188 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 
Rio Negro, and whose source cannot be far from Santa Fé de Bogotá." 
The river Uaupés is laid down in the maps of the Society for Promoting 
Useful Knowledge, as directly under the Line, between the 67th and 
68th degrees of west longitude, and as having its course nearly due west 
into the Rio Negro, a little above San Gabriel. 
The line of steamers which we hear is immediately to be established 
upon the Amazon, as high as Santa Nanta (1800 geographical miles 
from the mouth !) cannot fail to contribute greatly to our knowledge of 
the physical state of this wonderful country, and to facilitate the trans- 
port of collections.—Ep.] 
Barra do Rio Negro, April 18, 1851. i 
My pear SiR Witt1am,—By Senhor Henrique’s cutter, which is 
about to sail for Para, I am sending off such things as I have been 
able to get together for your Gardens and Museum, and also a large 
collection of dried plants for Mr. Bentham. At the same time I pro- 
pose giving you some account of my proceedings, which, from my con- 
stant occupation, must necessarily be brief. My collections have gone 
on uninterruptedly since last date, save now and then from the heavy 
rains, which have rendered both the gathering and preserving of plants 
a difficult task. We reached the Barra on the 10th of December; the - 
rains had set in some weeks previously, and from that date until the 
beginning of February, only a single day intervened entirely without 
rain. In February there were six fair days; in March (the most rainy 
of all the months) but one; and in April, up to the present date, we 
have had three days on which no rain fell; making a sum total of 
eleven fair days in between four and five months. Nor does the rain 
fall at stated hours of the day, as is customary at Para and Santarem, — 
save that it occurs much less frequently between sunset and sunrise 
than between sunrise and sunset. At Santarem we could so time our 
excursions as generally to escape rain, and during the whole rainy sea- 
son we only twice got a thorough wetting; but here, for three weeks 
. together, I have not once gone out without returning completely soaked. 
Perhaps in consequence of the continued rains, the average temperature 
is lower, and therefore more agreeable, than at Santarem. During the 
month of March, many days passed in which the thermometer never 
reached 80°, and the highest temperature I have registered for e 
month is only 841°. The maximum temperature for February is ev : 
When the thermometer is low (that is, from 71? to 75°) in a mornmg 
