Information respecting Botanical Travellers, 63 



lariae, a Cartilleja, Peltodon, Hyptides, four Salvia:, a new Cyrtan- 

 draceous (?) plant, some singular Utricularice, one with a large cordate 

 leaf, several curious species of Begonia, Laurinece, a Rhopala, an Ari- 

 stolochia (cymbifera, Mart.) ; a caulescen Dorstenia, two Alstrcemerice, 

 an Eriocaulon, several Monocotyledoneae, and among them no less 

 than fifty-eight species of remarkably well-preserved Orchidece. Sel- 

 dom have we received a more interesting collection from any country ; 

 and we trust that Mr. Gardner's researches in Pernambuco will be 

 rewarded with similar success, and he cannot fail to extend greatly 

 our knowledge of the vegetable riches of Brazil. 



We heartily wish that Dr. Schomburgh had been equally fortu- 

 nate in his travels with Mr. Cuming and Mr. Gardner ; but he has 

 had difficulties to contend with of no ordinary character, as will be 

 seen in the following extracts from the letter above-mentioned, dated 

 " New Amsterdam, Berbice, April 8, 1837. 



"I acknowledge with the greatest gratitude your kind letter of 

 November the 12th, 1836, which I received a few days ago on my 

 return to the colony. It evinces in the most flattering terms the 

 interest you take in my proceedings, and stimulates, as it ought to 

 do when I consider the source whence it proceeds, my ardent desire 

 to make myself worthy of that interest. I have to contend with a 

 thousand difficulties ; months elapsing, during which I have had no 

 other habitation than an oil- cloth roof and some poles taken from the 

 wood as uprights whereon to sling my hammock. The interior of 

 British Guiana is uninhabited ; and while ascending the Berbice, we 

 saw no appearance of human beings from the commencement of 

 December till our return a few days ago. This circumstance alone 

 may show the difficulty which attends the collecting and drying of 

 plants in these regions. Let there be but a hovel which affords 

 shelter and the means for preserving the specimens which have been 

 collected with so much toil, and it is preferable to our late temporary 

 habitations. The greatest traveller of his own time, or of anytime, 

 the celebrated Humboldt, found Indian settlements along the wild- 

 est part of his tours ; yet I have been for months past in districts 

 where human foot never trod before, and starvation looked us 

 pretty earnestly in the face. There is little doubt that part of 

 the river Berbice has never been visited. No person can be more 

 anxious than myself to send large and good collections of plants to 

 Europe ; and during my late expedition everything has been done 

 to fulfil this wish. An assistant was engaged by me, and no op- 

 portunity neglected for collecting : still the number of species does 



