A PLEASANT EXPEDITION. 193 



peculiar care the cc-lebrated manuscript of Dio- 

 scorides, so long preserved in the imperial library, 

 and secured the services of a most excellent 

 draughtsman, Mr F. Bauer, to be the companion of 

 his projected expedition. 



In 1786 they sailed from Naples to Crete, and 

 here, in the month of June, our botanical adven- 

 turers rejoicingly beheld Flora in her gayest attire : 

 " The snowy covering of the Sphaciote mountains 

 was withdrawing, and a tribe of lovely little blos- 

 soms were just peeping through the vale." The 

 ensuing winter was spent by Dr S. at Constan- 

 tinople, and his residence there, and in the neigh- 

 bouring Isle of Karki, proved favourable to his 

 investigation of the fishes and birds of those re- 

 gions, by which he was enabled to throw much 

 light on the writings of ancient naturalists. In 

 the early spring he proceeded to Cyprus, where a 

 sojourn of five weeks enabled him to draw up a 

 Fauna and Flora of that island. The illustration 

 of the writings of Dioscorides in particular was a 

 principal object with him ; the names and reputed 

 virtues of several plants recorded by that ancient 

 writer, and still traditionally retained by the Athe- 

 nian shepherds, served occasionally to elucidate or 

 confirm their identity. The first sketch of the 

 Flora Grceca comprised about 850 plants. " This," 

 said the author, " may be considered as contain- 



