small but very interesting one, 
which we are € to our friend, 
B. D. Greene, Esq., consisting of speci- 
mens from the southern PEE: of Chili, 
chiefly in Araucania, made by J. N. Rey- 
nolds, Esq., author of the ** Voyage of the 
United States’ Frigate, Potomac ;” and 
- from whom we further expect the account 
- of his “ Travels through the Republic of 
Chili and the Araucanian and Indian 
- Territories to the South.” The third col- 
lection just alluded to, was derived from 
Mr. Tweedie, and was made in Tucuman, 
ili, scazcely, if ever, before, visited by 
. any Naiuralisi. So little, indeed, is known 
of that province, that Mr. T weedie's letter 
? 
(coPv.) 
Buenos Ayres, Sept. 29, 1835. 
cc “On my arrival from iem interior, on the 
$ books, awaiting me, and again your’s of 
te Mad June, accompanying Mr. Field- 
^w l7th instant; all of which I Shall « en- 
dea 
be expected after a journey of twelve 
- In these upper Provinces no rain 
1n the winter season, so that, as in some 
my former travels, we suffered every 
ation that a severe drought could pro- 
my collections of seeds, plants, and 
CONTRIBUTIONS TOWARDS A FLORA OF SOUTH AMERICA. 
235 
specimens are consequently trifling. I find 
much benefit from having numbered those 
which I sent you three years ago, and I 
wish it had been done at first, and more 
correctly. I have therefore numbered these 
now transmitted, with the exception of the 
rasses, which though interesting to some, 
possess few charms for me. ose now 
sent are principally collected in the vast 
plains which lay on our route, where no- 
thing but Grass was to be met with. I have 
taken the liberty of troubling you with a 
box of seeds; being from a strange coun- 
try, they may be in request for your Bota- 
nic Garden. They are mostly new articles 
from the Upper Provinces. In the box, 
with some other odd things, are two 
of seeds of the Urtica family ; one I have 
marked U. majestica; it is a tree, with 
immensely large foliage, which I found in 
a thick moist wood, going up the first ridge 
of the Cordillera; the other is a very sin- 
gular and showy plant, which I found also 
in the warm moist forests of Brazil: I con- 
sider them both as curious and interesting 
plants, and which I hope may succeed. 
The tree species gives a large branched 
cluster, of a lemon-colour, but it contained 
very little seed ; and I only met with one 
plant of it. In the fine mountain forests 
of Tucuman, I saw some beautiful and 
strange trees; but nothing like 
varieties to be met with on the coast of 
South Brazil. I met with a countryman 
from Perth, who was an officer in : 
ford's army, and was sent up there with 
other prisoners. He remained, got married 
to a native, and has a large and beautiful 
wooded estate. He gave me a horse, and 
we set out together for two days to visit a 
branch of the snowy Cordilleras. We 
most of the first day to climb the first ele- 
vation, though not exceeding 3,000 feet 
above the plain. We then came to a seem- 
ing flat, bet: on aening it, about nine miles 
broad, 
little hills and valleys, the high ground 
covered with coarse grass of the 
species as on the plains, : completely 
withered with dry hard frost; the hollows 
furnished with the same eb oftreesas . 
