324 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[OHAP. VII 
presented the appearance of immense glaciers. The land be¬ 
sides was free of ice. In respect of its geological formation and 
its animals and plants it resembled completely the island I have 
just described. But the sea-water here was clear and salt, and 
the dredging therefore yielded to Dr. Kjellman some large algae, 
and to Dr. Stuxberg a large number of marine evertebrates. 
When the fog lightened, we immediately steamed on, but we 
had scarcely got to sea before we were again wrapped in so close 
a fog that we were compelled to lie-to for the night beside a 
large piece of drift-ice. The hempen tangles were used, and 
brought up a very abundant yield of large, beautiful animal 
forms, a large number of asterids, Astrophyton, Antedon, &c. 
There was besides made here an exceedingly remarkable, and 
to me still, while I write, a very enigmatical find. 
For several years back I have been zealous for the examina¬ 
tion of all substances of the nature of dust which fall to the 
surface of the earth with rain or snow, and I have proved that a 
portion of them is of cosmic origin. This inconsiderable fall of 
dust is thus of immense importance for the history of the de¬ 
velopment of our globe, and we regard it, besides, with the 
intense interest which we inevitably cherish for all that brings 
us an actual experience regarding the material world beyond 
our globe. The inhabited countries of the earth, however, are 
less suitable for such investigations, as the particles of cosmic 
dust falling down here in very limited quantity can only with 
difficulty be distinguished from the dust of civilization, arising 
from human dwellings, from the offal of industry, from furnaces 
and the chimneys of steam-engines. The case is quite different 
on the snow and ice-fields of the High North, remote from 
human habitations and the tracks of steamers. Every foreign 
grain of dust can here be easily distinguished and removed, 
and there is a strong probability that the offal of civilization 
is here nearly wholly wanting. It is self-evident from this 
that I would not be disposed to neglect the first opportunity 
