402 Russian Natural History Expedition in Brazil, 



In the month of January, M. Riedel arrived at the Villa de 

 Borba, where he attempted to cure himself of the intermittent 

 fever. For this purpose he made a stay of seven weeks, and 

 collected, notwithstanding his fever, many new genera and 

 species of plants ; he noticed amongst them principally, Md- 

 bca, Schwartz/a, Myristica, Caraipa, M611/<2, Visme«, Cin- 

 chona', Humiria^ Gustav2«, Abroma, Caryocar, Sterculia, 

 Tnga^ ^'chras, Bombax, Francisc^a, a new and very distinct 

 Cochlosperma, Xaurus, iSmilax, Bignonm, several of the 71- 

 liaceae, Guttiferas, Leguminosse, iliyrtaceae, and many officinal 

 as well as economical plants. Amongst the latter, the Paul- 

 \\nia sorbilis Mart. (Gaurana) is, perhaps, the most remark- 

 able, as the inhabitants prepare with its seeds their favourite 

 (and even by travellers much praised) beverage gaurana. 



At last M. Riedel was again a little recovered from his 

 disease, and had made preparations for his departure to the 

 Rio Negro, when he received the melancholy account of 

 M. Langsdorf's arrival at Santarem, dangerously ill. 



The bark that had been hitherto used being too small for 

 the voyage upon the Amazon, M. Riedel was obliged to go to 

 S. Joze do Rio Negro, in hopes to find there a larger vessel 

 for Santarem or Para; but finding no ship ready to sail at 

 that time, and being less troubled by his illness, he employed 

 himself in making researches in the environs of that place, 

 and gathered many undescribed and scarce plants, such as 

 species of -^myris, I'cica^ Cardpa, Alsodea, Wiopdla^ Luhe«, 

 &c. Here he remained nearly two months ; when, having no 

 longer any hopes of a departing vessel, and receiving no fur- 

 ther news of M. Langsdorf, he was obliged to buy a kind 

 of large bark, and sailed in September from S. Joze. Pass- 

 ing the small towns of Serpe, Villa Nova de Rainha, and 

 Obidos, he arrived, after a seventeen days' passage, upon the 

 mighty Amazon, at Santarem. Here he was very much asto- 

 nished to learn that M. Langsdorf had left this town and gone 

 to Para about four months before. M. Riedel remained seve- 

 ral weeks, visiting the environs, which consist principally of 

 campos, and fonnd them not less rich in beautiful plants than 

 Borba and St Joze. He embarked at Santarem on the 15th 

 of December, and arrived on the lOth of January, 1829, at 

 Para. His voyage upon the Amazon was very troublesome 

 and disagreeable ; even not far from Santarem he was nearly 

 shipwrecked : and the great many shelves and daily storms 

 upon that immense stream caused him to be in continual 



rata produced in the Brazilian empire. Dr. Fischer named it Urania Rie- 

 dehana, in honour of this indefatigable traveller. 



