SOUTH TRINIDAD. 



INTRODUCTORY NOTES. 



Tpjnidade, or South Trinidad, as it is designated, for the sake of distinction, in this work, 

 is a rocky, mountainous island of volcanic origin, about three miles in extreme length and 

 less than a mile and a quarter across at its widest part. It is situated in the South 

 Atlantic, in lat. 20° 30' S. and long. 29° 22' W., or about 600 miles from the coast of 

 Brazil. A range of hills traverses it lengthwise, and this central ridge slopes gently 

 towards the coast on the northeast side, while on the southwest side a number of 

 spurs jut out from it to the sea, with alternating valleys or plateaus ; and the highest 

 point slightly exceeds 2000 feet. 



The botany of this solitary island is still very imperfectly known, but it is to be hoped 

 that the day is not far distant when it will be thoroughly investigated, for the little that 

 is known indicates a most interesting flora. Apparently the only botanist who has ever 

 set foot on the island is Sir Joseph D. Hooker. This happened on Sir James Ross's out- 

 ward voyage to the Antarctic regions, but no stay was made. A party landed in North- 

 west Bay, where, however, it was impossible to scale the cliffs, and the only botanical 

 results of the trip were two sedges, a grass, and a fern. The inability to reach the interior 

 was particularly disappointing, as tree-ferns and other arboreous vegetation were seen by 

 the aid of a telescope from the ship. From that date (1839) until 1874, when Dr Ralph 

 Copeland made an excursion into the interior of South Trinidad, nothing further seems to 

 have been done towards exploring the island. 



Dr Copeland, of the Dunecht Observatory, Aberdeen, was attached to the expedition that 

 went out in the " Venus " to observe the transit of the plauet Venus ; and he had the good 

 fortune to land at a point whence he could get into the interior. A report of this visit 

 has been published, 1 together with the names of the few plants collected by him. The 

 following notes, while embodying some of our own observations on the plants, is essentially 

 the substance of Dr Copeland's report. 



The island was approached from the northwest, where a number of frigate-birds and 

 red geese were encountered, and some were shot. A fine view was obtained of the " Nine- 

 Pin" or " Monument," a basaltic, tower-like rock, about 150 feet in diameter and 820 feet 



1 Abhandlungen des naturwisscnscliaftlichcn Vereines zu Bremen, vii. 



