Information respecting Botanical Travellers. 59 



which particularly struck him he mentions an arborescent Euphorbia, 

 12 — 20 feet high, which the inhabitants call Koll- Quail; it is pro- 

 bably E. officinarum, Linn. He had also noticed five different spe- 

 cies of Mimosa, and thought by the aspect of the plants which he 

 had already collected, to the number of about 12,000 specimens, 

 that one-third of them might prove new. His hopes of performing 

 much for the cause of science are high, provided they are not baffled 

 by the want of pecuniary means, of which he sorrowfully complains, 

 as likely to hasten him home. As matters now stand, our readers 

 must perceive that it will either be necessary to aid the traveller li- 

 berally with such supplies as the cordial co-operation of the members 

 of this Union can easily raise, without any considerable risk to their 

 own interests, or else the enterprise must be abandoned. For our 

 own parts, we take the liberty of reminding our friends that at the 

 very outset we ran the chance of pecuniary loss for the benefit of 

 the Society, and have at this very time afresh aided M. Schimper 

 with a considerable sum for immediate use, which is not yet covered 

 by the subscriptions of the Members, and of which, in strict justice, 

 the burden ought not to lie upon us. During the course of the pre- 

 sent year there has certainly been granted by the Governments of 

 Wurtemberg and of the Grand Duchy of Baden no inconsiderable 

 aid towards the expenses of this expedition ; but the sums in ques- 

 tion fall far short of covering the outlay already made, much more of 

 enabling him to proceed with his investigations and his labours ; and 

 the liberality of the Grand Duke's royal Danish Consul at Alexan- 

 dria, M. Dumreicher, who thrice, through the English Consular 

 Agent at Djedda, advanced money to assist Schimper, while it argues 

 the most obliging confidence in the members of the Unio to meet 

 these engagements, and in Schimper to exert his best abilities in 

 their service, still more powerfully binds the individuals whom he has 

 obliged to come forward and relieve M. Dumreicher from this risk 

 of loss. 



The undersigned will on no account disown in any degree the 

 debt which the Unio has thus incurred ; they, on the contrary, would 

 urge on the Members the advantages which they will severally derive 

 from coming forward early to clear these engagements, inasmuch as 

 they will have the first selection of the rarest and best plants, and 

 will obtain them about one-third cheaper than any purchasers who 

 present themselves at a future period. We would therefore again 

 invite all the Members of this Society and every friend of botany to 

 become contributors towards this expedition, and that, not only from 

 motives of justice to the undersigned, but also for their own exclusive 

 advantage. As it is calculated that M. Schimper will in these tro* 



