110 SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS 



these regions in the interests of the Geogra- 

 phical Society of London. 



The continued voyage on the upper Orinoco 

 brought the travellers, May 3rd, to the eastern 

 shores of the river, near " Puerto de la Expe- 

 dicion," where they examined the Cavern of 

 Ataruipe probably the burial-place of a 

 whole tribe which here perished. In a short 

 period Baron Humboldt discovered six hundred 

 skeletons, well preserved, and regularly laid 

 out in baskets. He examined closely the pecu- 

 liarities of these graves, and brought away 

 some skeletons and skulls, which the natives 

 very reluctantly removed. On a silent and 

 beautiful night, Humboldt left this place of 

 death the place of the extinction of a whole 

 tribe of Indians. 



After a voyage of seventy-five days, during 

 which time they had travelled three hundred and 



of tlie Amazon to its junction with the Rio Branco, and re- 

 turned to Guiana, by ascending the latter stream. During 

 this remarkable journey, he made a survey of an extensive 

 and previously unknown region. In the year 1840, M. 

 Schomburgh received one of the Gold Medals of the Royal 

 Geographical Society. During his researches in South 

 America, he discovered and sent home the magnificent lily, 

 Victoria regia, now so well established in Europe. Sir 

 .Robert Schomburgh died at Berlin on the llth March, 

 1865." 



