SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION. 17 



a large number of inquirers who entered either as disciples or rivals on the same 

 career of scientific exploration. 



Humboldt's journey was thus not only of capital importance for the history 

 of Spanish America, but it must also be considered as the event which has given 

 the most powerful impulse to the comprehensive study of the great terrestrial 

 organism. Humboldt has even been called, though with some exaggeration, the 

 " founder " of meteorological geography, of pelagic science, and of geographic 

 botany. He devoted half a century to an orderly digest of the materials collected 

 during his expedition. 



Since this pioneer, legions of naturalists or men of leisure have traversed the 

 various regions of South America, and hundreds of them have left their mark on 

 the history of the discovery. By their itineraries they have modified the relative 

 positions of many places wrongly laid down on the maps, and by their observations 

 they have contributed in various degrees to a better knowledge of the country and 

 its inhabitants. Thus Von Eschwege and, after him, Maximilian von Wied, 

 Auguste de Saint-Hilaire, and, in a more complete and thorough manner, Spix and 

 Martins explored in various directions the interior of Brazil and the Amazonian 

 lands, some as geologists, others as botanists or anthropologists. 



Pentland sojourned on the elevated Bolivian plateaux, and measured the 

 encircling giants, to which, however, he wrongly assigned the first rank amongst 

 the loftiest summits of America. D'Orbigny, Castelnau, and Marcoy devoted 

 themselves especially to the geography of the central regions between the La 

 Plata and Amazons basins ; and while they were plodding patiently through the 

 forests, heading or drifting with the stream, Darwin was making the famous voyage 

 round the continental periphery where he collected the materials which, combined 

 with the observations of Wallace and Bates on the banks of the Amazons and 

 its affluents, were destined to help in definitely establishing the theory of tlie 

 Origin of Species. It was through the exuberant life of the South American world, 

 through the study of its plants and animals, that Darwin, Wallace, and Bates 

 ushered in the order of research which has renovated science. 



Each of the several South American regions had its special explorers, who 

 contributed to determine its relief, to reveal its natural resources, and throw light 

 on the character of its inhabitants. Thus the island of Trinidad has been described 

 by Wells, Sawkins, De Verteuil and Kingsley. Codazzi, Myers, Sachs, Ernst, 

 Sievers, Chaffimjon have distinguished themselves by their travels in Venezuela 

 and neighbouring lands. Colombia has been explored in every direction by Baulin, 

 Boussingault, Ancizar, Acosta, Karsten, Stiibel, Reiss, Saffray, André, Steinheil, 

 Hettner, and Vergara. Wolf, Hemy, Whymper, and De la Espada have studied 

 Ecuador in its relief, its physical features, and natural history, Peru, one of the 

 best-known regions of South America, has been traversed in all directions by 

 Poeppig, Tschudi, Rivero, Bollaert, Angrand, Markbam, Wiener, Paz Soldan, 

 Raimondi, Simons. The Bolivian tracks have been followed by Weddell, Orton, 

 Minchin, Reck, Guillaume. Domeyko, Philippi, Gay initiated the exploration of 

 Chili, which has since been continued by numerous geologists and engineers. 

 3 



