BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 393 
tributed to various subscribers, the interest and beauty of 
the specimens are well known to many European botanists. 
Several of his plants are figured in our * Icones Plantarum," 
and many more, we hope, will one day find a place in our 
“ Contributions to the Flora of South America.” Two years 
ago, the climate of Peru, and arduous journeys, had already be- 
gun to make inroads on his constitution. It wasina letter to 
us, dated 9th July, 1839, from Lima, that he said, “I leave 
this place again for the north, that is, for Chachapoyas and 
Moyobamba. My principal object in having come to this 
place at this time, was on account of my health, which has 
suffered considerably ; indeed, so much so, that I was four 
months confined to my room with a nervous fever ;"—yet his 
ardour in pursuit of plants had not abated. * I now send 
you," he continues, * a very fine collection of plants and 
numerous drawings,* among which latter are ninety-three 
species of Orchidee. I do trust that my exertions will 
eventually be productive of some good to science. It is my 
intention to dedicate some time to the botany of the middle 
Alps and the higher points of the Cordillera, about Cara- 
marca, Chachapoyas and the whole eastern side of the ridge 
from thence to Lima, where there is employment for some 
years. As soon as I receive your answer, acknowledging 
the present collection of drawings, I shall send you another 
Set, equal in number to the present, and especially devoted to 
Orchidee. Indeed, from what I see of figures made from 
dried specimens, I am satisfied that EC e can more tend 
to illustrate the structure of genera and species than having 
the drawing made from the living subject." 
The plants above spoken of were the last that were 
nini. from Mr. Matthews ; and on the 2nd of May, 1841, 
his last letter to us was written, speaking, indeed, of other 
plants, which, however, never came to hand. “ It is now 
more than a twelvemonth since I have been an invalid, 
having suffered much the beginning of last year from severe 
* They were 233 in number, but representing 285 distinct plants, and they 
are now in the hands of his friend and patron, J. Maclean, Esq. 
