THE SHORES OF BRITAIN. 59 
so delicate that in drying, the colouring matter 
contracts in the stem, leaving interrupted spaces 
destitute of colour, and perfectly transparent. 
These are but a very few of the multitudinous sea- 
weeds which would come under the notice of an 
observant visitor to our own rocky shores; yet how 
manifold are the indications of infinite intelligence 
and goodness even in these things proverbial for 
their vileness! And while we gratefully acknow- 
ledge the Divine hand in such species as conduce to 
man’s sustenance or comfort, may we not, from the 
lavish beauty and elegance of such as are of no direct 
benefit to us, legitimately draw the same consola- 
tory inference which the Saviour drew from the 
lovely lilies at His feet? If God so clothe these 
obscure caverns and submerged rocks, will He not 
much more care for those whom He has redeemed 
with the blood, and conformed to the image, of His 
Son? Nor is the relation which He sustains to these 
frail and perishing weeds limited to an exertion of 
creative power. All are marshalled in order, each is 
provided incessantly with the requisite supplies for 
its welfare, and each is assigned to that particular 
locality which suits its habit of growth, and where 
alone it flourishes. On this subject Mr. Neill 
observes, “On our open shores a certain order is 
observed in the habitat of the Fuci, each species 
occupying pretty regularly its own zone or station. 
Chorda filum, or Sea-laces, grows in water some 
fathoms deep: in places where the tide seldom en- 
tirely ebbs, but generally leaves from two to three 
feet of water, grow Alaria esculenta and Laminaria 
