Excursion to Brand Vley. 225 



with a degree of comfort such as is found only in the chief 

 cities of Europe. Several of the inhabitants, among others 

 Dr. Esselin, a missionary of the Moravian brotherhood, and 

 Dr. Meynard, of the Episcopal Church, laid us under particular 

 obligations by their participation in the objects of our inquiry. 

 The latter gentleman sought us out at our hotel, and, after a 

 hearty welcome, remarked that he possessed, in his collection, 

 several highly interesting petrifactions from Beaufort, about 

 400 miles north-west of Worcester. We satisfied ourselves, 

 however, by a visit which we paid to Dr. Meynard at his own 

 house, that his collection was far from possessing the interest 

 he claimed for it. In all probability, however, judging by what 

 we heard, Beaufort must be a classic soil for the palaeontologist, 

 as there are numberless fossils in that district, especially of 

 reptiles. In like manner, the stalactite grottoes, known as 

 " The Congo Caves," 300 miles from Worcester, have never 

 yet been scientifically examined or described. 



Dr. Esselin, who is a native of Hesse, was so kind as to 

 accompany the naturalists of the Novara Expedition to the 

 hot springs of Brand Vley the following morning. The road 

 thither, which lies through a valley partly overflowed towards 

 the end of the rainy season, was exceedingly trying to the 

 horses, and, but for the kind offices of Dr. Esselin, who was 

 acquainted with the difficulties of the route, and undertook 

 the guidance of the waggon through the constantly recurring 

 swamps and morasses, we should in all probability have had 

 to retrace our steps halfway, or even have stuck fast, which 



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