INTRODUCTION. 



is their fundamental principle." It is supposed to 

 exist principally in the mucus of these plants— the 

 mucilaginous receptacles of Fucus vesiculosus, after 

 being soaked in brandy^ I have seen used in 

 France as an external remedy in cases of sore 

 throat; probably the beneficial effects arise from 

 the presence of iodine. Among* the poor on 

 the Somerset coast, they are frequently used in 

 hot sea-water in cases of rheumatism and sprains. 

 In the Channel Islands, the Fuci, and stems of 

 the Laminarise, after being dried, are used as fuel, 

 and for smoking bacon and fish, to which they 

 impart a most peculiar flavour. 



Having noticed the most important uses of these 

 plants, it would be a matter of little interest to the 

 reader were I to detail the minor ones to which they 

 are applied. Nor is it necessary for me to dilate 

 upon their varied hues, and often singularly beau- 

 tiful forms, which by the botanist and true lover of 

 nature, can never be viewed without admiration and 

 pleasure. The pages of the great Book of Nature 

 lie open before our eyes, and he who attempts 



