8 HANDY BOOK OP 



gress of antarctic species to the Arctic Ocean, and that the 

 migration of different marine animals from south to north 

 may have been produced by the same cause. 



Botanists assign ten separate provinces to the family of 

 Algse: — 



1st. The North Circumpolar, extending from lat. 60 N. 

 to the Pole : and including that wild and restless sweep of 

 ocean which embosoms Iceland and Spitzbergen, and laves 

 the coast of Norway and Lapland, of Nova Zembla and 

 Greenland, with such as form the northern boundaries of 

 the Russian empire — an ocean hoary at one season of the 

 year with mountains of floating ice, that reflect the dazzling 

 beams of the sun, or else exhibit the appearance of innu- 

 merable spangles flying off from their wavy surface ; and 

 where, during winter, the waves are congealed towards the 

 Pole into a solid mass. 



2nd. The North Atlantic, or the region of Fucus proper, 

 and Delesserise. This wide region extends from lat. 40 N. 

 to lat. 60 N. ; it comprises Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, 

 with the shores of cold and pitiless Labrador, and the ex- 

 treme point of Cape Farewell. Yoyagers speak of a remark- 

 able accumulation of that species of sea-weed generally 

 known as the Gulf-weed, or Sargassum, which occurs on 

 either side of the Equator. Columbus, when steering due 

 west, nearly in the same latitude as the Canary Islands, 

 and about 400 leagues distant, observed a similar pheno- 

 menon : he found the sea so covered with weeds that it 

 resembled a meadow of vast extent, and, in some places, 

 such was their strength and number as to retard the motion 

 of the vessels. 



Rennell, to whom we are indebted for much valuable in- 

 formation relative to the North Atlantic Ocean, speaks of the 

 Gulf Stream as producing a remarkable effect on its climate, 

 consequently, on its aquatic flora. This most powerful of 

 known currents has its source in the Gulf of Mexico, which, 

 like the Mediterranean Sea, and such as are encompassed 



