A survey of the Phytogeography of the Arctic American Archipelago 
9 
York at the Smith Sound, and from Possessiou Bay in Baffin Land. But as the 
specimens are, partly at least, to be found in the Natural History Museum and the 
locahty noted in the label, 1 have been able to insert some particulars about Ross' 
collection in the following tables. The Hst includes 36 species of vascular plants, 
and soiue are first distinguished here, 1 inst. Saxifraga propinqua and Carex com- 
pacta which are wanting in Greenland and consequently must have been found at 
Possession Bay. 
Of far greater importance, however, was the next expedition which visited the 
Arctic Islands in 1819—20 under the command of Captain W. E. Parry. Certainly 
Parry will for ever take bis place among the first of arctic explorers, not only did 
his geographical discoveries range over a wider space than those of most otbers, 
but he also bad an open eye upon the importance of not only making up ma[)S 
with the greatest possible amount of new coastUnes laid in, but always trying to 
gather as rauch information about the nature and productions of the new-discovered 
lands as cireumstances would' allow. Thus Melville Island, where the expeditions 
wintered, bas become one of the best known in the whole Archipelago and as for 
the botanical investigation it may be taken to be rather well carried out, as the 
Canadian Government expedition which wintered there in 1908—09 bas hardly been 
able to add any new s[)ecies to the list of the flora. Parry says (Journal I, Introd. 
p. XV): »We collected, and have brought home, specimens of the natural produc- 
tions of those seas and islands which we visited; marking with care the places at 
which they were respectively procured; and it is hoped, that the papers in the 
Appendix, relating to Natural History, will shew that no great loss to that branch 
of science bas been sustained, by the absence of a professional naturalist in the 
Expedition. In fact, Captain Sabine in a great degree, supplied the place of a 
person of this description; and to him, in particular, the Appendix will shew, that 
science and philosophy stånd greatly indebted for a collection of facts and experi- 
ments, in a part of the world hitherto but little known, and never before visited 
by Europeans.» As shown by the labels of the specimens, however, other officers of 
the expedition also contributed, to the botanical collection at least; among these I 
may mention the surgeons of the expedition, J. Edwards, A. Fisher, and Ch. J. 
Beverley, Lieutenants F. W. Beechey and H. P. Hopfner, and iMr. J. C. Ross. 
The botanical collections were treated by Rob. Brown in his Chloris Melvilliana 
which forms part of tlie Supplement to the Appendix to Parry s Journal. Indeed 
the author does there only speak of collections from Melville Island, but it appears 
from Parry's own statements that specimens were brought home from other locali- 
ties also. If they should have been entered by Brown as belonging to the flora of 
Melville Island, I do not think, however, that any species has been wrongly stated 
for that region, as all statements seem to be corroborated by specimens in the 
London collections, if they are not by mistake indicated as found there, but informa- 
tion about other occurrences of the same species may have been lost. The records 
