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NATURAL HISTORY OF ARABIA. 



the patronage of Frederick V. and his minister Count 

 Bernstorff, sailed from Copenhagen in January 1761, and, 

 after a short stay at Constantinople, reached the coast of 

 Yemen, by way of Egypt, in December 1762. Each of the 

 academicians who composed it had his particular task as- 

 signed him. Professor Von Haven was appointed linguist ; 

 Mons. Baurenfiend acted as draughtsman ; Dr Cramer had 

 the office of physician ; Mons. Forskal was charged with 

 the department of natural history ; and Niebuhr with that 

 of geography. The novelty of the undertaking excited a 

 lively interest among the learned associations of Europe. 

 A series of questions, embracing many intricate points 

 both physical and philological, was proposed for solution 

 by Michaelis, professor of theology at Gottingen. A simi- 

 lar list was drawn up and addressed to these accomplished 

 travellers by M. de Brequigny of the Royal Academy of 

 Inscriptions at Paris, with a view to obtain authentic in- 

 formation respecting the antiquities, chronology, govern- 

 ment, religion, and language of Yemen. Of the historical 

 treasures brought to light in the answers to these interro- 

 gatories we have not failed to avail ourselves in the pre- 

 ceding chapters of our work. 



It is to be regretted, however, that, from a concurrence 

 of unfavourable circumstances, the hopes of the scientific 

 world were in a great measure frustrated. Von Haven died 

 at Mocha within five months after their arrival. Forskal 

 survived him but a few weeks, having expired at Jerim on 

 the 1 1 th of July ; but not before he had visited Sanaa, and 

 made various professional excursions among the Coffee 

 Mountains near Taas. In the course of the following year 

 Niebuhr lost his two remaining companions : Baurenfiend 

 died at sea near the island of Socotra, and Cramer ended 

 his days at Bombay. By this melancholy catastrophe 

 numerous valuable discoveries were doubtless left unac- 

 complished ; yet it is truly surprising how much was ef- 

 fected in so short a time by the ardent zeal and indefa- 

 tigable industry of M. Forskal. He collected and gave 

 descriptions of more than 300 species in the animal king- 

 dom, and upwards of 800 in the vegetable ; and this num- 

 ber might have been considerably increased had he not 

 scrupulously adhered to the resolution of admitting no- 

 thing which he had not examined with the greatest care. 

 These fragments were afterwards reduced to order by 

 Niebuhr, according to the Linnaean arrangement, and 



