148 ACCOUNT OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 



from the south towards the north, yet it runs by n© 

 means regularly at all times, even in the same 

 place. 



The products of Spitzbergen, in animals, are of 

 some worth ; but in vegetables they are neither nu- 

 merous, nor, as far as yet discovered, of much value ; 

 and, in minerals, they are very little known. As 

 an account of the animals inhabiting this country, 

 is included in the general view of the zoology of 

 the Spitzbergen sea, it is unnecessary to notice 

 them here. 



Spitzbergen does not afford many vegetables'. 

 Of those which I was enabled to collect in the 

 course of several excursions to the shore in 1818, I 

 have been furnished with a catalogue, by Sir Joseph 

 Banks, as drawn up by his librarian, Mr Robert 

 Brown, and have given it, in full, in the Appen- 

 dix *. It may be remarked, that vegetation goes 

 on uncommonly quickly in this country. Most 

 of the plants spring up, flower, and afford seed, 

 in the course of a month or six weeks. They are 

 chiefly of dwarfish size ; some of the flowers are really 

 pretty, but exhibit few colours, excepting yellow, 

 white, and purple. And it is not unworthy of ob 

 servation, that the only plant I met with in Spitz- 

 bergen, partaking of the nature of a tree, (a Salix 

 allied to S. herhacea,) grows but to the height of 

 three or four inches. 



' See No. V. 



