| CHAPTER I. |
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| Of Physical Geography—Position of the Earth in the Solar System—Distance from the Sun—Civil Year—Inclination of Terrestrial Orbit—Mass of the Sun—Distance of the Moon—Figure and Density of the Earth from the Motions of the Moon—Figure of the Earth from Arcs of the Meridian—From Oscillations of Pendulum—Local Disturbances—Mean Density of the Earth—Known Depth below its Surface—Outline of Geology | PAGE 13 |
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| CHAPTER II. |
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| Direction of the Forces that raised the Continents—Proportion of Land and Water—Size of the Continents and Islands—Outline of the Land—Extent of Coasts, and proportion they bear to the Areas of the Continents—Elevation of the Continents—Forms of Mountains—Forms of Rocks—Connection between Physical Geography of Countries and their Geological Structure—Contemporaneous Upheaval of parallel Mountain Chains—Parallelism of Mineral Veins or Fissures—Mr. Hopkins’s Theory of Fissures—Parallel Chains similar in Structure—Interruptions in Continents and Mountain Chains—Form of the Great Continent—The High Lands of the Great Continent—The Atlas, Spanish, French, and German Mountains—The Alps, Balkan, and Apennines—Glaciers—Geological Notice | 37 |
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| CHAPTER III. |
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| The High Lands of the Great Continent (continued)—The Caucasus—The Western Asiatic Table-Land and its Mountains | 54 |
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| CHAPTER IV. |
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| The High Lands of the Great Continent (continued)—The Oriental Table-Land and its Mountains | 58 |
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| CHAPTER V. |
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| Secondary Mountain Systems of the Great Continent—That of Scandinavia—Great Britain and Ireland—The Ural Mountains—The Great Northern Plain | 69 |
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| CHAPTER VI. |
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| The Southern Low Lands of the Great Continent, with their Secondary Table-Lands and Mountains | 77 |
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| CHAPTER VII. |
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| Africa—Table-Land—Cape of Good Hope and Eastern Coast—Western Coast—Abyssinia—Senegambia—Low Lands and Deserts | 85 |
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| CHAPTER VIII. |
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| American Continent—The Mountains of South America—The Andes—The Mountains of the Parima and Brazil | 93 |
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| CHAPTER IX. |
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| The Low Lands of South America—Desert of Patagonia—The Pampas of Buenos Ayres—The Silvas of the Amazons—The Llanos of the Orinoco and Venezuela—Geological Notice | 105 |
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| CHAPTER X. |
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| Central America—West Indian Islands—Geological Notice | 114 |
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| CHAPTER XI. |
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| North America—Table-Land and Mountains of Mexico—The Rocky Mountains—The Maritime Chain and Mountains of Russian America | 119 |
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| CHAPTER XII. |
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| North America (continued)—The Great Central Plains, or Valley of the Mississippi—The Alleghany Mountains—The Atlantic Slope—The Atlantic Plain—Geological Notice—The Mean Height of the Continents | 123 |
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| CHAPTER XIII. |
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| The Continent of Australia—Tasmania, or Van Diemen’s Land—Islands—Continental Islands—Pelasgic islands—New Zealand—New Guinea—Borneo—Atolls—Encircling Reefs—Coral Reefs—Barrier Reefs—Volcanic Islands—Areas of Subsidence and Elevation in the Bed of the Pacific—Active Volcanos—Earthquakes—Secular Changes in the Level of the Land | 136 |
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| CHAPTER XIV. |
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| Arctic Lands—Greenland—Spitzbergen—Iceland—Its Volcanic Phenomena and Geysers—Jan Mayen’s Land—New Siberian Islands—Antarctic Lands—Victoria Continent | 159 |
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| CHAPTER XV. |
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| Nature and Character of Mineral Veins—Metalliferous Deposits—Mines—Their Drainage and Ventilation—Their Depth—Diffusion of the Metals—Gold—Silver—Lead—British Mines—Quicksilver—Copper—Tin—Cornish Mines—Coal—Iron—Most abundant in the Temperate Zones, especially in the Northern—European and British Iron and Coal—American Iron and Coal—Arsenic and other Metals—Salt—Sulphur—Diffusion of the Gems | 168 |
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| CHAPTER XVI. |
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| The Ocean—Its Size, Colour, Pressure, and Saltness—Tides—Waves—their Height and Force—Currents—their Effect on Voyages—Temperature—The Stratum of Constant Temperature—Line of Maximum Temperature—North and South Polar Ice—Inland Seas | 188 |
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