1318.] Prof. Smith and Mr. Crunch. 323 



great object of his projected travels was to form a collection of 

 plants, for a new botanical garden which had been established 

 there. He first came to London, visited Kew, and the various 

 gardens in the vicinity of the metropolis ; he then went to Edin- 

 burgh, explored many of the Scotch mountains, traversed the 

 romantic districts in the north of England and in Wales, and 

 examined their botanical treasures. He visited the botanical 

 establishment at Liverpool, crossed over to Dublin, and, after 

 examining various parts of Ireland, returned to London about the 

 end of 1S14. On his return >.o the metropolis, at the house of 

 Sir Joseph Banks, he met with the distinguished naturalist Von 

 Buch, and they projected a voyage to Madeira and the Canaries, 

 for the purpose of investigating the various objects of scientific 

 inquiry which occur in these islands. 



These zealous votaries of natural knowledge arrived at Madeira 

 in April, 1815 ; they remained there about a fortnight, when they 

 embarked for the Canaries, where they spent between six and 

 seven months, and returned to England in December. The 

 ardour and enthusiasm of Professor Smith were fully excited 

 during this excursion, in which, for the first time, the luxuriance 

 of a tropical climate was presented to him, and where he had an 

 opportunity of examining districts, which, although lying conti- 

 guous to each other, differ very much in the nature of their 

 productions. The rapture which he manifested upon his first 

 landing at Funchal is described in a characteristic manner by 

 his fellow-traveller ; and from what is known of his general habits 

 and turn of mind, we have no reason to believe that the picture 

 is overcharged. The same sentiments are expressed in the most 

 lively manner by Smith himself, in a letter which he wrote to a 

 friend from Madeira. " How," says he, " shall I be able to 

 describe to you — how declare to you what I have here felt, what 

 I have here seen ! How shall I be able to give you an idea of the 

 variety, of the singularity of those forms, of that beauty and that 

 brilliancy of the colours, of all that magnificence of nature which 

 surrounds me ! We ascend the sloping ridges of the mountains 

 which embrace the splendid city of Funchal ; we rest ourselves 

 on the margin of a brook which falls in numberless cascades 

 across thickets of rosemary, of laurels, and of myrtles ; the city 

 at our feet with its forts, its churches, its gardens, and its road- 

 stead ; above us forests of the stone pine and of chesnuts, inter- 

 spersed with the flowers of the spartium and the lavender. A 

 whole legion of canary birds makes the air resound with their 

 sweet song; and nothing here but the snow on the mountain 

 tops, which now and then pierce through the clouds, would 

 recall to my recollection my native country." 



As it is not the object ox this biographical sketch to give any 

 account of the individual discoveries, or particular observations of 

 Prof. Smith, we must follow him to London. After remaining 

 a iahort time in this place, far the purpose of arranging his bota- 



x 2 



