32 DISCOVERIES OF SPANISH BOTANISTS. Chap. II. 



ing new species of climchona3,^ On April 1st, 1788, taking 

 leave of Pulgar and Tafalla, they sailed from Callao, and 

 reached Cadiz in Sej^tember, when they commenced the pnb- 

 lication of their great work the ' Flora Peruviana.' ^ 



Tafalla continued his researches in the province of Huanuco, 

 and discovered the C. mierantha in 1797, in the cool and 

 shady forests of Monzon and Chicoplaya. Pavon calls him 

 " noster alumnus." 



The expeditions and discoveries of the Spanish botanists 

 induced the merchants of Lima to speculate in bark, and 

 brought the grey barks of Huanuco into the European mar- 

 kets.^ In 1785 Don Juan de Bezares, a Lima merchant, 

 devoted 2000 dollars to the exploration of the forests of 

 Huamalies. He penetrated along the banks of the Monzon 

 to Chicoplaya, passing mountains thickly covered with chin- 

 chona-trees, and engaged peoj^le to collect bark. Thousands 

 of arrobas were thus obtained of the bark of C. ylanduli- 

 fcra ; and having been appointed Governor of Huamalies by 

 the Viceroy Don Teodoro de Croix in 1788, Bezares com- 

 menced the construction of a good road down the valley 

 of the Monzon.* Up to 1826 the principal supplies of grey 

 bark were derived from C nitida, but since that time they 

 are believed to have come chiefly from C. mierantha. 



Science owes much to the labom-s of Spanish botanists : the 

 Spanish nation has every reason to be proud of her sons who 

 explored the forests of the Andes with such untiring energy 

 and distinguished ability ; and the names of Mutis, Ruiz, 

 Pavon, and Tafalla occupy no unimportant place in the his- 

 tory of botanical research. Nor, in this respect, have the 



1 I have examined Pavon's dried 

 specimens from Huanuco, now in the 

 botanical gardens at Madrid. 



There are leaves of C. lanceolata. 



sules of C. nitida, from Cucliero. 



'^ Ruiz published his Quinologia in 

 1792. 



^ At first, in the best years, as many 



from the forests of Mufia ; leaves and j as 25,000 arrobas of bark were exported 

 capsules of C. ovata, some of the for- i from the pro\'ince of Huanuco, and 

 mer very slightly cordate, from Panao [ some large fortunes were made. — 

 andPniao; leaves, flowers, and capsules i Foeppig. An arroba = 25 lbs. 

 of G. purpurea ; and leaves and cap- ' •* Mercurio Fcriiano. 



