!^y8 M. iV0rbiguij^6 Truvtls in South Anicrica. 



boxes, cases, together with aid of every kind from one or more 

 assistants, are almost always ready for him, and can never be 

 wholly awanting, while he continues in health ; and should he 

 happen to become unwell, such advantages are increased in value. 

 But it is unhappily very different with the continental ti'aveller. 

 Usually alone, in consequence of the inability of the Directors 

 of the Museum to make a more liberal appointment, he can ex- 

 pect no assistance while he continues well, nor even if he should 

 happen to fall into bad health. He can obtain neither advice 

 nor assistance among a people with whose very language he is 

 wholly unacquainted. The means of transporting his baggage 

 are not only very expensive, since it can be done only by hiring 

 men and beasts of burden ; but another great difficulty is expe- 

 rienced by the roads, in countries but little advanced in civiliza- 

 tion, being either entirely wanting, or of the most imperfect de- 

 scription. The means of preserving what he is always obliged 

 to carry along with him, thus become greatly limited. The col- 

 lections which he has the good fortune to make, gradually be- 

 coming more bulky, and consequently more embarrassing, as he 

 procced.s, occasion a continual inci'ease of trouble and expense, 

 until he has it in his power, after a longer or shorter time, to 

 transmit them to some sea-port, where they may be shipped for 

 Europe whenever a favourable opportunity occurs. In these 

 circumstances, it would be a matter of the greatest importance to 

 continental travellers, first, for their own safety, and secondly, 

 for that of the collections, which are always made with great 

 trouble, that travels for illustrating natural history should be so 

 arranged, that the naturalist who is chiefly to be employed as 

 an observer, should have along with him an intelligent assistant, 

 who might collect and prepare the objects, and at the same time 

 increase the security of the collections in circumstances of nnfore. 

 seen difficulty. 



These preliminary reflections have been naturally suggested 

 by the unfortunate situation in which the two naturalists were 

 placed, who were selected by the Directors of the Museum to 

 execute the plan which they conceived useful to the progress of 

 science. Although both young and vigorous, one of them, M. 

 Jacquemont, who was sent to India, sunk just at the moment of 

 his return, and in the midst of his rich collections, the greater 



