292 Natural History in London. 



covered to the height of about a foot with small pieces of indurated clay, or 

 clay slate of a red colour, but in such small quantity, that it seems more pro- 

 bable that they have been purposely thrown there than elevated from below. 

 The flame breaks out here and there from among the stones, to the height 

 of about a foot, the whole having much the appearance of a fire of wood, 

 spread about, on which stones or brick bats had been thrown, whence pro- 

 bably the Italian name for it, Fuoco di Legno. Our guide, being a mere boy, 

 could give us no information as to whether the flame is ever extinguished, 

 which one would think might happen from the extremely heavy rains and 

 high winds that occur among the Apennines ; whether, as the guide-book 

 asserts, it is more vivid in wet weather, &c. &c. ; and I have not had an 

 opportunity of consulting modern Italian works on these and other points, 

 as the precise chemical composition of the gas, which has doubtless been 

 examined and determined. 



Having satisfied our curiosity as far as practicable, we returned to the 

 village by the wretched road we had previously traversed, the state of 

 which, and of the inn, are striking proofs of Italian apathy. This so called 

 volcano has been famous for upwards of 250 years, Montaigne, in his 

 interesting Travels in Italy ^ in 1580, mentioning his great regtet that he had 

 not stopped to examine it ; and if the road were good, which it might be 

 made at an expense of less than 50/., and the accommodations at the inn 

 ample, scarcely a traveller would cross the Apennines who would not sleep 

 there, in order to visit this remarkable phenomenon. Instead of which, 

 the road is so wretchedly bad, first through a dirty lane, and then over rocks 

 and across ploughed fields, as to be almost impracticable after rain for 

 females ; and the inn, though improved since Forsyth described it in such 

 dark colours, is still very indifferent, and the charges exorbitant, so that 

 a great proportion of travellers give up seeing the volcano, and sleep at 

 Coviliajo, a better inn, a few miles farther on. How differently would 

 these things be managed in England or Germany ! where, in passing from 

 Bavaria to the Tyrol, we found an excellent gravel walk, purposely made 

 to lead to a cascade some hundred yards from the high road, though not 

 near any inn or village, and no one claimed any thing for the accommoda- 

 tion. — W. S. Florence y January 2. 1830. 



Art. II. Natural History in London. 



Zoological Society. — A somewhat noisy Meeting of this Society took 

 place on April 1., at the Society's house. Lord Auckland was in the chair. 

 The chief subject of dispute was the continuance of Mr. Sabine ex-Secre- 

 tary of the Horticultural Society, as superintendant of the Zoological Farm. 

 Mr. Sabine was warmly defended by Lord Auckland and Lord Carnarvon, 

 and attacked with equal warmth by Messrs. Burke, Ker, Chambers, and 

 others. There are few things more remarkable in the Meetings of bodies 

 entirely dependent on their popularity for existence, than the strenuous 

 efforts which the leaders almost invariably make in the defence of any indi- 

 vidual who happens to be accidentally connected with them. Of Mr. Sabine's 

 cattle-feeding capabilities, of course, we do not pretend to judge ; but when 

 it is on record that his ignorance and extravagance have already brought 

 one Society to the brink of ruin, can any thing be conceived more strange 

 than that men of common sense should insist on his being allowed an 

 opportunity of doing the same by another, because he has not been convicted 

 of any thing fraudulent ? Did the fact of Mr. Sabine's being an honest man, 

 — which Lord Auckland seemed to think quite conclusive of that gentle- 

 man's merits, — in any respect diminish the load of debt which his con- 

 duct has entailed on the Horticultural Society ? There was another point 



