PHYSICAS E NATUKAES 185 



good qualities, Dr. Fenzl of Vienna. So had he gone away from his coun- 

 try divorced from some of his friends, so had he divorced himself in 

 Portugal from lhe Unio Itinerária, a society which commissioned him 

 to that country and on whose financial aid he lived, falhng into a most 

 miserable condition when deprived of it and being then relieved by 

 Portuguese friends with some of whom he subsequently qnarreled. He 

 was evidently not more happy in his behaviour towards the Portuguese 

 Government, who commissioned him in so flaltering a manner and who 

 so generously rewarded his scientific activity, Nor was he more fortu- 

 nate with the Kew Professors, nor would he have been so with his new 

 friends of the British Museum, had he lived some time longer. I have 

 but to quote textually a passage of a letter he addressed me dated 13.*'' 

 July 1857, in which he speaks of what he suffered at the hands of some 

 of his friends of that Museum. «The Amphibia collected during my jour- 

 ney were entrusted to Dr. Giinther of the British Museum, on condi- 

 tion of publishing them in a separate treatise, with a preface in which 

 due thanks should be given to the Portuguese Government for the aid 

 they had afforded me, etc; the duplica tes to be at the same time for- 

 warded to Lisbon and placed at the disposal of the Marine Department. 

 This happened in the beginning of 1864 and was foUowed by my longill- 

 ness. When (probably against ali expectation of the zoológica! men of the 

 Museum) I presented myself afterwards, still alive, in that establishment, 

 I found my collections already swallowed up and mixed with the like 

 of them, and the publication most poorly edited, without my consent 

 and the promised previous consultation. What could I do against such 

 naughty proceedings? It would be imprudent to quarrel aboul it wilh 

 an establishment whose consultation is so necessary to me in ali that 

 regards the Flora of Angola. So I suffered and was silent. But this 

 event, my dear friend, turned out a profitable lesson as to the Une of con- 

 duct I had to adopt in England with other establishments, and I imme- 

 diately resolved that even lhe Kew Museum should receive no collec- 

 tions of mine before the respeclive pubUcations were made, and before 

 the Portuguese Government were provided with lhe res()ective speci- 

 mens. The Kew Museum are already sensible of this, and I hear from 

 time to time certain remarks aboul it; knowing, however, my helpless 

 situation they still hope to see me take another course in the matter. 

 They mistake. I have the most profond respect for the íirst botanical 

 establishment in the world, but I need be prudent seeing the conduct 

 of the British Museum towards me.» 



The will ends with acknowledging Portuguese liberality towards 



