JVotices in J^atural History. 269 



coctlon are administered in what are termed internal complaints, or 

 in extravasations of blood, boils, &ic. Though I do not deny altogeth- 

 er its astringent property, I would advise patients to recur to more 

 certain and efficient medicines. 



A letter from Dr. R. to the Editor, dated Callao Roads, April 



15, 1832. 



The revolution, which occurred in Chile in June 1829, interrupt- 

 ed, and finally stopped the publication of the ' Mercurio Chileno.' At 

 different times that periodical work contained communications of a po- 

 litical nature which were highly offensive to one of the parties of the 

 day, and soon after the present administration assumed the direction 

 of public affairs, the Editors were forced to leave the country. About 

 the same lime, Dr. Bertero, the industrious and able author of the 

 'list', embarked, at Valparaiso, for the Sandwich Islands, to pursue 

 his botanical researches there, until he might resume without fear of 

 interruption, and complete the catalogue of plants which he had com- 

 menced. While at the Islands, he collected a large herbarium, and 

 sailed for Chile. More than a year has now elapsed, since the vessel, 

 in which he was passenger, sailed, and no news having been heard 

 from her, it is presumed that she perished at sea ! 



Besides Dr. Bertero, several other scientific men have been late- 

 ly in that country studying its natural history. Professor Gay, who 

 is still there, has been for some time travelling in different provinces, 

 collecting plants and specimens in natural history, and although the re- 

 sult of his labors has not yet been published, a few letters which 

 have appeared in ' El Araucano' — a gazette of Chile — prove that he 

 has not been idle. These letters are dated at San Fernando, and 

 are addressed to Don Jose Alejo Bezanilla, Don Francisco Huido- 

 bro and Don Vicente Bustillos, members of a scientific commission 

 in Santiago. 



In the first letter he gives a detailed account of a visit to the lake 

 of Taguatagua. He says that he saw there for the first time, a curi- 

 ous natural phenomenon celebrated by the old Scotish bards — the 

 floating island. Almost half of the lake is covered by these islands 

 which float from north to south, and from east to west, according to 

 the direction of the wind. They consist of vegetable remains of 



many species of plants ConvolvuU, Potamogeton, Ranunculi, 



GraminecB, &,c. — interlaced with each other in a thousand ways, and 



