18 NORDENSKJOLD'S AND BERGGREN'S JOURNEY IN 1870. 



of grey powder, often conglomerated into small round balls of loose 

 consistency. Under the microscope, the principal substance of 

 this remarkable powder appeared to consist of white angular 

 transparent crystals. We could also observe remains of vegetable 

 fragments ; yellow, imperfectly translucent particles, with, as it 

 appeared, evident surfaces of cleavage (felspar), green crystals 

 (augite) and black opaque grains, which were attracted by the 

 magnet. The quantity of these foreign components is, however, 

 so inconsiderable, that the whole mass may be looked upon as one 

 homogeneous substance. An analysis, by Mr. G. Lindstrom, of 

 this fine glacial sand gave : — 



Silicic acid G2-25 



Alumina 14-93 



Sesquioxide of iron • 74 



Protoxide 4-64 



Protoxide of manganese 0-07 



Lime 5-09 



Magnesia 3-00 



Potassa 2-02 



Soda 4-01 



Phosjtkoric acid 0"11 



Chlorine 0-06 



Water, organic substance (100° to red-heat) .. .. 2 -86 



Hygroscopic water (15° to 100°) 0-34 



100-12 



Hardness inconsiderable, crystallization probably monoclinic. The 

 substance is not a clay, but a sandy trachytic mineral, of a com- 

 position (especially as regards soda) which indicates that it does 

 not originate in the granite region of Greenland. Its origin 

 appears therefore to me very enigmatical. Does it come from the 

 basalt region ? or from the supposed volcanic tracts in the interior 

 of Greenland ? or is it of meteoric origin ? The octahedrally- 

 crystallised magnetic particles do not contain any traces of nickel. 

 As the principal ingredient corresponds to a determinate chemical 

 formula, it would perhaps be desirable to enter it under a separate 

 class in the register of science, and for that purpose I propose for 

 this substance the name of KryoTconite (from /cpou's and koVis). 



When I persuaded our botanist, Dr. Berggren, to accompany me 

 in the journey over the ice, we joked with him on the singularity 

 of a botanist making an excursion into a tract, perhaps the only 

 one in the world, that was a perfect desert as concerns botany. 

 This expectation was, however, not confirmed. Dr. Berggren's 

 quick eye soon discovered, partly in the surface of the ice, partly 

 in the above-mentioned powder, a brown polycellular alga, which, 



