o Mni/raknl;/ (1SS'J), estudo solin; a ni![)hritf'. a peflra das Amazonas, 

 sobre a (jual tantas controvérsias se hão levantailo. 



A Porandaba amazonense {18'.^]), prando volunic impresso pela Bi- 

 b'.ii)thi;ca Nacional d(> liio do Janeiro, ccliei-ção dií trabalhos inteiramente 

 novos, taes como lendas do Knrupira. do Yuruparij, contos botânicos, 

 astronómicos, zoológicos, cantigas, etc. 



O catalogo de plantas (ineilifo) e o de objectos da secção etlinograpliiea, 

 adiante publicado, constituem ainda subsidio para seavaliar do valor da in- 

 stituição oxtincta. 



Junt ■m--;o a ossa relação pequenos f(.)llietos sobre plantas novas, artigos 

 de jornaes snlire historia natural e um vocabulário completo da lingua tupy 

 e mais de 20 de dilTerente^ dialectos (inédito) e ver-se-ha que, em sete annos 

 de trabalho, o resultado :'• realmente surprehendente. 



Não se diga que se descurava o estabelecimento unicamente para apre- 

 sentar as publicaçõi^s acima, porque eram resullados do tivibalbo do mesmo 

 Museu, baseados nos documentos que nelle existiam. 



Além disso, cm quaesquer Tq^ocas o Museu Botânico do Amazonas 

 enconti'ava-se em plena actividade, e isso o attestam naturalistas que por 

 alli passaram e que sobre o estabelecimento se enunciaram. 



Diz, por exemplo, o grande e notável Frank Vincent á pag. 3G2 

 do seu livro Around and oboitl South America: 



« I thea turned to tlie right, and upon high ground, commanding 

 good vie\vs of the liio Negro and the citj, I found the Boíanical Museiim 

 of Amazonas. The building is a handsome two-story structure, faced 

 Avith tiles, witli two -wings, thoonelobeled Miiseo, VnQoihev Laboratório. 

 It is a sort of general selection ofthe product of nature and man in 

 Amazonas— a vast province of eight hundred thousand square miles, but 

 with a population of only sixtj thousand inhabitants. The first or 

 ground floor is devoted to a herbariura, a chemical laboratory, and 

 draughting and photographic rooms. Upstairs are a library of works 

 upon Brasil, and a very completo ethnographical collection, whicli relates 

 to the Indian tribe of this great province, and illustrates in a very 

 interesting manner their clothes, domestic utensils, weapons, ornaments, 

 implemonts of the cliase, etc. 



The collection number some three thousand specimens, and I was 

 shown a complete manuscript catalogue, which was expected soon to be 

 published (1). The director of the mnseum is the famous Brasilian 

 Bota:iist, ethnographer, and explorer, Dr. .1. Barboza Rodrigues, from 

 whom 1 recoived much kindly attention. Dr. Rodrigues is Avidely 

 known, aniong botanists, for his discovery of more tlian one hundred 

 varieties of palms and five hundred and fifty of orchids, having made 

 these two families of interesting and beautiful plants his specialties. 



Tiiedoctor is very expert witli pencil and water-colors, and showed 

 me a score of great fólios full of sp'endid pictures of the various palms 

 and orchids which he has discovered. He has pub'ished a large number 

 of leanied monogi^aphs upon the ethnograpliy, arcluelogy, and philology 

 ofthe Indian tribes. » 



(1) Como vè o leitor, éo cat;ilo^'0 ag-oi-a publicado neste volume. 



