28 



BOTANY. 



History, portunity of examining them, and felt that we could 

 * ' v - not convey our idea or the course of travel pursued 

 by the two eminent botanists concerned in its publi- 

 cation, or of the success which have attended their 

 endeavours, better than in their own words, we have 

 been led to subjoin the following passage from their 

 instructive and well-written preface, 



" Le voyage au tropique," say they, " quc nous 

 avons execute pendant cinq, ans, nous a conduit dans 

 des pays, dont une grande partie n'avoit jamais etc 

 visile par d'autres botanistes. L'infortune Locfling 

 perit victime de son zele pour les sciences, n'ayant 

 pousse que jusque aux bouches de L'Orenoque. L'il- 

 lustre Jacquin n'a peu parcourir que les cott-6 de Vene- 

 zuela et de Carthagene. Plus favourizc par le destin 

 que ces botanistes ceiebres, dont les travaux nous sont 

 servi le mudele, nous avous penetre dans 1'inteneur de 

 1'Amerique meridionale, depuis la cote de Caracas 

 jusqu' aux frontiers du Breiil, ou du gouvernment de 

 Grand Para. Nous avous cherchc, a diriger nos 

 excursions vers les regions, qui ont etc moijis visitees 

 par 1'Europeens. Quelle moisson de plantcs preci- 

 euses nc nous out pas offert, d'un cote, la chaine cal- 

 caire de Nouvelle Andalousie, les vallces de Cuma- 

 nacoa, le Cocollar, et les environs du convent de Ca- 

 ripe ; et de 1'autre, les plaines immenses qui scparcnt, 

 des terrains cultives des cotes, les forets epaisses de 

 la Guiana ! Que d'especes et de genres nouveaux 

 n'avons nous pas trouve dans cette navigation pe- 

 nible, execute sur 1'Orenoque, le Cassiquiare, le Rio 

 Negro, et les petites rivieres de Temi, Tuamini, et 

 Atabapo. Dans les plaines de Carichama, dans les 

 environs de cataractes d'Atures et de Maypure, sur 

 la pente de la raontagne granitique de Duida, situe 

 vers les sources de 1'Orenoque, dans ces regions 

 arrosccs par des pluies continuelles, le sol est convert 

 d'une multitude de vcgetaux incounus : les travaux 

 des plusieurs siecles ne suffiroient pas pour fixer le 

 nombre et les characteres. M. Mutis a eosamine 

 longtems avant nous, les forets de Turbaco, les belles 

 rives de Madeleine et les environs de Mariquita ; mais 

 ce grand botaniste n'a pas pu penetrer par les Andes 

 de Quindiu dans les provinces de Popayan ct de 

 Pasto. C'est dans ces regions, sur des bords de 

 Cauca et sur la haut plateau, qui s'etend d'Alma- 

 guer jusque a la ville d' Ibarra, que nous avons re- 

 cueilli des vegetaux precieux. 



" Une annee dc eejour dans la royaume de Quito 

 nous a procure les plantes, qui se trouvtnt sur les 

 cimes les plus elevees de notre globe. Joseph de 

 Jussieu est le seul voyageur, qui ait etc avant nous, a 

 Loxa. Mais la posterite n'a pu jouir que d'une tres 

 petite partie de ses travaux. Au Perou, nous avons 

 examine un grand noinbre de vegcfanx. que le public, 

 doit aux decouvertes dc M. M. Rouiz. et Pavon : 

 mais ces botanistes zeJes n'Out pas ponssu a 1'est de la 

 Cordilliere des Andes jusque a la province de Jaen 

 de Braccamorros, ou, cn're le Chinchipe et I'Ama- 

 zone la Nature a etale toutes ses richesses vegetales." 



From this elegant and interesting extract, we may 

 form, at once, some idea of the labours and difficul- 

 ties which Humboldt and his colleague had to eu- 

 eounter on their travels, and of the important advan- 

 tages which the public have a right to expect here- 

 afterj from being put in possession of their discoveries 



tu North 

 America. 



J. R. For. 

 tier. 



In proceeding next to give some account of the History, 

 progress of discovery in North America, it will not 

 be necessary to enter much into detail. The greater 

 part of this vast region, with all those stores of vege- 

 table life, utility, and beauty, which it must neces- 

 sarily contain, is yet to be explored. Nor can \ve 

 even say with truth, that our information, with re- 

 spect to the flora of these districts which have been 

 already examined, is by any means so extensive and 

 satisfying as we might have been naturally led to ex- 

 pect ; a circumstance which is probably to be ac- 

 counted for, in part, from the fear inspired by the 

 neighbourhood of the Indians, and the difficulties 

 with which the inhabitants of the United States have 

 had to contend in the infancy of their government. 

 At the same time, we are bound to acknowledge our 

 obligation to those individuals who have exerted 

 themselves, either as writers or travellers, in ei.dea- 

 vouring to enlarge our acquaintance with the flora 

 of North America, so far as it has yet been carried. 

 And among them we may particularly mention Dr 

 John Reinhold Forster, who published, in 1771, his 

 Flora America; Septentrionalis*, or, Catalogue of ilte 

 Plants of North America, extracted chiefly from the 

 writings of Professor Kalm ; Thomas Walter, au- Walter.- 

 thor of the Flora Caroliniana, which appeared in 

 1788, but of which, as we have not had an opportu- 

 tunity of examining it, we are unable to give any ac- 

 curate opinion ; Olof Swartz, formerly professor of SwartjT. 

 botany at Erlangen, and now at Copenhagen, who, 

 in the course of his voyages and travels in the West 

 Indies, where he continued, as we shall immediately 

 have occasion to notice, from 1783 to 1787, paid a 

 visit to some part of the southern states, where 1 e 

 made several discoveries, which he has communicated 

 in his writings i And, above all, M. A. Michaux, a Michaui. 

 Frenchman, who, after a good deal of travel and en- 

 lightened research, particularly in the provinces of 

 the United States, has laid the fruit of his labour, 

 within these few years, before the public, in a work 

 of very considerable value, in twoA'olumes, entitled, 

 Flora Boreali- Americana ; Paris, 1803 i and in his 

 Hist, des Chenes de I'Amcrique Septgptrionale ; Pa- 

 ris, 1801. 



We are also indebted to the late Abbe Cavanilles, 

 for a great deal of new information with respect to 

 the flora of Mexico, which has been communicated, 

 to us in his Icoimf Ptaitlarum.. And much, as 

 have a little ago hinted, is foon, we trust, to be ex- 

 pected, in relation to the same object, from the la- 

 bours of the three Spanish botanists, Moncino, Cer- 

 vantes, and Sesse, who have lieen for some years at- 

 tending to it. 



In connection with what has been stated as to the 

 Continent of America, it will be proper that we should 

 now give some account of the endeavours uiiich have 

 been used towards illustrating the botany of the ad- 

 jacent West India Islands : and here it will be the 

 less necessary to say much on the subject, as wt have 

 been already led to anticipate part of the information 

 which we had to communicate -with regard to it. 

 Jacquin, we have observed, went early to the West Jacquin. 

 Indies, at the expence of the Emperor of Ger- 

 many ; and although he spent some time in exploring 

 the coast of South America about Carthagcna and, 



Iu the \Vrst 



Indies. 



