A siirvey of the Phytogeography of the Arctic American Archipelago H 
1822, making many important discoveries and mapping a long stretch of the Con- 
tinental shore. Indeed, it did not visit the Archipelago, but for a casual landing 
on the Savage Islands at the southern coast of Baffin Land, wliere Dr. Richardson 
collected about 30 species of flowering plants, but is lias otherwise been of very 
great importance for the botanicul investigation of Arctic America. The botanical 
appendix to FKANELiN'a Journal will always rest one of the most important and 
reliable sources of information about that region, and it is only lo be regretted that 
it treats the distribution of the species within the area in question so very summarily. 
In reading tbe narrative of tlie voyage and looking over the coUections, one must, 
however, regard it as a very admirable feat of Dr. Richardson to liave been able 
to effect so much under so adverse conditious, lialfstarved and continually battling 
against dangers of every kind. 
Dr. Richardson took part also in the second voyage of Franklin in the 
years 1825 — 27, acting as chief naturalist of the expedition. He also was in commaiid 
of one of the boat-expeditions in the summer of 1826 and, going eastward from 
the mouth of the Mackenzie, sueceeded in connecting the discoveries of the second 
journey with those of the tirst. During this boat- voyage he sighled a land to the north 
which he called Wollaston Land, and which is now known to form part of one of 
the largest and southernmost of the Islands of the Archipelago, Victoria Land. The 
botanical material, collected during this expedition by Richardson, was so conside- 
rable, that it could not be treated in the Appendix to the Narrative of the expedi- 
tion, but was reserved for a separate work which was originally intended to be 
published by Richardson and Hooker joinily. Richardson, however, got other- 
wise occupied, and the botanical collectious he had brougt home tbus becaine the 
principal material for Hooker's important work, Flora Boreali-Americana. I do not 
wish, indeed, to retract in any way from the merits of this })ook which will stånd 
for ever among the standardworks of floristic litterature, but still I think it is to 
be regretted, that Richardson got no direct part in its edition, the statements about 
the range of the species than probably having turned out somewhat fuller tiian is 
now the case. Moreover, the labels of the specimens, now to be found in the 
herbaria of the Natural History Museum and at Kew, are very incomplete, in many 
cases only carrying the inscription »Herb. Richardson» or the like. Probably the 
collections from different points have originally only had one label each, and when 
the separate collections were låter put togetlier, it iias been omitted to write out a 
label for each plant. 
In 1829 John Ross again started to make an attempt at a northwest passage, 
this time trying the same route as Parry had done in 1824, so far, however, with 
a better success as he was able to pass tbrough Frince Regents Iiilet to the Gult 
of Boothia. Having spent three years on the coast of Boothia Felix, he was obhged 
to abandon his ship and take up his quarters for a fourth winter at Fury Beach 
