Vegetation of Dahnatia. 11 



unknown, whatever trouble may have been bestowed upon its 

 examination of late. 



The history of these researches is briefly this : — During the 

 time that Dalmatia was under the dominion of the Venetians, 

 a few travellers visited the country to make here and there 

 some researches; but among these are the celebrated names of 

 Boccone, Donati, Wulfen, and Cyrillo, who vouchsafed to 

 bestow their attention upon this country. But, since it has 

 become an Austrian province, the government itself has paid 

 the greatest attention to discovery; and, in 1802, sent there 

 Messrs. Joseph Host and Von Schonus. In 1818, the emperor, 

 himself a lover of botany, visited this country, and took with 

 him in his suite Dr. Portenschlag and a gardener. From this 

 epoch began a new active life in the botany of Dalmatia. It 

 was the important discoveries made by Portenschlag, during 

 his two months' residence, which first excited general attention 

 to this country ; but, unfortunately, he was prevented by death 

 from publishing his work. A young Dalmatian, Doctor Von 

 Visiani, attached to the botanical chair of Padua, at every return 

 to his own country, investigated its flora, particularly that of 

 the vicinity of his birthplace Sebenico ; and found, I might say 

 immediately at his own door, a dozen new plants. Several 

 more extended journeys which he made, fixing his residence 

 in the country, enabled him to publish, in the year 1826, his 

 Specimen Stirpium Dalmaticarum, which, unfortunately, is not 

 sufficiently known. It contains, together with his new dis- 

 coveries, a survey of the country, and also the first catalogue of 

 all the plants hitherto observed by him in Dalmatia. This was 

 followed, in the year 1828, by his PlantcE 7'ariores in Dalmatia 

 recens detectae (which is printed in i\\QRatisho7iFlo7'a,\%29i Ergan- 

 zungsbl., p. 1. to 24.): this contains 37 new plants. A second 

 catalogue is published in the Flora, 1830, No. 4. At this time, 

 chance united several Florentine priests in this country. 

 Tomasini found himself first in the field at Cattaro, where he 

 made many interesting discoveries, which Host subsequently 

 collected. Neumayer, a diligent collector, has been for some time 

 resident at Ragusa, of which he closely examines the environs. 



Doctor Visiani, residing otherv/ise at Sebenico, is at this 

 moment physician in Cattaro ; Professor Pelter, at Spalato, is 

 also a most active collector, and the environs of that country 

 owe to him a multitude of new discoveries in plants, which 

 hitherto had been little known. He will add to the encyclo- 

 paedia-like work which he has prepared upon Dalmatia a 

 botanical appendix, and a catalogue of all the plants which 

 have as yet been found there ; and he will be assis ed in his 

 undertaking by all the botanists of the country. 



At Zara are Professor Alschinger, and Rubrizius the com- 



