65 
BOTANICAL EXCURSION on the AMAZON; dy R. Spruce, Esa. 
[We have noticed the arrival of Mr. Spruce at Para in a previous 
number, and have now the pleasure of giving the following more 
` recent particulars.—Ep.]} ins 
Parà, 7th Oet., 1849. 
Before this time I hope you will have received two letters from me. 
The ‘George Glen, from Liverpool, has been here about a week; 
and I shall take the opportunity of forwarding several things by her, 
though, as I start for Santarem the day after to-morrow, I shall have 
to entrust them to a friend for embarkation. The pressure of prepara- 
tion prevents me also from writing so much as I could wish; but the 
accompanying list of vegetable curiosities which I have amassed for 
your museum, and which fill two cases, will give some idea of what 
I have done. Along with these cases you will receive a third, contain- . 
ing chiefly Orchidee, but also a few Aroideous and other plants. I 
send to Mr. Bentham at the same time a case of dried Vasculares, of 
which the first sets will number 300* species, including eighty-three 
ferns, of which some of the smaller epiphytal ones may possibly be new, 
and a packet of very interesting lichens to Mr. Babington. 1 have, 
besides, a Ward’s case full of plants, chiefly Palms, of whose contents 
I will give a list below ;—these I leave in charge of Mr. A. Campbell, 
who undertakes to have the case fastened up and despatched about 
March next. These plants have cost me much trouble, and have 
already performed voyages in an open boat amounting to 110 miles. 
When I last wrote to you we were expecting to visit Caripi and 
Tanaii, which we have since done. Both these places are really on the 
mainland, though this whole region is so intersected by rivers and 
igaripés that it may be looked on as a set of islands. Thus, Caripi is 
constituted an island by the Igaripe-Miri, which communicates at 
both extremities with the Rio Parà. Its position is on the Bay of 
Marajó, which, being ten miles wide, quite resembles an inland sea, and 
is about thirty miles west of Para. The shore of the river is here a 
beautiful sandy shelving beach, which we could traverse for many miles 
at low water, though we were occasionally obliged to strip in order to 
pass the mouths of the igaripés. I made here a rich harvest among 
* These, as already announced, Mr. Bentham is generously engaged in arranging, 
and numbering, and distributing to the subscribers.—E». 
VOL. II. K 
e 
