Information respecting Botanical Travellers. 61 



dious as that afforded by two thin boards the same size as the paper, 

 with strong cross bars, a couple of leathern straps, and a big stone. 

 " I trust that my second shipment of specimens will have arrived 

 ere you receive this letter. I have yet a few Rio plants to send, 

 most of them collected just before I left that city, and dried during 

 the passage to Bahia, which occupied thirteen days. At the latter 

 place we spent forty-eight hours, during which I made two short 

 botanical excursions, and found several novelties ; among them two 

 species of Eriocaulon, a yellow-flowered shrubby Cuphea, (C. flava ? 

 Sprengel), Pistea stratiotes in flower and seed, Angelonia hirtea (of 

 Chamisso), and some others which I have not yet had time to exa- 

 mine. Here also were several specimens of what seems to me Cory- 

 anthes speciosa, (Hooker), growing on the Mangrove, Cocoa-nut, and 

 other large trees on the Victoria Hill. The country round Bahia is 

 much lower than the neighbourhood of Rio ; but its vegetation is 

 ranker and far more luxuriant. The Mangoes, the Jacka {Artocar- 

 pus integrifolia), the Cocoa-nut and other Palms attain nearly twice 

 the size they do about Rio ; and the general Flora is also quite dif- 

 ferent, the common plants being altogether dissimilar in the two 

 places. On my second botanizing trip I was accompanied by a young 

 man from Glasgow, who has been eight years in a merchant's house 

 here. Though he attended the lectures of the Professor of Botany 

 in that city, he has forgotten all about that science : but his ac- 

 quaintance rendered him a useful companion. These plants will be 

 sent with the first collection from Pernambuco. 



" Before quitting Rio, I again went up toTejuca, in order to procure, 

 if possible, a few plants of Oncidium Russellianum ; but though I staid 

 three days and explored every probable spot, I had but little success. 

 The few Orchidem that I obtained are sent home, packed with all the 

 skill and care of which I am master, by H.M. ship Blonde, which is 

 expected to make a short passage. * * * * * I left two boxes to 

 be forwarded from Rio to Liverpool, containing reptiles and shells : 

 in the former are two birds of the country ; one of them the Jacutinga 

 {Penelope Jacutinga of Spix), a small monkey and a squirrel. I have 

 also collected several insects ; among them another fine species of 

 Ceutrotus, which is only found on the small branches of Carolinea 

 alba : it is much larger than any of the others. 



" George Gardner." 



Five days after the date of the above letter, i.e. in twenty-five days 



after quitting Rio, Mr. Gardner reached Pernambuco, where he was 



kindly welcomed by Dr. Loudon, a gentleman from Glasgow, now 



resident in that city, who is well known to ourselves, having joined 



