tS<5 N -A T U R A L H I ^ T O R Y h U ^ a R W J r ,
But as | it is . mot' my coiiCerh to afiign proper appellations to
thefe marine vegetables, fo to diftribnte them into their refp'ediive
| qtaffes and .genetay with that- accuracy I» could ;wiih* isy I: donfefs
above: my capacity. I foall: onty,-.agreeably to their:.figures] make
two general diyiG.Qns.of them into herbs and trees;; the- third clais
being thehcomts afi.vftQncyrv^tab&s, whitdfllbyv fome- me icon-
founded with- theiea-tteeb?. ;Mr. J. C, Roxbaitai; intCommen-
tar. Acad. Petropol. among other obfervati©ns\on mariner plants,
%eaks as follows, ‘hfPlantae fobmatinae paucs fuerunt antiquiori-
bus not® botanicis, quarum numerum -valde. auxeruntRajus Plu-
kenetius aliique, qui his obfovationes ifqas; ; commUnicaruhfi s i ;Dif-
tihxit in ahquot has,claflbs modo laudktrUs Rajus, fed fi accuratius
inlpicias, ipfom invenies canfufom; .nnllosi.veros terminos conftitu-
entem inter fuoos. et algas sot; mufeos marinos, quasilli prom'ifcue
nunc fitb hoc, huac- fob illtri nomine1 proponuntury mclinrorn
plaritarum fobmaidnarum i in genera .certa .divifipnena debemus
TournefortiOj qui, tamest in eo reprehendendus, quod fobljfopo^m
et corallinarum npmine, plantas foter fe p^urn' -epavenieptes: cprq-,
ppehendat. |
i W C T.. IL
Several kinds Since m y arrival in t h i s country , I have; .made a..rr^Te/Hon o f
cf fea-grafs. yegetabl^s growing foj thn &a.-o£’ Norvyayy qnd I perceiye,
that what is commonly called tong,"fea-weed,.priinlMpAyay,..t&e-
alga; which is partly found growiqg.qnAts rpp;t ,fi. partly, detached
or among theappertures and comers <)f the rooks,
green, fometimes of a dark., brown,.; fometipi,es narrow'and flat,
liketa blade of grafs, and twp .or three ells in, length, • ipmetimes
Gender and round, but. much lpnger, I;.myMfthaving; Dufle^ up
a piyee of po lefs than ten e||s;. cqnfeqpendy, they exceed many
trees in height, and even thismidht poifibiyBe one of the fhort-
* In fome parts at the bottom ofthera'd-feii, the coral-treas gradually increafe to
fijeh a degree, that the veflels and boats are .put tqnoimaM difficultyto clear tjieii;
way* through them. ' '
• i p l f e way. of an analogy, ! call thofe fhort Hems, by wKiich all-thofe vegetables
are connefted to fome ftone or other,- which-generally is. drawn out along with the
vegetable; for properly the fea-vegetables have ho roots, being on all tides furfpunded
with their alimentary matter, and: i&uk ftapding in no need of a root to imbibe their
nutriment,fo that the entire plant may be fyd to be a root
eft;
N A T U R A L H IS: T O R Y U N 0 R W A Y
eft; fometimes: theylare found with ja ihort," roundiih item, jand
leaves about two tor three fingers broad, with finall femicircular
iqdetitures like X the oak; leaf, fometimesqthey are longer, and at
the' end releipBle: peaedeks feathers,; fometimes plain, fometimes-
icahrous, with hollow tubercle’s,, but,i as ,far as I could1 find, with-:
out any feeds in them. ■ A fea-weed is fonjetirnes found here,
With leaves pHfoch a length and breadth, and withal even?rand:
finooth, that I do not know oLany of our land vegetables to be
q^npare'd to them; I have "taken out ‘ leaves', fqur ells, and a half
lprig and one- in breadth, and ib perfedtly e^p^and fftiooth,' that
qt:foil fight a ftranger would have taken them,for green fattiqj.
and among tkgfe’jyeeds, thq lobfter finds both,fgod and ihelter.'
Whether- -this tarre bloifoms like other vegetables, I cannot .affirm
from' pay own knowlege, but a perfon, of curiofity has allured me,
that, he-has, feen thcrflowers fwimming on the liarface of the wa-
tqr, and; that they refemble vyhite'lilies; :and pygmiied at tlje fatpe
time to procure me fome. I here mean" only-the genera, not
doubting, but tupon - further iear.chr, fgvyr^h particular ipecies of
thgm rmay be:fpund.|qp{(jthejCoaftr.qT N^ tand other coafts,
elpecially in Iceland,, where the .poverty of the inhabitants, has
tqughy them to turn the ffa-weeds to various ufes, every kind ae-;
cqrding’to its nature, even to the grinding it to a kind of meaf-j^
fpr; gruel or pottage, which at the fame tiine proves a gentle- ea-^:
thartic *. . The peaiants on the fea7coaft in-,thefe -parts;' who un-
derftand tfieir buimefe,ymake ufe off-fea-weeds for,manure in the-
improvement; of their ground, and in the province, qf Nprifiapd,
vyhere, iii fummer-ytyme, the cattle fincf, plenty of pafture, p% ?j^e,
mountains and; among the meadpws, f but where - on r rhnf. account
they are the more pmched in their wanter.foddet; ,it^s.-a;commpn
pradice to fupply this fcarcity with dried tang, andtijikpwdfe. with
the heads of cods and other large fifti. bones;: thpy glfo tpqafec -what-
they call a caw.-foup, of: which the beft ingredient is.jfang.nf Htyj.
• *; *:®?ncerning, ^ffe'^aes 'rila1"racc|i.ailferalopks
and taftes as if fugar had been ftrewn ovec'it,' and'among' the? Icelanders,' in
many cafes, is ufed for fugar Sep Thom. Barihoh^i Afta jne4ica, ,Hafn
Pf<j 74- y°k 1'V. p. 3 3n Multa faxis marinis adherer 'algae cppia^.q^aip^vereVolIiguntj
i llM?:i1Wppre ipfajedto album acquiriticplorem, jcujjis^eft etiam. iii!<;(ommend5ione
fapor, cum dulcedine npnjinfer/qr fit fac.charo.Hanc quoquq .cqip t)Utyro: comledunt
IflaAdi, See alfo p. 159. relat.'Borrichii.
Part I. R r weed.