The Schomburgks in Guiana. 25 



traveller, who told his antagonist to pity him for his 

 amiable enthusiasm for botany. Another correspondent, 

 " Guyannensis," took SCHOMBURGR'S side, while a 

 looker-on poked fun at the whole correspondence in a 

 letter dated Isle of Sky, and signed "Potatoe Alde- 

 baran," giving a humourous account of the confli6t 

 between the " Plants and the Stars." 



After leaving British Guiana, SCHOMBURGK remained 

 in Barbados for some time, collecting materials for his 

 history of that island, which was published in 1847. In 

 the following year he was appointed British Consul at 

 St. Domingo, whence in 1852 he forwarded to the 

 Royal Agricultural and Commercial Society a letter on 

 the Ramon Tree (Tropins Americana) , which he recom- 

 mended to be grown in Guiana on account of the young 

 leaves being useful as fodder. In 1857, he was sent to Siam 

 as Her Majesty's Consul General, where he was enabled to 

 advance the interests of British Commerce, and to make 

 several geographical surveys. His health declining, he 

 returned to England in the autumn of 1864, and retired 

 on a pension, and after enjoying this for only a few 

 months in his native country, he died at Berlin on the 

 nth of March, 1865. RichardSchomburgk is stillliving 

 and is now 78 years of age. After publishing the "Reisen" 

 in 1847, hebecame implicated in the trouble of the German 

 Revolution of the following year, to escape which he 

 emigrated to Australia, where he became a farmer and 

 winegrower. In 1865 he accepted the post of Director 

 of the Adelaide Botanical Gardens, which he still holds. 



The following is a list of the principal books and 

 articles written by Sir ROBERT SCHOMBURGK and his 



D 



