XVI INTRODUCTION. 



with Currey about Fungi, with Caspary about Nymphseaceae, and 

 with Bentham about Leguminosse, etc. 



After a time, however, the Portuguese Government became 

 dissatisfied with the rate of progress made by Welwitsch, and 

 especially because he had failed to send to the Government 

 monthly reports on the same. By decree dated 28th December 

 1864 they informed him as follows : — 



"1. That although it may be to the glory of Dr. Welwitsch 

 and even to the honour of the Portuguese Government to give 

 immediate publication to some monographs, the purpose of the 

 exploration entrusted to him having been the formation of a 

 collection of all the natural products of the soil of Angola and the 

 acquisition of knowledge tending to the development of the said 

 province, it is necessary to see at once to the full publication of 

 all the knowledge acquired with regard to the natural history, and 

 also to deposit in the Portuguese establishment a collection of such 

 products, even though it may not as yet be quite complete, in order 

 that the Portuguese Government may be able to justify to the 

 legislative chambers and to the public the expense incurred and 

 now incurring with the said exploration and to avoid the inter- 

 ruption of the same. 



" 2. That in virtue of the aforesaid it is necessary that Dr. 

 Welwitsch should at once suggest what may be needful for the 

 publication of the result of his scientific labours, pointing out the 

 time when the printing of the publication is to commence, how 

 the requisite engravings are to be prepared, and what amount it 

 will be necessary to fix annually for the expenses of this publica- 

 tion, which will no doubt take some years to conclude." 



The Portuguese Government subsequently became more urgent, 

 and by decree dated the 20th December 1865 ordered Welwitsch 

 either to return to Portugal or to state without delay the time 

 necessary for him to remain out of Portugal in order to complete 

 the arrangement of his collections ; and by decree of the 1 6th 

 February 1866 the Government took the extreme step of suspend- 

 ing his monthly salary. 



Welwitsch, however, did not comply with these directions, but 

 steadily continued his work in London, without any assistance 

 from this time until his death, having to pay out of his own 

 means the expenses of his various publications to which he had 

 committed himself : for instance, the plates illustrating his Sertum 

 angolense, published by the Linnean Society in 1869, cost him 

 ^130. His private resources were thus so reduced that he was 

 left with only the barest subsistence ; and, deeply pained by his 

 treatment, he on the 8th May 1870 wrote to the Portuguese 

 Colonial Minister a letter setting forth a succinct history of his 

 labours and services, and asking to be allowed to resume ofiicial 

 intercourse with the Portuguese authorities. In reply, a despatch 

 dated 22nd October 1870 was sent, stating that it was con- 

 sidered indispensable that he should return to Lisbon, bringing 

 with Mm all his collections, in order to publish there the results 



