H. M . Ships Erebus and Terror, 521 



rises 32° or falls below 20° ; and while the southerly winds 

 bring snow, the northerly ones transport an atmosphere 

 laden with moisture, which becoming at once condensed, 

 covers the face of the ocean with white fogs of the densest 

 description. 



" All Islands and lands to the southward of 45°, partake 

 more or less of this inhospitable climate, which, though emi- 

 nently unfavourable to a varied growth of plants, still from 

 its equable nature, causes a degree of luxuriance to pervade 

 all the vegetable kingdom, such as is never seen in climates 

 where the vegetable functions are suspended for a large 

 portion of the year. The remoteness of these islands from 

 any continent, together with their inaccessibility, preclude 

 the idea of their being tenanted, even in a single instance, 

 by plants that have migrated from other countries, and still 

 more distinctly do they forbid the possibility of man having 

 been an active agent in the dissemination of them. On the 

 contrary, the remarkable fact that some of the most pecu- 

 liar productions are confined to the narrowest limits, is a 

 strong argument in favour of a general distribution of vege- 

 table life over separate spots on the globe. Hence it will 

 appear, that islands so situated furnish the best materials 

 for a rigid comparison of the effects of geographical position, 

 and the various meteorological phenomena on vegetation, 

 and for acquiring a knowledge of the great laws according 

 to which plants are distributed over the face of the globe." 



The parts which as yet have reached us, are devoted 

 to the Botany of Lord Auckland's group and Campbell's 

 Island, which lie to the south of New Zealand. From the 

 general view of the nature of these islands, we make the 

 following extracts : — 



" The Flora of these islands is closely related to that of 

 New Zealand, and does not partake in any of those features 

 which characterise Australian vegetation. Most of the 

 plants may indeed be presumed to exist on the unexplored 



