lO HISTORY OF THE INVESTIGATION OF THE FLORA OF SURINAM. 



1862. Misit Minister coloniarum. The specimens are in duplo and since the 

 collection is wanting at Utrecht, it is problable that Miquel who then was 

 at the same time director of the State herbarium at Leyden and professor 

 at Utrecht, deposited both collections at Leyden and that later it was omit- 

 ted to give half of it to the Utrecht herbarium. The rest, offered for sale 

 by Hohenacker in Flora of 1862, bears the numbers 2000 to about 2200. 

 They were for the greater part determined by Grisebach and have no year 

 on the labels. Also this collection is in the State herbarium at Leyden. The 

 plants have mostly been published in the Flora Brasiliensis. 



This period of great activity was followed by a long period of stagna- 

 tion. As far as 1 know no further botanical material of any importance 

 reached Europe until 1885. Late in 1884 the Leyden professor W. F. R. 

 Suringar visited the colony on his voyage to the Dutch West Indian islands. 

 The very small collection which he brought together during his short stay 

 at Paramaribo, is in the State herbarium at Leyden. By the publication of 

 the Flora Brasiliensis a great part of the material already collected, was 

 submitted to a renewed investigation. Especially the collections of Hostmann 

 and Kappler and that of Wullschliigel, least of all those of Kegel and Focke, 

 have been incorporated into the Flora Brasiliensis. 



Not until 1901 another Surinamian collection reached Holland. The ex- 

 pedition of Dr van Cappelle went up the Nickerie in August 1900. The 

 pharmacist Dr. Tulleken collected a number of plants ; most of the material 

 was collected, however, in various smaller expeditions through the colony 

 and in the environs of Paramaribo. The collection of about 500 numbers is 

 in the State herbarium at Leyden. 



The Utrecht professor F. Went visited the colony in the following year 

 from July to October by order of the government. The object of his journey 

 was to investigate the agricultural conditions of the colony. The herbarium 

 which he collected with the assistance of Mr. H. P. J. Bloemers in his various 

 expeditions through the colony contains some 550 numbers and is in the 

 botanical laboratory at Utrecht. 



In the same year the Dutch Commission for the scientific study of 

 Surinam resolved to undertake an especially topographical exploration in 

 the still unknown interior parts of the colony. With this purpose an expe- 

 dition left Paramaribo in August 1901 and investigated the course of the 

 river Coppenam and the situation of the neighbouring mountains. Mr. H. Boon, 

 physician in the Dutch army, who was the medical member of this expedition, 

 collected some 220 plants, partly in the environs of Paramaribo. 



In November 1902 a second expedition left Paramaribo and travelled 

 along the river Saramacca from November to May I903. During this expe- 

 dition the present author collected some 400 plants exclusively along the 

 Saramacca. 



Already in July 1903 a beginning was made with the investigation of 

 the eastern part of the colony. The Gonini was followed up to its sources 



