Information respecting Botanical Travellers, 463 



LI I. — Information respecting Botanical Travellers, 



We are anxious to put our botanical readers in possession of some 

 further particulars respecting Mr. Gardner's success in Brazil, and 

 we shall, without any further preface, lay before them the following 

 extracts from his Journal, which has been addressed to us in the 

 form of letters, as a continuation of what has been already given at 

 p. 165 of this volume of the 'Annals.' It was soon after he re- 

 turned from the Organ Mountains to Rio that Mr. Gardner embarked 

 for Pernambuco. 



Pernambuco, Jan. 24, 1838. 



In the following sheets I intend to give some account of my resi- 

 dence in this place, and of the general appearance of the country and 

 nature of vegetation in such parts of the province as I have visited. 

 You are aware that I landed at Pernambuco on the 9th of October. 

 Land was descried early in the morning from the mast-head, and in 

 the course of a few hours we could see it from deck, rising above the 

 horizon like a long black cloud. On nearing the coast it presented 

 a very flat and barren appearance, forming a great and unpromising 

 contrast to the magnificent entry to the Bay of Rio de Janeiro. The 

 town being built nearly on a level with the sea, we could only ob- 

 tain a view of that portion which immediately skirts the shore. No 

 part of the coast, within many leagues of Pernambuco, rises to any 

 height, except that whereon the old town, called Olinda, stands, and 

 which is situated about three miles north of Receife, which is the 

 name of the sea-port. The first thing which attracts the attention 

 of a stranger when entering the harbour of Pernambuco is the na- 

 ture of the harbour itself. It is quite a natural one, being formed by 

 a coral reef which runs along the coast at a little distance from the 

 shore, and is entered through a breach in the reef, on the south 

 side of which a light-house and small fort are built. However high 

 may be the swell outside this reef there is always calm water within, 

 which at full tide is sufficiently deep to float the largest merchant 

 vessels which visit the port. 



When I arrived I found Dr. Loudon waiting, who kindly invited 

 me to remain in his house during my stay in the place. Shortly 

 afterwards, having delivered the letters of introduction which I 

 brought from Mr. Hamilton, the English minister at Rio, to Mr. Watts 

 the British consul, the latter obligingly offered to introduce me to 

 the President of this province, Senhor Vicente Thomaz Pires de 

 Fiqueredo Comargo, as soon as it could be ascertained when it would 

 be convenient for him to receive us. The permission to wait upon 



