1885.] 293 [Rink, 



monly used by the Eskimo than could be expected if they had been re- 

 stricted to pieces of meteoric origin. The next question was whetlier 

 more localities could be pointed out where the basalt contained metallic 

 iron. Just before leaving Greenland, in 1880, Steenstrup succeeded in 

 solving this problem. On the west side of Disko island, at an abandoned 

 wintering station called Asuk, he found a layer of basalt fifty feet thick 

 filled with grains of iron of various sizes to a length of eighteen millimeters 

 and a breadth of fourteen millimeters ; which were the largest of them. 

 Afterwards he found just the same sort of basalt on the west side of the 

 island constituting much larger strata. 



It may be added that in a conversation I had with the renowned Nor- 

 wegian geologist Kjerulf about the questions here discussed, he referred to 

 what has been long taught by him about the supposed increase of th« 

 specific gravity of minerals proportionately to the depth below the surface 

 of the earth where they have their origin. He had instituted this com- 

 parison in order to find an explanation of the great difference between the 

 earth's crust and its interior as to specific gravity. It has long been sup- 

 posed from chemical proofs, that basalt contained metallic iron, but the 

 occurrence of this substance in the shape of visible grains had never been 

 ascertained before. For this reason Prof. Kjerulf considered the dis- 

 covery of the huge iron blocks as still more important in certifying the 

 origin of the iron from the depths of the earth and not from the atmos- 

 phere. 



The present Flora, op Greenland. — In 1857 the known species of 

 of phanerogamous and of higher cryptogamous plants in Greenland 

 amounted to 320. Several collections have since been secured. Prof. J. 

 Lange undertook a revision of the whole material, by which the number 

 of species was increased to 378. His results contradicted several earlier 

 assertions. This flora is not (as suggested by J. D. Hooker), chiefly 

 European ; it is about as much American a$ European, chiefly American 

 in the north, European in the south. For this reason the theory of its 

 immigration from Europe can no longer be maintained. It is also incor- 

 rect to call this flora poor in comparison with other Arctic countries and 

 to assert that no species exists peculiar to Greenland. Of course the area 

 of the inland-ice has to be deducted with regard to this comparison. Not 

 less than nineteen species are found that are peculiar to Greenland. But 

 Greenland is relatively deficient in annual and biennial plants on account of 

 the diflaculty in having the seeds ripened. It should be remembered that 

 the 10° C. isotherm of July passes from the middle of Labrador far south 

 of Cape Farewell to Iceland. 



Archeology. — Greenland in some measure can be called one of the 

 elder colonies, if not one of the oldest. About the year 1000 it was peopled 

 by Scandinavian settlers from Iceland. In 1450 their intercourse with 

 Scandinavia was interrupted, when the country was re-discovered they 



