PREFACE. ON a former occasion, we laid before our readers a concise view of Geology, or the Earth in its former condition; the object of the present volume is to offer a general outline of the EARTH AS IT IS. Geology may be compared to Ancient History, around which distance of time and partial obscurity throw the halo of classical interest. PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, on the other hand, resembles Modern History, or rather, perhaps, records of daily recurring events-events in which our own personal interests are concerned. And should it be thought that our present subject does not possess the peculiar charm with which antiquity invests the science of Geology, it will be found, that it does not yield to that, or to any other, in importance, or in the interesting views it unfolds. Our design being to give a general outline of the Earth in its present condition, both as regards the laws by which it is governed, and its more striking natural features, it has appeared to us, that this end would be more effectually attained by uniting Physical with Descriptive Geography. We have, therefore, not confined our attention to the subjects usually embraced in treatises on Physical Geography, but have superadded a brief description of the leading features of the terrestrial globe, collated from the most modern and authentic sources. And it is hoped, that by this arrangement, each branch of our present subject will tend to elucidate the other; and, that not only will the science of Physical Geography appear in a new and very generally interesting light, but also, that a more comprehensive view of the Earth as it is, will be obtained; and the desideratum of a concise and popular outline of Natural Geography in its present advanced state, be in some measure supplied. It would be almost an endless task to enumerate the various authorities from which valuable information has been derived; but the Author cannot refrain from mentioning more especially the writings of Whewell, Leslie, and Trail; the Journals of the Royal Geographical Society; MURRAY'S Encyclopædia of Geography; and the Reports of Dr. Richardson, Colonel Sykes, and others, to the British Association of Science. June, 1840. may IT be desirable to state, that in this fourth edition of RECREATIONS IN PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, such alterations and additions have been made, as the progress of scientific research and geographical discovery have appeared to demand. The sources from which this information has been collated are too many and too various to be here specified. July, 1851. CONTENTS. PAGE 1 6 I. Nature and Advantages of Physical Geography II. The Earth; Its Position in the Universe, Figure, Magnitude and Density-General Structure of its Surface-Phenomena of Earthquakes and Volcanos. III. General Distribution of Land and Water-Mountains, Valleys, Plains-Table of Heights of Mountains, &c. 13 X. General Features of the Earth-The British Isles . 116 XI. THE OLD WORLD-Central Band of Mountains-The 157 XIV. Central Line of Mountains in Asia-Asia Minor- Syria-Palestine - Arabia—Armenia - Caucasus XVII. Volcanic Region, from the Aleutian Islands to the Moluccas-Volcanic Line, from Formosa to the Caspian-Volcanic Region, from the Caspian to the XXIII. OCEANICA-Australia-New Zealand-Antarctic Re- gions-Polynesia-Oceanic Volcanic Region-Con |