THE MEDITERRANEAN PENINSULAS. 
Geographically, and to some extent climatically, the 
three peninsulas of the Mediterranean Sea, the Iberian, 
Italian, and the Balkan, are situated alike. Their people, 
if not in race, are in temper and characteristics, and in 
their political economy more or less alike. They repre- 
sent the oldest civilization in Europe, and in their long 
history have been frequently in collision with each other. 
Their forests, through centuries of abuse, are wherever 
accessible, in poorest condition. Long-continued po- 
litical disturbances, which have prevented peaceful de- 
velopment, and poverty, have been the greatest hin- 
drances to economical reforms which, like the recuper- 
ation of forests, require sacrifices. Ancient rights of 
user, and the necessity of politicians to respect them are 
also responsible for the fact that, while praiseworthy at- 
tempts in legislation have been made, execution has been 
usually lagging behind. 
The accessibility to sea, readily permitting importa- 
tion, the temperate climate, the simple life and abstemi- 
ousness of the people, and the lack of industrial develop- 
ment have made the deficiency of wood material less 
felt than it would otherwise be, but the detrimental in- 
fluence of forest destruction is being repeatedly ex- 
perienced in floods and drouths. 
While Italy is now a united country, and only two 
peoples, Spain and Portugal, occupy the Iberian penin- 
sula, the Balkan peninsula is occupied by eight separate 
peoples, if we include all the country south of the 
Danube River end Fest of the Carpathian Mouttains. 
