tl4f Geog?^aphi/, Geology, 



and other places; while marbles, agates, chalcedonies, arid 

 jaspers of great variety, occur at Palermo, Gagliano, Busac- 

 chino, Cappizzi, Naso, Taormina, and many other parts, 

 intermixed with asbestos, asphaltum, a saponaceous stone con- 

 sisting principally of argil, possessing strong detergent quali- 

 ties, and alabaster; and specimens of Ostracites, Echinites, 

 Cardites, and various other organic, dendritic, and amorphous 

 remains are frequently found embedded in the calcareous strata. 

 Petroleum and naphtha are found on the surface of several 

 springs at Palagonia, Petralia, Girgenti, Leonforte, Bivona, 

 Caltanisetta, and Segesta. Amber is found in small quantities, 

 washed up by the sea, at the mouth of the river Giarretta. 

 Around Ragusa in the county of Modica, there abounds, more- 

 over, a bituminous * rock used for building stone, that produces 

 a great proportion of hydrogen gas, far better for ignition than 

 that extracted from coal. Mineral waters, both hot and cold,. 

 abound in every part of Sicily, and have for ages been cele- 

 brated for their efficacy in relieving various chronic, paralytic, 

 and cutaneous disorders, of these the sulphureous are to be met 

 with at Ali, Cefalu, Sciacca, Termini, Segesta, and Mazza- 

 rino; the ferruginous at S. Vito, Noto, Messina, Sclapani, and 

 Mazzara ; and the vitriolic at Palermo, Corleone, Gianissileri, 

 Petralia, Gratteri, and Bissuna." 



Those who are desirous of becoming better acquainted with 

 the geology and mineralogy of Sicily may consult, probably 

 with advantage, the following works, which I have not as yet 

 had an opportunity of meeting with : — 



Borch. Mineralogia Siciliana. 1780, — Descrizione fisica 

 e Mineralogica della Sicilia e delle Isole che le sono intorno, 

 del Sign. Prof. Abate Francesco Ferrara, Messina. 181 0. — 

 And, by the same author, Mineralogia della Sicilia. Catania,, 

 1813. — Descrizione dell' Etna, con la storia della Eruzione, 

 ed il Catalogo dei Prodotti. Palermo, 1818. — Also, by Sign. 

 Agat. Recupero. Storia Naturale e Generale deli' Etna. 

 Vol. 2. 1814. Con rami. 



Of all the European islands, Sicily produces the most 

 favoured and lovely Flora. It possesses plants which are com- 

 mon to Italy, Illyria, Dalmatia, the south of France, Corsica, 

 Sardinia, the Balearic Isles, Spain, Portugal, Madeira, the 

 north of Africa, Palestine, Syria, Turkey, Tartarian Caucasus,. 

 Greece, the islands of the Archipelago, and the Ionian Isles ; 

 many, also, that are natives of Britain, and some of the still 

 more northern countries of Europe. 



* According to Dr. Daubeny, this limestone contains near 14 per cent, of 

 bituminous matter. 



