40 



During his residence abroad he improved his time by travelling, 

 and explored the greater part of France and Belgium, and on 

 other occasions he visited the north of Italy and undertook a jour- 

 ney to England. The period of his residence in Paris was not 

 exclusively devoted to Botany, though this was his favourite pur- 

 suit ; but he availed himself of the opportunity to profit by the 

 instructions of such able teachers as Vicq-d'Azyr and D'Aubenton. 

 After finishing his studies at Paris he took his degree of doctor 

 of medicine at Rheims. 



In the year 1790 Brotero returned to Portugal, whither his 

 reputation as a botanist had preceded him, and attracted the no- 

 tice of the queen, Donna Maria the First, so that, after a short 

 tune, he was appointed Professor of Botany and Agriculture to 

 the University of Coimbra, and Superintendant of the Botanic 

 Garden. On the 25th of February 1791, the Faculty of Philo- 

 sophy was incorporated, in the same manner as that of Mathema- 

 ties had been in the preceeding reign, and Brotero was, of course, 

 admitted a member of this body. He filled the situation of Pro- 

 fessor of Botany for twenty years, and in the discharge of his 

 duties was careful, not only to instruct his pupils in theoretical 

 knowledge, but by frequent excursions in the beautiful district 

 around Coimbra to infuse into them a taste for practical Botany. 

 The brief vacation which the statutes of the University allow 

 to the Professors* was employed by Brotero in botanical excur- 

 sions to different parts of the kingdom. At that time all Europe, 

 with the exception of Portugal, had been explored by botanists, 

 and with the same exception every country had its Flora, and the 

 deficiency here was the more to be regretted, as the reputation of 

 our botanical treasures had long excited the curiosity of Natu- 

 ralists, and drew forth from Linnaeus such epithets as the " terra 

 feliemiina? and " India Eur op ata!' Portugal, in the meanwhile, 

 possessed nothing better than the Viridarium Lusitanicum of G. 

 ( ms ley, which the great Swedish naturalist characterised most justly 

 as fLmiserrimum opus. It is true Toumefort had visited Portugal, 

 and in his Listitufiones Bei Herbaria had given notices of some 

 ol its plants, but without figures or descriptions. In 1788, Do- 

 iiungos Vandelli published a Flora Lusitanicce et Brasilia 

 Specimen, leaving all that regards Brazil to be executed by the 

 eminent botanist Vellozo. This, however, was a feeble attempt* 

 and far below the importance of the subject, and it was reserved for 

 Brotero to accomplish the wish of Linnaeus and to fill this void 

 m the science, by publishing (in 1804) his ' Flora Lusitanica.' 



1 he Professors tire occupied in teaching during nine months of the year. 



