British Islands, Shetland, Feroe, and Iceland. 45 



he brings all the kingdoms of nature to bear testimony to his 

 idea ; and, even though he may be mistaken, he has not on 

 that account contributed less to the progress of the natural 

 sciences by completing the overthrow of the imaginary bar- 

 rier which learned men and tradition have raised between the 

 actual condition and the geological epochs of our planet. 



The twelve plants originating from the Asturias which in- 

 habit the south-west of Ireland, Mr Forbes regards as the 

 remains of the most ancient vegetable colony of the British 

 Islands. Of all the plants now living there, there are'none 

 more foreign to the soil which supports them. The distance 

 of their point of departure on the continent, — the vast gulf 

 which now separates this small colony from the mother 

 country, — the difference of climates, — the small number of 

 surviving species, — every thing, announces an ancient origin 

 and an order of things completely different from that which now 

 prevails. In order to determine it, Mr Forbes goes back in 

 the series of geological formations, and transports us to an 

 epoch when the last tertiary formations were deposited in 

 the bottom of a sea which covered a great part of the south 

 of Europe and north of Africa. The existence of this sea is 

 proved by the numerous identical fossil shells, which we find 

 at a multitude of points, from the islands of Greece to the 

 south of France. When these newly-formed lands rose 

 above the sea, they formed a vast continent, comprehending 

 Spain and Ireland, a part of the north of Africa, the Azores, 

 and Canary Islands. 



The upheaval from the bottom of this sea is not a gratui- 

 tous hypothesis, since Mr Forbes has found these same shells 

 in the Taurus, to the height of above 1800 metres above the 

 level of the Mediterranean. But more than this : the great 

 bank of floating algae which extends in a semicircle beyond 

 the Azores, from the 15th to the 45th degree of latitude, per- 

 haps marks out the contours of this lost continent. Its 

 shores have disappeared under the sea, but the girdle of ma- 

 rine algse which surrounded it, still floats on the surface of 

 the waters.* 



* This bank is formed of a species of Alga, the Sargixaawm hacdferufH, which 



