162 Dr. Hooker's Flora Antarctica. 



Commander downward,* but of nearly all previous Antarctic col- 

 lections; among which were " the still unpublished herbaria form- 

 ed by Sir Joseph Banks, Forster, and Solander in Cook's voyage, 

 and Menzies in that of Vancouver." We may add that the col- 

 lections made in the recent French Antarctic voyages, even the 

 yet unpublished portions, were liberally shared with Dr. Hooker, 

 for the purpose of giving greater completeness to the present 

 work. 



The first part of the Flora Antarctica is devoted to the botany 

 of the few small islands which lie to the south of New Zealand, 

 of which Lord Auckland's group and Campbell's island are the 

 most important. No account of the botany of these islands had 

 as yet been published. Their flora, as might be expected, proves 

 to be closely related to that of New Zealand, " and does not par- 

 take of any of those features which characterize Australian veg- 

 etation." 



The second part of the work treats of the botany of the other 

 antarctic regions, exclusive of the Islands above mentioned ; prin- 

 cipally of Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and Kerguelen's 

 Land ; the latter, from the characteristics of its vegetation, being 

 associated with Fuegia, from which it is separated by 140 degrees 

 of longitude, rather than with Lord Auckland's group, which is 

 about 50 degrees nearer in geographical position. The intro- 

 duction to this portion, like the whole work, abounds with inter- 

 esting and very acute observations upon the laws which govern 

 the geographical distribution of plants, especially as connected 

 with physical geography and geology. We gather some extracts 

 of this kind, as possessing more general interest to the readers of 

 the Journal, than those disquisitions which relate to strictly bo- 

 tanical questions. 



"A certain affinity in botanical productions has often been 

 traced in widely severed countries, and Professor Forbesf has 

 lately brought geological causes to bear immediately upon this 



* Dr. Hooker remarks that there were few officers of either ship who did not 

 contribute something to the collection of plant-; and that the Commander, "whose 

 private Cabin was unreservedly placer! at his disposal during the whole time the ex- 

 pedition was afloat, took a pleasure in promoting the interests of the collections at 

 all times, and himself gathered many of the plants here described." 



f u Profe Of E. Forbes has connected the similarity. Ion known to exist between 

 the floras of the west of Ireland and Portugal, with ceil n geological characteris 



lies belonging to both these now remote, but perhaps once united countries. * 

 Uniformity of surface is generally accompanied by a similarity of vegetation through- 

 out an extended region. When such a surface becomes divided, we arc apt to con- 

 clude that the isolation of the lesser portion preceded the migration of plants from 

 the larger; in short, that the identity of the Norfolk and Suffolk flora with that 

 of Holland, must be due to the former having been peopled with plants by the lat- 

 ter subsequently to the Genu an Ocean having assumed its pr nt position; and 

 not that the two together formed an equally well clothed and extended plain, reach- 

 ing, u Humljoldt believes, from North Brabant to the steppes of Asia; its western 

 portion having afterwards been insulated by the influx of the North Sea." 







