 

 but it appears to me more in conformity with the spirit and 

 aim of this work merely to unfold a few leading ideas, in 

 order to remind the reader how differently the aspect of 

 nature has acted on the intellect and feelings of different 

 nations at different epochs, and how, at periods characterised 

 by general mental cultivation, the severer forms of science 

 and the more delicate emanations of fancy, have reciprocally 

 striven to infuse their spirit into one another. In order to 

 depict nature in its exalted sublimity, we must not dwell 

 exclusively on its external manifestations, but we must trace 

 its image, reflected in the mind of man, at one time rilling the 

 dreamy land of physical myths with forms of grace and 

 beauty, and at another developing the noble germ of artistic 

 creations. 



In limiting myself to the simple consideration of the incite- 

 ments to a scientific study of nature, I would not, however, 

 omit calling attention to the fact that impressions arising 

 from apparently accidental circumstances often as is repeat- 

 edly confirmed by experience exercise so powerful an effect 

 on the youthful mind as to determine the whole direction of 

 a man's career through life. The child's pleasure in the form 

 of countries, and of seas and lakes,* as delineated in maps; 

 the desire to behold southern stars, invisible in our hemi- 

 sphere ;f the representation of palms and cedars of Lebanon as 

 depicted in our illustrated bibles, may all implant in the mind 

 the first impulse to travel into distant countries. If I might 

 be permitted to instance my own experience, and recal to 

 mind the source from whence sprang my early and fixed 



* As the configuration of the countries of Italy, Sicily, and Greece, 

 and of the Caspian and Red seas. See Relation historique du voy. aux 

 Regions equinoxiales, t. i. p. 208. 

 f Dante, Purg. i. 25-28. 



Goder pareva il ciel di lor fiammelle: 

 settentrional vedovo sito, 

 Poi che private se' di mirar quelle ! 

 2 B 2 



