GEORGE MARC GRAVE 255 



writer in Manget is very explicit, so much so that it seems well to quote 

 him in full : 



Samuel Kechelius, a distinguished astronomer who has taught for many 

 years at Leyden and who was formerly a messmate of Maregrave's, has told me 

 of letters sent to him from Marcgrave in Brazil in which the latter announced 

 that he had packed up all his possessions and awaited a favorable wind that by 

 the grace of God he might return to his native land with the renowned Prince 

 (Maurice). But in spite of his determination, and unexpectedly, so Kechelius 

 narrates (and the same others report also), he was sent to Angola in Africa to 

 what purpose he was ignorant, and as soon as he came thither he died. 



So died and went to his grave at the age of thirty-four, at the zenith 

 of his activities and reputation, George Marcgrave, who, had he lived 

 but a few years longer to have put into shape his Brazilian collections 

 and observations, would certainly have raised himself to the rank of the 

 first natural historian of his time, and possibly that of greatest since 

 Aristotle. 7 



The scientific fruits of this expedition to Brazil of Count Maurice, 

 of Piso, and especially of Marcgrave, are of four kinds: (1) the astro- 

 nomical and mathematical MSS. of Marcgrave; (2) the extensive nat- 

 ural history collections; (3) the MSS. of Marcgrave and Piso dealing 

 with the natural history and medicinal matters of Brazil; and (4) the 

 two sets of figures of Brazilian plants and animals, the one in oil and 

 the other in water colors, which will later be referred to. 



With reference to the natural history collections which Count 

 Maurice brought back from Brazil, Lichtenstein tells us that in addi- 

 tion to the material amassed by Marcgrave in his explorations, the 

 Count sent expeditions east to Africa and west as far as the Pacific 

 (note Maregrave's paper on the Chileans, with the figure of the llama, 

 referred to later), and that these brought back many natural history 

 objects. To care for these specimens, the Count converted Freiburg 

 into a museum, and its grounds into a botanical-zoological park. (Van 

 Kampen.) 



When at length this illustrious patron of the natural sciences deter- 

 mined to return to Holland, he stripped Freiburg and its grounds of 

 their treasures, and so voluminous were these (" the richest ever 

 brought to Europe in one vessel ") that Lichtenstein affirms that Count 

 Maurice supplied his own museum, those of two universities (Leyden 

 being one) and those of many private individuals (Martius notes Seba's 



7 It is a source of no small regret to the present writer that he is unable to 

 give in connection with this sketch a portrait of Marcgrave. In none of the 

 works listed in the bibliography at the end of this article is there such a portrait 

 or reference to any. Mr. Lydenberg has kindly gone through the extensive list 

 of portraits belonging to the New York Public Library, and has also searched 

 several other lists (one containing the portraits of 30,000 Germans) without 

 finding any. It seems probable that there is no portrait of Marcgrave extant. 



