44^ Field Columbian Museum — Botanv, \'ol. I. 



the Antilles in their time. The plants are referred to by their ver- 

 nacular names, and their properties and uses are carefully described. 

 The identification of those not figured is possible only in so far as 

 they are still in use under the local name. The accompanying plates 

 contain maps of the Gulf of Mexico and the Antilles, Martinique. 

 Guadeloupe, Barbados, Grenada, San Domingo, St. Christopher, 

 plans of fortresses, drawings of animals, plants, sugar refineries and 

 indigo plantations. Many of the plants are well drawn and easily 

 recognizable, others are somewhat superficially depicted, and still 

 others are rude and irrecognizable. 



In Trevoux's Memoires pour I'histoire des sciences et des beaux 

 arts, Juillet, 1727, p. 1303-18, a " Botaniste habitant des isles occi- 

 dentales de I'Amerique " gives amplifications and corrections to sev- 

 eral of Labat's descriptions (Abricotier, Ananas, Bois dTnde, Gas- 

 sier, Cacao, Gommier, Indigo). 



1757-91. RoHR, Julius Philipp Benjamin Von (about 1737-93), 

 born in Denmark, was a surveyor from 1757-91 on St. Croix, 

 later chairman of the Provincial Board of Administration, and 

 also First Lieutenant of Militia. In order to improve cotton cul- 

 ture on the Danish Islands, he visited for the purpose of study, 

 beginning in 1786, Jamaica, Porto Rico, St. Thomas. Montserrat. 

 Guadeloupe, Martinique, Trinidad, Curacao, Sta. Martha, Carth- 

 agena, Cayenne and Surinarrt. He sent several hundred plants 

 collected on the various islands to Prof. \'ahl at Copenhagen. 

 In 1791 he took his departure from St. Croix, and in 1793 thi 

 ship on which he was making the voyage from North America tc 

 Guinea was lost at sea. 



Coll.: Bot. Museum, Copenhagen; some also in Herb. Banks, 

 Brit. Museum; Herb. Martins, Brussels; and Herb. Willdenow, Ber- 

 lin (ex-Herb. X'ahl.). 



Lit.: \'ahl Eclog. Pr^ef. ; Las. Mus. Deless. , p. 489; Warm in 

 Bot. Tidsskr. Kopenh. XII (1880), p. 82; Kiaersk. 1. c. XXIII (1900). 

 p. 44; H. von Eggers, correspondence; Cat. Sc. Pap. V., p. 258; 

 Urb. Symb. I, p. 140, 173. 



1767-68. Oldeni). Gksch. — C. G. A. Oldendorp's Geschichte der 

 Mission der Evangelischen Brueder auf den Caraibischen Inseln 

 St. Thomas, St. Croix und St. Jan. Published by John Jacob 

 Bossart. Barby, 1777, 2 vol. 8° Vorr., 1068 p.; Reg., 3 chart, 

 geograph., 4 tab. 



With a view of making some preparatory studies for the abovi 

 work, Oldendorp spent from May, 1767, until October, 1768, on the 

 islands of St. Thomas. St. Croix and St. John. Inasmuch as he was 

 a great lover of natural history, he took note also of the animal and 

 plant life, substantially encouraged in the latter by Chief Engineer von 

 Rohr, who was at that time the best authority on the Caribbean flora. 

 In the botanical section, vol. i, p. 154-227, are described in an excel- 

 lent manner, together with their local and botanical names, the econo- 

 mic and medicinal plants, the fruit trees, the timber and dye woods 

 and other rare and remarkable plants. 



