Biography of Baron Leopold von Buck. 7 



mighty peak of Teneriffe, the volcanic islands of Gran Cana- 

 ria, Palm a, and Longerate, presented powerful attractions to 

 his mind. Accompanied by the Norwegian botanist Chris- 

 tian Smith (who afterwards met with an untimely death in 

 the unfortunate English expedition to Congo), he set sail 

 from England for the volcanic group, and in the end of April 

 1815 landed in Madeira, from whence they gradually visited 

 the other islands. The agencies — present and in progress — 

 of the volcanoes were discovered and exhibited in the clear- 

 est manner. Never before had the relief forms of the vol- 

 canoes been so perfectly made out and placed in harmony 

 with their genesis, and the description was illustrated by 

 most excellent maps, such as had never before been seen, — 

 monuments at once of the industry of the quick and faithful 

 eye, and of the accurate hand of the illustrious geologist- 

 In the valuable work " Physicalische Beschreibung der Cana- 

 rischen Inseln, Berlin, 1825, mit Atlas." Buch went far be- 

 yond the immediate results of his voyage. With his happy 

 gift of combination, and supported by a perfect knowledge of 

 what had previously been observed by others, he shewed that 

 all the numberless islands lying scattered over the broad 

 ocean, had, like the Canary Islands, in a peculiar manner, 

 separately emerged from the sea as " islands of upheaval" 

 with their " crater of upheaval" in the centre ; and he shewed 

 the significant intimate connection of the volcanoes at the 

 earth's surface in the direction of long crevices existing in 

 its crust. Farther proofs of those, and of other cognate views, 

 were given in two important treatises which appeared at a 

 subsequent period, namely, " Ueberden Zusammenhang der 

 basaltischen Inseln und uber Erhebungs-Krater" and "Ueber- 

 die Natur der Vulkanischen Erscheinungen auf den Canaris- 

 chen Inseln und ihre Verbindung mit anderen Vulkanen der 

 Erdoberflache." 



On his return from this important voyage, Buch visited the 

 remarkable basaltic Hebrides on the coast of Scotland, and 

 the Giant's Causeway of Antrim in Ireland. 



After this he resumed his inquiries in Germany. The pa- 

 rallel direction of all the chains of the Alps which had al- 

 ready attracted the attention of Saussure, formed the subject 

 of his genetic inquiries, and the results which he attained be- 



