328 Information respecting Botanical Travellers. 



land. Four of these contain a collection of dried specimens, amount- 

 ing to 470 species, for you ; and the two others are filled with living 

 Orchideae, &c, for Mr. Murray. The boxes are to travel from this 

 place to Ico, a distance of 100 miles, on horseback ; and from thence 

 they will be forwarded in an ox-waggon to Aracaty, through the 

 kindness of a Portuguese friend, to whose care I have addressed them. 

 Mr. Miller, the only Englishman in Aracaty, has promised to send 

 them by a vessel to England, if there be one in the river bound for 

 London or Liverpool when they arrive ; if not, and if none is shortly 

 expected, they will be transmitted to the city of Ceara, whence there 

 is oftener a direct intercourse with my native island. I have been 

 obliged to let these plants go en masse, and only arranged according 

 to their natural orders, my chief reason for doing so being the great 

 run that the subdivision of such a collection would cause upon my 

 stock of paper, to recruit which will be impracticable till I again 

 reach the coast ; where, if all is well, I do not expect to arrive for at 

 least twelve months. At one time I had some thoughts of despatch- 

 ing this collection to Pernambuco, there to remain till my return from 

 Para, but as it includes a larger number of new species than any that 

 I have previously sent, and as I am aware that you are always anxious 

 to obtain undescribed plants as quickly as possible, I have decided 

 on forwarding it immediately to Glasgow. Well knowing the great 

 labour and loss of time that the distribution of the late Mr. Drum- 

 mond's plants cost you, I cannot ask you to undertake the like task 

 for me ; but as the species are already in a state fit to be sent away, 

 I think it is possible you may be able, from time to time, to get some 

 of them forwarded to their respective destinations. If so, when you 

 choose your own set, be so kind as to select one for me also ; ob- 

 serving that where there is only one specimen of a species, such sin- 

 gle plant belongs to your own set ; if two, then the best is for you 

 and the other for myself. As however there are more specimens 

 than enough for my subscribers of many kinds, I will thank you to 

 reserve the surplus for me, after having liberally supplied your own 

 herbarium ; for on my return to England such duplicates may be 

 very useful for effecting exchanges with the plants of other coun- 

 tries. 



In two of the boxes you will find a few packets of seeds, which 

 you will be so kind as to send to Mr. Murray ; also a small parcel of 

 the wax produced by the Carrahuba palm (Corypha cerifera, Mart.), 

 which grows abundantly in the plains between Aracaty and Ico, and 

 of which Dr. Christison, of Edinburgh, may perhaps like to have a 

 portion. Some shells, addressed to my own name, may be handed 



