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172 In the Capitanatas, Basilicatas, and Bari, there are many towns—some of them large and important, that stand upon the plain, or on elevated knolls upon it—none, with the exception of some on the coasts, such as Amalfi, are found nestling into valley bottoms of small size, as in colder climates, and such towns are usually of extreme antiquity.

In the Appendix (No. 1) to this part, a translation is given, of that portion of the report of Professors Palmieri and Scacchi, on the Melfi earthquake of 1851, which comprises their general account of the geology of Southern Italy. Although still leaving much to be desired, it is the best sketch I have been able to meet with.

A few monographic memoirs on Neapolitan geology exist, such as Elie de Beaumont's, and others, on the Lignite formation of Calabria ('Comptes Rendus,' 1858).

Collegno's 'Elemente di Geologia Practica e Theoretica,' Torino, 1847, contains a good deal of information as to the geology of Central and Northern Italy, with sections of the Northern Apennines; and so also does Pilla's 'Saggio Comparativo die Terreni d'Italia,' and his 'Trattato di Geologia' (Pisa, 1847-51); but for Southern Italy I have met with no corresponding information.