6 3 4 * IT A L IA N ST A TE 9 .
Vo zç^& f. ral produis ; of Etna ; the lavas-beiqg moftly with, a bafis of hornblende,
while* many others are of .petrofilex, or the; keralite of the
French : the ejèâ:ed ftones are granitic, or calcareous. Dolomieu
afferts that Etna may be faid to be furrounded with columns Of bafalt,
which .he calls »prifmatic lava; but Spallanzani? obferves that be has
carefully examined the lhore, which :is volcanic for near 33 uuleé,
^'Obe^third of it l ^ h i n i at Catania; and proceeding to Caftello di
Jaci, confifts of prifmms • more or lefs characterized, and fuch as they
have been defcribed by M. Dolomieu ; but the other two thirds,
though equally composed of lavas with the former, and for the moft
part falling perpendicularly into the. fea, have no fuch figure ; and
only prefébt here and there irregular fiflureS* and angular pieces, fuch
as are generally obfervable in all lavas, which feparate more or lefs on
their congelation.”*
StromboE. The iflands of Lipari, to the north of Sicily, alfo contain many vOlr
canoes, of which Stromboli is the-chief. This. crater is diftiqguiiheu
firom any other by confiant momentary eruptions of fliowers of-ftones,
which, from its pofition in the fide of the hill, are confined, and; re-
lapfe into the volcano, thus fupplying endlefs materials.'“ The ilk
called Volcano prefents a moft capacious crater j but the materials
of eruption feem exhaufted. The lava has a bafe of petrofilex ;
and Spallanzani here found fmall prifms of bafalt, about a foot in
length.” The ifle of Lipari, containing the town fo called, prefents
vaft rocks of volcanic glafs; and the hill called Campo Bianco,: three
miles from the town of Lipari, contains almoft all the pumices, which
are employed for various purpofes in. Europe. Felicuda, and. Alfcudàr,
the two extreme Liparian iflands towards the weft, aMo difplay proofs
of their having anciently contained volcanoes 1 and recent authors hâve
* j i t . 204.
» Spallanzani » of opinion that bafalt is fometimes formed by fire, and fometimes by water:.
O th e r iubftances alfo affume the prifmatic form, as the columns of red jtfpe r near Dunbar, in-.
Scotland. Some ores of iron alfo affed it ; and the other fubftances are jtrongly impregnated
with that metal, which feems the real and radical canfe o f that cryftaUization.
« S p a l l a n z a n i ,« * * . " > * * 5 ? * * Covered
CHAP I. GEN ERA Ii D E SC R IP T ION.
difcfóvefed fimikr proofs' in the ifle* oflfchi^ and in ' thofe of * Ponza,
tiosthe nói&if of thefgulph-of Na^ds^;.riv^hi^that or Gapri; to. the S. óf
that giilph, is fuppofed to be chief!ys cakareous.-
There nare ftill fome remainsv .ofb&refts in feme parts of the Apen-«
ninfes-'; btfttheearly ci^Mfatóouiöf■ ItalyffeTems töhave'beten difadvanta-
géousto thé growth of timbe%t$]Jhe5 wo'ötis' of>mount Gargano.are celebrated
by the ancient'daffies, .and the forefts. df Etna appear to be ex-
-.-I,t is probable that the botanic treafuDes-of-Jlaly are attleaft equal to
thofe of any other European country oniactromt^pfithfe great variety of
its-foil, the irregularity/ of its.furfaee, and the géniabbeóigj^ityi of* its
climate: excepting howfever Piedmont; which has>been ably furveyed
by i'AHioni, the reft of this fide< country, especially itS ifouthern provinces,
has by no means received’that degfed.ofnotice which it merits:
the vale of Enna, the forefts of Apulia; the romantic fcènes of Calabria,
and the warm fhore ofi'thes Tarenthae bay* contain a rich harvéft foi?
future naturalifts, and will no doubt grace the Bora of Italy with many
new fpeGies., >
The alpine barrier of the north of Italy, and the long range.of.the
Apennines prefent a number of plants,» inhabitants ofcthe higheft.mountains,
which have -already been'enumerated-in the botapy of Swiffer-
land, fuch arc rhododendron ferrugineum, azalea procumbens,* bartfia
alpina, pediculariS incarnata, - foldatiellSa alpina,' aridroface- maxima, car-
%®|'IÓöd -yillofa, primula vitaliana, auricula, and hirfuta, gentiana
nivalis, atragene alpina, draba aizoides, and' pyrennaica, campanula
cenifia, and papaver alpiiium.
The weftern; coaft has béenperbaps the beft é'xplérfed; and has in
conféqüeifce i>pèn: found to be profme11 of' neadties: the* fiately tr e i l
heath, erica arborea, with the two elegant' mfubhy euphorbias^ e. den.
idroides, and fpinofa, the' evergreen arbuttis unedo, and the..’ tqM'dri/k,
tamarix galiica, mantle over the fillnmilfs of the cliffs, or bend midway 4
from them towards the fea: tlm (fryer iföcksj anawf aijmore fcanty
* See Dolomieu for les ifles Ponaes, e t catalogue ' raifonné’' Sfetj’ Rifddults de 1’E tn a .
Paris 1788. 8vo,
4 « f s T " * r ' f i ' ’
m
VoLCANOIS.
Forefts.
Botany.