MARTIUS ON THE BoTANY OK BRAZIL. If 



Von Martius was a native of Pernambuco, Manuel Arruda 

 da Camara. He was a disciple of Gouan at Montpellier, and 

 undertook to introduce into Brazil a more rational mode of 

 cultivating the Cotton, and employed his pen on the subject, 

 (printed at Lisbon, 1799), as well as in composing a Flora of 

 Pernambuco, a tract of country which had not been visited by 

 any botanist since the days of Piso and Marcgrav. His 

 draughtsman was one Martius Ribeiro, who afterwards, in the 

 year 1816, was one of the ringleaders of the revolution of Per- 

 nambuco, and paid the forfeit of his crimes upon the gallows. 

 The drawings for this Flora (*' Cent. Plant. Pernamb.'* MS.) 

 is at present in the hands of the brother of the author, Fran- 

 cisco Arruda da Camara. Manuel further published at 

 Rio in 1810, a Discourse on the utility of forming Public 

 Gardens in the principal Provinces of Brazil, and on the 

 substitutes for Hemp and Flax which may be found in Bra- 

 zil, and for which the fibres of Urena sinuata have been 

 strongly recommended. Both their Treatises appeared in 

 Koster's Travels in Brazil. 



Dr Alexandre Rodriguez Ferreirawas doubtless one of the 

 most learned and zealous men of the Portuguese nation, that 

 has travelled in and investigated the Brazils ; and he has done 

 more for Botany than almost any individual, but it was not 



Thouars, who thus expresses himself in a letter, addressed to the lithographer, 

 M. Knecht. ' I havejustglancedat the original drawings and their copies 

 on stone which you have kindly transmitted to me. The broad and simple 

 style of the designs is well adapted to give the general outline of the plants, 

 and resembles that of Phunico, combined with more detail and correctness 

 in the parts of the inflorescence. As to your copies, they appear to me 

 as accurate as is possible, perfect ^c similes, which give the happiest augury 

 for the execution of the rest of the collection. The examination of these 

 plates has led me to think that I might advantageously employ your style 

 of engraving for the benefit of science, and to hasten the publication of my 

 works which have already been too mu<;h retarded,' 



♦' It is needless to say more either in favour of the original work, or of the 

 execution of the present work ; indeed, we may candidly confess, that the 

 hopes which our patriotism entertained arc even more than fulfilled — they 

 are surpassed hy the performance." 



