OF FERDINAND BAUER. 111 
eutstripped, by at least a score of years, the capacities and at- 
tainments of the time at which it appeared. There is some- 
thing very naivein the remark made on the subject in a letter 
written by Bauer's brother. He says, * Ferdinand could not 
find people capable either of engraving or colouring the plates 
properly, and he was consequently obliged to execute every 
part of the work with his own hands, thus occupying far too. 
much time. Very few, indeed, coloured copies has he been 
able to prepare and sell.”  'Thus a botanical book which 
would have been appreciated and supported in the year 1834, 
or even during the magnificent and art-encouraging reign of 
Napoleon in France, fell to the ground in 1814. It appears, 
from documents in my possession, that Ferdinand was exces- 
sively and unduly disheartened by this failure ; so much so, 
that, fearing he should never be able to do any thing else; 
he gathered up his papers, and closing, as it were, his ac- 
counts and transactions with the literary and scientific world, 
determined to withdraw to his native land, taking with him 
his most extensive collections, drawings of more than 2000 spe- 
cies of plants, several hundred sketches of animals, a very 
valuable herbarium and collection of skins, the whole occupy- 
ing fourteen large cases, with which he set sail from England 
in August 1814. 
The liberality with which Ferdinand Bauer had been treated 
by the English government, in whose service he had remained, 
finishing the plates illustrative of the expedition, up to the. 
year 1813, enabled him, on his return to Austria, to purchase 
a small house at Hitzing, near Vienna, adjacent to the large 
Botanic Garden of Scheenbrunn. Here he worked very hard 
in executing aud completing his drawings of New Holland 
Plants and animals, as well as some plates of his Mustra- 
tiones, filling two large volumes with the former. He enjoyed 
the friendship of the different Naturalists in Vienna; but the 
Sreatest compliment ever paid to his merits, proceeded from 
those enterprising and liberal-minded travellers, Drs. Spix and 
Martius, when they say in their Voyage, (vol. 1., p 9.) “ that 
