OF THE ANTARCTIC VOYAGE. 281 
To the naturalists of the expedition, there are other charms 
in the animal, vegetable, and mineral productions of a group 
of islands, two of which are of considerable extent, one of 
them 130 miles long by 80 broad, and the other 100 miles 
by 50. Their position is interesting, too, as regards the 
proximity to the southern extremity of the great American 
continent, which, it is very clear, has materially influenced, 
as might be expected, their vegetation. Situated between 
lat. 5219. and 54°. south, and 57°. 20/, and 61°. 46¢ west 
long., the Falklands lie about 1,000 miles S.S.W. from the 
estuary of Rio de la Plata, and 240 miles N.E. from Terra del 
Fuego. It is true that several botanists had already visited 
East Falkland, the only island in the group that could be 
investigated on the present occasion, and I believe the only 
one that has been at all explored. Pernetty appears to have 
been the first person to collect the plants of the Falklands. He 
accompanied Bougainville, whenthelatterattempted to colonize 
the islands, and described many of the vegetable productions. 
In 1825, an interesting memoir was presented to the Academy 
of Science at Paris, by M. Gaudichaud, entitled * Flore des 
Ies Malouines.” This was the fruit of that disastrous ship- 
wreck of the French frigate Z Uranie, on the Falklands, by 
which the officers and crew were compelled to remain there 
during a period of three months. M. Gaudichaud had an ar- 
duous task in rescuing from thestranded ship, an herbarium 
formed during the voyage, of 2,500 species, which had been 
immersed in water in the hold, till the paper was reduced to 
a pasty mass, from which the specimens had to be extracted, 
sheet by sheet. It was an agreeable relief from this irksome 
and disheartening occupation to gather the products of these 
little-known islands. The Flora above alluded to, enume- 
rated one hundred and twenty-eight species, including Cryp- 
togamie, of which from forty-two to forty-six were considered 
new. 
** The superficies of this group of islands,” says M. Gaudi- 
chaud, “ may be roughly calculated at about two hundred to 
