CHARACTERISTIC TRAITS AND PERSONAL INCIDENTS. 65 



all the services that lie within my power. I had the pleasure 

 of seeing the prince before his departure, and I was charmed 

 by his modesty, the wide range of his knowledge, and his 

 manly courage, so indispensable to the success of a long and 

 arduous expedition. The prince was kind enough to send me 

 some melastomaB and rhexias from Brazil, and I intend asking 

 his permission to present him with a copy of the work which 

 I am now publishing conjointly with Herr Kunth, and which 

 will consist of five folio volumes containing 3,000 new species. 

 These are the only gifts that a poor traveller from the Orinoco 

 has power to bestow. \, 



' Since your Excellency has done me the honour to peruse my 

 " Relation historique," I feel that I^need not call your attention 

 to the last volume, which contains some details of interest 

 upon the missions, the dialects of the Indian races, and the 

 political condition of various parts of America. It may perhaps 

 not be superfluous to bring before your notice my little treatise 

 upon isothermal lines, and my new theory upon the distribution 

 of heat over the globe. It is a method of treating climatology 

 which has been favourably received both here and in England. 

 I shall have great pleasure in sending you this little book if 

 you will kindly give me the name of your agent here, for it is 

 not worth the cost of postage. 



4 Steuben, the young artist to whom you have shown so much 

 kindness, has developed an extraordinary degree of talent. His 

 new altar-piece, representing the Bishop of St. Grermains 

 distributing alms from a plate held by King Chilperic, is 

 admirable both in colour and expression. Unfortunately this is 

 a style of painting which adds more to the fame of the artist 

 than to his means of livelihood. For this young man I earnestly 

 crave of your Excellency recommendations to those of your 

 friends who intend visiting Paris, and who may wish to engage 

 the services of a successful portrait-painter. Perhaps also you 

 may find employment for Herr Steuben, in the decoration of 

 the churches in your neighbourhood, or in the embellishment 

 of your own chateau ; should you send him a commission for 

 an historical picture of which the subject might either be 

 jriptural or some heroic event in the history of our Father- 



TOL. II. F 



