The Schomburgks in Guiana. 23 



an Indian skeleton, some skulls, and plaster casts of faces ; 

 to the Model-room of the Admiralty, 106 specimens of 

 woods; and to Kew a number of living plants including 

 several new orchids. His writings consisted principally 

 of the Journals of the expeditions ; he had no time to 

 study his collections and elaborate the results, but there 

 were others ready to investigate the specimens, and 

 publish them in the scientific periodicals of the time. 



While residing in Georgetown up to the time of his 

 departure, Sir ROBERT SCHOMBURGK took great interest 

 in the formation of the Agricultural and Commercial 

 Society, of which he was ele6led a honorary member on 

 the 1st of May. In acknowledging the letter in which he 

 had been informed of his election, he assured the 

 " Society" that he would always take the liveliest interest 

 in their Institution, which promised to be of great advan- 

 tage to a colony, of the greatness and the variety of 

 natural resources of which, he had the most indubitable 

 proofs during his researches in the interior. He had 

 fitted up an Observatory at Eve Leary, where he carried 

 on his Astronomical work up to the time of his departure 

 on the 20th of May 1844. 0° tne ' ast day of the same 

 month the instruments used in the boundary survey were 

 presented by the Governor to the new Astronomical and 

 Meteorological Society, of which Dr. Bonyun was one 

 of the principal promoters. An Observatory was to be 

 erected in the Parade Ground and a great deal of enthu- 

 siasm was shown by some of the members. In April a 

 correspondence had been initiated in the Royal Gazette 

 by a paper of SCHOMBURGK on the Mudar (Calotropis 

 gigantca) as a remedy for Leprosy, followed by a letter 

 advocating the establishment of a Botanical Garden. In 



