Linear stability analysis has been applied to examine the stability of convection in a horizontal double-diffusive fluid layer driven by the combined effects of buoyancy and surface tension. Such a convective flow may serve as an idealized model of the horizontal Bridgman process for crystallization or solidification of liquid melts. Results show that salt-finger instability is excited over a wide range of thermal and solutal Grashof numbers. Travelling wave instabilities caused by surface tension effects are excited when the effective Marangoni number becomes large. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.