8 
observed that the marshes on either side the river were bordered 
with a green and floating surface; and the Guaranis told me that 
they called the plant in question “ Yrupc ”, literally water-platter: 
from water, and rupe, a dish. Its general aspect reminded 
me of our Nhiuphar, belonging to the family NymphaacetB. 
Nearly a mile of water was overspread with huge round mar¬ 
gined leaves, among which shone, sprinkled here and there, 
the magnificent flowers, white and pink, scenting the air with 
their delicious fragrance. I hastened to load my Pirogue u*ith 
leaves, flowers and fruits: each leaf, itself as hea^yr as a man 
could carry, floats on the water by means of the air-cells con¬ 
tained in its thick projecting innumerable nervTS, and is beset, 
like the flower-stalks and fruit, with long spines. The ripe fruit 
is full of roundish-black seeds, white and mealy within. 
“ When I reached Corrientes, I hastened to make a dra^ving 
of this lovely water-lily, and to show my prize to the inhabitants ; 
and they informed me that the seed is a valuable article of food, 
which, being eaten roasted like maize, has caused the plant to be 
called Water-Maize (‘ ^Mais del Agua ’). I aftenvards heard from 
an intimate friend of M. Bonpland, the companion and fellow- 
labourer of the famous Humboldt, that having visited acciclentally, 
eight years previously to my visit, a place near the little river 
called Riochuyo, he had seen from a distance this suj)erb jflant, 
and had well nigh precipitated himself off the raft into the river 
in his desire to secure specimens; and that ]\[. Bonpland had 
been able to speak of little else for a whole month. I was so 
fortunate as to get dried leaves, flowers and fruits, and also to put 
other specimens in spirits; and about the end of 18:27, 1 had 
the delight of sending them, wuth my other Botanical and Zoolo¬ 
gical collections, to the ^luseum of Natural History at Paris. 
“ Five years afterwards, when travelling in Central America, in 
the country of the wild Guarayos, a tribe of Guaranis or Caribs, 
I made acquaintance with Father La Cueva, a Spanish Mis¬ 
sionary, a good and well-informed man, beloved for his patri¬ 
archal virtues, and one who earnestly devoted himself to the con¬ 
version of the natives. The traveller, after spending a year 
anaong Indians, may easily appreciate the privilege of meeting 
w^ith a human being who can understand and exchange senti¬ 
ments with hirn; and I eagerly embraced the opportunity of con¬ 
versing with this v^enerable old man, who had passed thirty years 
of his life among savages. In one of our interviews he happened 
to mention the famous botanist Haenke, who had been sent by 
the Spanish government to investigate the vegetable productions 
of Peru, and the fruit of whose labours has been unfortunately 
