I o Ocean between Europe and America. 



them has numerous leaves difpofed in a row; they 

 are extremely thin, are ferrated, and are a line 

 or a line and a half wide, fo that they bear a 

 great refemblance to the leaves of Iceland-mofs > 

 their colour is a yellowifli green. Its fruit in a 

 great meafure refembles unripe juniper berries, is 

 round, greenifh yellow, almoft fmooth on the 

 outfide, and grows under the leaves on fhort 

 footftalks, of two or three lines length ; under 

 each leaf are from one to three berries, but I 

 never have feen them exceed that number. Some 

 berries were frnall, and when cut were quite 

 hollow and confifted of a thin peel only, which 

 is calculated to communicate their buoyancy to 

 the whole plant. The leaves grow in proportion 

 narrower, as they approach the extremities of 

 the branches : their upper fides are fmooth, the 

 ribs are on the under fides, and there likewife 

 appear fmall roots of two, three, or four lines 

 length. I was told by our mate that gulf-weed, 

 dried and pounded, was given in America to 

 women in childbed, and befides this it is alfo 

 ufed there in fevers. The whole ocean is as if 

 it were covered with this weed, and it muft alfo 

 be in immenfe quantities in the gulf ol[ Florida, 

 from whence all this driving on the ocean is faid 

 to come. Several little Jhells pointed like horns, 

 and Efchartz or Horn wracks are frequently found 

 on it : and feldom is there one bundle of this 

 plant to be met with, which does not contain 

 either a minute forimp, or a fmall crab, the latter 

 of which is the Cancer mi nut us of Dr. Linnceus. 

 Of thefe I collected eight, and of the former 

 three, all which I put in a glafs with water ; 



the 



