As I have said before, I have, myself, in seven degrees nearer 
1 10 Pole than Wellington Channel, found any amount of trunks 
roots, and branches of coniferous wood, in positions that would 
lead the unwary to jump to the conclusion that the wood had 
grown there; but where they were imbedded the presence of 
Saxicava ardica, mya, and adartes, told the tale at once, tliat it 
was drift-wood brouglit down by the great rivers of eitlier' Siberia 
or the barren lands of America, pushed through the ice-bound 
seas ol the l‘ole, which had at length become rfijedamenta on its 
outlying shores. I was fortunate enough to bring this matter to 
the personal cognizance of Sir George Jshires, who Avas the com- 
panion of iArecham, and served under Belcher in the voyage 
alluded to; and he was quite convinced, when I pointed out the 
manner in which this timber in Grinnell Land Avas inil^cdded, that 
the wood Arocham and ho discovered in 185.3 had been deposit(‘.l 
under precisely similar conditions. 
Sir George informed me, however, that a petrified forest was 
supposed to have been discovered near the Bay of God’s Aferev on 
the north coast of Banks’ Land, where the Investigators, under 
.taclure, jiassed two dreary winters. Some specimens of this 
supposed wood were brought from there, and portions given to 
their rescuers on board the ‘ Pesolute,’ to which Sir George Xares 
then belonged. Fortunately, ho had preserved his specimens, and 
on our return from the polar regions he most kindly submitted 
them to me. The specimens had lain in his cabinet twenty-five 
years with the original ticket on them, viz. : “ AVood from petrified 
forest. Bay of God’s Alercy.” On examination I found that thev 
had not the slightest claim to the name of petrified or fossil wood, 
but were concretions of iron-stone, showing outwardly some repre- 
sentation of fragments of wood. 
^ Payer gives a very gloomy account of the phanerogamic flora of 
I'ranz-Josef Land; but my fonner caution must be remembered 
viz., that the Austrians left just as the summer episode was 
commencing, and before the flowers had thrown oft' their mantle 
of snow and awakemed to their brief summer. lie mentions 
Catahiosa aljida, Fries, a few specimens of Sa.ri/raya oppositifolia* 
* 6th June, 18/ 6, in 82" 25A I obtained the first blossom of Savifrana 
oppo.<nh/oUa, and it was not till the 25th July that I found Lydatis 
apetala hlixmiing in the same latitude. 
