THE USES OF SEA-WEEDS. 73 



But though Sea-weed were utterly unserviceable to the 

 human race, would it therefore be useless ? Has the Creator 

 no other creatures but thee, vain man ? Yes, he has in every 

 sea, living creatures, myriads of myriads of times more 

 numerous than all the men, women, and children, that 

 live and move upon the face of the earth. And does not 

 God care for them ? Yes, verily, — " The earth is full of 

 thy riches, O Lord, so is this great and wide sea, wherein 

 are things creeping innumerable, both small and great 

 beasts. There is that Leviathan which thou hast made to 

 play therein. These wait all on thee, that thou mayest give 

 them their food in due season.''''^ Now, though the mon- 

 sters of the deep live not on Sea- weeds, they live on crea- 

 tures which in their turn live on those minute animals that 

 fix on Sea-weeds, both as their food and habitation. I was 

 greatly struck with what is said on this subject by the acute 

 and philosophical Mr. Darwin, in his exceedingly interesting 

 journal of the Voyage of the Beagle : — '^ In all parts of 



* " For what purpose the Creator has filled the sea and the rivers with 

 countless myriads of such plants, so that the flora of the deep waters is as 

 extensive as that of di"y land, we can only conjectui'e : the uses to which they 

 are applied hy man are, doubtless, of but secondary consideration ; and yet 

 they are of no little importance in the manufactures and domestic economy of 

 the human race." — Lindley's ' Vegetable Kingdom.' 



