GEORGE ENGELMANN, M.D. 11 



tant mountains and valleys which they were to explore ; and 

 Engelmann also found a welcome chance to give instructions for 

 the collection and preservation of plants and the sending of the 

 specimens to him for determination and classification. There are 

 very few reports of such exploring- expeditions by the Govern- 

 ment in which the part relating to botanical observations and the 

 description of plants was not written by Engelmann. He de- 

 scribed the first large collection of Cactacecc made by Dr. A. 

 Wislizenus during 1846 and 1847, in the valley of the Rio Grande 

 and State of Chihuahua, while attached to the division of Col. 

 Doniphan and during his captivity in Mexico. A report of this 

 expedition with the description of plants, written by Dr. Engel- 

 mann, was published by the Government in 1848, and it has been 

 stated by competent authority that this first acquaintance with 

 this interesting family of plants "exerted a powerful influence 

 upon his subsequent botanical studies." His descriptions of the 

 Cactacece of the Pacific Railroad survey followed, and several 

 years later came his most renowned work on this species of 

 plants, "The Cactacece of the Boundary," which forms a highly 

 interesting portion of "Emory's Report of the United States 

 and Mexican Boundary Survey," the magnificent illustrations of 

 which were drawn by the German artist Paul Roettcr, under 

 Engelmann's direction, and engraved in Europe as mentioned 

 above. 



Such excellent works were bound to spread his name and fame. 

 Communications and specimens were sent in from all sides, and 

 he treated all the different subjects with the same systematic ac- 

 curacy and proficiency which had already secured his universal 

 success. The family of the Cactacece has been treated by him in 

 various articles too numerous to mention them separately, but, 

 not satisfied yet with his careful researches, he intended to revise 

 the whole order, and study the plants in their native country be- 

 fore he would publish the final result of his long investigations. 

 "That he did not live long enough to elaborate the mass of 



