348 RESULTS OF THE JOURNEYS 



they spent eight weeks in that interesting country, 

 for the purpose of studying its pohtical constitution 

 and commercial relations. In August, 1804, they 

 returned to Europe, carrying with them the exten- 

 sive collections which they had made during their 

 perilous and fatiguing journeys. 



The results of this expedition, conducted with so 

 much courage and zeal, have been of the highest 

 importance to science. With respect to natural his- 

 tory, it may be stated generally, that the mass of in- 

 formation already laid before the public, as obtained 

 from the observation of six years, exceeds any thing 

 that had been presented by the most successful cul- 

 tivators of the same field during a whole lifetime. 

 Much light has been thrown on the migrations and 

 relations of the indigenous tribes of America, their 

 origin, languages, and manners. The Vucs des Cor- 

 dillieres el Monumens des Peuples indigenes de FAtne- 

 rique, 2 vols, folio, published in 1811, contains the 

 fruit of researches into the antiquities of Mexico 

 and Peru, together with the description of the more 

 remarkable scenes of the Andes. It has been trans- 

 lated into English by Mrs. H. M. Williams. The 

 animals observed have been described in a work en- 

 titled Recueil d^ Observations de Zoologie eld'' Anatomie 

 Comparees, faites dans tin Voyage aux Tropiques, 2 

 vols. 4to. 



In the department of botany the most important 

 additions have been made to science. Our travel- 

 lers brought with them to Europe an herbarium con- 

 sisting of more than 6000 species of plants, and 

 Bonpland's botanical journal contained descriptions 

 of four thousand. The valuable works on this sub- 

 ject that have appeared in consequence of the jour- 

 ney to America form a new era in the history of 

 botany. They are as follow : — 



1. Essai sur la Geographie des Plantes, ou Tableau- 

 Physique des Regions Equinoxiales, fonde sur des Ob- 

 servations et des Mesures faites depuis le lOme degre- 



