﻿Aruba, 
  Curac^ao, 
  and 
  Bonaire. 
  291 
  

  

  different 
  kinds 
  abound, 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  introduced. 
  The 
  date- 
  

   palm 
  and 
  the 
  tamarind 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  and 
  grow 
  splen- 
  

   didly; 
  the 
  cocoanut-palm 
  grows 
  wherever 
  it 
  is 
  planted. 
  The 
  

   bitter 
  orange 
  is 
  grown 
  in 
  several 
  large 
  gardens 
  to 
  supply 
  

   the 
  valuable 
  peel 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  famous 
  Curacao-liqueur 
  is 
  

   made. 
  A 
  great 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  islands 
  is 
  planted 
  with 
  the 
  

   dividivi-tree 
  [Libidibi 
  coriaced), 
  the 
  husks 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   largely 
  exported. 
  The 
  most 
  characteristic 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  

   landscape, 
  however, 
  are 
  the 
  gigantic 
  species 
  of 
  Cereus, 
  Opuntia, 
  

   and 
  Melocactus, 
  and 
  the 
  large 
  fields 
  of 
  Aloe. 
  The 
  largest 
  

   tree 
  I 
  saw 
  on 
  the 
  islands 
  was 
  an 
  old 
  and 
  fine 
  Eriodendron, 
  

   at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Mt. 
  Christoffel, 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  Savonet. 
  On 
  

   all 
  the 
  islands 
  the 
  Rhizophora 
  grows 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  on 
  the 
  

   coast, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  over 
  a 
  great 
  extent. 
  

  

  As 
  I 
  have 
  stated 
  above, 
  the 
  accounts 
  of 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  

   dryness 
  of 
  these 
  islands 
  are 
  exaggerated. 
  The 
  year 
  1892 
  

   was, 
  it 
  is 
  true, 
  an 
  unusually 
  wet 
  one, 
  and 
  1885, 
  the 
  year 
  in 
  

   which 
  Professor 
  Martin 
  visited 
  the 
  islands, 
  was 
  perhaps 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  driest 
  of 
  the 
  century. 
  Having 
  read 
  the 
  description 
  

   of 
  Martin 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  Herr 
  Peters 
  (J. 
  f. 
  O. 
  1892, 
  p. 
  105) 
  

   in 
  manuscript, 
  I 
  did 
  not 
  expect 
  to 
  find 
  much 
  vegetation. 
  

   Great, 
  therefore, 
  were 
  my 
  joy 
  and 
  astonishment 
  when 
  on 
  

   the 
  3rd 
  of 
  June, 
  at 
  daybreak, 
  I 
  saw 
  the 
  picturesque 
  rocks 
  of 
  

   Cura9ao 
  before 
  me, 
  sparsely 
  but 
  thoroughly 
  covered 
  with 
  the 
  

   freshest 
  green. 
  

  

  That 
  day 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  leave 
  the 
  steamer 
  for 
  hours, 
  and 
  the 
  

   shops 
  of 
  Willemstad 
  were 
  not 
  opened 
  before 
  11 
  o'clock, 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  the 
  pouring 
  rain 
  — 
  and 
  rain 
  troubled 
  me 
  more 
  

   than 
  once 
  after 
  this 
  on 
  these 
  " 
  rainless 
  " 
  islands. 
  The 
  vege- 
  

   tation, 
  therefore, 
  was 
  rather 
  rich 
  during 
  my 
  stay, 
  and 
  many 
  

   lovely 
  flowers 
  were 
  seen, 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  

   Christoffel, 
  where 
  I 
  found 
  three 
  species 
  of 
  orchids. 
  These 
  

   plants, 
  of 
  course, 
  must 
  be 
  indigenous, 
  and 
  trees 
  of 
  several 
  

   metres 
  in 
  girth 
  and 
  of 
  considerable 
  height 
  cannot 
  grow 
  up 
  

   and 
  disappear 
  at 
  short 
  intervals. 
  

  

  Fresh 
  water 
  is 
  very 
  scarce 
  and 
  valuable 
  at 
  times, 
  and 
  

   there 
  are 
  only 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  places 
  on 
  each 
  island 
  with 
  natural 
  

   springs 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  beds 
  of 
  rivulets 
  on 
  the 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  Y 
  2 
  

  

  