6 H. G. SIMMONS. [sec. arct. exp. fram 



also the present vallies represent former fjord bottoms. No deposits 

 worth mentioning were found, which were due to a former glaciation of 

 greater extent, only in the immediate vicinity of present glaciers, there 

 might be a small area which appeared to have been once ice-covered. 

 Doubtless the small extent of glaciation at the present time, stands in 

 connection with the very small amount of precipitation, concerning which 

 I have given some notes in my Zusam. Meteor, in Sverdrup, Neues 

 Land. 



The knowledge we possess about the flora and vegetation of the 

 land, comprises, almost without exception, only the coasts, the inland 

 trips generally having been made at a season, when no considerable 

 collections could be made; and of the coasts even, only some portion 

 may be said to be comparatively well known from a botanical point of 

 view. The description given by Greely of the vegetation in the Lake 

 Hazen Valley implies, that there would probably be an interesting field 

 for botanists, and, as there are also in other parts of the land doubt- 

 less large tracts affording favorable conditions for vegetation, inland 

 trips during the summer would certainly well repay the pains with a 

 rich botanical harvest. But our expedition was not equipped for such 

 travelling. 



The first contribution to the Ellesmereland flora is to be found in 

 Osborn's Stray Leaves, p. 244, where "poppies, saxifrage and moss" 

 are mentioned as found on Cone Island, and where it is also said about 

 the vegetation in that region, that it is much better developed than in 

 Cornwallis Island to the south-west (on limestone ground). Specimens 

 were brought on board, but I do not know if they were preserved. 



The next small contribution is given by Durand (Enura. PI. Smith 

 S.), where however, only 9 species from Cape Isabella and the adjacent 

 Gale Point are mentioned as collected there by Hayes in 1861. Hayes 

 himself only casually speaks of mosses, poppies, etc. from that locality, 

 but in the narrative of his spring journey to Grinnell Land, he has 

 mentioned Saxifraga oppositifolia, Salix ardica, and Festuca ovina 

 from Cape Frazer (Op. Pol. Sea, p. 341). 



The botanical results of the NARES-expedition which, as already 

 mentioned were considerably greater, were published in appendices to 

 the Narrative of the expedition in 1878, and in 1880 the botanist of the 

 expedition Mr. Hart has himself, in the Journal of the Botany, published 

 an account of the botanical observations made by himself, Captain 

 Feilden, Dr. Moss and other members of the expedition. The contribu- 

 tions to our knowledge of the flora of the land laid down in those trea- 



