591 



addressed via "Panama." After various remarks not of general 

 interest, he says, " The ship to which I am attached is a frigate, of 

 26 guns, and we are accompanied by the Pandora, a brigantine of 

 320 tons, as tender. Our destination is to survey the coasts of 

 Central America, CaUfornia and the N. W. coast, including the 

 Columbia river, north to Nootka, this will take about five years. 

 I suppose we shall return by India, and the Cape of Good Hope ; 

 we stayed a day at Teneriffe, where I made an excursion, but the 

 season was unfavourable for plants: some scarce British species 

 were abundant, as Polypogon Monspeliensis, Bromus maximus, Cen- 

 taurea solstitialis, &c. Our next resting place was Rio de Janeiro : 

 here we staid twelve days, and I made a good collection of the mag- 

 nificent plants and insects of that splendid country. We now steered 

 our course to the Falkland islands : there we staid twelve days also, but 

 the weather was so rigorous, storms and snow, that little could be 

 done. Some plants the most interesting of which is the Tussack 

 grass, were procured, the Lichens are very fine, especially the Strictae; 

 but owing to the season iew Phanerogamia were in perfection. After 

 a very tedious and gloomy passage we reached Valparaiso on the 

 16th of last month: I immediately hired horses and started for the 

 interior ; here I spent a week most delightfully, botanizing among the 

 mountains. The climate of Chili is delightful, very dry, and in con- 

 sequence scarcely any Cryptogamia, and few insects, but the Flora is 

 most beautiful ; the most abundant genera are Epilobium, (Enothera, 

 Calceolaria, Fuchsia, Cynarum, Gentiana, Convolvulus, Mesembry- 

 anthemum, Papaver, Lilium, Hesperis, Oxalis, Lobelia, and hosts of 

 Compositae. 1 made a very large collection, and enjoyed myself ex- 

 tremely. We left Valparaiso on the 4th inst., and are now on our way to 

 Callao where we shall stay a few days, thence proceed to the Gallapagos 

 Archipelago, and thence up the coast towards Panama. Our route 

 hitherto has been such, that except a few at the Falkland islands, 

 I have got no mosses : as we get north, we shall have lots of oppor- 

 tunities for getting them. I have by no means lost any of my old 

 relish for these ' atoms of creation,' and I trust when I see old Eng- 

 land again (if God spare me) to give you some fine ones from the 

 Rocky mountains." 



The above is the principal part of the letter which will be of 

 interest to your readers. 



Joseph Sidebotham. 



