12.  Nearly  three-fourths  of  the  surfsice  of  Europe  consist
of  plains,  some  of  which  are  expansions  of  river-valleys,  as
the  rich  plain  of  the  Po,  in  Lombardy,  that  of  the  middle

Digitized  by  LjOOg  IC


:2orope.]  hovittaik


Danube  in  Hungary,  and  of  tl
^andWallacliia.   Butthe grand i        ^  ,

Great  Plain,  embraces  the  imme3S^i^ft[rfQ6  JB^jjk^b&g^Jlack
to  tbe  White  Sea,  and  extends  westwSil  R'Uiii  Uie  base  of
the  TJral  mountaiiis  to  the  sandy  shores  of  the  N6rth  Sea,
rising  nowhere  more  than  a  few  hundred  feet.  Disregarding
minor  irregularities,  it  may  be  said  to  sweep  round  the
central  mountains  of  Eranee,  and  to  terminate  at  the  foot
of  the  Pyrenees.  In  this  vast  tract  there  are  infertile
«andy  wastes,  heaths,  bogs,  and  marshes,  primeval  forests
haunted  by  wild  animals,  pastures  on  which  enormous
nmnbers  of  cattle  are  reared,  richly  cultivated  corn-bearing
districts,  and  lands  inhabited  by  nations  of  the  highest
degree  of  intelligence,  while  others  are  held  by  rude  no-
madic tribes.
13.  The  remainder  of  the  surface  consists  of  highlands,
which  form  two  well-defined  mountain  systems,  Scandi-
navian and  Alpine,  north  and  south  of  the  Great  Plain.
The  former  is  far  inferior  to  the  latter  in  area,  the  grandeur
of  the  masses,  and  the  height  of  the  projections.
14.  The  Scandinavian  or  North  mountain-system  com-
prises the  Thulian,  Dofrine  or  Dovrefield,  and  Kiolen  ranges,
a  continuous  region  of  high  land,  which  extends  through
Norway  from  the  south  to  wie  north  extremity,  and  ramifies
in  low  heights  over  Lapland,  Pinland,  and  Olonetz.  It
attains  the  greatest  elevation  in  the  province  of  Bergen,
8150  feet,  which  in  that  latitude  is  far  above  the  line  of
perpetual  snow.  The  Britannic  highlands  and  the  lofty
jParoe  isles  may  be  regarded  as  outliers  of  the  system,  iso-
lated by  the  ocean.
