350 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 



reached Banos along with the two men, and as the 

 branches, etc., of the Canelo were stowed in two 

 baskets of Ishpingo, he sold the Ishpingo (which 

 was then at 22 reals the pound) and threw away 

 the branches, which were of no value to him. 

 Nobody knows what has become of him ; but 

 I was almost at my wits' end. 



The second time I made a treaty with Pedro 

 Andicho, the Governor of Pindo (a few Indian 

 huts in the middle of the Forest of Canelos), who 

 was going there to make lance-shafts for the war 

 that menaced us at that epoch, and I gave him 

 three frascos (large square bottles) prepared accord- 

 ing to your directions. I paid him in advance 

 four dollars, and made him several presents a gun 

 among the rest that he might deliver the frascos 

 filled with specimens to Padre Fierro. He had 

 scarcely reached Pindo when he died, and though 

 I have again and again solicited Padre Fierro to 

 recover the frascos, he has found it impossible. 



I wrote to him also asking him to send me the 

 branchlets in paper (as you used to prepare them), 

 which indeed he took the trouble to do, and sent 

 them by some Indians who were going to Banos, 

 but who threw them into the river, so that they 

 never reached me. How unfortunate I have been ! 



On the 8th of December last year I gave four 

 dollars to Pedro Valladares, with a written agree- 

 ment that he should obtain for me the desired 

 objects. He goes to Canelos, starts on the return 

 journey, and is stopped by death, and none of his 

 effects have been recovered ! 



After this I made a treaty with Manuel Meneses 

 for two dollars as can be proved by my books 



