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Aspects of nature, in different lands and different climates (Vol. 1 of 2) / with scientific elucidations cover

Aspects of nature, in different lands and different climates (Vol. 1 of 2) / with scientific elucidations

Chapter 4: NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR.
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About This Book

The volume gathers vividly descriptive essays that portray tropical and mountain landscapes—oceans, forests, steppes, and high Andes—paired with scientific elucidations that explain geological, botanical, and climatic phenomena. The author combines literary observation with measurements and comparative data, discusses volcano structure and a speculative essay on vital force, and reports insights gained from expeditions across diverse regions. Throughout, attention is given to how external nature affects human feelings and moral dispositions, and to the value of precise observation and numerical comparison in understanding the concurrent action of natural forces.

NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR.

In the translation the temperatures are given in degrees of Fahrenheit, retaining at the same time the original figures in Reaumur’s scale. In the same manner the measures are given in English feet, generally retaining at the same time the original statements in Parisian or French feet or toises, a desirable precaution where accuracy is important. The miles are given in geographical miles, 60 to a degree, but in this case the original figures have usually been omitted, the conversion being so simple as to render the introduction of error very improbable. In a very few instances “English miles” appear without any farther epithet or explanation; these have been taken by the author from English sources, and may probably signify statute miles. The longitudes from Greenwich are substituted for those from Paris, retaining in addition the original statement in particular cases.