336 APPENDIX A 



of the latter by whoever has studied some of the wild theories 

 propounded in the name of science concerning the history of life 

 on the South American continent. There is, however, one serious 

 criticism to be made on Haseman : the extreme obscurity of his 

 style — an obscurity mixed with occasional bits of scientific pedantry, 

 which makes it difficult to tell whether or not on some points his 

 thought is obscure also. Modem scientists, like modem historians, 

 and, above all, scientific and historical educators, should ever keep 

 in mind that cleamess of speech and writing is essential to clear- 

 ness of thought, and that a simple, clear, and, if possible, vivid 

 style is vital to the production of the best work in either science 

 or history. Darwin and Huxley are classics, and they would not 

 have been if they had not written good English. The thought is 

 essential, but ability to give it clear expression is only less essential. 

 Ability to write well, if the writer has nothing to write about, 

 entitles him to mere derision. But the greatest thought is robbed 

 of an immense proportion of its value if expressed in a mean or 

 obscure manner. Mr. Haseman has such excellent thought that it 



perform, and did not even attempt to perform, the work he had contracted to 

 do in exploration for the Brazilian Government. Mr. Landor had asserted 

 and promised that he would go through unknown country along the line of 

 eleven degrees latitude south, and, as Colonel Rondon states, it was because 

 of this proposal of his that the Brazilian Government gave him material 

 financial assistance in advance. However, Colonel Rondon sets forth that 

 Mr. Landor did not keep his word or make any serious effort to fulfil his 

 obligation to do as he had said he would do. In a letter to me under 

 date of May 1, 1914 — a letter which has been published in full in France — 

 Colonel Rondon goes at length into the question of what territory Mr. Landor 

 had traversed. Colonel Rondon states that — excepting on one occasion, when 

 Mr. Landor, wandering off a beaten trail, immediately got lost and shortly 

 returned to his starting-point without making any discoveries — he kept to old, 

 well-travelled routes. One sentence of the Colonel's letter to me runs as 

 follows : " I can guarantee to you that in Brazil Mr. Landor did not cross a 

 hand's breadth of laud that had not been explored, the greater part of it 

 many centuries ago." As regards Mr. Landor's sole and brief experience in 

 leaving a beaten route, Colonel Rondon states that at Sao Manoel Mr. Landor 

 engaged from Senhor Jose Sotero Barreto (the revenue officer of Matto 

 Grosso, at Sao Manoel) a guide to lead him across a well-travelled trail which 

 connects the Tapajos vpith the Madeira via the Canama. The guide, however, 

 got lost, and after a few days they all returned to the point of departure 

 instead of going through to the Canama. 



Seuhor Barreto, a gentleman of high standing, related this last incident to 



