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Capt. Ross’s Voyage of Discovery. 287 
stance; one cf which (the largest) was about the size of the 
eabin sky-light. ‘To obtain this iron seemed to be one of the 
objects of their present journey: they contrived by much labour 
to detach small pieces which they afterwards extended by beat- 
ing them between stones, and w hen sufficiently extended for the 
purpose, employed them in the manner just described, riveting 
in the piece at the extremity of the knife, but not the others. 
These masses are believed to be meteoric. 
Our readers have also been informed that our voyagers had 
‘met with red or rather crimson-coloured snow. [t was on the 
face of the cliffs on the shore, and in several parts it was seen at 
a distance of at least six miles from the sea, but always on the 
face or near the foot of a mountain. Captain Ross considers the 
matter which communicated this ie ee to be of vegetable ori- 
gin. Some of it brought home in bottles, has been examined by 
chemical gentlemen : the following is Dr. Wollaston’ s statement 
respecting it: 
“With respect to the exact origin of that substance which 
gives redness to the snow, I apprehend we may not be able to 
give a decided opinion, for want of sufficient knowledge of the 
productions of those regions in which it was found ; but from all 
the circumstances of its appearance, and of the substances which 
accompany it, I am strongly inclined to think it to be of vege- 
table origin. The red matter itself consists of minute globules 
from 1-1000th to 1-3000th of an inch in diameter; I believe 
their coat to be colourless, and that the redness belongs wholly 
to the contents, which seem to be of an oily nature, and not solu- 
ble in water, but soluble in rectified spirits of wine; when the 
globules are highly magnified, and seen with sufficient pent, they 
appear internally subdivided into about 8 or 10 cells. They bear 
to be dried by the heat of boiling water, without loss of colour. 
By destructive distillation, they yield a fetid oil, accompanied 
with ammonia, which might lead to the supposition that they are 
of animal origin; but since the seeds of various plants also yield 
this product, and since the leaves of fuci also yield ammonia by 
distillation, 1 do not discover any thing in the globules them- 
selves which shows distinctly from what source they were derived. 
I find, however, along with them, a small portion of a cellular 
substance, which not only has these globules adherent to its sur- 
fave, but also contained in its interior; and this substance, which 
I must therefore consider as of the same origin with them, ap- 
pears by its mode of burning to be decidedly vegetable, as I know 
Of no animal substance which. so instantly burns away to a white 
ash as soon as it is heated to redness. The first conception I 
“formed as to their nature was, that they might be the spawn of a 
minute species of shrimps, whichis known to ) abound in those seas, 
and 
