BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 349 



fine plants. On the way down, I also added largely to my 

 stock of dried specimens : among them I may mention an 

 Equisetum in fructification, fifteen feet high. You cannot 

 imagine how satisfied I feel in having accomplished the long, 

 hazardous, and fatiguing, but very interesting journeV, whicl) 

 from fortunate circumstances, I was obliged to undertake. 

 By a rough calculation from my journal, I find that I have 

 gone over upwards of four thousand miles; and during tlie 

 wliole time I have been engaged in doing so, I may say that 

 1 have not had a single day's illness, which surprises every 

 one as well as myself, seeing that I have passed through the 

 most unhealthy tracts in Brazil. Much of my good health I 

 ascribe to my rigid temperance both in eating and drinking. 

 Since my arrival here, I have experienced much kindness from 

 my former Rio friends, particularly from those in Harrison's 

 house ; in fact I lived with them till I procured my present 

 quarters, which I took possession of only a few days ago. 

 Knowing from experience that a boarding-house is very ex- 

 pensive to live in, and besides is not well suited for carrying 

 on my operations, I determined to hire a small house for 

 myself; and, in the immediate vicinity of the city, I liave 

 found one every way suited to my purpose. I have furnished 

 it economically, and my black servant, who has now been 

 with me a long time, being a handy fellow, I find that we 

 will get on very well. It was only yesterday that I could 

 begin to unpack some of my collections. The Piauhy ones 

 I have of course opened first ; and notwithstanding the seve- 

 ral partial duckings which they have had, and the knocking 

 about they unavoidably received on such a long journey, and 

 in hide-boxes too, they are in a much better state of preser- 

 vation than I could have anticipated. I am just now turn- 

 ing them all carefully over, putting ihem into other paper, 

 and arranging them into their natural orders. I expect by 

 the end of next week to be able to despatch a box to Pamplin, 

 containing those from Piauhy and the district of the Rio 

 Plata, perhaps about five hundred species. The labour 

 of getting uiv collections put into order to send home, will 



