. Brig, William and Ann, Captain Henry 
Hanwell, destined for the entrance of the 
River Columbia. To beguile the mono- 
tony attending long voyages, I held myself 
fortunate in having a companion in Dr. 
Scouler! of Glasgow, a man skilled in seve- 
ral, and devotedly attached to all, branches 
.of Natural History, a pupil of Dr. Hooker, 
by whom he was powerfully recommended 
to the H. B. C. as surgeon to the vessel, 
in order that he might have an opportunity 
of prosecuting his favourite pursuit. A 
few days of favourable weather carried us 
clear of the shores of England, and on the 
9th of August we passed the high grounds 
of the Island of Porto Santo, and anchored 
on the following afternoon in the Bay of 
Funchal, Madeira. So far as the experi- 
ence of a two days' visit went, I was much 
gratified with this delightful island. My 
companion and I visited the summit of one 
of the highest mountains, stocking our 
Herbaria with several interesting, though 
not new plants; we also walked into the 
. Vineyards in the neighbourhood of the 
town, saw the hospital, churches, and other 
establishments, and resumed our voyage 
on the 12th of August towards Rio Janeiro. 
As we approached the Equator, the tempe- 
rature increased, its greatest height being 
84° in the shade at 3 P. m. on the 21st, and 
its minimum 59°. The mornings were 
peculiarly pleasant and fine. Near the 
Cape de Verd Islands, the Ezocetus voli- 
tans was frequently seen, skimming from 
Wave to wave, and sometimes dropping on W 
the deck of our vessel, which lay very low 
in the water : the screaming noise of Phae- 
ton ethereus and the never absent Procel- 
laria pelagia, or Mother Cary's Chicken, 
mmed the only alleviation to the mono- 
tony of sky and water. For ten degrees 
9n each side of the Line, the weather was 
very variable, sometimes calm, sometimes 
with thunder and lightning, and sudden 
gusts of wind, which rendered this part of 
our voyage somewhat tedious. - We, how- 
ever, arrived within sight of Cape Frio on 
tna” Professor of Nataral — in the An- 
fee lan University, Glasgow; and now Professor 
Geology in , Royal Dublin sisal 
NGRTH-WESTERN PARTS OF 
NORTH AMERICA. 
the 26th of September. Towards evening 
the ship was surrounded by a vast variety 
of sea-birds, and I saw, for the first time, 
the Albatross, Diomedea exulans. 
The magnificent prospect of the harbour 
of Rio is well known. One feature in Bra- 
zilian scenery which particularly strikes 
the European eye is, that the Palms always 
grow largest on the summit of the highest. 
hills. During my stay, I had the pleasure 
to become known to William Harrison, | 
sq., residing at Botofogo, ‘through whose 
instrumentality many beautiful plants? have 
been introduced to England, and who be- 
stows great pains on collecting subjects in 
other departments of Natural History, il- 
lustrative of Brazil. In company with this 
gentleman and his relation, Mr. Henry 
Harrison, I made a short journey to the 
interior, where I was excessively gratified 
with the rich luxuriance of the forest, 
though the season was too early to display 
itin all its glory, and particularly delighted 
with the curious and endlessly varied forms 
of the Orchidee. Mr. Harrison cultivates 
with great success about seventy species 
of this family of plants, by simply nailing 
them to the garden-wall, and giving them 
the assistance of the bark or wood whereon 
they naturally grew, to aid them in climb- 
ing and supporting themselves. He pos- 
sesses also an aviary, containing several 
rare and beautiful native birds. 
I also made the acquaintance of the late 
John Dickson, Esq. surgeon, R.N., who 
as never so happy as when he had the 
— of doing any act of kindness. 
the 15th of October, I quitted this 
Lar place with much regret, increased 
by having been scarcely able to add any 
dried plants to my collection, owing to the 
earliness of the season and the continued 
rain. For a few days, until we got clear 
of land, the weather was changeable, ac- 
companied by wet in the evenings 
At four a. M. on Tuesday, the 19th Oct., 
a fine breeze sprang up, and we bore away 
for the South, Bicis leaving the fine — 
? Of these, especially the Epiphytes, a very great 
number pee? een figured in the Jitesienl Magazine 
and Reg 
