s that which most nearly touches the inner life of
civilized man, he pauses for a while at the threshold before he enters
into the sanctuary, and undoubtedly some external knowledge is requisite
before we penetrate into its recesses: we want some dwelling-place, as
it were, for the mind, some local habitation in which our ideas may be
arranged, some topics that may be firmly grasped by the memory, and on
which the understanding may confidently rest; and thus it is that
geography, even with a view to other purposes, must engross, in the
first instance, a considerable share of our attention. The sense in
which Dr Arnold understands a knowledge of geography, is explained in
the following luminous and instructive commentary:--

"I said that geography held out one hand to geology and
physiology, while she held out the other to history. In fact,
geology and physiology themselves are closely connected with
history. For instance, what lies at the bottom of that question
which is now being discussed every where, the question of the
corn-laws, but the geological fact that England is more richly
supplied with coal-mines than any other country in the world?
what has given a peculiar interest to our relations with China,
but the physiological fact, that the tea-plant, which is become
so necessary to our daily life, has been cultivated with equal
success in no other climate or country? what is it which
threatens the permanence of the union between the northern and
southern states of the American confederacy, but the
physiological fact, that the soil and climate of the southern
states render them essentially agricultural, while those of the
northern states, combined with their geographical advantages as
to sea-ports, dispose them no less naturally to be
manufacturing and commercial? The whole character of a nation
may be influenced by its geology and physical geography. But
for the sake of its mere beauty and liveliness, if there were
no other consideration, it would be worth our while to acquire
this richer view of geography. Conceive only the difference
between a ground-plan and a picture. The mere plan geography of
Italy gives us its shape, as I have observed, and the position
of its towns; to these it may add a semicircle of mountains
round the northern boundary to represent the Alps, and another