8 Letter from C. Humboldt to C. Fourctoy. 



on which they place the rafped and rotten fruit of a taimofa, 

 mixed with fait and a little quick-lime. The .Otomaqin 

 holds the plate in one hand and in the other the tube, the 

 two ends of which enter his noftrils, that he may inhale this 

 Simulating tobacco. This inftrument has a hiftorieal in- 

 tereft : it is common only to the Otomaquas and the Ome- 

 ^uas, two nations who at prefent are 300 leagues diftant 

 from each other, among whom Condamine faw it. It proves 

 that the Omeguas, who, according to an old tradition, came 

 from Guaviara, may be defcended from the Otomaquas, and 

 that the city of Manoa was feen by Phillip de Vure between 

 Meta and Guaviara. Thefe facts are interefling in regard 

 to the origin of the fable of the Dorado. 



The (hirt, which one of my people wore for a long time, 

 is the bark of the tree called morima, without any preparation. 

 You fee that Hurts grow upon trees in this country, and near 

 the Dorado, where I found no mineral curiofities but talc and 

 a little titanium. 



It has been impoflible for us to arrange the feeds and plants 

 of the Rio-Nigro deftined for Thouin, Jufiieu, and Desfon- 

 taines, who will not altogether have forgotten me. We have 

 very-uncommon things ; for example, new kinds of befaria, 

 new genera of palms ; all which we (hall foon difpatch, and 

 be anured that we (hall not lofe light of the interefts of the 

 mufaeum. But alas ! captain Baud in has fet out, and we are 

 here ! This is very hard and diftreffing. We (hall perhaps 

 find him in the South Sea. 



I beg you will remember me to the refpeetable members 

 of the National Inftitute : my refpe&s to Berthollet, Chaptal, 

 Vauqaelin, Guyton, Jufiieu, Desfontaines, Halley, Delam- 

 bre, Laplace, Cuvier. In the letter which I fend to De- 

 lambre I forgot an eclipfe, which I beg you will add to it. 



Immerfion of the 3d fatellite on the 4th of October 1800, 

 at Cumana, at 16 h. 59/ 36" mean time. 



P. S. Repeat, I beg of you, my requefl: to the Board of 

 Longitude for the Connoiffances des Terns. I regret the 

 death of general Defaix. What a lofs to the republic and all 

 mankind ! 



II. A Treatlfe 



