AMAZONIAN VEGETATION 351 



and ever since I have neither seen nor heard tell 

 of him ! 



I have tried to treat with the traders who go 

 from Pelileo to Canelos, such as Hilario Flores 

 and others ; but not one has been willing to under- 

 take to bring the Cinnamon fruits, etc., on account 

 of its exceeding difficulty. 



By Padre Fierro, who himself has just come out 

 of the forest, I certainly hoped to obtain it, but he 

 has only brought two young living plants, which (as 

 they were beginning to wither) he has left behind 

 him (planted) at St Ine's, on the farm of Dr. Lizar- 

 zaburo. He thought he was doing the best he 

 could for me in bringing the live plants. He 

 brought also seeds, but they got them from him 

 at St. Ine's. 



All that I have been able to obtain is some loose 

 leaves and calyces with their fruits, but not of their 

 original colour. Tell me, may I send Mr. H anbury 

 these dried leaves ? The young plants will prosper, 

 but the difficulty is how to send them. 



As to getting the flowers, that is the most im- 

 possible of all, for Padre Fierro tells me that no 

 sooner does the young calyx appear than it already 

 contains the young fruit [here Spruce remarks 

 "hence the tree appears to be dioecious"], so that 

 the calyx with the fruit ought to suffice for the identi- 

 fication of the Cinnamon tree. I hope to give these 

 things to Mr. Seckel, who is on his way to Ouito, 

 that he may send them to Mr. H anbury. 



How I wish this affair had depended on me 

 alone, and that I could have gone to Canelos; but 

 that is impossible because of the precipitous ways. 

 If I could have gone myself, even although I had 



