

i 

 i 



Miseellan ics. 1 8 9 



elegant and durable. Tliis substance is not luminous in the dark 

 and every tree is not alike converted into this material ; Uiough it is 

 found in large quantities, and considerable blocks have already been 

 sent to England. Another species of beech which is deciduous Is 

 rare on Staten Land^ but very connnon at Cape Horn, where by tlie 

 changing colors of its leaves, it imparts the usual charm of autumnal 

 scenery* 



The Fueglan rush is another product of those almost antarctic re- 

 gions, possessing uncommon beauty for baskets, uiats and hats. It 

 grows in wet grounds and bogs, and when cut and dry, like the rush 

 of our ow^n country, resembles coarse hay. 



Capt. Webster has forwarded to the Enghsh Admiralty, specimens 

 o^ the plants and seeds found on Cape Horn, Staten Land and Del 



F 



uego 





The be?'heris mya'opliyUa is described as " a pretty bush," bearln 

 plentifully a fruit between a grape and a goosebery, fit for tarts or 

 for the table. 



The balsam plant grows in Staten Land, from the leaves of which 

 exude a resinous juice, tliat concretes into a solid resin, having tlie 

 properties of copaiva. 



A good coloring matter is extracted from the scarlet berries of the 

 Hamadryas, similar to arnatto, particularly valuable for not being al- 

 tered by alkalies or acids. It thrives on bogs, moors, and waste 

 places. The sea weeds about Staten Land are very large and con- 

 tain iodine. 



Some flowers of peculiar beauty were found, such as the Chclonc 

 rneUoides, and jlndrosace spatJiuIata, or fuegian auricula, but tJiey 

 W'cre of rare occurrence, and few seeds could be obtained. An ele- 

 gant myrtle leafed evergreen {Arbutus arcideata) bearing berries, is 

 a beautiful ornamental shrub, retaining its berries through the winter. 



Celerery grows spontaneously in great luxuriance and perfection. 



Shetland south east from Cape Horn and near the antarctic circle, 



man 



scribed as '' naked, and destitute of a vestige" of vegetation, " a 

 shrub or two of a most diminutive moss, requiring a microscopic eye 

 to discover it, is very scarce, being found only in a ^q\w spots, and a 

 lichen identical witli the one on the hills oi Cape Horn, comprise the 

 botany of Shetland." Even the sea weeds are^xtremly meagre in 

 amount and variety. 



