472 NOTES OF A VOYAGE TO 



toward the river, we were delighted to gather the beautiful 

 deep rose-coloured blossoms of Rubus arcticus, which we had 

 not previously met with. Our way now lay for about half a 

 mile across a perfect desert, being an ancient bed of the 

 river, consisting of rolled masses of rock of all sizes and 

 formations. Generally speaking it was quite destitute of vege- 

 tation, but its scanty Flora exhibited a strange mixture of 

 plants. Saxifra<ja oppositifoUa and aizoides, Lychnis alpina,diX\i\. 

 apetala, were growing with Epilohium angustijolium Tamarix 

 Germanica and Astirigalus aljnnus ; whilst here and there even 

 the delicate Trientalis £«ro/)a'a expanded its modest blossoms. 

 Immediately on crossing the river a very great change was 

 apparent. The woods extending to the water's edge were 

 quite carpeted with Rubus arcticus^ intermixed with the blue 

 spikes of a species of Veronica. The more mosssy places 

 afforded a tolerable harvest of Goodyera repens, and a boggy 

 spot in the wood the regal Pedicidaris Sceptrum-Caroli. After 

 crossing a small mountain-stream the track began to ascend, 

 and in some places was so steep as to make no wonder how it 

 was possible to bring down the sledges with ore from the 

 mines. We stopped about half way to rest at an unfinished 

 house, where we unpacked some of our provisions, and made a 

 hearty meal after our fatigue. On the banks of a small moun- 

 tain lake before the house, I gathered for the first time Pin- 

 guicida alpnna, Fyrola uniflora^ and Kriophorum alpinum. 

 After a long and tedious ascent we reached the mines, which 

 are situated within a few yards of the summit of a mountain. 

 As they are worked by shafts we did not descend them, but 

 mineralogized among the heaps of ore above ground. These 

 mines are very much richer than those of Kaafiord. The ore 

 is that beautiful variety of pyrites commonly called Peacock 

 copper ore, and is accompanied by a good deal of red Arseniate 

 of Cobalt. I also obtained some good specimens of blue car- 

 bonate of copper and Bitterspar. From the rocks immediately 

 above the mines, the view over the head of the Alten Fiord 

 and mouth of the Alten river was very fine. On the face of 

 a precipice, I gathered abundance of Woodsia hyperborea, which 

 recalled to my mind another far distant friend. A h\v speci- 

 mens of Phacafrigida also occurred, but almost out of flower. 

 A part of our plan was to take a barometrical observation of 

 the height of these mines, but owing to an accident to the 



