Information respecting Scientific Travellers. 121 



immediately read to him an account of Dr. Hannover's successful 

 experiments of inoculation on the freshwater salamander, and more- 

 over furnished him with references to other papers on the subject. 

 In return, Mr. Hassall endeavours to turn to account a slight inaccu- 

 racy in the note, in order to cover his admitted want of acquaintance 

 with the subject upon which he had been writing. 



XX. — Information respecting Scientific Travellers. 



Details respecting some parts of Mexico and their Vegetation''^ . 



Towards the end of 1840 the Danish government sent to Mexico 

 M. Liebmann, a distinguished botanist, who had been several years 

 preparing for this journey ; he was accompanied by a gardener, who 

 was to gather fresh plants and seeds for the botanic garden at Co- 

 penhagen. This little scientific expedition seems to succeed well ; 

 the gardener is already returned with a rich collection of living plants, 

 amongst which are a hundred and twenty Orchidece. M. Liebmann 

 remains in Mexico and will not return until the spring of next year. 

 The following are extracts from three of his letters, which appear to 

 give full information respecting this country, so favoured by nature, 

 and at the same time so unfortunate. 



" Vera-Cruz, February 21, 1841. 

 " I intend to travel with Mr. Karwinsky, a Russian naturalist. 

 The present condition of Mexico obliges those who would explore it 

 to form a party of several together, in order to face the dangers to 

 w^hich the complete demoralization of the population, and the anar- 

 chy which everywhere exists, expose the traveller at each moment. 

 It is a sad spectacle to see this fine country given up to universal 

 pillage f. One step further, and all the ties and every law which go- 

 vern society will have disappeared from it. Throughout nothing is 

 to be seen but deceit and perjury. The interior of the country 

 swarms with thieves, who rob and murder with perfect impunity. 

 The few honest people who still remain bitterly regret the downfall 

 of Spanish domination, and pray for its re -establishment ; but what 

 is Spain herself now ? The only part of the Mexican people who 

 may still be trusted are the Indians, and we consequently made up 

 our minds as much as possible upon our excursions to make choice 

 of the villages belonging to this nation to take up our abode at. 



•* During our fourteen days stay here, we have been almost ex- 

 clusively occupied with the necessary preparations for our journey. 

 There are at present difficulties to surmount, with regard to this, of 

 which no one can form any idea. Nothing can be obtained without 

 paying extravagant prices ; and if we did not reckon upon the hos- 

 pitality of the Indians, the last remaining virtue that reminds us of 



* Extracted from the Flora, February 1843, as given in the Bib. Uni- 

 verselle de Geneve, July 1834. 



t The article relating to the journey of Mr. Stephens {Bibl. Univ. May 

 1843, |). 71 and following) contains details no less deplorable respecting the 

 political and moral state of central America and of Yucatan. 



