VI BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 



Johann Hohenacker, then engaged in the publication of the 

 plants collected by him in Asiatic Russia and of a herbarium 

 of medicinal plants. 



During the summer vacation of 1845 young Mohr was em- 

 ployed in arranging the duplicate specimens of the Polytech- 

 nic School, accumulated during many years, and in distribut- 

 ing them among the Real Schule of the land. In this work he 

 made the acquaintance of August Kappler who for many j^ears 

 had been engaged in the collection of natural history speci- 

 mens in Dutch Guiana. Mohr's application to accompany him 

 on his next voyage as a collector especially of botanical speci- 

 mens, met with favor, and when his work in the arrangement 

 of the cabinet of the Polytechnic School was ended, he remain- 

 ed some weeks with Hohenacker, applying himself diligently 

 to preparation for the proposed voyage. Hohenacker also un- 

 dertook to publish the botanical collections which were to be 

 made in Surinam. 



In November, 1845, with Kappler, young Mohr left Stutt- 

 gart for Amsterdam, whese they took passage in the bark Na- 

 talie, reaching the coast of Guiana towards the middle of 

 March, 1846. At that time a very severe drouth was prevail- 

 ing, which made possible the collection of many interesting 

 plant forms occurring in the swamps and marshes about Par- 

 amaribo. An expedition was made to the upper waters of the 

 Surinam, in order to make before the rainy season a collection 

 of living plants for the Belgian trade. On account of the dry 

 weather this expedition did not prove very successful in the 

 collection of insects and of herbarium specimens, but was 

 more satisfactory as regarded the living plants. A few days 

 after his return to Paramaribo from this expedition, Mohr 

 was attacked with bilious fever which kept him confined to his 

 hammock for several weeks. During the rainy season, which 

 soon set in, nothing was done in the way of collecting, but the 

 time was employed in preparations for the long excursion to 

 the Maroni River and in writing up notes and in correspond- 

 ence. At the end of the rainy season the expedition was made 

 up the Maroni River to the borders of Cayenne, w r here the 

 party encamped and applied themselves with great industry to 

 the collections for which they had come. 



Most of them were attacked by ifever and dysentery, from 

 which they rapidly recovered, but it was otherwise with young 

 Mohr, who was kept confined to his hammock for many weeks, 

 losing all this time from his work of collecting, to his great 

 disappointment and grief. 



