194 JORNAL DE SGIENGIAS MATHEMATICAS 



demands, as it seems, which should not much embarrass the Judge who 

 has to give the final decision. 



Each party to pay his own costs. The Government has no difíicully 

 in admitting this. An indemnity to be paid to the executors for sup- 

 posed salaries due to D. Welwitsch. This must be put aside for two 

 good reasons. Twice was Dr. Welwitsch summoned to return to Lis- 

 bon with the collections, having even promised to do it. He disobeyed, 

 be disavowed his own promise. Government broke with him its ofiTi- 

 cial relations and suspended his salary, having both right and duty to 

 do so. Nothing remained due to him, as is amply proved in the pro- 

 ceedings, from that time down lo his death six years afterwards. If 

 such a debt had to be acknowledged, Government had to pay it twice, 

 and first to the heirs of Dr. Welwitsch who through the Austrian Go- 

 vernment set up a claim at Lisbon to ali that might be due to Dr. Wel- 

 witsch and might be in lhe hands of Government, the answer to this 

 claim having been that nothing remained due to him. But if lhe Go- 

 vernment cannot agree in such a payment being made to the executors 

 of the will, not admitting any compromise as regards its right and self 

 dignity^ it will, perhaps^ have no diíficulty to make some allowance to 

 those gentlemen, in order lo put an easier end lo the case, under the 

 condition however of no opposition being made lo that right and dig- 

 nity; there being, it seems us, a plausible ground for this allowance 

 in the care laken by the executors for the conservation and keeping of 

 the objecls they have to deli ver, and in case Ihey dehver them ali in 

 good order. 



Collections of this kind are very subjecl to much delerioration 

 when not cared for, and even under care fali easily a prey to insecls. 

 We are not aware to what extent in this way lhe Angola collec- 

 tions have suffered, althongh we know Iheir careful keeping in the 

 British Museum, but being as they are simply deposited in that esta- 

 blishment it is enough lo have had them such a long time secluded, lo 

 engender much dammage lo them and Ihis can only go on increasing. 

 In lhe meanwhile they remain lost to science; ali studies and pubhca- 

 lions regarding them being paralysed. We shall here raention only, 

 because of its English origin, lhe Flora of Tropical Africa, a work 

 undertaken by lhe íirst botanisls and Staff of Kew, ordered by the En- 

 glish Government, and inleresting lo ali who feel auxious for infor- 

 mation respecling regions so little know and accessible as those of 

 Tropical Africa. This important work has remained suspended from 

 lhe publication of the 2.*^ vol., and waits for the restilution of the col- 



