xlii 



geography or political economy, itineraries 

 have partly lost that unity of composition, 

 and that simplicity, which characterised 

 those former ages. It is now become scarce- 

 ly possible to connect so many different 

 materials with the narration of events ; 

 and that part which we may call drama- 

 tic gives way to dissertations merely des- 

 criptive. The great number of readers, 

 who prefer an agreeable amusement to so- 

 lid instruction, have not gained by the 

 exchange; and I am afraid, that the temp- 

 tation will not be great to follow those tra- 

 vellers in their expeditions, who drag along 

 with them a considerable apparatus of 

 instruments and collections. 



In order to give greater variety to my 

 work, I have often interrupted the histori- 

 cal* narrative by simple descriptions. I 

 first describe the phenomena in the order 

 in which they appeared ; and I afterward 

 consider them in the whole of their indi- 

 vidual relations. This mode has been suc- 

 cessfully followed in the journey of Mr. de 

 Saussure, whose most valuable work has 

 contributed more than any other to the 

 advancement of the sciences, and often, 



