BOTANICAL INVOllMATION. 313 



(lerately paid for his education, and that of three other young men, 

 destined at a future period for missions of scientific discovery, and par- 

 ticularly with a view to botanical research in foreign countries. In the 

 year 1820 M. Eojer reached Mauritius, in company with the well- 

 known naturalist, Hilsenbcrg. After having visited several districts of 

 the island of Madagascar, making extensive collections of plants and 

 seeds of all kinds, most of which were entirely new to the botanists of 

 Europe, M. Bojer, as one of the first-fruits of his labours, sent a very 

 extensive herbarium of rare specimens to the Vienna Museum, and was 

 afterwards rewarded by the Emperor with a pension, and the decoration 

 of the Order of Merit. At the instigation of Sir Charles Colville, then 

 Governor of Mauritius, M. Bojer made a second voyage to Madagascar, 

 and after botanically exploring its western shores, he crossed over to 

 the eastern coast of Africa, visiting in succession Pemba, Monbaza, and 

 Zanzibar, where he collected many new plants, most of them of extra- 

 ordinary beauty. He then visited the Comoro Islands and Agalega, 

 and the rich herbarium he brought from these spots laid the foundation 

 of his well-known work, the 'Hortus Mauritianus.' He remained 

 about six years in these different places, though principally residing in 

 Madagascar, where be was intimate with King Radaraa, who was really 

 a civilized Prince in the midst of barbarism, and who appreciated sci- 

 entific men, particularly the English and French, thus forming a strong 

 contrast to his usurping successor. Queen Kanavala jNIanjaca, The 

 writer of this notice has often heard Professor Bojer speak in raptiire 

 of the infinitely diversified and luxuriant vegetation and botanical 

 beauty, as well as the salubrity, of the interior of this vast island, 

 which, on the gradually ascending heights, 300 miles inwards, forms 

 such a striking difference to the imhealthy and miasmatic borders of 

 the seacoast. He often regretted that the English, whom he regarded 

 as his adopted countrymen, did not take some steps for settling m the 

 interior of the island, so rich in mineral and vegetable wealth, and 

 which afforded so magnificent a field for the purposes of emigration. 



In the vear 1837 M. Bojer published, by subscription, his 'Hortus 

 Mauritianus,' which is well known to European botamsts, and which is 

 an enumeration of the exotic and indigenous plants growing m the 

 island, arranged according to the Natural Orders. The value of this 

 wort is gi-eat, from the scrupulous attention given to the locahties ol 

 plants, and from its pointing out the most favourable spots for the cul- 



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VOL. viir. 



