146 SEASIDE DIVINITY. 



for their own nourishment. Thus a perpetual cir- 

 culation takes place, which affords one of the 

 most striking evidences of prospective wisdom 

 that it is possible to conceive. 



In reference to the subject of iodine as extracted 

 from marine plants, one remark may here be ad- 

 ded. " When it is considered," observes the justly 

 celebrated Liebig, " that sea-water contains less 

 than the one-millionth of its own weight of 

 iodine, and that all combinations of iodine with 

 the metallic bases of alkalies are highly soluble in 

 water, some provision must necessarily be sup- 

 posed to exist in the organisation of sea-weeds and 

 the different kinds of fuci, by which they are 

 enabled during their life to extract iodine in the 

 form of a soluble salt from sea-water, and to as- 

 similate it in such a manner that it is not again 

 restored to the surrounding medium. These 

 plants are collectors of iodine, just as land plants 

 are of alkalies ; and they yield us this element in 

 quantities such as we could not otherwise obtain 

 without the evaporation of whole seas." * 



How this process is carried on is hot under- 

 stood, but it cannot fail to add additional interest 

 to the consideration of marine plants, that not 

 only in this respect, but as regards the oxygen 

 they furnish, their structure, simple as it ap- 

 pears, is nevertheless adapted to carry on unceas- 

 ingly a great system of chemical decomposition 

 for purposes which are all wise and good, although 



* Chemistry in its Application to Agriculture and Physiology, 

 p. 83. 



