Scipione Breislak

Scipione Breislak (1748 – 15 February 1826), Italian geologist of Swedish parentage, was born in Rome in 1748.

His account of the aluminous district of Tolfa and adjacent hills, published in 1786, gained for him the notice of the king of Naples, who invited him to inspect the, mines and similar works in that kingdom, and appointed him professor of mineralogy to the royal artillery.

[1] Breislak also published an essay on the physical condition of the seven hills of Rome, which he regarded as the remains of a local volcano, an opinion shown to be erroneous by the later researches of Giovanni Battista Brocchi.

[2] The political convulsions of Italy in 1799 brought Breislak to Paris, where he remained until 1802, when, being appointed inspector of the saltpetre and powder manufactories near Milan, he removed to that city.

His other publications include: Introduzione alla geologia (1811, French edition 1812[3]); Trait sur la structure extrieure du globe, 3 vols.