84 
nEPORT—1847. 
Tile waters, and especially the newly-formed ice of the whole Antarctic Ocean, 
between the parallels of 60 ° ami 80° south, were found by the author to abomd ii 
an order of organisms, whose true nature had until very recently been dispoted; but 
which the recent discoveries of Mr. Thwaites in England had proved to bdonjto 
thr vegetable kingdom. ITiis order occurred in such countless myriads «toaia 
the sea everywhere of a pale ochrvous brown, iu same cases causine the sorficc of 
the uevan. from the locality of tlie ships, os (ar as eye could reach, tousanct 
pale bniwo colour. Though peculiarly abundant io the Icy Sea, lh« plaati w 
probably uniformly disjiersed over the whole ocean, but being invisiblr freia tinr 
niinuteness, can only be recognized when washed together in masses, andcootmai 
with some opake substance, lliey were invariably found in the stonjachs of 
mid other si-a animals, in till latitudes betwen that of the north tropic odiI tkt 
highest ^parallel attained by the Antarctic Expedition. Alany processts tot (»• 
.Ehrcnberg» Quw •- 
lions on ihijse plants, has led Ur. lltioker to the following very curious rrsnlU:- 
1. Ilml a vegetation, very difreront from lAthnu*, 3/o«iftv, &c. (orders wlikli W 
hitherto Jwvn supposed to comprise the most antarctic vcgetablB) abounds ns tie 
waters of the antarctic circle, tlu* specie? npnnreiillv Increasinc in Dumber witb ti* 
IntHude up to the- highest point nttaiued by man. 
2 . ihai onthiavegttation the whole of the animal kingdom, which swarm* i*'lie 
wuliTS of the Antarctic Ocean, perhaps ulliniutely depends for its existence. It main* 
tnins that balance between the nuimol mid vegetable kingdom whlcli prevail? thnwei 
ml Ollier latitudes { probably also purifying the vitiatwi atmosphere, as plash rf» 
higher order do in mure temperate reginn« 
3. 1 be genera and species of IHutimamw collected within the autMctif fircif »ft 
no a jircuiinr to those latitudes ; on the c.mtroiT, some of the latter occur in 
cmifi ry between Spitzborgpji and Victoria Land. Others, or even sonie of *!*“• 
by I’rof. JChrenberg us occurring fossil in both AmericiB.tlK 
Kt. ii./ ' north of Africa, in Tripoli stmie and iu volcanic sshe gwltd 
® ; whilst others again have been found daating 
ofThi « tbe Tropical Atlantic; for Mr. Darwin, doringthevovige 
whim yf ’’'impalpable dust, which fell on Captain Fitzroy’t*l»P 
'’■‘’'■'I and which on exaraioatrin »« 
antarctic regions remains of .Wafomncpfe, including species ccmiuoo 
a hulimnlinn^ '“id ‘Ificottiposition of this antarctic vegetation are graduallrprodnOT? 
sIuJmTX “*■ dimensions. TOs bank consists wainh 
at d nor^lSfny mT."* Oiatomace^ iniermized vrith 
tude Its position is from the 76th to the rsth degree ofsoutb ha- 
an area of jfio ■\ *”®*'*‘I’®*’* 1^5 east aod 160 west longitude, thasocenpps? 
w.™ in tL w ’’y Al' »>■' soundings f.ta o,« .hnV' 
2 ^ «.mi r rr ^ occaslonativ mixed witli sand, at a depth of !»««« 
sometimes sank two feet into thb pastvdrp.^; 
measure of the ° i^fought up, showed the bottom to consist in » 
ricr’and be regarded as resting on the shores of VictoriaLandsodBi.;- 
of 12 w h of Mount Erebus, an active volcano upn^ 
arx- stin If® of the pumice and ashes of other volcaoc*. 
that " 7ubS«ly « P^^haps not unreasonable to con;^"- 
nmv m cn fdS . .*^uhaqueous forces, which keep Mount Erebus in 
fire'f. * ®“*"‘^‘'o'"'"‘^n»cation between this Diatomaceousdepositanditsroltf^ 
ic(/4oo Hanks the whole length of Victoria Bamcr.afl’^jJ 
edge floats in the ocean, whilst its land«* >^ 
tai.ia of Victoria '‘f ^"0“^ Erebus, and oihrt 
accumulation of .snnT. ' 1’be progressive motion of such a 
" or snow on its surface, must reiult in its interference with the dep«>‘ 
