J. D. Forbes and Naples

Abstract

James David Forbes (1809–1868) became a geological traveller in 1826 when, at the age of 17, he visited Naples with his family. Not content to be an ordinary, superficial tourist, he undertook sophisticated geological investigations of Mount Vesuvius and other well-known volcanic phenomena. On his return to Scotland, following a trip of some fifteen months abroad, Forbes wrote two anonymous papers based on his Italian experiences. When David Brewster, editor of the Edinburgh Journal of Sciences, accepted both, Forbes continued his submissions with an eight-part series entitled Physical Notices of the Bay of Naples, all of which appeared. These essays, summarized here, were—for such a young author—remarkably accomplished. Esteemed as genuine contributions to geological literature, they were cited approvingly over a period of twenty-five years by such prominent older geologists as Charles Lyell, K. E. A. von Hoff, Ami Boué, and Sir Henry De la Beche.