GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION 



BRITISH PLANTS. 



I. REMARKS ON THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY 

 OF BRITAIN. 



1. EXTENT AND POSITION. 



That portion of the British Isles, to which the present 

 treatise relates, will be understood to include the island of 

 Britain, properly so called, consisting of England, Wales, 

 and Scotland, and also the small isles immediately ad- 

 jacent ; but excluding Ireland, and the isles of Guernsey, 

 Jersey, and Sark. Viewed separately, England, Wales, 

 and Scotland run almost directly north and south ; but 

 nearly all Scotland lying to the west of a line drawn down 

 the middle of England, the general direction of the whole 

 island, from the south coast, is inclined considerably to 

 the west of north. The longitudinal line of 2° W. from 

 Greenwich cuts England into two nearly equal portions, 

 eastward and westward, but scarcely touches Scotland ; 

 4° W. long, being nearly the mesial line of the latter. 

 Hence no longitudinal line can be drawn along Britain, 

 which shall entirely divide the eastern from the western 



