Information respecting Botanical Travellers. G5 



which are most easily collected and preserved ; I mean the herba- 

 ceous kinds. In these the Savannahs are far richer, while they also 

 yield an equal number of shrubs, &c. 



"An abridgement of my reports to the Royal Geographical Society, 

 to which all papers connected with my journey justly belong, has 

 appeared in the Journal of that body. I have, however, protested 

 against any more being published for the present, as my views may 

 change with respect to the country and its productions ; and with 

 regard to the character of the natives, it cannot be studied during a 

 six months' journey. My investigations of British Guiana will be 

 concluded in 1838 or 1839 ; so that if the Almighty spares my health 

 and strength, I hope to have many opportunities before me of in- 

 creasing my stock of knowledge. I have gone to the expense of 

 engaging a draughtsman, who, under my own inspection, executes 

 drawings of such plants as I may consider interesting ; the parts of 

 fructification I delineate myself. Upwards of fifty have been done, 

 many of them new ; and I have preserved the inflorescence, and 

 otherwise paid the greatest attention to the faithful representation 

 of the whole plant. 



"I am glad to hear that the Cacti reached Woburn in good order, 

 though I much doubt that the first I sent was C. semper angular is, 

 as the numeral classification, according to the sides which the stem 

 presents, is highly deceptive. M. Otto of Berlin pronounces three 

 of those which I sent from Tortola to be new. Not a Melocactus 

 nor Echinocactus have I seen since I reached this country ; the gra- 

 nitic regions sometimes present a Cercus or one of the Rhipsalidece, 

 but scarcely anything of the Cactus tribe. The islands are doubt- 

 less the region of the latter, and these I hope shortly to visit ; for, 

 as you are probably aware, Cuba, St. Domingo and Portorico have 

 never been sufficiently investigated, though these are among the 

 largest and most fertile of the West India islands. It is true that 

 Poppig has been in the first and Bertero in the two latter ; but their 

 labours were limited. It is therefore my plan, after returning early 

 in the year 1839, to commence a tour through the islands, from Tri= 

 nidad to the Bahamas. Have the goodness to tell me candidly whe- 

 ther the collections of plants from these countries would find pur- 

 chasers. The mountain chain of Cuba, but chiefly that of San Do- 

 mingo, is yet unexplored. 



" Now for the discoveries made during my late expedition. At the 

 head stands a new Nymphcea, the most wonderful production I have 

 seen since my botanical researches commenced. I observed it first, 

 in the upper regions of the river Berbice ; it is generally found where 



Ann. Nat. Hist. Vol. 1. No. 1. March 1838. f 



